Happiness in the 21st Century with M.T.

Andersons Feed
A Five-Week Unit Plan for 12th Grade English Language Arts by Marcus Viney and Sean Waters In partial completion of the requirements of EDUC 463 with Dr. Cindy ODonnell -Allen Colorado State University: Spring 2012 In completing this project, we have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance (including materials created by myself or others for a previous class).

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Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Understanding By Design Template ............................................................................................... 7 Rationale ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Permission Letter ...................................................................................................................... 19 Unit Calendar ................................................................................................................................ 21 WEEK 1: Community of Philosophical Inquiry; Asking Genuine Questions .......................... 21 WEEK 2: Power of Community Inquiry; Getting Deeper into the Text .................................. 22 WEEK 3: Introduction to Position Paper: The components of Argument ................................ 23 WEEK 4: Collaboration and Critique: Group WebQuest Research ......................................... 24 WEEK 5: Workshop and Completion of Position Paper: ......................................................... 25 Lesson Plans.................................................................................................................................. 26 Week 1, Day 1: Asking Philosophical Questions; Feed (p. 3-19) ........................................... 26 Week 1, Day 2: Teacher-Led Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 20-40)................................ 29 Week 1, Day 3: Teacher-Led Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 42-63)................................ 32 Week 1, Day 4: Community of Philosophical Inquiry Discussion; Feed (p. 64-85):............... 36 Week 1, Day 5: Student-Led Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 85-104) .............................. 39 Week 2, Day 6: Introduce Jigsaw Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 105-123) .................... 42 Week 2, Day 7: Jigsaw Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 124-150) ..................................... 45 Week 2, Day 8: Jigsaw Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 151-172) ..................................... 48 Week 2, Day 9: Ranking Activity Jigsaw Group discussions; Feed (p. 173-189) ................... 51 Week 2, Day 10: Jigsaw Group Discussions; Feed (p. 190-203) ............................................. 55 Week 3, Day 11: Thesis Statements and Fishbowl Discussion; Feed (207-223) .................... 58 Week 3, Day 12: Argument: Thesis (2) and Fishbowl Discussion; Feed (224-244) ................ 64 Week 3, Day 13: Argument: Reasons Good and Bad; Fishbowl Discussion; Feed (245-276) 69 Week 3, Day 14: Argument: Evidence and Philosophical Chairs Discussion; Feed (277-300)75 Week 3, Day 15: Philosophical Chairs Discussion ................................................................... 81 Week 4, Day 16: Webquest Group Work (Computer Lab) ..................................................... 83 Week 4, Day 17: Webquest Group Work (Computer Lab) ...................................................... 84 Week 4, Day 18: Webquest Group Work (Computer Lab) ...................................................... 85 Week 4, Day 19: Webquest Group Work (Computer Lab) ...................................................... 86 Week 4, Day 20: Student Presentations .................................................................................... 87

Waters and Viney 2 Week 5, Day 21: Unit Re-Cap And Position Paper Re-Introduction ...................................... 90 Week 5, Day 22: Computer Lab Student Work Day ................................................................ 91 Week 5, Day 23: Computer Lab And Initial Peer Review ....................................................... 93 Week 5, Day 24: Computer Lab And Full Peer Review........................................................... 94 Week 5, Day 25: Final Position Paper Due; Reflection Activity ............................................. 97 Culminating Unit Assessment: WebQuest.................................................................................... 99 Culminating Assignment Sheet................................................................................................. 99 Happiness in the 21st Century: Persuasive Position Essay Rubric .......................................... 100 Happiness in the 21st Century: Group Multimedia Project Rubric ......................................... 101 Works Cited: ............................................................................................................................... 102 Reflection and Evaluation ........................................................................................................... 103

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Introduction
1. Unit Placement This is the second of seven units in a yearlong plan designed around a critical investigation of the good life. This unit immediately follows the introductory unit on selfknowledge, and precedes the third unit on global responsibility. The first unit introduces students to the importance of self-knowledge and why this knowledge is vital for their position on the good life. This unit, on happiness in the 21st century, expands on this idea by looking at technology in particular and how our use of technology assists or detracts from our happiness. Many people today carry a cellphone with them at all times, or have access to a computer and the Internet, which means that technology plays an integral and often inescapable role in many of our lives. Technology, therefore, cannot be left out of a conversation on the good life. Using the book Feed and other texts, we plan to explore questions of what it means to be happy in the 21st century in a way that will set up the study of the good life for the rest of the semester. We face a number of problems that past generations could not have anticipated. It is unclear, for example, whether the benefits of the latest technology outweigh the costs. We live in a surveillance culture where nearly everything we do is tracked by someone, somewhere. Corporations play a bigger and bigger role in our personal lives as well as in the political arena. We are also confronted with the addictive phenomenon of consumerism, and faced with the ethical and environmental problems of cheap labor, exploitation, overproduction, and careless production of disposable goods. All of these issues not only raise interesting questions about personal happiness in the United States, but also difficult questions about personal as well as global responsibility in the 21st century. For this reason, the second unit nicely funnels students into the third unit on the environment and global responsibility. As a second unit, students are developing skills that they will use for the rest of the semester. Since the culminating assignment for this unit is a position paper on happiness in the 21st century, the primary skill students will be developing is critically supporting clearly stated claims with good reasons and appropriate evidence. In addition, because students will also be asked to complete a WebQuest in small groups with the smaller goal of producing and presenting an Igniteshow, students will also be developing some research and oral presentation skills. The subsequent units will further build on the ideas and skills developed in this unit in order to prepare students for the final project of the entire class, which is a good life portfolio.

Waters and Viney 4 2. Context Since this class is designed to be a 12th grade English class, the students will be 17-18 years old. We expect that there will be approximately 30-35 students enrolled in this course, where about half the students are male, and half are female. We also assume that the demographics of the class will roughly reflect the demographics of the Poudre itself. In terms of ethnicity, this means that there will likely be about 20-24 White students, 5-7 Hispanic students, and 1-3 that will likely be a mix of Asian, American Indian, and Black students (schoolview.org). Because this is not an advanced class, but open to any senior, we expect that the students will come with mixed abilities. In terms of student groups, this means that there will probably be some Gifted and Talented students, some ELLs, and possibly students with disabilities. Based on the general demographics of Poudre, we can reasonably expect that about 20-30% of the students enrolled in this class will be Economically Disadvantaged (schoolview.org). In general, the median household income in Fort Collins is $54,400, and the median family income is $77,700 (fcgov.com). Given that 30% of Poudre students are Economically Disadvantaged (compared to the 10% of Fossil Ridge students who are so disadvantaged), we might safely assume that Poudre families tend to earn less than the median income of Fort Collins generally. Poudre families are, however, quite diverse. About half of Poudre students live in rural areas including farm, ranch, and mountain communities (phs.psdschools.org). The rest live in town, generally on South-West end of Fort Collins. The culture of Poudre is mixed, because Fort Collins in general tends to be fairly liberal because of the university, but Colorado is also known to be generally conservative. Regardless of the views of Poudre families, Poudre prides itself on community and family involvement. In addition to back to school nights and parent teacher conferences, Poudre offers multiple opportunities for parents to volunteer and support the school (phs.psdschools.org). Following Smagorinskys suggestion (Ch.8), we plan to take an inventory to discover more information about students including specific facts about their culture and home life, their background knowledge on the subjects we plan to explore, and their personal interests and cares. We hope that this inventory will supplement the general information we already have about our students and their families so that we can better adapt the class to their particular needs, values, and desires.

