Book Review

Good Morning!

*NOTE:  Book Reviews are due no later than Monday, March 2.

 *Today, as promised, I am giving you class time to complete and post your book review on Goodreads.  You will, of course, share it with me by filling out the "Book Review URL Form" under "Important Links" on my blog.

*You have brought a healthful food item today?

"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables"

Good Morning!

*NOTE: Book reviews are due by Monday, March 2nd.  You can start submitting them by filling out the form under "Important Links."   Tomorrow I will give you class time to complete the book review on Goodreads.

  
*"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables" -- yesterday you wrote a rhetorical precis of this article in your WRITER'S JOURNAL.  You followed directions for this precis in Activity #12.  

*Activity #13 -- I would like to review this Thinking Critically activity orally to show you the traditional rhetorical appeals that are made in this article and how we might respond to them.  (Yes, I know you think we have discussed this article enough!)

*Activity #14 -- Designing a survey

HOMEWORK:  Book Review -- compose your book review so you are ready to put it on Goodreads tomorrow.

"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables"

Good Morning!

*NOTE: Book reviews are due by Monday, March 2nd.  You can start submitting them by filling out the form under "Important Links."

  
*"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables" -- let's finish reading this text today. 

*Activity #11 -- rather than having you respond to these questions on your own, I would like to share with you the observations that are made about the author's use of language in this article and the effect that it has.

*Activity #12 -- Respond in your WRITER'S JOURNAL.  Follow the directions for writing this precis.

HOMEWORK:  Book Review

"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables"

Good Morning!

*NOTE: Book reviews are due by Monday, March 2nd.  You can start submitting them by filling out the form under "Important Links."

  
*"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables" -- yesterday you read this article and annotated it for the author's main arguments and examples in the left margin and your responses to what the writer said in the right margin. Follow the directions for #3 in Activity #10.  The writer's argument paragraph by paragraph is plain.  Focus more on discussing your reaction with another student.

NEXT, in your Writer's Journal respond to Activity #11.

HOMEWORK:  Book review.

"Bad Food? Tax It . . . ."

Good Morning!

I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend!

 

*NOTE:  Book Reviews are due next Monday, March 2

*"No Lunch Left Behind" -- Friday you completed an assignment on this text.  

*On p. 52 of your packet look at "Drawing Conclusions from Structure."  Respond to the questions in your Writer's Journal.

 

*Activity #8 -- Please respond to this quickwrite in your Writer's Journal

*"Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables" -- annotate for the following:

(in the left margin)

*the issue or problem

*the author's main arguments

*the author's examples

(In the right margin write your reactions to what the author is saying).

HOMEWORK:  Independent Reading

"No Lunch Left Behind"

Good Morning!

*Independent Reading:  Please read quietly until we are ready to begin.  Book reviews are due Monday, March 2.

*"Attacking The Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause" -- just a little bit more discussion on this article.

*"No Lunch Left Behind" -- Please read this article quietly and then with the group that you have been working with complete the handout which asks for not only content but purpose.  This is rhetorical reading -- knowing not only what the writer says but the purpose of what is said.  Answer the questions.  Discuss in your group.

HOMEWORK:  Independent reading

"Attacking the Obesity Epidemic . . ."

Good Morning!

*Independent Reading:  Please read quietly until we are ready to begin.  Book reviews are due Monday, March 2.

*"Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause"--  In the group that you worked with yesterday respond to the following questions:  (Have one person record the responses)

1.  What are mainly the factors that have caused the epidemic of obesity?
2.  What are the proposed solutions?
3.  What are the obstacles to the solutions?
4.  Is the food industry and other factors entirely to blame for the obesity epidemic?

"Attacking the Obesity Epidemic . . ."

Good Morning!

*Independent Reading:  Please read quietly until we are ready to begin.  Book reviews are due Monday, March 2.

