Update Dec. 10

We re-read together and discussed Rose's "Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today." We did a careful reading that attended to the rhetorical workings of the text. We paid particular attention to Rose's syntax, contrasting it with the syntactical style of Annie Dillard.

Homework:
Study vocabulary for the quiz on Thursday.

Update Dec. 9

We practiced writing a rhetorical précis for Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans." We also began discussing Rose's "Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today."

Homework:
Study the vocabulary. Make sure to learn how it is used in context. Quiz on Thursday.

• timorous (Columbus letter)
• juxtaposition (Mr. Dye)
• pecuniary (Thoreau)
• symbiosis (Berry)
• ubiquitous (Berry)
• affluence (Berry)
• desecrate (Berry)
• iconoclastic (Berry's bio)
• aphorism (Berry's bio)
• reciprocate (Berry's bio)
• husbandry (Berry's bio)
• dissent (Berry's bio)
• egalitarianism (Rose)
• declaim (Rose)
• disparity (Rose)
• materialism (Rose)

AP
We learned about qualifying an argument, recognizing that although qualifying an argument is often essential to being truthful and authoritative, it can also, when overdone, create a weak voice and arguments without backbone. Thus we seek a voice that conveys "confident uncertainty."

We also reviewed the proper use of affect and effect, noting that both can be used as verbs or nouns, but that typically affect is used as a verb and effect is used as a noun.

Homework:

• Select 10 words from the Tone Adjectives list with which you are least familiar. Look up 3 sentences of each being used in context to get a feel for how the words are used. Then compose 1 sentence of your own for each word. (Due next Monday)
• Watch a documentary on Iran or North Korea. (Due Wednesday)

Update Dec. 6

We discussed Berry's essay "Waste." We explored his central argument: that the cause of our material and human waste problem is the centralization of the economy. We further explored the concept of human waste.

Students wrote rhetorical précis for one of the following comics:

 

Homework: Read and annotate the essay by Phyllis Rose, "Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today." As you read, pay attention to the rhetorical strategies of the author.

Update Dec. 5

Students continued working on their analyses of Berry's essay "Waste." Their responses to the questions are due tomorrow.

Update Dec. 4

Students received a handout including lists of adjectives to describe tone and of rhetorically accurate verbs. These lists should serve as reference tools for when students are writing rhetorical précis or essays.
 
Students worked in small groups to analyze Berry's essay "Waste" using the following questions.

Vocabulary

·         Iconoclastic

·         Aphorism

·         Reciprocate

·         Husbandry

·         Dissent

·         Ubiquitous

·         Symbiosis

·         Affluence

·         Desecrate

Reason, Relate, and Record

1)      Based on your experience, what is the value of growing a family garden? What can be learned from the experience? How might it affect family culture? How might it affect the economy of the nation?

2)      Why does Berry refer to flag burning? What point is he making and why is this likely to be rhetorically effective?

3)      Why does Berry use lists in the first two paragraphs? What rhetorical effect does this have?

4)      What is the rhetorical effect of Berry’s use of the word “Creation”?

5)      Which words does Berry surround with quotation marks? What is the rhetorical effect?

6)      What does Berry mean by “food economy”?

7)      Why does Berry include the images of “classrooms full of children who lack the experience and discipline of fundamental human tasks” and “various institutions full of still capable old people who are useless and lonely”? According to Berry, what has caused this human waste? Why did he focus his readers’ attention on these particular populations of people?

8)      Which sentences convey Berry’s main ideas? How many main ideas does the essay have?

9)      Which of the sentences is the thesis statement?

10)   Write a rhetorical précis for Berry’s essay.

Extra Credit: Conduct a word study on “waste”.

Note: To receive extra credit, your word study must be insightful and demonstrate that you have taken the subject to heart.
Include the following elements, each with a principle reasoned.

1)      Key roots from the etymology

2)      2 scriptural passages that reflect different ideas about waste

3)      1 quotation from a living prophet

4)      Berry’s definition of waste (What does he mean by human waste?)

5)      Your personal application of what you have learned.

Homework: Students should be about halfway done with their Berry questions by the start of class.

Update Dec. 3

As we continue with our unit on the American Land, we will now turn to a consideration of our use of the land and resources from the land, namely consumer culture.

We learned how to write a rhetorical précis, following this model:

In this (adjective that delineates tone) (noun that specifies the type of text), author (rhetorically accurate verb) that (precise summary of the major claim) in order to (explanation of the purpose).

We practiced writing a précis for two video texts:

"The Majestic Plastic Bag" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw

Wii Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5w6W_xJaTk

Homework: Please read and annotate the biography and essay "Waste" from Wendell Berry.

Update Dec. 2

During class we continued reading and discussing Thoreau's "Where I Lived and What I Lived For."

Vocabulary:

• timorous
• juxtaposition
• pecuniary

Homework: Finish reading Thoreau's essay and write a one-paragraph personal response. What are you taking away from Thoreau?

AP
We studied sample student essays from the locavore synthesis essay prompt (2011 AP Exam). We studied the scoring rubric and why each essay was scored as it was.

Homework: Continue your study of the sample essays. Study at least one body paragraph and the concluding paragraph of each of the three essays.  On Wednesday we will be taking the timed essay test.