Day 3 . Friday, August 29th

Friday, August 27:  Daily Class Outline

Lesson Objectives


Today we apply both critical reading and the Writing Situation Model to Lizabeth Cohen's article. We begin to see that Cohen's background as an historian influences her choices in writing particularly concerning audience.  We develop our understanding of academic summary writing by applying its principles to Cohen’s article.

 

Connection to Course Goals

Today we strengthen student understanding of the writing situation model by applying it to an example of public discourse, Lizabeth Cohen's editorial "Trying to Buy Our Way Out of Trouble."  Course objectives are further developed through application of critical reading strategies and discussion and application of the academic summary writing principles, which will help students meet the goals of all the portfolios but especially Portfolio 1.

 

A Possible Sequence of Activities for Today
1. Take attendance and check one more time for new faces.  
2. Apply critical reading strategies learned last time to Cohen's article—engage class in a critical discussion of both the issue and the article by Cohen (media and consumption in the U.S.)

Activity Ideas:  Discussing Cohen's Article
3. Apply the Writing Situation Model (WSM) to Cohen's article 

Activity Ideas:  Applying the WSM to Cohen's Article
4. Introduce summary principles 

Activity Ideas:  Introducing Summary
5. Apply summary principles to Cohen's article in preparation for homework 

Activity Ideas:  Applying Summary Principles to Cohen's Article
6. Establish a conclusion for the class session and assign homework for next time. It is very important that you leave 5 minutes at the end of class to conclude and assign homework.  This avoids students missing the assignment and you having to talk over students while they are packing up.

Activity Ideas:  Concluding and Assigning Homework

 

Assignment for Next Class Session

In preparation for the introduction of the New York Times, assign PHG reading on the shaping of journalistic stories using the "inverted pyramid" (page 253), and on the reporter’s collecting/investigating heuristic, which utilizes "Wh" questions (pages 245-246).

Ask students to review the guidelines for writing an academic summary in the PHG on page 160-161. Using these guidelines, along with our discussion from class about the writer’s purposes and key ideas, write an academic summary of Lizabeth Cohen's article, applying the conventions of summary writing and taking care to give the proper people credit for ideas as Cohen cites other people's work in her own.

Have students post their summaries to their files on the Writing Studio as well as print out a copy to bring to class with them next time.

Additional Teaching Resources

Go to the Teaching Summary and Response guide for additional strategies on teaching summary and response.