Unit 2 - Judson Independent School District

Transcription

Unit
2
Real-Life
Challenges
Essential Questions
?
How does commercialism
impact daily life?
?
How does research
enhance the ability to
persuade?
Unit Overview
As life continues to grow more complex and
challenging, you will need to continue to develop
your critical thinking skills. By focusing on
nonfiction texts, this unit will teach you to ask
insightful questions, to develop clear and logical
arguments, and to express those arguments in
both written and oral texts. It will also equip
you with the tools to unlock other people’s
arguments, to evaluate their positions clearly,
and to support or oppose other views in an
appropriate manner. In addition, the unit will
guide you to become a more critical consumer of
media messages as you examine their effects on
your life.
103
Unit
2
Real-Life Challenges
Goals
CAnalyze and reflect on
the effect of media in
our lives
CUnderstand how
persuasive techniques
are used to convince an
audience to support a
position
CEvaluate and cite online
sources in an annotated
bibliography
CEffectively use
information from valid
sources to support a
position
Academic VocaBulary
Contents
Learning Focus: How Powerful Is the Media? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Activities:
2.1 Previewing the Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
2.2 Defining Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2.3 Creating Media Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Online Article: “Just the Facts About Advertising and
Marketing to Children,” by Betsy Taylor
2.4 The Media and Commercialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Nonfiction: From Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers,
by Alissa Quart
2.5 Advertising and Representations .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Informational Text: “How Advertisers Persuade”
Online Article: “The Price of Happiness: Advertising and Image,”
The Center for the Study of Commercialism
2.6 Brands and the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Informational Text: “How do tweens feel about brands?”
by Patricia Seybold from Brandchild, by Martin Lindstrom
Embedded Assessment 1 Writing About the Media . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Commercialism
Advertising Techniques
Persuasive Appeals
Persuasive Essay
104 SpringBoard® English Textual Power™ Level 3
© 2011 College Board. All rights reserved.
Media
Learning Focus: Supporting Your Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
2.7 Thinking About Ideas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
2.8 Debating an Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
2.9 Identifying Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
2.10 Writing a Letter About an Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
2.11 Introducing RAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
2.12 Issues at School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Editorial: “Uniform Opinion,” Dallas Morning News
Article: “Student Dress Codes,” by Lynne A. Isaacson
Poetry: “Uniformity,” Anonymous
Letter: “A Blessing in Disguise,” Anonymous
2.13 An Idea for Derek Jeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Article: “Jeter: Put Your Money Where Your Fans Are,”
by Michael Lupinacci
2.14 Issues in the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Embedded Assessment 2 Writing a Persuasive Essay . . . . . . . . . 177
Unit Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
105
Learning Focus:
How Powerful Is the Media?
On a daily basis you are most likely affected by some aspect of the media.
Media take many forms, known as channels. These channels include
television, radio, the Internet, magazines, news broadcasts, podcasts, blogs,
billboards—and the list grows as your world expands. Media messages are
often about how to look, what to eat, and where to go. Many messages are
helpful, but some can be harmful.
As your life becomes more complex and challenging, you will need to
intensify your critical thinking skills in order to sift through the images and
messages brought to you through media channels. By researching and
finding out the facts, you can learn what is actually true; then you can ask
insightful questions, challenge messages presented to you, develop clear
and logical arguments, and express those arguments in both written and
oral forms.
Knowing the facts can empower you to understand the influence of the media
on its audience and to become a sensible and informed consumer.
Independent Reading: In this unit, you will continue to explore the concept of
challenges. One literary genre that is known for the challenges it presents is
mystery. You may want to read a mystery or read additional articles and other
informational texts about the media.
Previewing the Unit
Activity
2.1
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Close Reading, Graphic
Organizer, KWL Chart, Marking the Text, Summarizing/Paraphrasing,
Think-Pair-Share
Essential Questions
1. How does commercialism impact daily life?
2. How does research enhance the ability to persuade?
Unit Overview and Learning Focus
Predict what you think this unit is about. Use the words or phrases
that stood out to you when you read the Unit Overview and the
Learning Focus.
Embedded Assessment 1
What knowledge must you have (what do you need to know) to succeed
on Embedded Assessment 1? What skills must you have (what must you
be able to do)?
Unit 2 • Real-Life Challenges 107
Activity
2.2
Defining Media
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Graphic Organizer,
Quickwrite, Word Map
1. How does your class define media?
2. What words and images come to mind with the term commercial?
Word
Connections
The word commercial has
a Latin root merc-, which
refers to merchandise.
Merchandise has the
same root, along with
other words referring to
business or money, such
as merchant, mercantile,
mercenary, and commerce.
The prefix com- means
“with.”
3. How would you define commercial mass media?
commercial
Activity 2.2
continued
4. A media channel is a media type used to convey a message. An
example of a media channel is television. Brainstorm a list of media
channels and write them below:
5. In the graphic organizer below, list the channels according to how
you feel about the impact of the media channels on your life. In the
“Number of Times Used” column, write how many times you use the
channel in a week. If no time is spent, write 0. Then estimate the
number of hours per week you spend on the channels you use.
Number
of Times
Used
Estimated
Number of
Hours
NEGATIVE
IMPACT
Number
of Times
Uses
Estimated
Number of
Hours
POSITIVE
IMPACT
Quickwrite: On a separate piece of paper, discuss your overall feelings
about the media. Do you see any positive or negative effects that media
exposure might have on you or others? Explain. Save this piece in your
Working Folder.
Activity
2.3
Creating Media Awareness
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Graphic Organizer, Marking the Text,
Metacognitive Markers, Rereading, Word Map, Previewing, Predicting, Think-Pair-Share
Academic VocaBulary
Commercialism is an
emphasis on gaining profits
through advertising or
sponsorship.
Part 1: You and the Media
Before reading the article that begins on the next page, respond to the
following questions in the “Before Reading” column.
Question
Before Reading
After Reading
How many billions of dollars do you think the
advertising industry spends every year?
What types of products do you think are advertised the
most to children?
How much money do you think children aged 4 to 12
spend per year?
About how many hours do you think children spend
watching TV every day, on average?
What percentage of children do you think have a TV in
their rooms?
Literary terms
A citation gives credit to,
or acknowledgment of, a
source of information for
researched material or for a
quotation.
When you look at various kinds of information, think about the source.
Primary sources are original documents created during the time
studied. They offer an inside view of events, such as Anne Frank: Diary
of a Young Girl, which is a primary source because Anne Frank actually
wrote the diary during WWII. Speeches and letters are other examples.
Secondary sources are interpretations of primary sources. They are
one step removed from primary sources. They may include quotes or
graphics from a primary source. The articles in this unit are secondary
sources, as are textbooks, magazine articles, and encyclopedias.
About how many advertisements do you think a typical
child sees every day?
Informational Text
Just the Facts About
Advertising and
Marketing to Children
by Betsy Taylor
Advertising Expenditures Spiral Upward
Activity 2.3
continued
Literary terms
A target audience is a
specific group of people that
advertisers aim to persuade
to buy their products or
services.
•In 2001 U.S. advertising expenditures topped $230 billion, more
than doubling the $105.97 billion spent in 1980. (1)
•Given that the 2000 Census reports 105 million households
in America, this means that advertisers spend an average of
$2,190 per year to reach one household. (2)
My Notes
Ad Industry Spends Billions to Target Kids
•Marion Nestle, chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food
Studies at New York University, estimates that $13 billion a year
is spent marketing to American children — by food and drink
industries alone. Food advertising makes up about half of all
advertising aimed at kids. (3)
While you are reading,
notice how the text features
(subheadings and bullets)
affect your understanding.
•Channel One’s twelve-minute in-classroom broadcast, featuring
2 minutes of commercials for every 10 minutes of news, is
compulsory on 90% of the school days in 80% of the classrooms
in 40% of U.S. middle and high schools. Companies pay up to
$195,000 for a 30-second ad, knowing that they have a captive
audience of 8 million students in 12,000 classrooms across the
country. (4)
Little Big Spenders — Children and Teen Spending Skyrockets
•Children’s spending has roughly doubled every ten years for the
past three decades, and has tripled in the 1990s. Kids 4–12 spent
$2.2 billion in 1968, and $4.2 billion in 1984. By 1994 the figure
climbed to $17.1 billion, and by 2002 their spending exceeded
$40 billion. Kids’ direct buying power is expected to exceed
$51.8 billion by 2006. (5)
•Older kids, 12–19, spent a record $155 billion of their own money
in 2001, (6) up from $63 billion just four years earlier. (7)
Activity 2.3
continued
My Notes
The “Nag” Factor Works — Kids Influence on Parents’ Purchases
Continues to Grow
•In the 1960s, children influenced about $5 billion of their parents’
purchases. By 1984 that figure increased ten-fold to $50 billion.
(8) By 1997 it had tripled to $188 billion. Kids marketing expert
James McNeal estimates that by 2000, children 12 and under
influenced family purchases to the tune of $500 billion. (9)
Kids Are Glued to the Tube and Bombarded by Commercials
•It’s estimated the average child sees more than
20,000 commercials every year — that works out to at
least 55 commercials per day. (10)
•Children spend a daily average of 4 hours and 40 minutes in front
of a screen of some kind — two and a half hours of which are
watching television. (11)
• 47% of children have a television set in their bedroom. (12)
Creating Brand-Conscious Babies
•At six months of age, the same age they are imitating simple
sounds like “ma-ma,” babies are forming mental images of
corporate logos and mascots. (13) •At three years of age, before they can read, one out of five
American children are already making specific requests for
brand-name products. (15)
Word
Connections
A Latin term that you may
see, especially in business
publications, is caveat
emptor. It means “let the
buyer beware,” meaning
that the buyer takes the
risk that the product will
be as advertised unless it
comes with a warranty.
•Experts say a lifetime customer may be worth $100,000 to a
retailer, making effective “cradle to grave” strategies extremely
valuable. (16)
What Do Kids Really Want?
•According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, children who use
the most media tend to be the least contented. (17)
•In the Art/Essay Contest “What Do Kids Really Want That Money
Can’t Buy?” sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream,
the most common answers were “love,” “happiness,” “peace on
earth,” and “friends.” Significant numbers of children also wanted
time with family, a clean environment, a world where people treat
each other with respect, a chance to see lost loved ones, help for
suffering people, health, and time to play.
