Atheism: Reading Comprehension, Discussion, and Written Response

Objectives:
• Students will read about one person’s journey to religious and spiritual self-discovery.
• Students will do a close reading of a particular quotation and use that to help them create an argument.
• Students will write persuasively expressing their opinion on a controversial topic.

Activity 1: Writing
Write the following quote from the article on the board: “People rarely seem to get what they truly deserve during their lifetimes, and a heaven where good people finally get what they deserve seemed like wishful thinking. Based on science, the sky is just the sky: There’s no proof that heaven exists anywhere, which made it difficult for me to believe in it.”

Tell students that this is a provocative quotation from the piece they are about to read. Ask them to write a short response explaining if they agree or disagree with the author. They should support their perspectives with their own experiences and knowledge.

Activity 2: Reading
Introduce the piece as an essay about one person’s journey to find spiritual meaning. Explain that not everyone is going to agree with this person’s path but that you ask the students to put themselves in her shoes and try to understand her journey.

In small groups, have the students read the story aloud. Ask them to underline or make a note of the statements by the author that they feel strongly about, whether they agree or disagree with those statements. Tell the groups that each member must have the opportunity to share at least one statement or passage that moved them, and share a brief argument explaining why they agreed or disagreed with the passage/statement.

Encourage students to discuss the passages and develop arguments after they have completed the reading.

Activity 3: Discussion
Bring the class back together and ask volunteers to share with the class one statement they chose from the text, and the argument they developed opposing or supporting the author’s stance. Push students to connect their opinions back to the text. Ask questions to help develop the students’ arguments further, such as:
• Why do you think the author wrote that?
• Why do you feel strongly about this particular statement?
• What experiences have you had that were similar to the author's, even if your conclusions or actions were different?

Activity 4: Homework
Students will use the group discussion as a basis for writing a formal two-paragraph response to the story. The first paragraph should summarize the author’s point of view. The second should explain why they agree or disagree with that assertion. Instruct them to refer to specific textual evidence in making their argument. It is important that they support their personal response to the story with evidence from other sources or from their own experiences.

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Common Core Anchor Standards for Reading:
Key Ideas and details
• Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
• Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
• Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

Common Core Anchor Standards for Writing:
Text types and Purposes
• Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Production and distribution of Writing
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Range of Writing
• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Common Core Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
• Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
• Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.