Waters and Viney 5 3. Texts Fulcrum text: Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print. Texture texts: Poetry: Selections from Hafizs The Gift Short Readings in Philosophy: Selections from Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Speech: Martin Luther King Jr.., "A time to break silence" (on the Vietnam war) Video: TED Talk -- Sylvia Earle My One Wish: To Protect the Oceans Newspaper articles: on Chernobyl, BP Oil Spill, Hypoxic Dead Zone Magazine: - Issues of Teen Magazines Seventeen, US Teen Radio Segment: What we have here is a Failure to Communicate from NPR

4. Standards In this unit, as well as throughout the entire year, we plan to use the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Reading, Writing and Communicating developed by the Colorado Department of Education. Weve paid special attention to the standards and grade level expectations for twelfth grade English Language Arts. Taken from the CAS document, these standards are (1) Oral Expression and Listening, (2) Reading for all purposes, (3) Writing and Composition, and (4) Research and Reasoning.

Waters and Viney 6 The specific standards and evidence outcomes we plan to cover are as follows:

Week 1 Focus / Skills practice: Creating Communities of Philosophical Inquiry and Asking Genuine Questions Standards Addressed: CAS 1.2.a, 1.2.b, 2.2.a, 2.2.c

Week 2 Focus / Skills practice: Power of Community Inquiry: Getting Deeper Standards Addressed: CAS 1.2.c, 1.2.d, 2.1.c, 2.1.d

Week 3 Focus / Skills practice: Introduction to Position Paper: The components of Argument (Thesis, Reason, Evidence) Standards Addressed: CAS 1.2.e, 1.2.f, 2.1.e, 2.1.f

Week 4 Focus / Skills practice: Collaboration and Critique: Begin and Finish Group WebQuest Research: Standards Addressed: CAS 1.2.e, 1.2.f, 3.1.a, 3.1.b

Week 5 Focus / Skills practice: Workshop and Completion of Position Paper: Standards Addressed: CAS 1.1.a, 1.1.b, 1.1.c, 1.1.d

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Understanding By Design Template

Title of Unit Happiness in the 21st Century: M.T. Andersons Feed English Language Arts Grade Level 12

Curriculum Area Developed By

Time Frame

6 Weeks of 50 minute periods

Sean Waters and Marcus Viney

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1) Content Standards

Week 1 Focus / Skills practice: -CAS 1.2.a, 1.2.b, 2.1.a, 2.1.b Week 2 Focus / Skills practice: -CAS 1.2.c, 1.2.d, 2.1.c, 2.1.d Week 4 Focus / Skills practice: -CAS 4.2.a, 4.2.b, 4.2.c Week 5 Focus / Skills practice: -CAS 1.2.e, 1.2.f, 3.1.a, 3.1.b Week 6 Focus / Skills practice: -CAS 1.1.a, 1.1.b, 1.1.c, 1.1.d Generating Inquiry The Power of Community Inquiry Argument: Thesis, Reason, Evidence Collaboration and Critique: Group Research Effective Speech and Communication

Understandings
Overarching Understanding Students will come to an understanding of their own position about what constitutes happiness in the 21st century by thinking critically, collaboratively, and reflectively about their own experiences, M.T. Andersons Feed, and the resources provided on the Happiness in the 21st Century WebQuest. Related Misconceptions Critical and philosophical investigation of a particular idea Happiness is too demanding or difficult for young students. Students arent motivated or smart enough to generate meaningful inquiry questions that can guide their thinking, research, and writing. [Classroom teachers should stay away from reading, thinking, and writing about difficult issues that affect student lives. ] Surfing the web isnt an educational opportunity or experience.

Essential Questions
Overarching What is happiness? How do we achieve genuine, lasting happiness? What does M.T. Andersons Feed teach us about happiness in the 21st century? How much do human relationships and our relationship to our environment matter in our happiness? How does M.T. Anderson use Feed as a rhetorically powerful novel? What is his purpose? Topical Can Facebook and other social media make people happier? How? Do drugs and alcohol make people happier? Is happiness the same for all people at all times? Are there parts of happiness (e.g. Friendship) that will never change no matter what? Is protecting the environment important to happiness?

Waters and Viney 8 Is buying cool stuff important to happiness? Is the way we use language and communicate important to our happiness?

Knowledge
Students will know -That language usage can be creatively and rhetorically powerful -That different people have understood Happiness differently at different times - That the world of Social media and technology in the 21st century adds new dimensions to our pursuit of happiness - That a good argument has a central claim supported by reasons that are in turn supported by evidence

Skills
Students will be able to -Perform individual roles within a group to accomplish a collective goal. -Write a position paper that clearly states their position and supports that position - Generate constructive inquiry questions conducive to philosophical investigation of ideas

Assessment Evidence (Stage 2) Performance Task Description

Goals To use communities of philosophical inquiry, M.T. Andersons Feed, and a Happiness in the 21st century Web-Quest to construct (1) a group Multimedia project in the form of an Ignite Show and a (2) Personal Persuasive Position Essay Communities of Philosophical Inquiry: Each student is an active reader, inquirer, listener, speaker, and collaborator Group Multimedia Project : Groups of four; each group will have a Philosopher, a Social Scientist, an Artist, and a Social Media Specialist. Personal Position Essay : Students will each be a critical thinker and philosopher defending their position on Happiness in the 21st Century Members of the Class and the online community (video recordings of presentations will be posted to website) Communities of Philosophical Inquiry, Small group and whole class discussions, Online WebQuest Environment (1) a group Multimedia project in the form of an Ignite Show and a (2) Personal Persuasive Position Essay CAS 1.2.a, 1.2.b, 2.1.a, 2.1.b, 3.1.a, 3.1.b , 4.2.a, 4.2.b, 4.2.c

Roles

Audience Situation Product/Performance Standards

Other Evidence
Students will compose a self-evaluation of their work, as well as compile their reading logs and participation slips for a Philosophical Inquiry Portfolio. Throughout the process, students will be assessed for participation.

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Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are going? Students will be informed of the culminating WebQuest assessment at the beginning of the Unit so they are aware that they will be writing a position paper on a topic of their choice or one of the position statements provided by the instructor. The Feed anticipation guide, provided on the first day, will also provide the students with knowledge of the questions they can write about so that they can begin to think more deeply about their position through class discussion. I will be careful to give students a good picture of how the classroom discussions and writing activities will help them write their final position paper that is the culminating assessment of the unit. The anticipation guide will serve as the main hook, since students should find some interest in at least one of the questions. The questions deal with issues that high school seniors surely grapple withsocial media, technology, drug and alcohol use, relationships and friendships, happiness, environmental awareness, consumerism, individuality and collectivity, history and social pressureand will provide a conceptual hook to get them involved in reading Feed and discussion of their ideas Students will experience and explore Happiness in the 21st century firstly though the various classroom philosophical discussion and writing activities. Hearing others voices and writing down statements that they either agree or disagree with and why will enable them to be able to understand their perspective in the context of the voices of other students in the classroom. In the first few days of class, students will become more familiar with asking philosophical questions through teacher modeling and examples, and will be empowered with the knowledge that they too can ask genuine and good philosophical questions and participate in various kinds of philosophical discussion. We will get better at this kind of discussion through inclass practice: the majority of each day is a teacher facilitated discussion. Secondly, students will have an opportunity to work on a Happiness in the 21st century WebQuest where they will have their opinions challenged by particular resources provided by the teacher. Students will conduct periodic self-evaluations of their participation and contribution to philosophical

How will you hook students at the beginning of the unit?

What events will help students experience and explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge?