•According to recent marketing industry studies, a person’s “brand
loyalty” may begin as early as age two. (14)
Activity 2.3
continued
Endnotes
(1)McCann-Erickson U.S. Advertising Volume Reports and Bob Coen’s
Insider’s Report for December 2001 (www.mccann.com/insight/
bobcoen.html. Accessed 5/8/02).
(2)Ibid., and U.S. Census reports.
(3)Marion Nestle and Margo Wootan as quoted in “Spending on Marketing to
Kids Up $5 Billion in Last Decade,” The Food Institute Report, April 15,
2002.
(4)Center for Commercial-Free Public Education, “Channel One.”
www.commercialfree.org/channelone.html. Accessed 6/5/02
(5)James McNeal, The Kids’ Market: Myths and Realities, Ithaca: Paramount
Market Publishing, Inc., 1999, and The U.S. Kids Market, a 2002 report
from Packaged Facts available at MarketResearch.com
(6)National Institute on Media and the Family “Children and Advertising Fact
Sheet” 2002
(www.mediaandthefamily.org/research/fact/childadv.shtml. Accessed
5/8/02).
(7)Peter Zolo, “Talking to Teens,” American Demographics, November 1995.
(8)James McNeal, “Tapping the Three Kids’ Markets,” American
Demographics, April 1998.
(9)Kim Campbell and Kent Davis-Packard, “How ads get kids to say I want it!”
Christian Science Monitor, September 18, 2000.
(10)American Academy of Pediatrics, “Television and the Family” fact sheet
(www.aap.org/family/tv1.htm Accessed 5/9/02).
(11)Annenberg Public Policy Center, “Media In The Home 2000:
The Fifth Annual Survey of Parent and Children,”
http://www.appcpenn.org/reports/2000/
(12)Ibid.
(13)James McNeal and Chyon-Hwa Yeh, “Born to Shop,” American
Demographics, June 1993, pp 34–39.
(14)Cited in “Brand Aware,” Children’s Business, June 2000.
(15)“New Poll Shows Marketing to Kids Taking its Toll on Parents, Families.”
Center for a New American Dream, 1999.
www.newdream.org/campaign/kids/press-release.html
(16)James McNeal and Chyon-Hwa Yeh, “Born to Shop,” American
Demographics, June 1993.
(17)Kaiser Family Foundation, “Kids & Media @ The New Millennium,” 39.
www.kff.org/content/1999/1535.
Activity 2.3
continued
Part 2
Reread the paragraph in “Just the Facts…” that begins “Children’s
spending has...” (page 111). This paragraph could be expressed in
visual form as well as in written form. As a chart and a bar graph, it
might look like these:
Children’s Spending
Dollars Spent
by Children
(in Billions)
40
17.1
4.2
2.2
Year
1968
1984
1994
2002
1968 1984 1994 2002 2006
Years
Choose any statistics from the article and transform them into a
visual representation as above. You may use a bar graph, a pie chart,
a diagram, or any other visual representation. Use the endnotes to
identify the source of your information, and add a credit line to your
visual. Make sure your graph or chart clearly communicates the
information.
Dollars in Billions
Children’s Spending
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Activity 2.3
continued
Log 1: Media Habits
During this unit, you will monitor your interactions with the media.
Try your best to keep track of the amount of time you spend with
each medium. Add the media channels you most often listen to, view,
and read.
Channel
Day
One
Day
Two
Day
Three
Day
Four
Day
Five
Day
Six
Day
Seven
Total
Hours
Television
Internet
Media
Total
Hours
Activity 2.3
continued
Total Hours with a Media Channel
After one week of keeping your log, create a bar graph that compares
your viewing habits of one media channel with those of another student,
the class, and the national average. As a class, try to locate the
national average. Be sure to identify the media channel(s) included.
Classmate
Class
Average
Writing Prompt: After creating the chart, summarize the information on
your chart. Write a reflection that reveals your insights into your media
habits in relation to those of others.
National
Average
Me
Activity 2.3
continued
Log 2: Memorable Ads
Pay attention to advertisements that you see or hear on TV, on the Web,
in magazines, or on the radio. Use the space below to keep track of
ads that you think are effective. Be sure to note why you think the ad is
memorable.
Where
Seen/Heard/ Read
Describe Ad
Product
Activity
2.4
The Media and Commercialism
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Prewriting, SOAPSTONE, Think-Aloud
What Do You Know About Advertising and the Media?
Write your best guess in answer to the following questions:
1. How many minutes of advertisements are in a typical
one-hour TV show?
2. How many pages of ads are there in a typical fashion
magazine?
3. How many minutes of ads are there in an hour
of radio?
4. What is the annual revenue of the “free” Google
Web site?
5. What percentage of NBA sports arenas are named
for corporations?
Writing Prompt: Most media are brought to you by paid
advertisements. In a well-developed paragraph, identify your
concerns, and provide specific examples to show why your
concerns are significant. You may use information from Activity 2.3 as
additional support.
Nonfiction
Activity 2.4
continued
from
My Notes
by Alissa Quart
Speaker: Identify the
speaker, not just the
author; what are the
speaker’s interests? For
whom does she speak?
More Than a (Video) Game
Skateboarder Tony Hawk maneuvers near a Quiksilver sign. When
Hawk melons or lipslides on a thin ramp, the Quiksilver logo is visible
again, on his T-shirt.
The action moves to Tokyo. When Hawk and his skater pals
perform airwalks, they flash past the ubiquitous Quiksilver logo, which
is nestled among all the other stickers and bright neon lights and the
signs blaring brands such as Nokia and Jeep.
If you are watching this, chances are you’re a tween or teen who
has never done a kickflip, a revert, or any of the other high-flying
tricks that Hawk and his gang are famous for. You might not even
own a skateboard, in which case there’s no particular reason for
you to have strong feelings about Quiksilver, a manufacturer of surf
and skate clothing. But in some very modern respects, the world of
extreme skateboarding is your world—and perhaps Quiksilver is your
brand—because you’re playing Activision’s 2001 game “Tony Hawk’s
Pro Skater 3” on your PlayStation.
Why has Quiksilver, along with thirty other companies, paid to
have its logos planted within this game? Because video gaming did
$9.4 billion worth of business in 2001. And because the Tony Hawk
games have had $450 million in sales since 1999. And because all those
games are played more than once, which makes a big difference if you
are a brand hoping to be embraced by young buyers. Will Kassoy, a
vice president of global brand management at Activision, says that an
advertiser who places a logo in a Tony Hawk game gets one billion
“quality brand impressions” from teens playing the game. By “quality
impressions” he means that teens playing the game over and over make
deep positive associations between the brands and the game.
Quality impressions of a brand, Kassoy says, are different from
other impressions because they arise out of the relationship between
the video game character and the brand on-screen. “Tom Cruise
drinking Coke in a film is a quality impression,” Kassoy says. “Catching
a glimpse of a Coke vending machine in the background during a Tom
Cruise movie is not such a quality impression.”
Occasion: What is the
particular occasion for
the writing of this book,
article, or essay?
Audience: Who is the
intended reader for this
writing?
Purpose: Why is the
article being written?
Subject: What is the
topic?
Tone: What is the author’s
attitude toward the
subject?
Activity 2.4
continued
My Notes
Tony Hawk’s interacting with the Quiksilver store “allows for a
deeper relationship” between player and brand, adds Kassoy. In “Tony
Hawk’s Pro Skater 3,” these relationships extend to other facets of
the game as well. Players choose what brand of sneaker and board
the skater under their control will wear—maybe a Birdhouse T-shirt
for example, Birdhouse being Tony Hawk’s own brand. It is through
processes such as these that companies and their logos go from what
marketing sage James McNeal terms a blah “inert set” of youth brands
to the cool “evoKed set” of brands (with a capital K for “kid”).
“You see a board in the game that you like and you want the
equipment: Birdhouse, All Starz,” says Alberto, a fourteen-year-old
skater, thin of frame and growing a light mustache on his upper lip. The
game even sold skating itself to Alberto. Now he practices on the ramps
near Yankee Stadium.
“The games make you want to buy,” says skater Mark Hermoso.
Hermoso tells me he played “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2” obsessively
when he was a junior in a high school in Queens, New York. Now
at twenty, he warmly recalls not only the game’s fluid, easy play and
“realism” but also the game’s many in-game brands, some of which he
had never heard of before he discovered the game: Action footwear,
Baker skateboards. We are sitting in front of a glass case full of mirrory
wraparound sunglasses; above us hangs a hanging skate deck that
bears the legend Willy Santos and an illustrated ape with a somber
expression. Hermoso, clad in a street skater’s oversized shirt bearing
a Senate logo and also the regulation too-big pants, tells me about his
friend’s thirteen-year-old brother and his friends, who “were even more
affected by the game” than he was. They rushed to buy gear they saw in
the “Pro Skater 3” soon after they started playing, he says. “Suddenly,
these kids were like, ‘I want that, I have to have that!”
The captive audiences these games garner are not lost on marketers.
Tweens are more likely to learn their fashion cues from a game than
from television. Television watching has diminished among teens
over the last decade. A recent survey of 12,000 adolescents found that
teens spend 12.2 hours per week online and only 7.6 hours per week
watching TV. And the attention of those kids who still watch television
“All the stuff in the game, I want it bad but it’s just too expensive
mostly,” he says. “Unless my mom gives me money.” When his mom
gives him money he confesses, he “spends it on that skate stuff, the
stuff that Tony Hawk uses.” His friends Junior and Stephen nod in
agreement. They are hanging in their local skate store, a downstairs
grotto off the bustle of a New York City thoroughfare.
Activity 2.4
continued
tends to be fragmented across many cable channels. What’s more, kids
are increasingly likely to be avoiding television advertising through
technologies such as TiVo and DVR.
But video game product placement is not just cheaper and more
au courant than television advertising. It’s also more devious, because
it relies on the ambience created around an item rather than a frank
exaltation of a product’s virtues. “Pro Skater 3,” for example, gives
Chrysler a new and much-needed jolt of teen rebellion when a large
sign for the Jeep brand appears in the background while the expert
virtual skater struts his stuff.
This kind of product placement goes back to the notion of brand
equity. Lieberman Research Worldwide, a marketing consultancy,
describes brand equity as a desire for products that are made to play
into the “attitudes or beliefs” of “a customer franchise or constituency,”
a brand story that rests on a highly emotional and associative set of
qualities; in the company’s words, something “essentially intangible
and built on perceptions.” If young adults are the target audience, they
might be cultivated at, for example, promotional events at downtown
New York bars, where free designer rum drinks are on offer; the selling
strategy here is associating the brand with an atmosphere. When aimed
at a youth market, brand equity is about creating a permanent, positive
association with a product, an effect one marketer dubs “ever-cool.”