*"Good Food/Bad Food" -- Before reading "Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause" complete activity #3 in your packet.  Then, read the article and annotate for the following questions which will help you in your GROUP DISCUSSION:

1.  What parts of the article did you not understand or find 
     confusing?  Note those parts in your annotation.
2.  What parts did you disagree with? 
3.  What parts make the most sense to you that explain the 
      epidemic?  Do you have your own ideas that would explain
      the causes of the obesity epidemic?
4.  What do you think of the proposed solutions?
5.  What parts caught your attention?

In your GROUP DISCUSSION, you might begin by sharing your thoughts about the obesity epidemic even before reading this article.  THEN, use use the questions above as a means of discussing the article in your group.

HOMEWORK:  Independent reading

Module #5: "Good Food/Bad Food"

Good Morning!

I hope that you had a great four-day weekend!

*Independent Reading:  Please read quietly until we are ready to begin.  Book reviews are due Monday, March 2.

*Before we begin another module, I would like to get an evaluation from you about what we have been doing so far in this class.  Please respond to the following questions:

1.  What do you think of the readings that we have done so far and the module themes?  ("What Comes Next," "Racial Profiling," "The Value of Life")
2.  How helpful have the assignments been in improving your reading skills?  Give an example if you can.
3.What was the most interesting module so far?
4.  What would you like to see different about this class?  How might it be improved?

*Module #5: "Good Food/Bad Food:  In your Writer's Journal, please respond to Activity #1 & #2.  Be sure to label this new module and each activity.  After we discuss your responses, please complete Activity #3 in the packet and then read "Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause."

HOMEWORK: Independent Reading

Value of Life Essays

Good Morning!

*Please put your cell phone away when you walk in the door to this classroom and keep it out of sight until you walk out the door.  No exceptions.

*Independent Reading -- please read until we are ready to begin.

 *Value of Life Essays -- I am going to share more of your essays today.  They will be read anonymously, but I would like some volunteers to read your essay for extra credit.  There are some great ideas in your essays and I would like them to be shared.

*Before we begin another module, I would like to get an evaluation from you about what we have been doing so far in this class.  Please respond to the following questions:

1.  What do you think of the readings that we have done so far and the module themes?  
2.  How helpful have the assignments been in improving your reading skills?  Give an example if you can.
3.What was the most interesting module so far?
4.  What would you like to see different about this class?  How might it be improved?

Value of Life Essay

Good  Morning!

 Please get your netbook when you arrive.

*Value of Life Essay -- please read over your essay and then print a copy for me if you have not done so already.  Today we will share these essays.

*Tomorrow we begin a new module 

HOMEWORK:  Independent Reading

Value of Life Essay

Good Morning!

Please get your netbooks when you arrive. 

*Value of Life Essay -- Please Look at Activity #51 in your module packet.  This activity concerns how the words of others are introduced in the text of your writing.  This is a very important part of making your writing effective.  Using the support of other people's ideas enhances what you say, but you want to smoothly incorporate their words into your writing.  Your essay discusses the ideas of the texts that we read.  I emphasized to you to use a discussion of the ideas in the texts as a springboard to your thoughts.

*Today, carefully proofread your writing.  Ask the following questions:
1. Have I discussed the ideas in the texts that we read?
2. Have I taken a stance on the question of the value of life?
3. Have I supported my stance with personal stories or the words of other people that I have interviewed?
4.  Does my essay engage the interest of an audience?
5.  Have I written effective sentences?
6.  Have I organized my thoughts in a coherent manner?
7.  Do I have any writing errors that I would be able to correct upon careful proofreading?

HOMEWORK:  Final draft of essay

Value of Life Essay

Good Morning!

I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend!

*Please get your netbook when you arrive

*Value of Life Essay -- As you have been writing this essay you have been considering how the various texts that we have read treated this topic. In your essay you have taken a stance on this topic and you are showing support.  This support might be in the form of personal stories.  It was suggested that you interview other people for their ideas.  Include their words for your support.  Refer back to writing prompt #1 (Activity #42).