How will you cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you

Waters and Viney 10 discussions. Mainly though, students will have opportunity to reflect and rethink about their positions throughout the unit, since we will be revisiting and hearing multiple student perspectives about the courses guiding questions. Repeated Write-to-learn pre-discussion and post-discussion writing prompts will help them think and think again about their positions. Teacher facilitated peer work-shop days during the final week of the unit will help students revise and refine their final position paper. How will you help students to exhibit Give brief feedback on their dialectical journals and verbal reinforcement in classroom discussions. and self-evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and understanding Students will also complete a self-evaluation of their final project and discussion activities. Revisiting the throughout the unit? initial Anticipation Guide Activity at the end of the unit will give students one more opportunity to selfevaluate their thinking processes. Students will be given the choice of what particular How will you tailor and otherwise aspect of the text they want to write about. However, personalize the learning plan to students will have to complete an essay unless they optimize the engagement and write a project proposal that also satisfies the main effectiveness of ALL students, components of the position paper. Students are able to without compromising the goals of play specific roles that they are most attracted to in the unit? order to complete the Ignite Show Presentation component of the WebQuest. How will you organize and sequence The style and variations of the classroom discussions the learning activities to optimize the go from simple to complex. Students are provided with the building blocks of the discussion and engagement and achievement of questioning activities so that their readings and ALL students? thinking are deepened. Giving students the chance to talk in small groups prior to whole-class discussion, as well as giving them the chance to work in groups on a particular question will provide an optimized and engaging learning environment to all students. guide them in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work?

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)

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Rationale
What does it mean to be happy in the 21st century? The question of happiness in the age technology is an essential part of the guiding question of this class: who are we and how do we live the good life in light of this knowledge? Following an introductory unit on self-knowledge and personal identity, this unit asks students to question the nature of happiness, the relationship of happiness to their own lives, and the meaning of happiness in a world overrun with text messages, advertisements, TV shows, computers, and social networking sites. To motivate this extended discussion, this unit asks students to read M.T. Andersons Feed, a novel about a teenagers life in a future dystopian world not entirely unlike our own. This novel presents numerous themes and ideas that will attract student attention, as well as ignite student reflection and discussion. After all, Feed features numerous situations that will be directly relevant and relatable to the lives of high school seniors. Titus, the protagonist, travels to the moon with his friends for spring break, meets a girl, has troubles with his family, and has questionable encounters with mind-altering substances. And this is just the tip of the Feed iceberg. In an effort to capture and keep student attention, class discussions of the novel will be guided by the following questions (these same questions are also featured in the anticipation guide gateway activity and hold a central place in the culminating assessment WebQuest): Does Facebook and other social media make people happier? Do drugs and alcohol
make people happier? Is happiness the same for all people at all times? How does history and social movements change our understanding of happiness? Are there parts of happiness (e.g. Friendship) that will never change no matter what? Is protecting the environment important to happiness? Is buying cool stuff important to happiness? Is the way we use language and communicate important to our happiness? Is happiness an individual or collective phenomenon? Can whole societies be happy

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and if so, is this ever dangerous? These questions are all tied together by the overarching question: What does M.T. Andersons novel Feed teach us about happiness in the 21st century?

Given that the guiding theme of this unit is fundamentally philosophical, the teaching principles and strategies of this unit will diverge slightly from those of the traditional classroom. An investigation of happiness requires more than direct instruction, memorization, and test taking. Instead, such an investigation requires room for students to develop their own positions, space for open-ended discussions with peers, and an environment in which risk taking is not merely tolerated but celebrated and rewarded. As such, we take the first week of the unit to establish communities of philosophical inquiry and model the process of asking genuinely philosophical questions for students. The following two weeks, we will expand our classroom discussions by utilizing various forms of philosophical dialogue (teacher-facilitated discussions, expert-group jigsaw discussions, fishbowl discussions, and philosophical chairs discussions) that give students opportunity to develop and express their opinions while listening to the opinions of others. The driving learning principles behind this class as a community of philosophical inquiry are threefold: (1) knowledge construction over transmission, (2) group learning and collaboration, and (3) playful interactions in low stakes environment. 1. Knowledge Construction over Transmission Multiple-choice tests are not appropriate for a unit on happiness, because happiness is a complex topic that requires a species of delicate and critical thought that cannot be evaluated in a right-or-wrong manner. Thus, this unit is designed to meet the Colorado Academic Standards in other ways. Most of the evidence outcomes, for example, will be reached through the daily work of the class: close reading, speaking, listening, thinking, and writing. Students will respond to daily writing prompts that will help to cover the academic goals of the class as well as build and refine their positions on and interpretations of happiness in the 21st century. The concepts and

Waters and Viney 13 skills required of prepared graduates will therefore be acquired by students through the continual and habitual work of community writing, discussing, and thinking. Following this, students will be asked to compose a final piece of argumentative writing that builds on their in-class work and that represents their own take on happiness and what it means for the good life. In short, students will finally get to contribute their voice and position to the conversation. This means that the primary model of learning throughout this unit is not transmission, where the teacher tells the students what to believe, but rather construction, where students construct their own meaning and knowledge about the subject. In Teaching English by Design, Peter Smagorinsky describes this idea as follows: Knowledge construction... comes as part of a transaction among a variety of factors: the text that the student reads or produces, the personal experiences that the student brings to the situation that contribute to understanding and interpretation... and the cultural history that provides the values for both the immediate environment and the individuals experiences (10). In other words, according to Smagorinsky, the learning model of construction relies heavily on how individual students read texts in light of their values and prior experiences. This gives students the power and autonomy to interpret and respond to those texts in ways that they find most meaningful to their own lives. This does not mean, however, that anything goes. Students will be allowed to take any position they wish, but they will be held to the rigorous standards of argumentation and rhetoric. Resourceful and creative carpenters do not learn how to build quality tables from pre-designed templates; rather, they learn the time-honored skills and techniques of their trade so that they can invent and produce their own designs. The same goes for resourceful writers and thinkers. Having students craft their own position as well as defend them with good reasons and evidence in a rhetorically effective manner is the primary academic goal of this unit. Students will not be graded, therefore,

Waters and Viney 14 on what they argue, but instead on how they choose to do so. Following Smagorinsky once again, we plan to scaffold argumentative writing with the structured process approach presented in his book The Dynamics of Writing Instruction. This will be apparent in the third week of lesson plans in the unit where students are introduced to the position paper as well as how to go about writing it. 2. Group Learning and Collaboration Good questions are never answered or raised in isolation. This unit, perhaps more than others (because it focuses heavily on human relationships in the 21st century), asks students to work together to investigate the question of happiness in the good life. More specifically, students will enjoy varying roles in reading groups aimed at identifying and sorting through the major themes and problems in the fulcrum text Feed. Working together, students will develop personally as well as communally meaningful questions about the novel. Reading Feed together in a critical manner will create for students a unique but also shared experience. This idea is supported well by Sarah Wesslings observation that Working collaboratively foste rs an environment that embraces a team approach to solving a problem (73). Thus, while there may occasionally be some minor disagreements about the reading, the team approach to group discussions in general fosters a spirit of cooperation rather than one of competition, and therefore helps to elevate the importance of group learning. Along with this, an essential feature of large group discussions is that each student honors the fact that different people bring with them different perspectives to a single text, and that we must therefore all make room for these perspectives. No single voice has the final say on the meaning of text, but everyone should have a chance to make their voice heard. For this reason, students will, under the facilitation of the teacher, spend some time reviewing the shared set of