Word
Connections
A French term that English
writers sometimes use is
the term au courant, which
means being current or up
to date.
My Notes
Ever-cool is such a high priority that a rash of companies have
been competing to get their goods embedded in video game story
lines. In the game “Darkened Skye,” Skye of Lynlora fights the evil
Lord Neecroft and his minions with rainbow-colored candy Skittles.
In “Croc 2,” the eponymous loveable outcast crocodile, a creature
with loathsomely cute bad grammar, must buy Lifesavers Gummi
Savers if he wishes to make special jumps—the advertising ploy gives
a new literal meaning to “sugar high.” Meanwhile, the bananas in
“Super Monkey Ball” are tagged with Dole Food Company stickers.
The lighters in “Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza” are Zippos, and the cell
phones are Motorola two-way radios. The cabs in “Crazy Taxi” go to
Kentucky Fried Chicken and the surfers in “Surf Riders” wear G-Shock
watches and use Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax. The star of the sci-fi combat game
“Wipeout XL” shares the screen with an ad for the brew Red Bull,
although the drink has about as much to do with sci-fi warfare as
teenybopper crooner Aaron Carter.
Lodging products in video game story lines is not an original idea.
It comes, ironically enough, from network television, the media that
video games are swiftly supplanting. In the “golden age” of television,
Activity 2.4
continued
My Notes
adult programs had names such as Camel News Caravan and Texaco
Star Theater; these shows benefited advertisers by having actor-shills
sell their products directly to the audience. Strategic product tie-ins
gave rise to a $200 million industry of toys and clothing based on
licensed television characters such as Davey Crockett and Daniel
Boone. As television historian Lawrence R. Samuels points out in his
book, Brought to You By, NBC’s kids’ show The Magic Clown, which
debuted in 1949, cast Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy as an intrinsic part of
the plot.
Video game makers now deploy their television ancestors’
aggressive but still covert sales tactics. In “Darkened Skye,” Skittles have
been cast as symbols rather than just sweets. They are, of all things, the
sign of free expression: The mystical land’s evil lord has decreed that all
be dank and monochromatic, but the colorful candies are the tools of
freedom that help bring a full palette back to the world. While chasing
baddies in the fields, the heroine gathers orange Skittles descended
from the heavens and uses them to cast magic spells. The game even
quotes Skittles television commercials and does so with the reverence
an art filmmaker might show in quoting Vermeer. In “Darkened Skye,”
Skittles have an effect the opposite to the one they have in real life, in
which their contribution is more along the lines of tooth decay and
even early obesity.
Activity
Advertising and Representations
2.5
SUGGESTED LEARNING STRATEGIES: Discussion Groups, Graphic Organizer,
Marking the Text, Predicting, Skimming/Scanning, Think-Pair-Share, Word Map
Informational Text
My Notes
Companies may always be trying new advertising techniques to
lure you into buying their products, but the same basic appeals that
have worked for years still appeal to audiences. Advertisers still appeal
to basic human wants and needs; they don’t stress the product as much
as the benefits of the product to the consumer. Advertisements for the
“in” brand of teen clothing are not selling the quality of the fabric or its
manufacturing; rather they are selling the status of wearing the most
popular clothes. Cosmetics models are all beautiful young women
because the advertiser is convincing women to buy a cosmetic on the
promise of beauty, youth, and attractiveness. Most advertising appeals
to emotion, not logic in its quest to keep the public consuming.
Academic VocaBulary
Advertising techniques are
methods used to attract
consumers’ attention and
to persuade them to buy a
product.
The most common and fundamental persuader is repetition. No
matter how irritating it may seem, advertisers capture the attention
of possible buyers simply by repeated appeals to buy. Seeing a
commercial for the same product dozens of times during an evening
of television watching, then seeing the same product advertised in
a store, or hearing it advertised on the radio has the effect of getting
consumers to purchase. Consumers are also influenced by the power
of a trademark. Manufacturers use trademarks as symbols of quality,
value, and reliability. Companies that set and maintain high standards
for their products are likely to build a sufficient base of consumer
loyalty that helps them to continue selling established products and to
launch new products successfully.
Advertisers use words such a “Sale,” and “Bargain,” and “Close-out”
with great success because price appeal is still a powerful factor in most
choices about what to buy. Appeals such as “No payment due for three
months,” and “no interest for six months,” and “free trial offer,” or “free
sample,” all go beyond simple price appeal to appeal to our desire to get
something for nothing, the enduring hope for every consumer.
Another enduring appeal is sex appeal. Both males and females
are drawn to idealized images of beauty that attractive models, or
actors and actresses, convey. Consumers are led to believe that they
might seem as beautiful if they use the same products. All around us
Activity 2.5
continued
My Notes
Word
Connections
Specter has the Latin root
-spec-, which means “to
view” or “to see.” This root
is found in many English
words, including inspect,
spectacle, spectator,
speculate, and spectrum.
we see examples of advertising that uses sex appeal and beauty to sell
products. There’s a reason a car manufacturer chooses beautiful young
models for its ads.
Humor and entertainment are also techniques that sell. Appeals
to fun that show family and friends enjoying themselves while eating
popcorn, or on an Alaskan cruise, or driving a new car are always
popular. Celebrity is also often a powerful appeal to convince people
to buy a certain kitchen cooking item or credit card or make-up.
Consumers respond to endorsements of products by recognizable
athletes, musicians, and movie stars.
All these advertising persuaders offer consumers hope: the hope
of beauty, status, wealth, security, enjoyment, better health. But some
advertisers also appeal to our vulnerabilities. The specter of disaster,
business failures, poverty, or sickness works on our fears in subtle and
not so subtle ways. Drug advertisements on television appeal to our
fear of sickness. News of natural disasters is always accompanied by a
rash of successful appeals to buy insurance and survival supplies.
&
Parallel structure
means using the same
grammatical form to
express ideas with the
same level of importance.
The usual way to join these
lists or series of words is
with the use of a comma.
Example: “Seeing a
commercial for the same
product dozens of times
during an evening of
television watching, then
seeing the same product
advertised in a store, or
hearing it advertised on
the radio has the effect
of getting consumers to
purchase.”
Grammar Usage
Activity 2.5
continued
1. As you look at each of the advertisements, write words and phrases
that describe how men and women are portrayed.
Men
Women
2. As you read “The Price of Happiness,” summarize what the author is
saying about representations in advertising and the effects of these
representations. Cite textual evidence from this article (by quoting or
paraphrasing material) that supports your summary.
How Represented?
Effect
Quote
Females
Males
Teenagers
Americans
Activity 2.5
continued
My Notes
Online Article
by The Center for the Study of Commercialism
Do advertisements influence our self-image and our self-esteem?
Some critics accuse marketers of systematically creating anxiety,
promoting envy, and fostering feelings of inadequacy and insecurity to
sell us their products. Marketers respond that advertising does nothing
more than mirror society’s values, alert people to new products and
bargains, or motivate people to switch brands. At the very worst, they
say, it bores or annoys.
The concern discussed here is the relationship between the images
presented in ads and our sense of self. Can ads influence what we
perceive as valid roles for ourselves in our society? And can our selfimage and self-esteem be influenced by advertising?
What are the images that ads present? Everywhere we turn,
advertisements tell us what it means to be a desirable man or woman.
Ads paint limited images of what men and women can be. Because
ads are everywhere in our society, these limited images sink into our
conscious and unconscious minds. In this way, ads help limit our
understanding of our worth and our full potential.
Ads tend to present women in limited roles. Girls and women in
ads show concern about their bodies, their clothes, their homes and
the need to attract a boy or man. Seldom are women shown in work
settings, business roles, or positions of responsibility and authority.
Our society recognizes many valid roles for women, but this isn’t
always reflected in ads.
Also, the girls and women in ads are presented as “beautiful.”
But ads offer a very limited, narrow image of beauty. The advertising
Of course, some ads provide information useful to consumers. And
advertising clearly plays a valid role in an economy based on a system
of free enterprise. The question is not whether advertising is valid;
clearly, it is.
Activity 2.5
continued
industry favors models with facial features that look Anglo, even if the
model is Black or Hispanic.
My Notes
Ads also present a very thin body type as though it were the most
common or most desirable body type. Researchers have found that girls
and women who work as models weigh 23% less than the average female
their age. And the hips of an average department store mannequin
measure six inches less than that of the average young woman.
Girls, women, boys, and men seeing these commercial images may
be influenced to think of an ultra-thin female body as more normal or
desirable than one of average weight. The extreme preoccupation with
weight fostered by advertising images is reflected in the fact that 80% of
10-year-old girls report having dieted and that eight million American
women suffer from anorexia or bulimia, two potentially life-threatening
eating disorders.
In reality, many different kinds of facial features and body types
are beautiful. Besides, the flawless appearance of women in ads isn’t
even real. It’s an illusion created by makeup artists, photographers,
and photo retouchers. Each image is carefully worked over. Blemishes,
wrinkles, and stray hairs are airbrushed away. Teeth and eyeballs are
bleached white. In some cases, the picture you see is actually made of
several photos. The face of one model may be combined with the body
of a second model and the legs of a third.
So many of the pictures we see are artificial, manufactured images.
What happens when a girl or woman compares her real self with this
narrow, unreal image of “perfection?” She may feel unattractive. When
her self-image suffers, often her self-esteem is damaged too. She then
looks for ways to improve her image and self-esteem.
Ads also present an image of the “ideal” male. Although ads
targeting boys and men do not present as narrow an imaginary
physical ideal as do ads targeting girls and women, they still present a
very limited view of masculinity. For girls and women, body image is
emphasized in most ads. For boys and men, the image emphasized
is an image of attitude. Boys and young men in ads tend to have
an aura of power, physical strength, confidence, dominance, and
detachment. The implied message for the viewer is that this is the
way to be cool, this is the way a young man should act.
The male image shown in ads almost never includes such traits as
sensitivity, vulnerability, or compassion. This may discourage boys and
men from displaying these natural and desirable human traits. Ads may
thus limit a boy or man’s sense of what he can or should be.
Activity 2.5
continued
My Notes
The actors in ads tend to be handsome, with clear complexions and
hair that is perfectly combed or perfectly windblown. They are also
almost always athletic. Physical or even sexual prowess is suggested in
scenes of physically challenging, dangerous, or aggressive sports. The
self-image of boys and men who do not exhibit these traits for example,
who have normal complexions, are not athletic, and don’t feel cool
and confident may suffer when they watch these ads. Negative feelings
about oneself, whether related to appearance or anything else, can be
followed by lower self-esteem.
