Sustainability

What is it? For those of you who attended the field trip, explain your experience for your classmates. What did you learn?

EXTRA CREDIT: Create a photo essay from your experience at ASU. Just like an actual essay, be sure your photo essay has an intro, body, and conclusion. You can include a few key words, quotes, or info in order to clarify your message.

Pen Pals

Check this out--I've added a new blog to our blog list. It's Mr. Russoniello's third grade class--your pen pals! We're going to attempt some cross-grade level interaction and technology. We've posted a topic on his blog--and you ALL get to respond to it.

Audience is everything--your responses will be read by third graders and their PARENTS. Your responses need to reflect that audience. Unfortunately even the most clever innuendo, no matter how brilliant or classy, will not be appropriate.

This is is your chance to really mentor and model your incredible English composition skills for an audience that will be influenced by what you write. For this reason, use spell check, capitals, punctuation--all that fancy stuff. My blog window has spell check available--the comment window does not. Please COPY and PASTE your responses from Word into the comment box so you can ensure the quality of your writing. It also never hurts to reread and revise on your own (like what you're doing with your Supersize Me essays). Also be sure to indicate To: and From: within comment

BTW--Revised drafts of rhetorical analysis, 2-3 pages, typed, double-space, MLA format due on Moday, March 2. Extra Credit field trip to Global Water facility on Wednesday, March 4 at 3:00 pm--transportation on your own

Supersize Me Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetoric: the art of effective communication (writing and speaking)

Analysis:
1. the separating of any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements (opposed to synthesis ).
2. this process as a method of studying the nature of something or of determining its essential features and their relations: the grammatical analysis of a sentence.
3. a presentation, usually in writing, of the results of this process: The paper published an analysis of the political situation. [Thank YOU www.dictionary.com!]

Assignment: Is Morgan Spurlock's argument convincing? Analyze and discuss how Spurlock uses rhetorical elements to make (or break) his point.

Remember: rhetorical elements (i.e. speaker, message, audience, appeals, etc.)

Super Size Me

Morgan Spurlock goes on a 30-day planned fast food binge--why? What is the purpose of his "experiment"? What do you believe is the message or thesis of his argument? What are the holes in his argument?

John Banzhaf--the attorney who sued the tobacco companies--discusses the advertising methods of tobacco companies targetting children through candy cigarettes. Banzhaf states that McDonalds does the same thing through happy meals, clowns, cartoons, happy meals, toys, and playgrounds. Assess this charge. What shold be done about it?

Consumerism and a Fast Food Nation

Today more than ever we consume more than we produce. If Annie Leonard's statistics are correct, 99% of what we purchase is in the trash six months later. Is this the natural evolution of humanity and production? Or has this system been manufactured, marketed, and sold to us along with cheap electronics and fast food?