Waters and Viney 15 classroom rules, expectations, and principles developed in the first unit of the class. This idea is originally supported by Cindy ODonnell-Allens concept of norming, whereby students generate the norms of discussion that everyone agrees to abide by in order to maintain civil discourse (59-65). ODonnell-Allen argues that defining civil discourse is the first step in helping students learn how to practice it (59), and she goes on to state that norms must be articulated and regulated by group members themselves because successful norming always requires buy-in (60). By allowing students to establish norms and discuss them with each other, they take ownership of the norms and thus respect them when having discussions about controversial subjects. This class will be successful only if students feel safe in speaking their minds and feel that they are respected by everyone involved in discussions. This review activity will ensure a safe and respectful environment where difficult issues can be discussed and each students voice will be given space, consideration, and legitimacy. In addition to large group discussions, there will also be two significant opportunities for students to become experts in small groups. The ideas and expertise of these small groups will then be transferred to the rest of the class in a jigsaw-like activity. The first of these activities will be wiki literature circles where students in small groups will focus on one cen tral theme of the reading and respond to weekly prompts on a wiki site designed for class discussion. This idea comes from Elizabeth Edmondsons article, Wiki Literature Circles: Creating Digital Learning Communities, where the benefits of online collab orative writing are explored in detail and are backed by successful real-world examples. In brief, Edmondsons idea is that students can run mini-groups through blogs on a shared wiki outside of class, and that these online blogs discussions can provide a strong basis in-class discussion. This gives students the opportunity to

Waters and Viney 16 become experts on one aspect of the book, while at the same time familiarize themselves with the 21st century skill of digital authorship. Once students have produced their own posts as small groups on the wiki, they will then read and respond to other posts from other groups to help bring out the full complexity of the novel. This integration of distinct interpretations enhances the reading experience for all members of the class, and further helps to foster a sense of cooperative learning. In the second small group activity, students will work in expert groups to complete a WebQuest designed around the theme of happiness in the 21st century (WebQuest). This WebQuest project will culminate in a group Igniteshow, which is a five minute multimodal presentation designed to enlighten us, but make it quick (ignite). The activity pushes the importance of online research, evaluating sources, planning and working collaboratively, and finally oral presentation skills. Since Igniteshows are by definition only five minutes long, students will be expected to plan ahead and practice efficiently, economically, and effectively as a group. 3. Playful interactions in low stakes learning environments This unit has backwards design, which means that each lesson and activity contributes in some meaningful way to the overarching goal of the unit. The culminating assignment asks students to produce a piece of argumentative writing on the issue of happiness. Therefore, students will need to be shown the principles of argumentative writing in the time building up to this assignment. To this end, there are multiple, low-stakes writing prompts, activities, in-class assignments, and homework assignments, which are designed to scaffold the concepts and skills students will need to write the final paper. The primary goal is to give students a generous amount of space and time to explore difficult questions without the anxiety of gradepunishment. This idea is supported by James Paul Gees insistence that students learn most

Waters and Viney 17 optimally when they are allowed to explore content and practice s kills in simulated experiences, or framed situations without harmful, real world consequences. Gee argues that, The only way to learn is to see some instances and live with them concretely... [and that]there is never a real distinction between learning and playing (70). With this idea in place, students will be allowed to read, write, and discuss freely and openly without fear of harsh correction. Since most of the play time set aside in class for exploring the central ideas and themes of the readings will be done in small or large groups, it is essential that we have strategies in place to make group work really work. Too often, group work (especially in an environment designed to allow for free explorations of topics) can fall apart and fail very quickly. To cope with the common pitfalls of group work, we rely on Megan Isaacs research presented in her article, I Hate Group Work: Social Loafers, Indignant Peers, and the Drama of the Classroom. In this article, Isaac proposes several strategies for making group work really work, such as having groups establish their own rules of operation, norms of involvement and participation, and statements of accountability. While we do not use all of Isaacs ideas, we will plan to use it as a reference if we should encounter any of the common issues or problems associated with group work. Our hope, however, is that the larger class rules and norms established from the beginning of the semester will prevent some of the concerns in the first place. Writing, Reading, and Class Discussion Strategies As mentioned before, this unit is aimed at pushing students to compose a written piece on happiness in the 21st century. The culminating assignment is an argument paper in which students will use the basic principles of rhetoric (logos, ethos, and pathos) and argumentation (thesis, reasons, and evidence) to support their position on the nature of happiness and the role it plays in 21st century life. Regardless of the path students will pursue after high school,

Waters and Viney 18 knowledge of argumentation, rhetoric, and rhetorical awareness of texts in general, is crucial for navigating the world effectively. In simple terms, rhetoric is about doing things with words. Often we want other people to believe or do something for us, but we cannot accomplish our goals unless we communicate clearly and effectively to our target audience. Of course, the desire to get people to believe or do something need not derive from a malicious intent to manipulate others, but even if we mean well, we can easily fail to achieve our purpose if we are not sufficiently sensitive to the rhetorical situation at hand. The same goes for the logic of our arguments. Unless the form of our arguments are valid, and unless our premises soundly are supported by evidence, we risk falling into fallacious reasoning, or failing to achieve our argumentative purposes. Final Comments There is no question that Feed is the perfect novel for this unit, class, and grade level. However, since Feed has been challenged in the past, and because some parents might object to the language in the book, this rationale includes a permission letter for students and parents, which describes the novel and explains the reasons for using it in this unit.

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Permission Letter
Dear Parents or Care-Providers, My name is (Marcus Viney or Sean Waters) and I am your (son or daughters) English language arts teacher. I am writing you to introduce myself, inform you about one of the texts we plan to read as a class this semester, and to open up lines of communication so that you may better stay informed about the inner workings of my classroom. In the second major unit of my class, we plan to investigate the nature of happiness in the 21st century using M.T. Andersons novel Feed. In short, this book features a dystopian future where peoples brains are hooked up to networks of computers that stream instant messages, advertisements, TV shows, and emails. Among other things, this book explores the degeneration of human thought and language, the overreliance on new technology, and the psychology of consumerism in a society run by corporations. This book is important not only because its typically interesting to teenagers, but also because the world it presents is not all that far from our own. In spite of these virtues, Feed does contain profanity and some drug references, and it has previously been challenged in other school districts for these reasons. I strongly believe, however, that it is better for teenagers to read and discuss this type of book in a mature and safe setting with an adult than to read them on their own without any external guidance whatsoever. Nevertheless, given that I want to show my respect for you and your familys values, I would like to give you the opportunity to make the decision about whether or not your (son or daughter) will read this novel in my class. If you decide to opt out of this book choice for your (son or daughter), an alternative text (Fahrenheit 451) will be provided. No response at all will be taken as evidence of permission. If you would like more information about the book, please contact me by phone or email. The best time to reach me by phone is before school from 6-7am, or immediately after school from 3-4pm.

Thank you for your time,

(Mr. Marcus Viney or Mr. Sean Waters)

Waters and Viney 20 Rationale Works Cited Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print. Edmondson, Elizabeth. Wiki Literature Circles: Creating Digital Learning Communities. English Journal 101.4 (March 2012). Print. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling . New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. Isaac, Megan Lynn. I Hate Group Work! Social Loafers, Indignant Peers, and the Drama of the Classroom. English Journal 101.4 (March 2012). Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. The Dynamics of Writing Instruction: A Structured Process Approach for Middle and High School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2010. Print. Wessling, Sarah Brown. Supporting Students in a Time of Core Standards: English Language Arts, Grades 9-12. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2011. Print.