Ads offer to see a new self-image.
Of course, the ads that injure our self-image and self-esteem don’t
stop there. They conveniently offer to sell a product that will solve our
newly imagined “problem.”
Many commonly accepted ideas about appearance—for example,
that skin should be blemish free and teeth bright white —are not
absolute truths. These expectations were artificially created over a
period of years by those who wanted to sell certain kinds of products
and promoted the idea that we needed those products if our physical
appearance was to be acceptable.
Let’s take a closer look at this emphasis on appearance.
Ads tend to convey the idea that appearance is all-important. They
teach us to be self-conscious about how we look. When we grow up
surrounded by ads, intense self-scrutiny may seem normal.
Of course, all cultures have their own ideas about the traits that
make a boy or man and a girl or woman attractive. Often these ideas
are very, very different than our own. Rather, it is the level of concern
with physical appearance that makes modern Americans unique. The
intense concern with appearance that is so common in our culture
has not been the norm in most cultures. It is an artificial concern that
we have acquired from living immersed in a society dominated by
commercialism.
Consider this quote from Nancy Shalek, president of an advertising
agency: “Advertising at its best is making people feel that without their
product, you’re a loser. Kids are very sensitive to that. If you tell them
to buy something, they are resistant. But if you tell them they’ll be a
dork if they don’t, you’ve got their attention. You open up emotional
vulnerabilities and it’s very easy to do with kids because they’re the
most emotionally vulnerable.” Another person involved in marketing,
Charles Kettering, said that selling new products is about “the
organized creation of dissatisfaction.”
Activity 2.5
continued
Logos and Name Brands in School
Look around the school and put a mark every time you see a particular
type of advertisement. Total each type before the next class.
Look for Logos of
Names
Hats
Shirts
Jeans
Shoes
Electronics
Food or beverage products
Others
Writing Prompt: What are your feelings about the representations of
males, females, and/or teenagers in the media? What changes would
you like to see?
Activity
Brands and the Media
2.6
SUGGESTED LEARNING STRATEGIES: Close Reading, Summarizing/
Paraphrasing, SOAPSTONE
Logos and Brands Survey
1. Scenario 1: Imagine that you are getting dressed for school and you
pull two T-shirts out of the dryer. One is a plain black T-shirt and the
second one is also a black T-shirt but this one has a logo for a popular
company. Which one do you choose and why?
2. What percentage of tweens (9–12 year olds) would select the shirt
with the logo?
3. Scenario 2: Imagine you have $50 to buy a shirt. You find two very
similar shirts: one is $25 with no logo on the front and the other is $50
and has a popular logo on the front. Which one do you buy and why?
5. Which of the following are reasons why you might buy a particular
shirt? (Check all that apply.) Convert your reasons into a pie chart that
shows the importance of each reason to you, assigning a percentage
to each reason.
I like the way the shirt fits.
I like the brand.
I like the picture or logo on it.
I like the way it makes me feel about myself.
It reflects my own personal style.
6. Would you ever buy and wear a shirt to school with no logo or
company name on it? Why or why not?
4. What are the most popular clothing brands in your school right now?
Informational Text
by Patricia Seybold
Activity 2.6
continued
My Notes
From Brandchild
by Martin Lindstrom
BRANDS VS NO-BRANDS
Tweens have a deeply passionate relationship with brands. If you
give a tween the choice of picking a plain t-shirt over one with a brand
name, picture, slogan or logo on it, 98 per cent of them will choose the
shirt with a brand or logo over the plain style.
Here’s what tweens say about ‘no-brand/logo’ t-shirts:
• There are no pictures or anything to make the shirt stand out!
• There’s nothing happy on it.
• It’s just a plain shirt, with nothing cool on it!
• I won’t feel as cool as I would in a shirt that had something on it.
• There’s nothing to talk about on my shirt.
• Shirts with things on them show your interests.
• Not cool—nothing to distinguish me from the nerds.
• The logo/words express how I feel.
e-imagery or words on a tween’s shirt are really important. It’s
not acceptable to be anonymous. You must express who you are by
sporting an image, a slogan or a logo. No surprises there. What’s really
surprising is how passionately tweens feel about the imagery they wear
to express themselves.
Here’s what tweens say about the imagery on their favourite t-shirts:
• I feel proud when I wear it because it has the American flag on it!
• I feel happy when I wear it because I’m proud of the Titans.
• I feel good when I wear it because DragonBallZ is fun.
• I feel excited to know so much about dinosaurs.
• I feel cool because the Power Puff Girls are cool!
Activity 2.6
continued
•I feel silly because he has a silly face and it always makes people
laugh.
My Notes
• I feel strong because the Samurai on my shirt is strong.
Brands are extremely important to tweens, both for what the brand
itself means to them, and even more for what the brand means about
them, to themselves and to others.
Usage
The progressive tenses
of verbs indicate ongoing
actions. You form the
progressive tenses with a
form of the verb be and the
present participle (the -ing
form) of the verb.
Present progressive:
…what emotions are
triggering that level of
passion
Past progressive: when
they were wearing the
shirt…
In your writing, use
progressive tenses when
you want to describe a
continuing action.
So we can see how passionately tweens feel about wearing brands
versus not wearing brands. In Figure 6.1, we dissect these feelings and
see what emotions are triggering that level of passion.
Tweens attach the most emotion to how their favourite t-shirt relates
to their self-image. Next in importance was how they felt about the brand,
logo, or image on their shirts. Third in importance was ‘People’s reactions
to me’. Note that there’s a lot of passion about self-image, the brand/logo
and what it stands for, what people perceived about them when they were
wearing the shirt and finally, the general appearance and feel of the shirt.
Here’s what kids said that tells us to what extent their self-image is
tied up in the brands they wear:
• I am brave and confident.
• It shows my attitude.
• I’m excited about myself.
• I like to skateboard and that’s what’s on the shirt.
• Show-off.
• ’Cause I just want to do lots of things.
• I think I am pretty.
• I like to joke around lots.
• Because I’m always nice.
• I like to play sports lots.
&
Grammar
Steve Gang summarized the results of the branded vs non-branded t-shirt survey: ‘Their t-shirt brand appears to be one of the most
important brands to these tweens, based on their attitudinal responses.
The emotional jet fuel provided by this branded experience is more
powerful than most we have measured in other consumer experiences,
regardless of age. Fully 86 per cent of these kids show levels of passionate
positive emotion, above our 30 per cent benchmark for “exciting
experience”.’
Activity 2.6
continued
• I have no worries.
My Notes
• It’s kind of smart-aleck.
• I like to play.
• It’s all about me!
If tweens are passionately attached to the brands they wear, what
images are they wearing today? How do they express themselves
through these brands?
self image
wearing the shirt—overall
people’s reactions
how I look (style, cool)
comfort
brand/logo
shirt generally
design/colour
other
0.98
1.01 1.03 1.06 1.08 1.11 1.13 1.16 1.18
Negatives Positive emotions
Figure 6.1 Wearing my favourite t-shirt.
‘Personal’ brands are as important to tweens as ‘for profit’ brands
In September 2002, we surveyed 138 tweens in what we believe is
a representative sample of this tween group in the United States. The
survey topic was how they felt when wearing their favourite branded or
logo t-shirt versus wearing a plain non-branded shirt. The demographic
breakdown was 54 per cent boys, 46 per cent girls, and 54 per cent
between 9 to 10 years old, with 46 per cent aged 11 to 13, evenly
distributed by gender within age levels.
These tweens’ definition of brand or logo was quite varied. Less
than half the t-shirts carried trendy brand names. The majority carried
older brands (Star Wars) or teams (Tarheels, Yankees, Trailblazers), or
simply images or slogans.
Activity 2.6
continued
My Notes
What emerged was 50 per cent of the group chose to ‘self-brand’
by selecting older sports teams, icons, slogans or images that are meant
to convey the tween’s self-image to the rest of the world. Examples
are flags, angels or dinosaurs. There also appeared to be two kinds of
branded experiences for tweens wearing t-shirts:
1.Tweens are billboards for well-known brands or idols. These
brands — music groups, sports teams, video games — are meant
to impress others. Examples of these types of brands are Jimmy,
DragonBallZ, Pokèmon, GameRooster, Harry Potter, Sponge
Bob, Power Puff Girls, Tweety, World Wide Wrestling Federation,
Titans, Tarheels and other championship teams, the US Marines,
and the American flag (this survey was taken post 9/11 in
2002). Boys appear to favour this use of branding (58 per cent,
compared to 31 per cent of girls).
There was definitely a wide variety of brands or identifiers on these
tweens’ favourite t-shirts. The well-known or recognized-for-profit
brand names came from brands in media (24 per cent), hi-tech and
games (8 per cent), retail (10 per cent), consumer packaged goods
(8‑per cent), and organizations/teams (10 per cent). Boys skewed
toward organizations, media and hi-tech.
Other, more personal, identifiers included images (19 per cent
dinosaurs, animals, princesses, angels) and slogans (20 per cent – ‘Teen
Rule!’, ‘Spoiled Rotten by Nana’). Girls skewed towards images and
slogans.
2.In the other case, tweens are using a more personal logo or
image or slogan to express themselves. These ‘brands’ are meant
to describe who they are. Examples of these types of brands are
dinosaurs, angels, dragons and a variety of slogans. This is the
kind of personal branding favoured by girls. But many boys also
prefer personal brands.
Embedded
Assessment 1
Writing About the Media
SUGGESTED LEARNING STRATEGIES: Drafting, Sharing and Responding
Assignment
Your assignment is to write a reflective analysis about your relationship with
the media. In your essay, identify a particular problem that you find in the
media. Explain your personal feelings about or experiences with the problem,
and offer some type of solution or action that you or others could take to
address the problem.
