Week 1/Day 2—Thursday, August 24
Homework Due:
· View your Joining the Conversation: A Guide to Research Writing at Colorado State University (JtC) textbook through Canvas by clicking on the Unizen Engage button in the menu and read the following:
o Chapter 1: “Why Think of Writing as a Conversation?” (pgs. 3-10).
o Chapter 3: “How Can I Read Critically” and “What Strategies Can I Use to Read Actively?” (pgs. 53-66). You will use this information to critically read Bittman et al.’s piece (see next bullet).
· Purchase your FOOD reader. Read and annotate the following:
o the Introduction to the reader. As you read, try to get a sense of the course theme.
o “A National Food Policy for the 21st Century” by Bittman et al. This is the article we’ll use to practice each step of Assignment #1, so read it closely! Annotate the article to help you discuss the following question in class: What are some of the complex connections between food and other contexts (politics, economics, etc.)?
**We’ll be discussing texts from the reader almost every day, particularly during the first part of the semester, so bring your reader to class every day even if no readings were assigned.
· Familiarize yourself with the CO150 Canvas page. Review the class syllabus to remind yourself of course policies and expectations. E-mail me with any questions or concerns.
· Compose your first assignment: Getting to Know You Letter. In your letter, tell me a little about yourself: Where are you from? What is your major, or what are you considering for a major? What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What kinds of writing have you done in the past? What kinds of writing do you enjoy? What are your expectations for CO150? What do you want to learn and why? What else should I know about you? Your letter should be at least 250 words and should be posted by Thursday, 8/24 at ____(time)___.
______
Lesson Objectives
· Practice close reading to prepare for a written summary
· Introduce students to the course theme: FOOD
Connection to Course Goals
Today’s class introduces students to the course theme and helps students see how vast this theme truly is. It also establishes a sense for how writing is like a conversation, with many points of intersection AND many points of controversy, which allows us to find many ways in which to enter these conversations. Today’s lesson emphasizes skills necessary for active reading.
Prep
· Review the assigned homework pages from the JtC (about Writing as Conversation and annotation/close reading skills)
· Carefully read and understand Bittman et al.’s “A National Food Policy for the 21st Century.” Make your own list of the various contexts that the article connects to food.
· Review the notes about close and critical reading.
· Review the notes about 3-Pass Reading. We are trying to show how interconnected close and critical reading are, which is why we keep moving back and forth between close reading skills and critical reading skills. While it may feel like they should be kept separate as progressions of each other, try to make it a smooth integration.
· Familiarize yourself with Assignment 1 so that you can confidently guide students through the assignment today and answer any questions that crop up.
· Update Canvas—in particular, publish the A1 assignment sheet under “Assignments.” Make any additional updates necessary. Let Comp Admin know if you need help—we can troubleshoot together.
· Carefully review all your notes
· Write your own version of the day’s lesson plan (as it makes most sense to you)
· Preview the letters from your students – you can start to get a sense of who your students are. Also, make plans for how you will assign points for homework assignments.
· ASK QUESTIONS of the Composition Faculty—we’re here to help you!!!!
Materials
· FOOD reader (to walk through the text with students)
· Overheads:
o WTL: Bittman & Intro to Course Theme (available in Assignment 1: Materials)
o Blank Key Point Summary Outline (in Assignment 1: Materials)
o Key Point Summary Outline for Bittman (in Assignment 1: Materials)
o Notes on 3-Pass Reading (in Assignment 1: Materials)
o Copies of Assignment #1 (or electronic copy to project)
Lead-in
For today’s class, some students have thought about their identities as writers and expressed their expectations of CO150. It’s not uncommon to have a few students come to class the second day without having done the homework, or for new students to show up who won’t have contacted you about what work they should do before appearing. Unprepared students will be able to catch up without too much floundering, but dissuade them from trying to do so at the beginning of class. Have them come to your office hours (or, reserve a few moments after class if time allows). Arrange a way to help students with any problems (couldn’t figure out Canvas, bought the wrong textbook, etc…) It’s wise to plan a Write-to-Learn (WTL) or have some other means of holding students accountable for the reading assignments. For this class, you might want to explain the way students WILL be held accountable and, even, begin developing this habit for learning. Remind students of the upcoming limited add/drop policy deadlines. Refer them to the yellow sheet you handed out on the first day.
ACTIVITIES:
Before Class (5 minutes)
If you arrive to class a few minutes early, write the “agenda” on the board. A brief list of today’s activities could go something like:
· Discussion of Bittman and course theme
· Summary outlines
· RW#1
· Introduce A1
Tip: An agenda on the board may at first seem too structured to allow for flexibility in the classroom, but they are incredibly beneficial for your students. Giving students a clear view of what they are to cover in the day’s class helps them sustain focus and make the kind of class-to-class connections we want them to make. If you keep your agenda broad, there will still be plenty of room for flexibility.
Tip: Some instructors put the homework due on the board (either in addition to an agenda or sometimes as a replacement). Any way to help students maintain focus on the course is a good strategy—just be sure to make whatever you adopt a reliable, consistent routine.