Waters and Viney 21

Unit Calendar
WEEK 1: Community of Philosophical Inquiry; Asking Genuine Questions
Week 1, Day 1: ASKING PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS - Gateway Activity: Anticipation Guide for Happiness in the 21st Century WebQuest (Beers 74) - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 3-19): your face is not an organ, impact, juice - Introduce Asking Philosophical Inquiry Questions reading strategy - Model Asking Philosophical Questions (Shaffer; Smagorinsky) - Introduce Dialectical Journal Entries (Smagorinsky) Week 1, Day 2: ASKING PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 20-40): the nose grid, the moon is in the house of boring - Asking Philosophical Inquiry Questions reading (continued) - Teacher-facilitated Philosophical Discussion Week 1, Day 3: TEACHER LED PHILSOPHICAL DISCUSSIONS - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 42-63): awake the garden - Teacher-facilitated Philosophical Discussion - Mini-Lesson on Dystopian vs. Utopian Genre: The dystopia of feed Week 1, Day 4: TEACHER/STUDENT LED PHILSOPHICAL DISCUSSIONS - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 64-85): dead language, release, normal, undervalued truffle - Teacher-facilitated Philosophical Discussion Week 1, Day 5: STUDENT-LED PHILSOPHICAL DISCUSSIONS - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 86-104): the others in mal, nudging, lose the chamise - Teacher-facilitated Philosophical Discussion - Dialectical journal entries w/ Lookback Reflection due

Waters and Viney 22

WEEK 2: Power of Community Inquiry; Getting Deeper into the Text

Week 2, Day 6: JIGSAW GROUP DISCUSSIONS - Summary/Review/Stimulus: Feed (p. 105-123): sniffling, the dimples of legacy, lift - Assign Jigsaw Groups on thematic relating to Happiness in the 21st Century: Each Expert Group will focus on one of the following in Feed: (Group 1) Drug Use, (Group 2) Friends and Family, (Group 3) Degeneration of thought and Language, (Group 4) Hyper-consumerism, (Group 5) Environmental/Human Health Catastrophe, (Group 6) Over-reliance on Technology, (Group 7) Social Media - Introduce Wiki Literature Circles; assign group reading assignments Week 2, Day 7: JIGSAW GROUP DISCUSSIONS - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p 124-150): a question of morala day in the country - Jigsaw groups discussion - Group facilitated whole-class discussion Week 2, Day 8: JIGSAW GROUP DISCUSSIONS - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 151-172): nudging again, the real thing, fight and flight - Jigsaw groups discussion - Teacher-facilitated whole-class discussion

Week 2, Day 9: GROUP RANKING ACTIVITY; CLASS DISCUSSION - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 173-189): so much to do, seashore, limbo and prayer - Group Ranking Activity: Which Feed Character is happiest and why? - Teacher-facilitated Ranking activity discussion whole-class discussion Week 2, Day 10: TEACHER/STUDENT LED PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 190-203): flat hope, our duty to the party, - Teacher-facilitated whole-class discussion - Mastery of Asking Philosophical Inquiry Questions reading strategy (hopefully!) - Dialectical journal entries; Part II of the Anticipation Guide due

Waters and Viney 23

WEEK 3: Introduction to Position Paper: The components of Argument

Week 3, Day 11: ARGUMENT: THESIS AND FISHBOWL DISCUSSION - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 207-223): 52.9%, 87.3%, 87.1%, 87.1, 86.5% - What makes a good Thesis Statement? Clarity, Simplicity, Honesty: Mini-Lesson - Students generate tentative thesis statements for their position papers on happiness - Introduce Fishbowl Discussion: students must write down 1 potential thesis statement from discussion as a ticket-out-the-door. Week 3, Day 12: ARGUMENT: THESIS (2) AND FISHBOWL DISCUSSION - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 224-244): 52.0%, 82.4%, 80.9%, 78.6%, 77.8%. 76.3% - What makes a good Thesis Statement (part 2): Mini-Lesson on the importance of defining your terms (Smagorinsky 201) - Fishbowl Discussion (2): students must write down 1 definition of a term as a ticket-out-thedoor. (Smagorinsky 33) Week 3, Day 13: ARGUMENT: REASONS GOOD AND BAD AND FISHBOWL DISCUSSION - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 245-276): 76.2%, 76.2%, 59.3%, 57.2%, 54.1%, 51.5% - What are good reasons and what are bad reasons (irrelevant? insufficient?): Silly Argument Mini-Lesson - Fishbowl Discussion (3): students must write down one silly argument (thesis and reasons) or argument that a student discussed Week 3, Day 14: ARGUMENT: EVIDENCE GOOD AND BAD AND PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS DISCUSSION - Summary / Discussion Stimulus: Feed (p. 277-300): summertime, the deep, 4.6%, 4.6%, - What makes for good evidence for reasons and why Mini-Lesson (Factual, testimonial, anecdotal, analogical, hypothetical) - Teacher-facilitated Philosophical Chairs Discussion Week 3, Day 15: PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS DISCUSSION - Teacher-facilitated Philosophical Chairs Discussion Dialectical journal entries; Part III of the Anticipation Guide due

Waters and Viney 24

WEEK 4: Collaboration and Critique: Group WebQuest Research

Week 4, Day 16: WEBQUEST GROUP WORK (COMPUTER LAB) -Introduce WebQuest: WebQuest Walkthrough: http://sites.google.com/site/happinessinthe21stcentury/ -Form student groups (seven groups of five) and make sure each student picks a role to play in the Webquest - Student free-time to explore Week 4, Day 17: WEBQUEST GROUP WORK (COMPUTER LAB) - PowerPoint mini-lesson: How to create an Ignite show (for those who do not know) - Webquest work day: collection of materials (art, writing, ideas) for Ignite Show Presentation Week 4, Day 18: WEBQUEST GROUP WORK (COMPUTER LAB) - WebQuest work day: collection of materials (art, writing, ideas) for Ignite Show Presentation - Ignite show Outline due

Week 4, Day 19: WEBQUEST GROUP WORK - Webquest work day: collection of materials (art, writing, ideas) for Ignite Show Presentation - Go over Ignite Show Presentation rubric - Finalizing Ignite Show presentations and practice their delivery with one other group Week 4, Day 20: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS - Each group presents for 5 minutes with two minutes of questions/comments from class - Self-evaluation, accountability statement, and presentation review sheets due. - Part III of Anticipation guide due

Waters and Viney 25

WEEK 5: Workshop and Completion of Position Paper:

Week 5, Day 21: FEED RE-CAP AND DISCUSSION - Re-Introduce main questions for position paper; have students pick a question they feel strongly about and draft their position statement and main reasons - Mini group workshop on position statements and reasons Week 5, Day 22: COMPUTER LAB STUDENT WORK DAY - Mini Lesson on Paragraph structure for supportive reasons: - Students given time to work on their own Position Paper Draft; help students as needed - Draft 1 of Position Paper Due: Thesis and Reasons

Week 5, Day 23: COMPUTER LAB PEER REVIEW 1 - Go over rules for Peer review; Distribute peer-review workshop sheets - Students will get into groups of 4 and review 3 peers papers - Draft 2 of Position Paper Due: Full 2-3 pages with citations Week 5, Day 24: COMPUTER LAB PEER REVIEW 2 - Distribute peer-review Rubric sheets - Students will get into groups of 4 and review 3 peers papers - Draft 3 of Position Paper Due: Revisions; Editing Week 5, Day 25: REFLECTION ACTIVITY - Re-Visit Gateway Activity: Complete right-hand column of Anticipation Guide (Beers 74) to take current student inventory on the questions: What is Happiness? What does it mean to be happy in the 21st century? - Position Paper Portfolio Due (Anticipation Guide Parts I, II, III and Drafts 1, 2, 3 of Position paper)

Waters and Viney 26

Lesson Plans
WEEK 1: Creating Communities of Philosophical Inquiry and Asking Genuine Questions

Week 1, Day 1: Asking Philosophical Questions; Feed (p. 3-19)