Steps
Prewriting/Planning
1. Revisit your Media Habits and Memorable Ads logs (Activity 2.3), as well
as your responses to the Writing Prompts and the articles you have read
in this unit. Think about the kind of advertising that appeals to you. How
is it that advertisers are able to target your interests? To what extent
do advertisers try to manipulate your self-image? How do the media
represent you and your own reality? How do the various media channels
affect you? Look over the following topics that you have explored in the
first part of this unit. Put a check mark by the ones that you could imagine
yourself writing about in this assessment:
video games
body images
images of beauty consumerism
logos and brands
advertisements
media representations of teens and other groups
Other possible media-related topics
Embedded
Assessment 1
continued
2. Complete the chart below for two ideas you are considering.
Problem/Analysis
of the Problem
Reflection on
the Effect of the
Problem
Proposed Solution
or Action
Idea 1 3. Brainstorm and organize your responses to the problems you listed. Be sure
to consider paraphrasing or quoting some information from one or more of
the secondary sources you read during the unit to give your ideas support.
Which problem, effect, and solution above can you relate to and write about
most effectively? This one should become the focus of your essay.
Drafting
4. Compose a thesis statement for your paper that includes the problem you
have encountered in the media and your suggestion for what should be
done to solve the problem.
5. Create a first draft of your essay. Logically organize the required
elements, including a clear analysis of your own use of media, a reflection
on the way that one aspect of the media has negatively affected you
(problem), and a solution to the problem.
6. Be sure that your essay includes a compelling introduction, perhaps
beginning with a hook in the form of a question, a quote, a personal
event, a statistic, or a startling or interesting fact.
Idea 2 Embedded
Assessment 1
continued
Sharing and Responding
7. Exchange drafts with a partner so that you can provide each other with
suggestions for improving the organization and ideas. Thoughtfully read
your classmate’s reflective piece, and respond to the following:
CDoes the opening grab your attention and hook you? What could your
partner do to make the opening stronger?
CCopy your partner’s thesis statement. What main point do you think
the writer is trying to make about the media?
CDescribe the writer’s feelings about the media.
CWhat is something about this topic that your partner has not yet
considered?
CHow has the media negatively affected your partner? What could be
added here?
CIs your partner’s conclusion effective and interesting? Are possible
solutions or actions that could be taken to address the issue
mentioned?
Revising
8. Review your partner’s suggestions about your work and use this
information to improve your next draft.
9. Consult the Scoring Guide to ensure you have met specific criteria.
Editing for Publication
10. Carefully edit your final draft for punctuation and language conventions.
Embedded
Assessment 1
continued
Scori ng Guide
Ideas
Exemplary
Proficient
Emerging
The essay contains a
perceptive analysis of the
writer’s interaction with
media channels and the
impact on the writer as a
personal consumer by:
The essay contains an
analysis of the writer’s
interaction with media
channels and the impact
on the writer as a personal
consumer by:
The essay contains minimal
interaction with media
channels and a vague
explanation of the writer as
a personal consumer.
• clearly identifying a
particular problem
• providing insightful
feelings
• thoroughly considering
and explaining a possible
solution or action that
could be taken to address
the issue.
• identifying a problem
• providing analysis of the
writer’s feelings
• explaining a possible
solution or action that
could be taken to address
the issue.
It includes little if any
explanation of a problem,
the writer’s feelings, and/or
reference to a solution or
action that could be taken to
address the issue.
Organization
The essay is well-developed
and coherent. It contains an
engaging introduction with a
thought-provoking hook and
insightful thesis, developed
body paragraphs, and a
strong conclusion.
introduction with an
effective hook and thesis,
detailed body paragraphs,
and a thoughtful conclusion.
introduction with a missing
or limited thesis, inadequate
body paragraphs, and/or a
weak conclusion.
Evidence of
the Writing
Process
There is extensive evidence
that the essay reflects the
various stages of the writing
process.
There is evidence that the
essay reflects the various
stages of the writing
process.
There is little or no
evidence that the essay has
undergone the stages of the
writing process.
Additional
Criteria
Comments:
Scoring Criteria
Learning Focus:
Supporting Your Ideas
One certainty in the world is that people tend to disagree on issues, large and
small. As a student, you may disagree with other students, with your parents,
with teachers and with others over home and school issues. Politicians argue
over issues facing our nation, and countries sometimes go to war over
world issues.
Your ideas and opinions are valuable, so share them! In order for others to
take you seriously or even come around to your point of view, it is important
to know what you are talking about. If your ideas are debatable, they will
be stronger if you support them with solid research. An audience should
respond to proof derived from valid research. Researched facts and figures
strengthen opinions, but how you present your ideas can positively influence
an audience. Careful diction (word choice) gains the attention and respect of
others who hear your point of view. Three ways words persuade others are
through the appeals of ethos (ethics), pathos (emotions), and logos (logic).
In order to thoroughly examine both sides of an argument, sometimes people
debate ideas. An effective debater learns about the position of those who
oppose him or her. As a debater, you can learn about your opponent’s point
of view by researching the reasons for their opinions and the researched
arguments they may use to support their ideas. This more informed
understanding of opposing points of view allows you to effectively refute
their ideas in writing, discussion, or even formal debate.
Activity
2.7
Thinking About Ideas
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Close Reading, Freewriting,
Quickwrite
Part 1: Quotations About Ideas
Read the following quotations about ideas. All are metaphors and
similes in which the writer compares ideas to something else.
Remember, similes are a comparison of two different things or
ideas through the use of the words like or as. Metaphors are direct
comparisions and do not use like or as. Underline or highlight what the
ideas are being compared to, and determine whether the comparison
is a metaphor or simile. Next, in the margin, explain the meaning of
the comparison: What is the author saying about ideas? Last, choose
one of the quotations and draw a picture that demonstrates your
understanding of the comparison.
1. “Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.”
Anna Quindlen: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who wrote for
The New York Times and Newsweek
2. “New ideas are for the most part like bad sixpences, and we spend
our lives trying to pass them off on one another.”
Samuel Butler (1835–1902): English novelist, who wrote about
concerns related to expanding technology
Joseph Conrad (1857–1924): Polish-born English author and
master mariner
4. “New ideas come into this world somewhat like falling meteors,
with a flash and an explosion, and perhaps somebody’s castle-roof
perforated.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862): American author, naturalist,
critic, transcendentalist writer, and philosopher
5. “Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow.”
Bill Moyers (b. 1934): American journalist and commentator
3. “Hang ideas! They are tramps, vagabonds, knocking at the back-door
of your mind, each taking a little of your substance, each carrying
away some crumb of that belief in a few simple notions you must
cling to if you want to live decently and would like to die easy!”
Activity 2.7
continued
6. “Ideas, like individuals, live and die. They flourish, according to their
nature, in one soil or climate and droop in another. They are the
vegetation of the mental world.”
William Macneile Dixon (1866–1946): British professor known
for poetry, philosophy, and literary criticism
7. “Men can intoxicate themselves with ideas as effectually as with
alcohol….”
Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895): English biologist and
educator; leader in Darwinian theory throughout Europe
Part 2: Creating a Metaphor or Simile
Create your own metaphor or simile about ideas.
Activity 2.7
continued
Thinking About Ideas
Part 3: Thinking About Ideas
1. Put a check mark next to any of the following topics that you read,
think, or talk about at least occasionally:
The state of the environment
School policies
World affairs
Religion
Scientific developments
Medical research
Local, state, or national politics
Violence in society
Environmental issues
Other:
2. Quickwrite: Choose one of the above that you checked and write
about what you normally think of when you consider that idea.
Activity
Debating an Idea
2.8
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Graphic Organizer, Prewriting,
Word Map
1. Read the following news article.
Representive Urges Action on the Media
In order to combat what he calls the dangerous
increases in teens’ harmful media habits,
Representative Mark Jenkins has recently
introduced legislation that would make it a
crime for anyone under the age of 18 to engage
with more than two hours of media a day on
the weekdays and three hours a day on the
weekends. The bill defines “Media” as television,
radio, commercial magazines, non-school related
Internet and any blogs or podcasts with
advertising. Penalties for violation can range
from forfeiture of driver’s licenses and media
counseling to fines for parents or removal of
media tools (TVs, computers, phones, etc).
Monitoring systems will be set up in each
Congressional district through the offices of
Homeland Security and the National Security
Agency. Rep. Jenkins could not be reached for
comment because he was appearing on television.
2. Read the following prompt:
Should the government restrict media engagement of those under 18 to two hours a day on the
weekdays and three on the weekends?
Sample quotation by fellow student using parenthetical citation
(quote followed by name in parenthesis):
“Kids have the right to watch all the TV they want, especially
if their grades are okay.” (Jacobs)
3. Brainstorm reasons for both sides of the issue:
YES, the government should restrict media
engagement because:
NO, the government should not restrict media
engagement because:
Activity 2.8
continued
Debating an Idea
4. Debate the Topic
Prepare for your debate, using the ideas from the graphic organizer.
Consider how to respond to the ideas of others. Try using the
following types of sentence starters when you speak:
• Even though you just said that …, I believe that ….
•I agree with what you said about …, but I think that ….
• You make a good point about …, and I would add that ….
Academic VocaBulary
Persuasive appeals try to
get readers or viewers to
react based on logic, ethics,
or emotion.
When you are on the outer circle, take notes on another paper on
the comments made by the inner circle. Be prepared to share your
observations.
5. Persuasive Appeals: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
During the debate, you probably heard several types of arguments
or appeals. These types of appeals fall in three basic categories—
logos, ethos, and pathos.
• Logos (logical appeal): identifies arguments or appeals to logic or
reason for or against an issue.
• Ethos (ethical appeal): identifies arguments or appeals using
the moral or ethical qualifications of the speaker for or against
an issue.
Example:
• Pathos (emotional appeal): identifies arguments or appeals to
emotions or feelings for or against an issue.
Example:
What appeals did you hear in the debate? List some examples.
Example:
Identifying Issues
Activity
2.9
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Graphic Organizer, Prewriting,
Summarizing
1. When we talk about ideas regarding important issues, we do not
always agree with others’ opinions. Brainstorm about home, school,
and political issues. Then select an important issue in each category,
and summarize what you think about the issue and what others
might think.
Your Thoughts Your Parents’ Thoughts
An Issue at Home
Your Thoughts Your Teacher’s Thoughts
An Issue at School
Your Thoughts The President’s Thoughts
An Issue in Politics
2. Choose one of the issues that you thought about above. Ask someone
else about his or her ideas on this issue. On a separate paper, write a
summary of the other person’s ideas, comparing and contrasting his
or her ideas to your own.
Activity 2.9
continued
Identifying Issues
Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between issues that are debatable
and issues that are non-debatable.
• Debatable issues or topics: If a topic or issue is debatable, it
means that two logical people may or may not agree with the
statement of the topic. In this case, people form an argument or
assertion and usually state their opinion as a fact.
