Show
students how to develop a response with reasons and evidence
(5
minutes)
Discuss
the types of evidence on page 163 in the PHG.
The
goal of this activity is to help students distinguish between
reasons and evidence. Another objective is to help them see how
reasons and evidence connect back to a writer's response. (Often
students interpret evidence as "any personal experience that
relates to my topic" which leads to stories and experiences
that stray from their original point). See if students can draw
connections between the evidence and the main idea from the sample
(to reinforce the need for focus in a response). Also, warn them
that phrases such as "this reminds me of" can lead to
ideas that don't qualify as support.
In
a nutshell, a reason tells why and
evidence shows how or why .
To illustrate this, you might do a brief role playing activity.
Have one student play the role of a parent and another play the
role of a teenager who just received h/er license.
Teen:
Mom/Dad, can I use the Escalade to pick up my friends for the
movie tonight?
Mom/Dad:
No.
Stop
the "actors" here and ask the rest of the class what
the teen is going to say next. They should respond with
"Why not?" Then have the actors pick up again.
Teen:
Why not?
Mom/Dad:
give reasons like: you don't have
enough experience to take the car on your own yet; you're not
responsible enough; when your sister took the car for the first
time she scratched it; you shouldn't drive after dark yet, etc.
Stop
the actors again to discuss the scenario: The parent here
has provided the teen with reasons
why s/he can't take the car out. So, just like the scenario,
our reasons in our responses should answer the reader's initial
"Why" questions. But it's not enough to stop there.
Further
the scenario by illustrating what would happen if the parent did
not have any evidence/proof as to why the teen wasn't experienced
enough or responsible enough or what the sister's scratching of
the car has to do with the teen h/erself, etc.
Connect
the previous activity to your students' own writing by showing
a written example (5 minutes)
You
might do the following:
For
this activity, use the sample below or create your own. Put the
example on an overhead and read over it with the students. Then,
highlight the differences between reasons and evidence and ask
students to draw connections between the evidence, the reasons,
the response, and the main idea. Pose questions like, "Is
the focus effective? Does the writer come back to their main point?
Where? Could the focus be improved?" You might use an overhead
pen to illustrate these responses. You may also want to spend
a few minutes discussing how reasons and evidence might look different
for other types of response (analytic or reflective).
One
key point from Frank's article: Frank states that "because
kids are not thought to be capable of acting in their own interest,
the state justifies protective policies, such as the restricting
[of] advertising aimed at them."
Reaction
and Reason
"TELL"
I
agree with Frank's solution of a "progressive consumption
tax" to an extent. I think taxing people who spend
excessive amounts on unnecessary items may help reduce the overspending
in America
and this would benefit everyone. However, I don't think
a mere tax is enough--it won't change the effect of advertising
on on consumers and Frank needs to deal with this in order for
his solution to work.
Personal
Evidence to Support Reaction
"SHOW"
I
believe Frank's solution isn't enough because it's hard to be
9 years old. When I was 9, I was insecure about just about
everything from my glasses and clothes to the cars my family drove
("Dad, please don't pick me
up in the Plymouth !" I'd say). But I was also obsessed
with Barbie. I watched Barbie cartoons and memorized all
the Barbie commercials. My friend, Emily, had the Barbie Dream
House, and she was one of the coolest girls in my class.
All I wanted was the Barbie Dream House because in Barbie's house,
everything was pink, sparkly and perfect, so if I had it, maybe
I would be, too.
On
Christmas morning when I was 9, I woke up before everyone else.
I just knew my parents had bought
me the Barbie Dream House; it was number one on my list and I
had been very good that year. I crept down the hall to the
living room with Barbie clutched in my right hand. My eyes
scanned the presents spread around the tree...there was no Barbie
Dream House. I rubbed my eyes and straightened my glasses.
I must be missing it , I thought.
I looked harder. Still no Barbie Dream House. There
was just this doll bed--it wasn't even the Barbie Dream Bed!
Just this doll bed with a pink canopy. I went back to bed
until my parents woke up.
This
may seem like a minor point in the grand scheme of life, but I'll
never forget how disappointed I was that Christmas (and now how
I can't escape feeling guilty for acting so selfishly toward my
parents). And I was only 9 years old.
The sad thing is that this phenomenon happens to all the
time to adults, too. While there are many commercials and
ads aimed at children, adults make up a huge part of the advertising
target audience. Why else would Super Bowl Comerical spots
sell for millions of dollars? They are bombarded with ads
that say they must have the two-story
house instead of the one-story, the Lexus instead of the Saturn;
they must eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse instead of Country Buffet.
Frank hasn't addressed the major social forces like advertising
that play a role in our consumption of things in America (although
he does mention the Tim-Robbins'-Range-Rover-effect) and a tax
won't change this. In short, I disagree that a tax would
fix our problem.
Note:
While this sample clearly shows what we mean by "showing"
and not just "telling" by using personal experience, it
contains some deliberate problems whose improvements you can discuss
with your students. |