Standards Addressed: (1.2.a) Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals Evidence Outcomes: Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decisionmaking, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. (CCSS: SL.1112.1b) Purpose of Activity: To familiarize students with asking philosophical questions and introduce the discussion format to deepen their engagement with the text. Their written question (from the RQA homework slip), written comments (write-to-learn prompt and post-discussion reflection) and oral expression and listening skills (teacher facilitated discussion) will all serve as part of the pre-writing and brainstorming process for the culminating unit assessment. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Anticipation Guide for Feed - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. Distribute Anticipation Guide Handout. (12 minutes) Gateway Activity: Initial write-to-learn and Anticipation Guide (Beers 74) to take student inventory on the questions: What is Happiness? What does it mean to be happy in the 21st century? (10 minutes) Review Feed (p. 3-19): your face is not an organ, impact, juice The book is so far set in a futuristic version of our world, where a group of friends (Titus, Quendy, Marty, and Calista) who go to the moon for their spring break find the moon to completely suck (3). As Feed begins, Titus goes to the moon for a spring break trip with his friends. They have dinner and try to get into some college parties, which they usually manage to do because his friend Calista c an do this sorority-girl ice-princess thing and his friend Link is that kind of old rich thats like radiation, which makes people do what he wants even though he is ugly. However, nobody lets them into the parties today. They look greasy and sleepy from their flights, and they all have the strange lesions that everyone seems to get lately. Titus feels annoyed and decides the moon sucks. the kids drift to other forms of entertainment. They are playing a ball game in low gravity when

Waters and Viney 27 Titus notices the most beautiful girl, like, ever. (Feed). This is the first time that Titus sees Violet, who will be the main character in the book. We learn a lot about the feed: it is full of advertisements: goldy and sparkly banners (8) and their time on the moon is largely based on consumerism that the feed gives them access to. As Titus is trying to understand why the girl he sees (Violet) is so beautiful, the feed completes his thought pattern (14). (20 minutes) Introduce asking philosophical questions reading strategy (Shaffer) by sharing authentic teacher generated questions over Feed and lead into Teacher facilitated class discussion. I define philosophical inquiry as the process of asking meaningful questions about how our world, our identity, and our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life. Philosophical Discussion Questions: What do you think M.T. Anderson is trying to do by using the language hes using in the text? Why is there so much swearing? [language] As Titus is trying to understand why the girl he sees (Violet) is so beautiful, the feed completes his thought pattern (14). Is this scary? Or Cool? Does the internet ever do your thinking for you? [the self and character] Why does Titus like the girl in gray? Why is he worried his friends might talk to him when hes near her? [human relationships and the good life] Friendships are important in high school (and in your life). In the middle of page 9, there are a lot of interactions between Titus, Quendy, Calista, and Marty. Does it seem like they are re: being with friends and doing great stuff? [human relationships and the good life] Assign Homework by handing out homework slips:

(5 minutes)

Assessment: Students will submit their anticipation guide at the end of the class for participation points. References: Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teacher's Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 28 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 2 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 20-40): the nose grid, the moon is in the house of boring (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Agree or Disagree: From what you know so far about the feed, it would be good thing to be connected to the feed. Why and/or why not? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question) . Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. -----------------------

Waters and Viney 29

Week 1, Day 2: Teacher-Led Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 20-40)

Standards Addressed: (1.2.b) Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals Evidence Outcomes: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1c) Purpose of Activity: To further familiarize students with the philosophical discussion format to deepen their engagement with the text. Their written question (from the RQA homework slip), written comments (write-to-learn prompt and post-discussion reflection) and oral expression and listening skills (teacher facilitated discussion) will all serve as part of the pre-writing and brainstorming process for the culminating unit assessment. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (12 minutes) Review of Feed (p. 20-40): the nose grid, the moon is in the house of boring This section features Violet beginning to hang out with Titus and his friends and the group of friends getting turned off because a hacker touches them at a club. They talk about the strange lesions that people are getting and Violet tells Quendy her lesion frames her face perfectly (23). Violet uses a word that no one knows (suppuration), and they look up the word on their English-toEnglish wordbook (23). In a confident voice that is free of the filler words and slang that pepper everyone elses speech, Violet says that Quendys lesion frames her face. Violet and the other girls rearrange Quendys hair to show off the lesion (Feed). As Violet hangs out with them, they talk about getting drunk or going into malfunctioning which is a kind of drug illegally purchased through the feed. They go to a club where a hacker touches them and disconnects them from the feed: Violet is alone, so she joins Titus and his friends. She hangs back when they try to get drunk and looks uncomfortable when Link suggests trying a druglike experience called malfunctioning through their feeds. However, she accompanies them to a club, where mostly college kids are dancing and having a good time. An old man appears among them, shouting, We enter a time of calamity! When he does something to the kids feeds that forces them to broadcast this message over and over, Titus realizes the old man is a hacker. The police arrive and beat up the hacker, then they switch the kids off (Feed).

Waters and Viney 30 There are protests on the moon where protesters are chanting chip in my head? Better off dead (p. 32). The scene where the police beat up the hacker is pretty serious: they probably killed him or came close. This is the last part of section 1. (5 minutes) Pre-Discussion Prompt: I had you write last night on whether or not it would be beneficial to be connected to the feed. What do you think so far? Can we generate a list of positive and negative features of being connected to the feed? By being connected to the feed, is there anything that the characters arent connected to? Guided/facilitated discussion. Philosophical Discussion Questions: - There are protests on the moon where protesters are chanting chip in my head? Better off dead (p. 32). Do you agree so far? Why would they say that? - Freedom and Determinism. Are there any negative consequences of having the world of information at your fingertips? Does it impose on your freedom or the meaning of life at all? Why or why not? How much of Tituss life, do you think, is his free choice, and how much of his choice is changed by the feed? - Hacking and Police Brutality: Did you think that the police were excessive or brutal to the hacker when he touched the kids? If someone could hack into your brain and plant ideas or a running loop inside your thought process, what should their punishment be? Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; assign homework slip; collect in class student writing.

(25 minutes)

(5 minutes)

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 31 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 3 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 42-63): awake the garden (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Go back to page 47, where Titus says, And its really great to know everything about everything whenever we want, to have it just like, in our brain, just sitting there. Please write whether or not you agree or disagree with Titus. Why or why not? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 32

Week 1, Day 3: Teacher-Led Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 42-63)

Standards Addressed: (1.2.b) Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals Evidence Outcomes: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1c) Purpose of Activity: To further familiarize students with the philosophical discussion format to deepen their engagement with the text. Their written question (from the RQA homework slip), written comments (write-to-learn prompt and post-discussion reflection) and oral expression and listening skills (teacher facilitated discussion) will all serve as part of the pre-writing and brainstorming process for the culminating unit assessment. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (12 minutes) Review of Feed (p. 42-63): awake the garden Titus awakens in a hospital, where his first thought is that he has no credit for buying anything. Then he realizes that his head is quiet and he is disconnected from feednet. Titus finds life boring without the constant input. He reflects that when feeds were first invented, people were excited at their educational value because they allow people to look up any information instantly. Now everyone who has a feed is supersmart, but the educational value is not the feeds main attraction: Everything that goes on, goes on on the feed.... But the braggest thing...is that it knows everything you want and hope for, sometimes before you even know what those things are. It can tell you how to get them, and help you make buying decisions that are hard (47). (Feed). Titus then reflects on how much corporations have control of the feed, but that no one can do anything about it. Everyone knows the corporations that run the feed do bad things, but there is no way to stop them. They run everything and employ everyone, so as far as Titus is concerned there is no point getting upset about how bad they are. He is far more upset that he is disconnected. Titus and his friends are stuck in the hospital and annoyed at their predicament. Tituss dad arrives and says, Dude, this is some way bad s**t. The other kids parents come too, except for Violets. She acts withdrawn, and although she does not complain as much as the others,