• Non-debatable issues or topics: If a topic is non-debatable, it
means that it is a fact and therefore it cannot be argued.
Look over the list of statements below and label each one “debatable”
or “non-debatable.”
1. Homework is an unnecessary tradition that only serves to cause extra
stress on students and families.
2. The media causes kids to have low self-esteem.
3. Solar energy is the best way to meet the needs of our country.
4. Eating candy and drinking soda can lead to cavities.
5. Coal and oil are the main sources of energy for the United States.
1. 2. Write two non-debatable statements below:
1. 2. 146 SpringBoard® English Textual Power™ Level 3
Write two debatable statements below:
Writing a Letter About an Issue
Activity
2.10
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Drafting, Marking the Text,
Prewriting, Revising
Writing Prompt: Write a letter to your parent or guardian, trying
to convince him or her to change a rule or restriction. For example,
you might ask to extend your curfew by one hour or increase your
allowance. Draft your response to include a clear position, and maintain
a consistent point of view as you structure your argument. Be sure
to include all three types of appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) in your
argument.
(Date)
,
Dear (Closing)
(Signature)
In preparation for sharing your draft with a peer, revise your letter for
clarity of ideas, a consistent point of view, and use of appeals.
Activity 2.10
continued
Writing a Letter About an Issue
Exchange your letter with another student. Read the letter your partner
wrote to his or her parent or guardian. Pretend that you are
the parent or guardian of the other student and write a response to
that student’s letter. Address specific points made in the letter.
Be sure to include a clear position and maintain a consistent point of
view as you structure your response. Include all three appeals (logos,
ethos, pathos) to support your position.
(Date)
,
Dear (Closing)
(Signature)
After drafting your response, revise it for clarity, consistent point of
view, use of appeals, and correct grammar and language use.
Activity
Introducing RAFT
2.11
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: RAFT
The following chart describes the elements and gives some examples
of RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic). Fill in the blanks to add more
examples to each of the listings.
Roles — Who is the author/writer?
student
(various ages)
parent
movie star
athlete
politician
character from
TV, movie
celebrity
administrator
animal
community
member
Audiences — To whom is he or she writing?
movie star
teacher
animal
inanimate object
principal
parent
character from
TV, movie
company
executive
senator
brother
Formats — What form is the author using to communicate his or her ideas?
job application
letter
play
diary entry
newspaper article
poem
invitation
pamphlet
review
letter of
recommendation
Topics (with strong verbs) — What is the author writing about? What is the purpose?
to persuade
to criticize
to convince an
audience to vote
to demand that a
change be made
to excuse
to explain
to inform
to protest
to praise
to apologize
to clarify
to warn
to emphasize
to sell
Activity 2.11
continued
Introducing RAFT
Review the two letters from the previous activity. Complete the
RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) elements for each letter.
Letter from a Middle-School Student
Audience: A Middle-School Student
Role of the writer:
Role of the writer:
Audience:
Audience:
Format:
Format:
Topic (use a strong verb):
Writing Prompt: On separate paper, write a new piece about the same
topic, but change the role of the writer to someone who would be
affected by the request the student has made. For example, if you wrote
about extending your curfew, the new role you adopt might be that of a
community member who is upset by the fact that young people are out
late at night. Who would be an appropriate audience for this person?
What format would he or she use to communicate? You may write a
letter or choose a different format. Include descriptive and persuasive
diction. Save this work in your Working Folder.
Fill in the RAFT blanks (see chart for ideas) before you write your piece.
Audience:
Format:
Reflection How do you think this RAFT strategy might help you with
your persuasive writing? Save this reflection in your Writing Folder.
Role of the author:
Issues at School
Activity
2.12
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Close Reading, Marking the Text,
Notetaking, Paraphrasing, Quickwrite. Think-Pair-Share, Word Map, RAFT
Step One
Quickwrite: Write about your school dress code and the idea of
mandatory uniforms. Consider the following as you write:
• What are some of the clothes, hats, jewelry, logos, colors, and so
forth that you cannot wear?
• How do you and your friends feel about your school’s dress code?
Why?
• How do your teachers, parents, and administrators feel about the
dress code? Why?
• How would you feel if you were required to wear a uniform to
school every day? Why?
•If you wear a school uniform, how would you feel if that
requirement were removed? Explain.
Step Two
Read the article entitled “Uniform Opinion,” and highlight all the
statements that support the position you have been assigned. In the
My Notes section, state in your own words the reasons presented.
Afterward, write a sentence of your own that also includes quoted
material (textual support) from the article. For example: School
uniforms would be helpful for kids getting along because, as principal
Barbara Anderson says, “kids respect each other more” when they are
wearing uniforms. Put these quotes and reasons on notecards.
Step Three
Further prepare for a debate on the value of school uniforms by reading
the article called “Student Dress Codes” and highlighting all of those
arguments that support the position that you have been assigned. Take
notes in the My Notes section. Then transfer your notes to index cards.
Activity 2.12
continued
Issues at School
Debate
As your teacher directs, conduct a modified debate on the position you
have researched. Remember to use the following types of sentence
starters when you speak:
• Even though you just said that …, I believe that …
•I agree with what you said about …, but I think that …
• You make a good point about …, and I would add that …
• Perhaps, but (insert an expert or source) would say that…
Step Four
After the debate, reflect on the debate on a separate sheet of paper.
What were the strongest arguments put forward? What did you hear
that might have changed your mind?
Editorial
Activity 2.12
continued
My Notes
Dallas Morning News/Associated Press
Issues at School
Activity 2.12
continued
My Notes
&
Grammar
Usage
The perfect tenses of verbs
show actions begun or
completed in the past. You
form the perfect tenses
of verbs with the past
participle of the verb and
the auxiliary verbs have,
has, or had. Notice this
example of the present
perfect tense:
(expresses an action
continuing from the past to
the present)
In your writing, use the
correct tense to indicate
the timing of events and
actions. Then, keep your
tenses consistent: use
verbs in the same tense to
express events occurring
at the same time.
…the district has seen a 91
percent drop…
Activity 2.12
continued
My Notes
Activity 2.12
continued
Article
My Notes
Issues at School
Activity 2.12
continued
My Notes
Activity 2.12
continued
Issues at School
My Notes
Activity 2.12
continued
My Notes
Activity 2.12
continued
Issues at School
My Notes
Activity 2.12
continued
Step Five
1. Read the two texts on the following pages written by students about
the new uniform policy at their school. Afterward, complete the RAFT
and identify the main arguments for each.
“Uniformity”
“A Blessing in Disguise”
Role of the author:
Role of the author:
Audience:
Audience:
Format:
Format:
2. Which one of the two pieces is most persuasive? Why?
3. What are the main arguments put forward in each piece? Identify
the type of appeal used most. Include textual support in your
response. Why is each appeal appropriate to the purpose and
format of the text?
“Uniformity”
“A Blessing in Disguise”
Activity 2.12
continued
Issues at School
My Notes
Poetry
by Anonymous Student
10
15
20
Go ahead and try to
Rob us of our fashion
Rob us of our looks
Rob us of our youth
Rob us of ourselves
But to you and yours I say:
No.
Don’t take away what is mine to make me more like yours.
5
A meat grinder is what you want:
To squeeze us, press us, make us squirm.
Then, then, then . . . look what you got:
One big sameness wherever you look.
Same hair
Same pants
Same shirts
Same names
Same thoughts
Same ties
And who do we look like?
Just like YOU!
Letter
Activity 2.12
continued
My Notes
Dear Principal Jackson,
I can’t believe that I’m actually saying this, but thank you for
instituting the new school uniform policy.
I was not one who was in favor of the policy at first, but now I am,
though I usually don’t say this in public.
It used to take me an hour to get ready for school, trying to decide
what to wear, to be sure that it was cleaned or ironed or whatever. Now
it’s no problem; I know exactly what I’m wearing, and I have enough
uniforms that one is always clean.
My mom and I usually spent a lot of time and money shopping
for back-to-school clothes. We’re not rich or anything, but it would
usually get expensive and she and I would get into fights about what’s
“appropriate” for school. Now, we don’t have that fight at all. I have my
uniform for school and the rest of my clothes are for going out after
school, so my mom can’t complain about not being appropriate.
There was always a lot of teasing going on about other kids’ clothes,
but now everyone’s in the same boat. We still know who’s rich or poor,
but it’s not as obvious anymore and I think there’s less teasing going on.
After school, I still get to wear what I want, so I’m not sure what the
big deal is anymore.
Thanks again, but don’t print my name.
A student
Activity 2.12
continued
Issues at School
Step Six
What do you think is the middle ground or compromise solution for this
issue? What do you think that the two authors could agree on? Why?
Academic VocaBulary
A persuasive essay is one
written to convince the
reader to take action or to
agree with the points made
by the writer. The essay
uses persuasive appeals,
supports arguments with
research, and offers a clear
recommendation for action.
When writing a persuasive essay, one of the more interesting ways to
end your essay is to point toward possible solutions of the issue and
point out possible compromises to the two sides (how the two sides
can both “win” in some way). Imagine that you have written an essay on
the issue of uniforms in schools. On separate paper, write a conclusion
paragraph in which you briefly summarize the two points of view and
identify a possible solution to the problem.
Step Seven
Select a topic to research. Go to the library or Internet, locate one
reliable source of information on your topic, and record information on
a notecard. Set up your notecard like the example on the next page.
When conducting research, especially when you prepare for debate, the
easiest method is to use a series of note cards. Use a new note card for
each source of information.
Now, brainstorm a list of other issues you see around school that might
be possible topics for a persuasive essay or debate.
Activity 2.12
continued
Front of Notecard
Source Information
Books
1. Full name of author or editor (last name first)
2. Title and subtitle (underlined)
Magazine, Newspaper, or
Encyclopedia Article
1. Full name of author
2. Title of article in quotation marks
3. City of publication
3. Name of magazine/newspaper (underlined)
4. Name of publisher
4. Date, page numbers
5. Year of publication
Internet Sources
1. Author’s name (if known)
2. Title of article in quotation marks
3. Title of Web site
4. Full and exact URL address
5. Date site was updated or (if not known) date you visited the site
Back of Notecard
Information Learned
1. What did you learn about the issue from this source?
2. Copy an exact quote or two from this source. Be sure to use quotation marks.
3. To what other sources did this one lead you?
How can you include this information in a debate? Use the following
format:
“According to (author or organization and the source where you
found the information), (provide an exact quotation that strengthens
your argument).”
Now, write your quoted information from your notecard using the
format above.
