Writing Exercise #2

In an effort to combat obesity, last summer, New York City Michael Bloomberg proposed a plan to eliminate large sodas (anything larger than 16 oz) from being sold in the city.

Should the nation follow New York City's example and ban large sodas in an effort to fight obesity?

Watch this CBS news clip:  New Coke Commercial Addresses Obesity Crisis

Writing Exercise #1

        

Read the following Associated Press article:   "Suit targets 'locator' chips in Texas student IDs"

Should school districts require students to wear an identification badge with a "locator" chip for attendance purposes?

Write your position in this argument (for or against) and three different reasons to support your position.

In class, the writing time was 8 minutes.

Avoid 1st (I, me, my, we, us) and 2nd person (you).

Expect different writing exercises to practice argument on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Each Thursday you will be expected to turn in a Vocabulary Writing Exercise.  Choose five of the vocabulary words from that week's list and write sentences using the words.  The words must be used correctly and the sentences should include context clues.  Beginning next week, you will also need to use specific grammatical structures.

Vocabulary Writing Exercises will be due when you walk into class on Thursday.  I will not accept these late.  The vocabulary quiz will be given the first ten minutes of class.

Today I distributed The Crucible "Changes from Play to Screenplay" questions.  Although I'm not requiring extended answers to these questions, I do expect that you respond analytically.  If you were absent, you can access the questions on the link provided.

We finished watching The Crucible.  If you were absent, it is your responsibility to either finish reading the play, which is in your online textbook, or finishing watching the movie on your own time.  If you have a Netflix account, the movie is available to watch instantly.

Today I distributed the new vocabulary list.  A quiz is scheduled for next Thursday.  Here's the link to the Flashcards.

We continued watching The Crucible.  Pay close attention to the director's use of the camera to emphasize key points.

You should be finished or be close to finishing your Nonfiction selection.  When you're asked if you have homework, the answer is YES.  If you are finished reading, you need to start figuring out how you will narrow the topic for your research project.

Last night's electrical storm caused a water leak in the classroom so we moved temporarily moved to the library for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd periods.  We read an essay called "That Lean and Hungry Look" by Suzanne Britt.  Click on the title to read the essay online if you were not in class.  The following questions were assigned:

The Facts

1.  In a nutshell, what bothers the author most about thin people?
2.  What is your view of the myth about the "jolly fat person" mentioned in paragraph 4?  What evidence is there for your view?
3.  In paragraph 9, what is the "list" objected to by the thin person?  What is ironic about this objection?
4. The thesis of Britt's essay is obvious, but what is her underlying purpose?  Since the essay is humorous, you might say that she simply wants to entertain the reader; but what more serious purpose is revealed?
5.  In paragraph 10, Britt claims that thin people "oppress."  What evidence does she cite to support this claim?

The Strategies

1.  The title of the essay is a literary allusion that is echoed in the opening sentence.  What is the origin of the allusion?  What other allusion can you identify in the essay?
2.  What rhetorical organization does the author use to develop her essay?  What advantage does her organization present?  What other type of organization could be used to contrast thin and fat people?
3.  Paragraph 5 and other paragraphs open with short declarative sentences.  What is the effect?
4.  Here and there throughout the essay, Britt uses figurative language.  Find three examples and label the kind of figure of speech used in each.
5. How does the author achieve humor in her essay?  Cite appropriate examples of her techniques.

If you were absent, it is your responsibility to read the essay and ask me which two questions you will be required to answer.

Back to school.

Happy New Year!

Today we will begin watching The Crucible.