Waters and Viney 33 she seems extremely upset. Still, she joins in when the others go stir-crazy and invent a game of blowing hypodermic needle tips at an anatomy diagram. The doctor gets angry about this, but the kids parents defend them, saying they are stressed out and need to unwind. Violet and Titus bond in the hospital, and she shows him an old, cracked terrarium she finds leaking air. (Feed). This understates the quality of Titus and Voilets genuine human interaction. As they are talking, Titus uses a metaphor, which Violet likes, and then they stare into each others eyes and kiss (63). Titus hadnt felt anything like that for a long time (63) (5 minutes) Read aloud the chapter entitled missing the feed (p. 47 -49) Pre-Discussion Prompt: I chose this chapter on missing the Feed (p. 47-49) because I think it gets to the heart of one of the major questions of the book. How much is who we are determined by the information that we feed ourselves (or is fed to us)? And why, if at all, does it matter that were plugged into the feed of (corporation -filtered) information? Does the technology and constant easy access to information change who we are? And does it matter? What about genuine human interaction? Guided/facilitated discussion. Philosophical Discussion Questions (take students questions first). Happiness and Technology. Titus seems to depend on the feed for happiness. Is this a good or a bad thing given what we know about the world M.T. Anderson has created? Why or why not? Titus says on page 48, Everything we think and feel is taken up by the corporations so that they can give you whatever you need. Does this bother anybody? Does this connect to the real world at all? Is Titus feeding the feed, or is the feed feeding Titus? Both? Neither? To tie the discussion together with previous discussion on Freedom and Determinism and tie together with questions of identity: this little chapter on missing the feed ends with Titus being pissy about a picture of a boat on the wall with the rudder in the water but no one on board to look at the horizon (49). What do you think this means? Does it mean anything important? Why did M.T. Anderson choose to end the chapter this way? Talk about the final chapter of the sectiongarden and their kiss. When Titus and Violet interact at the end of the chapter, is it a genuine human interaction? What are genuine human interactions and why do they make us happy? What about their interaction is genuine? What other interactions that weve seen in the book (or in your life) arent genuine? Do non-genuine human interactions make it harder to be happy? Why or why not? Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; assign homework slip

(25 minutes) -

(5 minutes)

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points.

Waters and Viney 34 References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 35 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 4 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 64-85): dead language, release, normal, undervalued truffle (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Before Titus picks up Violet in his parents upcar, he says that Im real glad I have friends. They say friends are worth your weight in gold (p. 77). Do you agree with Tituss statement? What is it about friendship, specifically, that is valuable? If you dont think friendship is valuable, why not? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 36

Week 1, Day 4: Community of Philosophical Inquiry Discussion; Feed (p. 6485):

Standards Addressed: (1.2.b) Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals Evidence Outcomes: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1c) Purpose of Activity: To further familiarize students with the philosophical discussion format to deepen their engagement with the text. Their written question (from the RQA homework slip), written comments (write-to-learn prompt and post-discussion reflection) and oral expression and listening skills (teacher facilitated discussion) will all serve as part of the pre-writing and brainstorming process for the culminating unit assessment. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (12 minutes) Review Feed (p.64-85): dead language, Release, normal, undervalued truffle In dead language, Titus learns that Violet knows how to write with a pen; the languages she knows are computer programming languages. Nobody writes on paper anymore, so he calls her a funny enchilada. (Feed). Then the kids get re-connected to the feed: When the technicians are sure there is no permanent problem with their feeds, they reconnect everyone. Messages and advertisements pour in, and everyone goes insane with relief. It is as if they can feel like themselves again. Titus and Violet hold hands and dance in happiness. (Feed) In normal, the group of friends is back on earth taking doing what they normally do: buying stuff and trying to go to cool parties. Violet and Titus start hanging out, but it is becoming more apparent that theyre from different worlds: Violet is homeschooled, so she does not go to School as Titus does. Her social life is not normal, so she has never been to a party and is excited to go (Feed). At the end of the chapter, a newscast on the feednet features the president addressing the people claimingin bad grammar in imprecise dumbed-down languagethat the lesions people are getting are not a product of American Industry. He does not provide any good reasons to the contrary.

Waters and Viney 37

(5 minutes)

Pre-discussion prompt and stimulus: - Before Titus picks up Violet in his parents upcar, he says that Im real glad I have friends. They say friends are worth your weight in gold (p. 77). Do you agree with Tituss statement? What is it about friendship, specifically, that is valuable? If you dont think friendship is valuable, why not?

(25 minutes) Guided/facilitated discussion Philosophical Discussion Questions: - Online gaming and Reality: When Violet and Titus arrive at the party, Link and Marty are in the middle playing a game on their feed. Is this virtual game any more or less real than the party? Why or why not? Are online video games real? - Read pages 78-80, where Violet and Titus are riding in Tituss upcar together . Violet thinks things are going to be different after their experience together without the feed. Titus doesnt think so. What do you think? Will their experience be different after? - What differences do we see arise between Violets and Titus characters? What places in the text do we see these differences? - Read the newscast about the President denying that American Industry is responsible for the lesions people are getting. Does he provide any good reasons for his claim? What reasons does he provide? What about the language hes using? Can anyone notice any mistakes in grammar or sloppy presentation? Why do you think M.T. Anderson included this in the book? (5 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activity; distribute homework slip.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. References: Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 38 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 5 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 86-104): the others in mal, nudging, lose the chamise (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Go back and read about Violets project on page 97: Everything we do gets thrown into a big calculation. Like theyre watching us right now. They can tell where youre looking. They want to know what you want.Theyre also waiting to make you want things. Everything weve grown up withthe stories on the feed, the games, all of that its all streamlining our personalities so were easier to sell to. I mean, they do these demographic studies that divide every one up into a few personality types, and then you get ads based on what youre supposedly likefor easy marketing. Do you think that this occurs in our world today? Why or why not? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 39

Week 1, Day 5: Student-Led Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 85-104)

Standards Addressed: (1.2.b) Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals Evidence Outcomes: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1c) Purpose of Activity: To further familiarize students with the philosophical discussion format to deepen their engagement with the text. Their written question (from the RQA homework slip), written comments (write-to-learn prompt and post-discussion reflection) and oral expression and listening skills (teacher facilitated discussion) will all serve as part of the pre-writing and brainstorming process for the culminating unit assessment. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (12 minutes) Review Feed (p. 85-104): the others in mal, nudging, lose the chamise Titus protects violet from seeing his friends at the party going in mal (drug use as malfunctioning). He doesnt want her to feel bad for them when theyre on the wall-to-wall carpeting doing the quiver. Instead, he tries to make small talk and Violet confesses that her feedware is still damaged from the hacker incident (90). In nudging, Titus has a strange dream that might be from the Coalition of Pity, the Hacker group (92, 93). In lose the chamise, Violet shares the project shes working on with Titus, though she still wont have him over to her house (95). Violet explains her project by talking about marketing strategies: shes been creating a messed up customer profile by shopping for the most random things she can think of. We learn that Titus has no idea how expensive it is to go to the moon, but Violet does because her dad had to save a whole year to send her to the moon. (103-4) (5 minutes) Pre-discussion prompt and stimulus: Read the bottom of page 96 to the bottom of page 97 about Violets project. Repeat question from the homework slip: Everything we do gets thrown into a big calculation. Like theyre watching us right now. They can tell where youre looking. They want to know what you want.Theyre also waiting to make you