Activity
2.13
An Idea for Derek Jeter
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Drafting, Marking the Text,
Skimming, Soapstone, Think-Pair-Share
Before Reading
1. Who are some of your favorite movie, sports, or music stars?
2. Do you feel that they are paid too much? Why or why not?
3. Skim the article titled “Jeter: Put Your Money Where Your Fans Are,”
and write a prediction about what you think this article will be about.
4. Rewrite the title of the article so that it becomes a question. This will
be the question that the author will try to answer in his piece.
During Reading
5. Mark the text where the author uses appeals to logos, ethos, and/or
pathos. Identify particularly persuasive words, phrases, ideas, and
so on.
6. Complete a SOAPSTone analysis of the text.
7. In the My Notes section, identify the following key elements of
a strong persuasive piece:
• position (thesis)
• context and background information
• acknowledgment of opposition
8. Do you agree with the author’s position? Why or why not?
After Reading
Activity 2.13
continued
9. Who else should be encouraged to donate money to this cause? Why?
10. On separate paper, write a letter to a celebrity about an idea you have
that you would like him or her to support.
• Include a thesis, background information, appeals to logos, ethos,
and pathos, and address the reasons he or she might not want to
support your cause.
• Draft the letter using a hook to grab the audience’s attention, an
introduction to the topic, a well-written thesis statement (your
topic and opinion), and two or three reasons for your opinion in
the first paragraph.
• Your body paragraphs should expand on your reasons and refute
those who might disagree with you (your opposition).
Word
Connections
Complete the following
analogy.
Famous : celebrity ::
: child
What is the relationship
presented in this analogy?
Write it as a sentence.
• Your conclusion should review your argument and include a call
to action (what you want to happen to change the situation).
Activity 2.13
continued
My Notes
Article
J eter: Put Your
Money Where
Your Fans Are
S: O: by Michael Lupinacci
A: 1
I teach geometry, humanities, and film at a wonderful,
ethnically and economically diverse public high school in New
York City. In all of my classes, I push my students to develop a
sense of social justice. I ask them to consider how resources can
be distributed fairly in our society and what responsible citizens
can do to give back. In class discussions my students often ask me
difficult questions, like “Why aren’t many of the wealthiest people
in our country doing more?” My only answer is that many people
haven’t yet realized the power they have to change lives.
2
The truth is, my students ask a valid question. When I see the
profound impact education has on the lives of my students and, by
extension, the larger social fabric, I wonder why those who have so
much don’t do more for our kids. Earlier this year in my humanities
course, I asked students to pick a passage from The Autobiography
of Malcolm X that got their hearts beating a little faster, and to
prepare a four-minute presentation on it. Dante (not his real name)
chose to discuss the revelation Malcolm had in prison about the
value of being an educated person. Dante couldn’t believe that
Malcolm would read the dictionary for hours, especially since
Malcolm couldn’t read very well at that point in his life. Dante
had the full attention of his 33 classmates. You could have heard
a pin drop as the soft-spoken, thoughtful 17-year-old told us how
he skipped class during his freshman year and nearly succumbed
to the allure of crime, and how easily he could relate to Malcolm’s
P: S: Tone:
My students are your biggest supporters. Why not use
your $189 million to build them a new school?
Activity 2.13
continued
struggle to change. When he was finished, I asked Dante if he had a
dictionary at home. When he said he didn’t, I brought one over and
said, “Now you do.” In a quiet and confused voice he asked, “You
mean I can keep this?”
My Notes
As I looked at Dante, I had a flashback. When I was a boy, all
seven of my family members ate dinner together every night. After
dinner my father and I would sit and talk. He was a New York City
police officer who rarely brought his work home, but one night,
when I was 10, he told me about a young boy, about my age, who
was brought into the station house for stealing some clothes. My
father asked the sobbing boy if he knew that stealing was wrong.
The boy nodded. “Then why did you do it?” my father asked.
“Because,” the boy said, not looking my father in the eye, “my
mother can’t afford to buy me new clothes. I wear the same clothes
to school every day, and the other kids make fun of me.” My father
said to me, “There are always going to be people out there who
have more than you, but remember, son, there are always going to
be those who have less.” For me, being a teacher to kids like Dante
is a chance to make up for the injustice suffered by the boy in
my father’s story.
3
After 10 years of teaching, I’ve come to accept that the role I
play in my students’ lives is limited — some go on to impressive
colleges, some go on to prison. I’ve learned how to be involved
with my students on a personal level while maintaining enough
distance that I don’t allow their difficulties to overwhelm me. Still,
something about Dante’s response to Malcolm X’s autobiography
that afternoon left me feeling restless.
4
On the way home from school, I noticed the front page of the
Daily News. Derek Jeter had just signed a $189 million contract
to play baseball in the Bronx. Later that night I was just sitting,
thinking. I thought about Dante and the boy who stole the clothes.
Then I thought about something Plato wrote — that it is our
responsibility as a society to allow children to develop their talents,
regardless of the class to which they’re born. There are potential
doctors born every day who never have a chance to practice
medicine because of neglect on our part.
5
It occurred to me that for any society to be great, it has to
do two things. It must reward hardworking, talented people like
Derek Jeter, then strongly encourage those people to share their
rewards thoroughly and intelligently with their fellow citizens.
I know that money won’t solve all problems (give a kid a loving
6
&
Grammar
Usage
A subordinate clause
is a group of words
with a subject and a
verb that cannot stand
alone as a sentence; it
must be connected to
an independent clause
(a complete thought)
to make a sentence.
Subordinate adverbial
clauses usually are
signaled by subordinating
conjunctions, such
as although, if, when,
because, as, after, before,
since, unless, or while.
When a subordinate
adverbial clause introduces
a sentence, it should be
followed by a comma.
Example: “When he was
finished, I asked Dante
if he had a dictionary at
home.”
Write a sentence
using a subordinate,
adverbial clause that is
punctuated correctly by
placing commas after
the dependent adverbial
clause.
Activity 2.13
continued
environment over a few extra bucks any day). But why should there
be 34 students in each of my classes instead of 25, and why should
the ceiling in the gym at school be too low for us to even shoot a
basketball?
My Notes
I’m sure that Mr. Jeter has lots of demands on his money, and
my guess is that he gives a fair amount of it pretty generously. But
I wonder if he realizes that if he wanted to, he could build a new
public school. After all, he’ll never be able to spend all of that
money in a lifetime. He could change the lives of the thousands of
Bronx kids who root for him and are a big part of the reason that
he can make so much money doing what he loves in the first place.
8
Recently, I read that Andre Agassi is opening a charter school
in Las Vegas. I wonder if that will help set a trend. Is it so hard to
imagine that a few years from now Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams
will be in the Yankee clubhouse talking about something like how
to hit Pedro Martinez, when they’ll turn to each other and ask,
“By the way, how’s your school doing?”
7
Issues in the World
Activity
2.14
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Drafting, Graphic Organizer,
Prewriting, Notetaking, Brainstorming
Step One: Brainstorm
To activate your prior knowledge, respond to the following questions:
• What do you know about one or two of the debatable issues your
class listed? Consider articles, newscasts, books, or films you
have seen.
• Why are these issues important to you, your family, your
community, and to future generations?
• Why are some people opposed to these topics? Why are some
in favor?
• Do you know of any organizations that are in favor of the issues?
Against the issues?
As a class, develop a list of sources to use to research one of the topics
you listed. When you research, remember that the topics should be
current, so your research should be within the last ten years.
After your class has selected two debatable (and researchable) topics,
research your side of the assigned issue. Use at least two reliable
sources in your research to provide strong arguments on your issue.
Activity 2.14
continued
Issues in the World
Step Two: Evaluating Online Resources
Anyone can publish on the World Wide Web. This is both one of the
strengths and one of the flaws of the Internet. If you are going to use
online sources, you must be aware of the differences in quality that
exist among Web sites.
The following is a list of criteria that you should use to judge any source
you use from the Internet. You want to be able to answer “yes” to as
many of the questions as possible in the far right column to use the
source as authoritative.
Criteria
Accuracy
Questions
Is the site free from grammatical and typographical
errors?
Do the links and graphics operate properly?
Was the information verified by a third party?
Validity or Objectivity
Does the information appear to be well researched?
Is there a bibliography or list of sources?
Is there a statement about the purpose of the site?
Does the site appear to be free from bias or a single
position?
Authority
Are the author’s name and qualifications clearly
identified?
Does the URL address match the site’s name?
Is the site listed as a .gov or .edu or .org, rather than
.com?
Does the author appear to be well qualified to write
on the subject?
Is this site part of a university or similarly respected
institution?
Is there a place to note and communicate errors
located on the site?
Activity 2.14
continued
Criteria
Currency and
Uniqueness
Questions
Does the date the site was last updated appear?
Has the site been updated recently?
Are any parts of the site “under construction”?
Are the majority of the articles on the site a part of
that site (as opposed to links to other sites)?
Coverage
Does the site seem to cover the topic fully?
Are there other, related topics discussed on the site?
Is there a resources section with links to other sites?
Step Three: Researching and Citing Sources
1. As you search online for sources that will support your position on
the issue of your topic, write notes on the following questions:
• What search engine did you use?
• What key words did you enter?
• Did that search lead you to related sites?
•If not, what did you enter next?
• Was this more successful?
Activity 2.14
continued
Issues in the World
2. After you have located TWO promising articles that support your
position, do the following,:
• Evaluate them based on the criteria on the previous pages.
• Highlight the strongest pieces of evidence from each article
• On separate paper, write a thesis statement that clearly states your
position and offers a reason for your position (avoid using “I”).
For example: “
should be
because . . . .”
• Write a paragraph that includes one quotation from each of the
articles to support your own opinions about the issue. Incorporate
subordinating conjunctions that help you link the quotations to
your own opinions.
3. After you have written your paragraph, create an annotated
bibliography for the sources you used. Your teacher will identify the
particular method for citing sources used by your school, but be sure
to include the following information for each source:
• proper citation
• a summary in sentence form of the main arguments of the article
and its relevance to your topic
List your sources in alphabetical order by the first word of the citation.
• an evaluation of the source in sentence form; write about the
validity of the information you found, how effective the coverage
was, and your view on the authority of the writer or organization
(this often requires more research to learn about the “ethos” of
the writer or organization, and so on)
Activity 2.14
continued
Step Four: Vocabulary Related to Your Topic
1. After researching your topic, fill in the following concept chart with
words or phrases you found in the article.
