CURRICULUM GUIDE September/October 2014 Talking Back to Trend Setters Ask students to read “Where only the ‘cool kids’ shop” on page 6 by Julio Lanzo. Talk about what Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO Mike Jeffries said and how the students interviewed for the article responded. Do they think Jeffries was out of line? Why or why not? Writing: Ask students to choose a retailer or brand they love or hate and write to them. Introduce students to the notion of consumer advocacy and tell them that whether they hate a retailer and refuse to shop there or love a certain product or policy at another store, retailers appreciate feedback and often respond to their customers. Have students study some of these sample communications from consumers to companies and then brainstorm all the possible MESSAGES they might want to communicate to a particular retailer: 1. This writer refuses to shop Abercrombie & Fitch. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-­‐
posnanski/abercrombie-­‐plus-­‐size_b_4320704.html 2. This writer praises her favorite store (Gap) but calls for them to adopt safety provisions after the fire in a Bangladesh garment factory. https://www.facebook.com/gap/posts/10151618224724725 3. A loyal Apple user converts to Samsung. http://www.businessinsider.com/dear-­‐apple-­‐im-­‐
leaving-­‐you-­‐2012-­‐11 4. This write professes his love for Xbox in a poem. http://www.826national.org/full-­‐
chapter/206/oh-­‐my-­‐dear-­‐xbox The main purpose is for students to settle on a clear message they want to convey as clearly as possible to the company of their choice in a manner that might elicit a response. Maybe they want to tell Wii how much they love their games and they want them to make more. Maybe they want Forever 21 to take back the sweater they wore once that then ripped. Once students have chosen a message and the retailer/brand they want to send it to, they should plan out a structure for their piece of writing (letter, poem, tweet). Go back to the above examples and have students reverse outline each piece of writing. In the margin, they note what the writer did. So the Gap letter, for example, starts with praise but then shifts to a request to take action to ensure there is safety for the workers in Bangladesh, or the consumer threatens to stop shopping there. This is a format students can easily follow for their own letter if they are requesting a company to make a change. If students choose a poem, they can follow the rules of an ode or the structure of a sonnet. Next, introduce students to the appropriate format for their message (business letter format, tweet, sonnet). There are templates available such as this one for customer complaints or you can develop your own for students to use. http://www.usa.gov/topics/consumer/complaint/complaint-­‐letter.shtml Once the letters/poems are written, revised, and edited, have students send them by email, Facebook, Twitter, or US post! *These writing assignments, depending which text type and format students choose, align with Common Core Writing standards 1, 4, 5, 6, and 10. What You See, What You Don’t Ask students to read “Goth girl and military find a way to mix” by Devon Spears on page 7. Spears nicely conveys how she looks to the reader and to the outside world. She also reveals something that people can’t see—who she really is beyond the clothing. You can explore this article in different ways with students—as a study in juxtaposition or as a study in appearance vs. reality. Writing: Two Options 1. Juxtaposition Spears’s article ends with these words: “I’m now back in school, have returned to JROTC, and remain Goth.
While both are wildly different – Goth is rebellious and JROTC is ultra-conforming – each subculture has its own
values and its own uniform, of sorts. They are more alike than you’d think.”
Ask students to brainstorm aspects of their character that are more different than same but that when put together do not necessarily contradict each other. Then they can write an essay exploring how these juxtaposed aspects of their character add up to make them who they are. 2. Appearance vs. Reality Ask students to imitate Spears’s article by writing about what people see when they look at them—and what people might assume based on the outer appearance. Then have students write about what people can’t see in them, but what is true. However students choose to write the piece, make clear to them that their purpose is to inform the reader (someone who does not know them) about who they really are. *These writing assignments align with Common Core Writing standards 3 (some aspects of narrative writing), 4, 5, and 10. Defining, Defending, or Defeating the American Dream Ask students to read “The American dream is alive and well” by Ilma Golemi on page 15. After they have read the article, ask them this: “Based on the article, what is the American dream?” Let students choose phrases and quotations from the article. Then let them add their own ideas. Record these on the board. Make sure to note any patterns or similar themes that come up, such as “owning property” or “economic opportunity.” Writing: When the class has generated a number of ideas, ask them to write a paragraph (six-­‐ten sentences) defining the American Dream. They can reference the article and use their own ideas and examples or anecdotes in their definition. The purpose is for students to clearly answer, “What is the American Dream?” and to build a definition with specific ideas and information. More Writing: You can extend this assignment by having students read the two articles below and write an argument essay answering whether the American Dream is still possible. The two articles answer this question in different ways. Reading: Students should read each article closely. Give students a clear purpose for each reading. For the first article, ask students to find claims, evidence, and reasoning that the dream is no longer possible. They can annotate the article, labeling C, E, and R as they read. (Be sure to model this first). For the second article, ask students to find claims, evidence, and reasoning that the dream is still possible. http://theweek.com/article/index/253821/do-­‐americans-­‐still-­‐believe-­‐in-­‐the-­‐american-­‐dream http://bigthink.com/experts-­‐corner/is-­‐the-­‐american-­‐dream-­‐still-­‐alive When students have finished reading each article, have them work in small groups to compare what they noted about the claims, evidence, and reasoning in each. Have them write, as a group, a summary of each article and each position. If you want, you could also have students debate the issue. The Opposing Viewpoints in Context database has several articles on this exact topic, either side. The Boston Public Library has this database. (So does the NYPL http://www.nypl.org/collections/articles-­‐databases/opposing-­‐viewpoints-­‐resource-­‐
center) Ultimately, the goal is a written argument. Students argue for or against the viability of the American Dream, supporting their own position with evidence and reasoning from the articles and their lives and experience. You can revisit the articles above as “mentor texts” as needed to show students how an argument is structured: claims, evidence, reasoning, counterclaims, rebuttals. Their essays should be structured with these same elements. Example of an Argument Structure 1. The American Dream is still possible CLAIM 2. Definition of the American Dream CONTEXT 3. Arguments supporting why the dream is still possible REASONS AND EVIDENCE 4. Acknowledgement of those who say the American Dream is no longer possible 5. Rebuttal, reinforcing that the American Dream is possible despite claims to the contrary. COUNTER CLAIM (with more reasons and evidence) REBUTTAL (with more reasons and evidence) 6. Wrap up and conclusion If students have read carefully and debated the issue—and taken notes along the way with a Pro/Con two-­‐column chart or other graphic organizer—they will be well equipped to write an argument essay. Modeling an argument essay of your own (on a different topic) as you help students through each part of the essay will be crucial. *These writing assignments are scalable to align with Common Core Writing standards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Kelly Knopf-­‐Goldner WriteBoston 7 Palmer Street Roxbury, MA 02119 www.writeboston.org www.bostonTiP.com