Welcome Back and Attendance (2 minutes)
Take care of any remaining registrations issues (such as new students or students absent on the first day—in order to save time, inform students of an appropriate time/place to take care of these issues). Be sure to note which students are absent. You might take attendance by asking each student to describe one thing he or she remembers about a classmate from the getting-to-know-you activity last time.
Tip: It can be really engaging to “call roll” with an activity (such as recall something from last time). Just be sure that the activity has some connection to the course goals or the day’s lesson. For example, don’t do something like “name your favorite Disney movie” unless you happen to be focusing upon Disney movies in the day’s lesson.
Transition: Bittman et al.’s article listens into many different conversations about food, and so we’re going to think and write about the different contexts that he introduces us to. But first, let’s familiarize ourselves with how our food reader is organized.
Discuss “A National Food Policy for the 21st Century” (20-25 minutes)
Students read the introduction for the reader to have an idea about the course theme, so you can begin the discussion with an overview of the main sections of the book: production, distribution, and consumption.
Our reader for the class is the FOOD. The way it is organized helps to categorize some of these topics. Go through the book and discuss the categorization of the chapters and what each means (which is clearly outlined in the Introduction of the reader). What the FOOD reader offers is a way of seeing this theme as a complex conversation with MANY off-shoots of conversations which we can consider joining.
Transition: Now that we’ve considered the framework for the reader, let’s take a closer look at Bittman’s et al.’s article and try to really understand how it can work as a jumping-off point for our class theme. I’m going to project the question that was attached to the reading for homework, and it’s going to be part of our first Write-to-Learn (WTL). We’ll also look at an excerpt from “A Native Perspective: Food is More than Consumption” from the Food reader and consider how you make more personal connections to food. We’ll often write in class to gather our thoughts and reflect so that we’re ready for discussion.
Project the WTL: Bittman & Introduction to Course Theme (in Assignment 1: Materials) and ask students to write their responses on a piece of paper to hand in. Bittman et al.’s article is a good piece to briefly discuss with first-year students. Not only does it offer an argument that is exigent in the current political context, it shows how food can reach across many different contexts and help students see the complexities surrounding one resource. While Bittman et al.’s article draws connections to outside contexts, the second question helps students start to reflect on their own, personal connections to food. This part of the discussion can help students connect themselves to the class theme and consider how food affects their lives in various, often unacknowledged ways. Spend a few minutes for students to discuss their responses as a class. It’s a good idea to record student responses on the board to help keep track of discussion, identify patterns, and differentiate for various learning styles.
Transition: Over the course of the semester, we’ll continue to think about how our lives are impacted by food in direct and indirect ways. To join this conversation today, you annotated Bittman et al.’s text, and we’ll start with looking more closely at your annotations at the start of the next class in addition to new annotations you’ll make for homework. But now, we’ll add a new reading strategy, and we’ll also start to think about how to read a text closely and critically.
Close & Critical Reading Strategies (5 min)
· Ask the students, “When reading for today, what strategies did you employ to read actively?” Write their responses on the board. They should include many of the following:
o Skimming for an overview
o Mark and annotate: key passages, comments, questions, reactions, link to other things you’ve read, forecasting if info could be used
o Pay attention: identify key information, ideas, and arguments
o Recognize the type of document/genre—is it an opinion column? A case study? A peer-reviewed journal article? A news report?
o Identify the Main Point/thesis/argument/claim: this is what the writer wants readers to accept, believe, or do as a result of reading the document
o Find key points/reasons AND evidence that support the main point:
o Consider Illustrations—especially the charts/infographics
Explain to students that for every text they read, in order to really LISTEN to the conversation, they’ll need to apply these close reading skills (true for this class and every other class they’re taking). It will help them think more critically about a text AND it will help them to become really familiar with a text.
Summary will be the focus for Assignment #1.
o Why is this important again? What will we attempt to do with this knowledge gained by summarizing conversation? Eventually, we’ll be contributing to these conversations, but for now our main priority is to summarize them accurately, especially if they go against our own point of view.
Transition: Now we’ve thought about how to read closely, you’re ready for the next step of the writing process for A1: a summary outline. You may have seen various forms of outlines before, but this is the one that we’ll use for this assignment. We’re going to practice by applying it to Bittman et al.’s article in class, and then you’ll complete outlines for all three A1 articles for homework next week.
Group Activity: Summary Outline of Bittman et al.’s article (20 minutes)
Show the Blank Key Point Summary Outline template for students to complete in groups. Explain that each group will complete a summary outline of Bittman’s article. Only one outline per group is necessary—just be sure each participant’s name is on the group outline. These will be collected.
Tip: Give clear directions about a group activity BEFORE assigning groups. Breaking students into groups before they have the directions can be too distracting.
Tip: Students will (should) often be working in small groups; therefore, develop plans to address logistics—such as how to group students. Be sure to use different strategies so that students aren’t always working with the same people. You can use one of the following (or any others you think of): numbering people off (all 1’s together, all 2’s together, etc…); have students line up according to birthdays—then form groups based on birth month; alphabetically by first name; favorite season; etc…
Transition: While there may have been a few minor discrepancies while filling in these summary outlines, I’m sure you mostly came to same conclusions.
Show your version of Bittman’s summary outline. If time allows, you can first ask for the claim and key points that they found before showing your own to compare.