Topic:
Medical/Scientific Words
Words Related to
Political Words
2. Sort the words/phrases above into the three categories of appeals to
Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.
Logos
Ethos
Pathos
Activity 2.14
continued
Issues in the World
Step Five: Debate on Your Topic
Before the Debate: In order to be ready for your group’s debate on your
issue, fill in the graphic organizer below based upon your reading and
your research. In the first two columns, note the main arguments for
each side. In the last column, list how you plan to refute the arguments
of the other side.
Arguments Against
Opening Statement: At the beginning of the debate, one
(or more) members of each team will deliver an opening statement
of approximately 30 seconds. Like a strong opening of a persuasive
essay, this opening statement must hook your audience with an
interesting fact (logos), ethical statement or remark about the expertise
of an authority on the subject (ethos), or an emotional anecdote
(pathos). It should also include a thesis statement that identifies your
position.
During Debate: As you watch the other group’s debate, note important
ideas that are debated. Keep track of which side you think is winning.
After Debate: Which side do you believe was more persuasive in group
one? In group two? Why?
Refuting the Opposition
Arguments for
Embedded
Assessment 2
Writing a Persuasive Essay
SUGGESTED Learning Strategies: Drafting, Prewriting,
Self-Editing, Sharing and Responding
Assignment
Your assignment is to write an essay that persuades an audience to support
your opinion about a particular issue. You will conduct research, use the
information you find to craft a convincing essay, and cite your sources
properly in an annotated bibliography.
Steps
Prewriting/Planning
1. Brainstorm a list of topics or use the information you have gathered
in the previous activity. If you wish to generate a list of other possible
debatable issues, proceed as follows:
CLook back at the brainstorming you did in Activities 2.9, 2.12, and 2.14
about issues at home, at school, and in the world. Put stars by ones
that interest you.
CLocate articles by looking through your local newspaper, favorite
Web sites, or magazines or by watching or listening to local and
national news and relevant podcasts.
CShare your ideas in small groups. Discuss in the groups whether the
topics are debatable, with two sides to the issue.
2. As a class, brainstorm a list of issues that you learned about in the
groups.
3. After sharing ideas and discussing them as a class, select two issues
or topics that interest you, and rewrite them as questions that could be
answered and debated. For example, the topic of school uniforms could
be rewritten as “Do school uniforms make any difference in safety or
achievement?” Another example, athletes’ pay, could become “Should
athletes be required to give some of their income to the schools?”
4. Begin your planning by completing the following Prewriting form, which
asks you to think about both sides of the issues and to interview other
people about what they know and think about the issues.
Embedded
Assessment 2
continued
Prewriting
Issue 1:
Note your thoughts on the issue:
What do you imagine are the two sides to this issue?
Pro
Con
Ask two of your classmates what they think about this issue.
Ask two adults what they think about this issue.
Issue 2:
Note your thoughts on the issue:
Pro
Con
Ask two of your classmates what they think about this issue.
Ask two adults what they think about this issue.
5. Choose the issue that you will explore further.
6. Conduct research on the issue. When using online sources, be sure to
use the Evaluating Online Resources form. Whenever you find a source
that provides you with relevant information, take notes on note cards
as illustrated in Activity 2.12.
What do you imagine are the two sides to this issue?
Embedded
Assessment 2
continued
Outlining
7. Before you begin drafting your essay, complete the following RAFT to
help you focus your writing.
CRole of the author:
CAudience:
CFormat:
CTopic (use a strong verb):
8. List three facts or reasons that support your side of the issue.
a.
b.
c.
9. Construct your thesis. Be sure to include the topic, your opinion, and
three reasons.
10. What is an interesting statement or question (hook) that might capture
your reader’s attention?
11. How might you conclude your essay?
12. What is the most important argument against your position? How would
you respond to that argument? In your essay, be sure that you focus on
your side of the issue but acknowledge and respond to the argument of
the opposition.
Embedded
Assessment 2
continued
Drafting
13. As you draft your essay, remember the components of a good essay:
a.An introduction that includes:
Can attention-getting hook
Can introduction to the topic and relevant background information
Ca thesis statement that includes your topic, opinion, and three reasons
that support your opinion.
b.Body paragraphs that develop your arguments and acknowledge the
arguments in opposition to your opinion.
c.A conclusion that includes a call to action.
14. Self-Assessment
CHighlight your thesis. Is your opinion strong and clear? Be certain that
you have not taken the “middle ground” of the issue, but that you have
taken a clear stand on one side.
CHow do you begin the essay to interest the reader? Do you use an
interesting fact, quotation, question, or anecdote?
CHave you acknowledged the arguments of those who might disagree
with your opinion?
CHighlight your arguments and note whether they are appeals to logos,
ethos, or pathos.
15. Exchange papers with a classmate. Read your partner’s essay very
carefully and then complete the following:
a.Bracket or underline the hook the writer uses to create interest.
Is it effective? If not, suggest an idea that would grab the reader’s
attention.
b.Highlight the thesis. Does it come down firmly on one side or the
other? If not, suggest revision for a stronger stand on an issue.
c.Put a star by the most compelling argument. Is it an appeal to logos,
ethos, or pathos?
d.Put a question mark by a section of the essay you think your partner
could write more about.
e.Has the writer included quotations effectively and properly in the
essay? Highlight quoted text.
f. How well has the writer addressed purpose, audience, and genre?
g.Has the writer used a consistent point of view, precise word choice,
and a variety of sentences (e.g., simple, compound, complex)
effectively?
Sharing and Responding
Embedded
Assessment 2
continued
Revising
16. Consider the feedback from your peers, and revise your draft accordingly.
Revise for content and style.
CRevise the content of your draft to ensure that you have a clear and
engaging thesis supported by a well-structured and compelling
argument.
CRevise your draft for style to ensure precise word choice, consistent
point of view, use of sentence variety (e.g., simple, compound,
complex sentences), and use of effective transitions to achieve
internal and external coherence after rethinking how well questions of
purpose, audience, and genre have been addressed.
CConsult the Scoring Guide to ensure that you have met specific criteria.
Editing for Publication
17. Record bibliographic information for all notes on an annotated
bibliography. List your sources in alphabetical order by the first word of
the citation. Format your annotated bibliography to include the following
information for each source:
Ca proper citation using a standard format such as MLA
Ca summary of the main arguments in the article and relevance to your
topic
Can evaluation of the source (validity, coverage, authority, etc.).
18. Carefully edit your final draft for punctuation and language conventions.
Make certain that you have cited your sources correctly both within your
text and in your annotated bibliography.
TECHNOLOGY TIP If you have access to word processing software, use it
to present a polished essay ready for publication. You may also want
to incorporate visuals into your essay to help support your persuasive
arguments.
Embedded
Assessment 2
continued
Sc ori ng Guide
Exemplary
Proficient
Emerging
Ideas
The persuasive essay
presents a convincing
position on a debatable
issue, thoroughly supports
the claim with accurate
research, and effectively
persuades the reader with
substantial support and
compelling commentary.
presents a position on
a debatable issue, is
supported by appropriate
research, and effectively
persuades the reader with
support and commentary.
does not present a clear
position on an issue and/or
presents an issue that is not
debatable. The research,
support, and commentary
are missing and/or
inappropriate.
Organization
The essay is coherent and
exceptionally well written.
It includes an introduction
with an effective hook, a
thesis that clearly states
the position on the issue,
persuasive body paragraphs
that provide extensive
support, and a compelling
conclusion.
The essay is focused and
well written. It includes an
introduction with a strong
hook and thesis, body
paragraphs that support
the thesis, and an effective
conclusion.
The essay is unfocused and
difficult to follow. Some
or all of the following are
missing: an introduction,
a clear thesis, supportive
body paragraphs, and/or an
effective conclusion.
Use of
Language
The writer deliberately uses
persuasive language and
appeals for a particular
audience and purpose.
The writer uses persuasive
language and appeals for
a particular audience and
purpose.
The writer attempts to use
persuasive language and/or
appeals for a particular
audience and purpose, but
the attempt may be forced,
vague, and/or repetitive.
Conventions
All sources are cited using
proper format within the
body of the text and in the
annotated bibilography.
Although all sources are
cited using proper format
format within the body
of the text and in the
annotated bibilography,
minor errors may exist.
Some sources are not cited
and/or cited inaccurately
either within the body of
the text or in the annotated
bibliography.
Annotation is thorough and
thoughtful.
Annotations are clear and
detailed.
Significant errors in format
may exist; annotations may
be unclear or missing.
Scoring
Criteria
Embedded
Assessment 2
continued
Scori ng Guide
Scoring
Criteria
Evidence of
the Writing
Process
Exemplary
There is extensive evidence
that the essay reflects the
various stages of the writing
process.
Proficient
There is evidence that the
essay reflects the various
stages of the writing
process.
Emerging
There is little or no
evidence that the essay has
undergone stages of the
writing process.
Additional
Criteria
Comments:
Unit
2
Reflection
An important aspect of growing as a learner is to reflect on where you have
been, what you have accomplished, what helped you to learn, and how you
will apply your new knowledge in the future. Use the following questions to
guide your thinking and to identify evidence of your learning. Use separate
notebook paper.
Thinking about Concepts
1. Using specific examples from this unit, respond to the Essential
Questions:
• How does commercialism impact daily life?
• How does research enhance the ability to persuade?
2. Consider the new academic vocabulary from this unit (Media,
Commercialism, Advertising Techniques, Persuasive Appeals,
Persuasive Essay), as well as academic vocabulary from previous units.
and select 3-4 terms of which your understanding has grown. For each
term, answer the following questions:
•What was your understanding of the word before you completed this
unit?
• How has your understanding of the word evolved throughout this unit?
• How will you apply your understanding in the future?
Thinking about Connections
3. Review the activities and products (artifacts) you created. Choose those
that most reflect your growth or increase in understanding.
a.What skill/knowledge does this artifact reflect, and how did you learn
this skill/knowledge?
b.How did your understanding of the power of language expand through
your engagement with this artifact?
c. How will you apply this skill or knowledge in the future?
5. Create this reflection as Portfolio pages—one for each artifact you
choose. Use the model in the box for your headings and commentary
on questions.
Thinking About Thinking
Portfolio Entry
Concept:
Description of Artifact:
Commentary on Questions:
4. For each artifact that you choose, record, respond to, and reflect on your
thinking and understanding, using the following questions as a guide:

Unit 2 - Judson Independent School District

Transcription

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