HOMEWORK:  Fully completed draft for tomorrow 

Value of Life Essay

Good Morning! 
Please get your netbook when you arrive. 

*My blog today is the same as yesterday as follows:

*Value of Life Essay -- Please work on this essay assignment outside of class.  There is not enough time in class to complete it, and I am sure more creative thinking is likely to happen outside of class.  How you organize this essay is up to you, but you should have an introduction that leads into the stance that you will take.  Consider the ideas in the four texts that we have read and look at your "Charting Multiple Texts" handout.  This essay requires a lot of thinking on your part -- the pulling together of a variety of ideas.

What you are doing:
*You are writing an essay detailing your perspective on the value of life.
*You are considering the texts that we have read.
*You are assuming an intelligent audience.
*You are including metaphors, stories, interviews.
*You are making choices about the presentation of your ideas.

HOMEWORK:Value of Life Essay

Value of Life Essay

Good Morning! 
Please get your netbook when you arrive.

*Independent Reading: Please quietly read until we are ready to begin.

*Value of Life Essay -- Please work on this essay assignment outside of class.  There is not enough time in class to complete it, and I am sure more creative thinking is likely to happen outside of class.  How you organize this essay is up to you, but you should have an introduction that leads into the stance that you will take.  Consider the ideas in the four texts that we have read and look at your "Charting Multiple Texts" handout.  This essay requires a lot of thinking on your part -- the pulling together of a variety of ideas.

*Create new document and name it Period 2 Value of Life Essay.
Then share it with me (abaltrushes@gmail.com)

HOMEWORK:  Value of Life Essay

Essay on The Value of Life

Good Morning! 

*Independent Reading: Please quietly read until we are ready to begin.

*"You've got to find what you love," -- some final thoughts about this text.  Please fill out the "Charting Multiple Texts" for the Jobs speech.

*Activity #42 --  You will be responding to Prompt #1.  Today you will get started.  Go back and read your response to Activity #1 for this module.  Look over "Charting for Multiple Texts" to remind you of the ideas that we encountered in the texts that we read.  You will be writing a well-developed essay of no less than two double-spaced typed pages (800 - 1000 words).  Continue working on the essay for homework.  We will be writing in class over the next two days.  By Tuesday of next week your essay will be fully completed, and of course I would like you to share your essay with classmates.

HOMEWORK:  Essay on The Value of Life

"You've got to find what you love"

Good Morning! 

*Independent Reading: Please quietly read until we are ready to begin.

*"You've got to find what you love," -- Yesterday we read and annotated the Steve Jobs' commencement speech from 2005.  In your WRITER'S JOURNAL write three statements that define the main ideas in Jobs' speech.  Then, explain whether you agree or disagree with his views.

*Looking more closely at the text of the speech (for discussion):
     1. What is the purpose of paragraph #4?
     2. Do you agree with the message that Jobs sends in paragraph
         #5?
     3. What is the message in paragraph #7?
     4. What is the lesson in paragraph #12?   

*Activity #42:  Writing prompt 

HOMEWORK:  Essay assignment 

"You've got to find what you love"

Good Morning! 

I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend!

*Independent Reading: Please quietly read until we are ready to begin. 

*"What Is The Value Of A Human Life? (Kenneth Feinberg)-- On Friday I asked you to read this text and to write a well-composed summary of what Feinberg says in your Writers Journal.

*Charting Multiple Texts -- Please fill out the chart for the article "What Is A Life Worth?" by Amanda Ripley.

*"You've got to find what you love" -- this text is the commencement speech delivered by Steve Jobs at Stanford in 2005.  Please read this text with a partner.  For each numbered paragraph, pause and discuss not only what the text is saying but the purpose of what is being said.  Annotate each paragraph.

HOMEWORK:  Finish reading and annotating the Jobs speech if you and your partner have not finished during class.