Waters and Viney 40 want things. Everything weve grown up withthe stories on the feed, the games, all of thatits all streamlining our personalities so were easier to sell to. I mean, they do these demographic studies that divide every one up into a few personality types, and then you get ads based on what youre supposedly likefor easy marketing. Add with the final quote: and gradually, everyone gets used to everything being basic, so we get less and less varied as people, more simple. I think this relates to ho the characters use da da da da in the book when they tune everything out. Is this happening in our world today? Are we getting less varied and more simple (and or stupid)? Why do you think so? (25 minutes) Student Led Discussion; vote on which students questions to discuss Fall Back Questions: - Top of page 90, Titus and Violet have an exchange about how it seems like no one remembers their time on the moon when they were disconnected from the Feed, and Violet says that people want to forget. Why would they want to forget? Why would Violet say this? - Tituss friends do drugs via the feed at the party, and M.T. Anderson decides to describe this experience as going in mal, or malfunctioning. Do drugs make you malfunction? What specific human functions can drugs impede? - After Titus and Violet embrace, kiss, and hold each other, Violet says that if they listen, they can hear their brains inside their head like littler Russian dolls. Why might this be an intelligent metaphor? - Analyze the nudging chapter. What is going on? Is this the Coalition of Pity? Or the Police? - What do you think about the list of stuff people are buying at the mall? (top 96) - What do you think about Violets project to create a messed up customer profile by shopping for the most random things she can think of? If this was funny to you too, why? If not, why not? Reflective/evaluative post-writing; distribute homework slip.

(5 minutes)

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. References: Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 41 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 6 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 105-123): sniffling, the dimples of legacy, lift (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Reread page 113. In the middle of the page, Violet says, When you have the feed all your life, your brought up not to think about thingsIts something that makes me angry, what people dont know about these days. Because of the feed, were raising a nation of idiots. Ignorant, self-centered idiots. Do you think that it is important to be aware of what is happening in the world to be a truly happy person? Do you think Violets accusations apply to Americans today? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 42 WEEK 2: Power of Community Inquiry: Getting Deeper

Week 2, Day 6: Introduce Jigsaw Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 105-123)

Standards Addressed: (2.2.a) Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes Prepared Graduates: Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real-life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks Concepts and Skills Students Master: Interpreting and evaluating complex informational texts require the understanding of rhetoric, critical reading, and analysis skills Evidence Outcomes: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.6) Purpose of Activity: Jigsaw discussion groups give students small group oral expression and listening practice and give them a chance to focus in a particular thematic aspect of the text. These jigsaw groups then share out to the rest of the class to ground further teacher facilitated discussion. Again, the purpose is to get deeper into the text by practicing asking good questions and getting curious, while practicing the critical thinking skills of having reasons and evidence, some from the text, for your claims. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (10 minutes) Review Feed (p. 105-123): sniffling, the dimples of legacy, lift Something doesnt seem right with Violets feed when she m -chats Titus. She says shes crying for practice but doesnt explain and changes the subject (105). Violet and Tituss relationships deepens; they go to new places together and go there holding hands. In dimples of legacy, we get the first real discussion of School, which is run by the corporations. Violet is really smart, and Titus worries that he is not smart enough for her. He does not do well in School, even though School is not as bad as it was when his grandparents were kids and schools were run by the government. Back then people had to learn about dates and chemicals and other details that were not useful to life. Now people learn about how to access information, how to use new technology, and how to get jobsbut it is hard for Titus anyway. He is surprised when Violet tells him that more than a quarter of Americans do not have feeds and that her parents almost refused to get her one. They waited until she was seven, when her brain was almost too developed to accept the technology. She says the feeds cause people to be ignorant, self-centered idiots. When she realizes Titus thinks she is talking about him, she apologizes. He feels bad anyway (Feed) Tituss parents decide to buy him his own upcar because they still feel bad

Waters and Viney 43 about his experience on the moon. Violet, who is not as wealthy, is amazed that his parents will buy him something so expensive just because he was in the hospital. (Feed). We can again see the difference between Violet and Titus in the final pages of lift. Violet informs Titus that they wont have to go to court because the Hacker was beaten to death by the police (123).

(5 minutes)

Establish Seven Jigsaw groups: Each Expert Group will focus on one of the following in Feed: (Group 1) Drug Use, (Group 2) Friends and Family, (Group 3) Degeneration of thought and Language, (Group 4) Hyper-consumerism, (Group 5) Environmental/Human Health Catastrophe, (Group 6) Over-reliance on Technology, (Group 7) Social Media

(10 minutes) Jigsaw groups generate a list of three of the best questions they can consider to discuss in class that relate to the text (need to find a page number for each question). Each group will write down their questions to turn in at the end of class. (15 minutes) Guided/facilitated discussion. Discussion Questions provided by Jigsaw Groups. Each group responsible for creating and turning in 2 discussion questions. Reflective/evaluative post-writing activity: in your groups, what was the best (or most interesting) thing someone said today? Why? Write down one comment or question you liked and why you liked it. Pick one as a group; write the statement below your list of questions. Assign homework slip; collect group writing.

(4 minutes)

(3 minutes)

Assessment: Each group will submit their questions for discussion at the end of the class for participation points. References: Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 44 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 7 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p 124-150): a question of morala day in the country (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) The author dedicates the book to those who resist the feed. What is the feed in a real-life context, and how can it be resisted? In what ways do you fight the feed? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 45

Week 2, Day 7: Jigsaw Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 124-150)

Standards Addressed: (2.2.a) Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes Prepared Graduates: Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real-life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks Concepts and Skills Students Master: Interpreting and evaluating complex informational texts require the understanding of rhetoric, critical reading, and analysis skills Evidence Outcomes: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.6) Purpose of Activity: Jigsaw discussion groups give students small group oral expression and listening practice and give them a chance to focus in a particular thematic aspect of the text. These jigsaw groups then share out to the rest of the class to ground further teacher facilitated discussion. Again, the purpose is to get deeper into the text by practicing asking good questions and getting curious, while practicing the critical thinking skills of having reasons and evidence, some from the text, for your claims. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (12 minutes) Review Feed (p. 124-150): a question of morala day in the country Titus has Violet over for dinner with his family, and there is some tension between Tituss dad and Violet. Titus insists that his parents tell him about the hackers death, and his dad gets angry. He tells Titus to be happy to have his own upcar and be quiet about it. The next day, Titus takes Violet on a trip to a beef farm. He drives his upcar to her house and meets her father, a weird guy with no feed. Titus cannot understand him when he talks because, as Violet explains, He tries to speak entirely in weird words and irony to prevent people from simplifying his ideas. They drive an hour out of town to a peaceful fillet mignon farm, where beautiful paths stretch through wide fields of marbled meat. Titus finds it fascinating to watch the plastic tubes carrying blood to and from the meat tissue. After taking a walk, he and Violet play in a beef maze the farm has set up for tourists. They climb an observation tower to look out over the fields of meat, which stretches for miles, perfect except for a few places where the genetics went awry to make a horn or an eye or a heart blinking up at the sunset. Titus feels it is the perfect day (Feed) (5 minutes) Pre-Discussion Prompt: - Weve learned a lot about Violet and her father in this section. How is Violets

Waters and Viney 46 father different from other characters in the book? What benefit does Violet get from resisting the feed? What price does she pay? (5 minutes) Each Jigsaw group generates 2 Discussion Questions

(20 minutes) Jigsaw Group Facilitated Discussion (Fallback Philosophical Discussion Questions) - Ethics of Genetic manipulation: Describe the beef farm. Looking over the field, Titus says that this is the perfect except for a few places where the genetics went awry to make a horn or an eye or a heart blinking up at the sunset. What does this mean? Are there any ethical issues surrounding raising fields of beef (and not pastures for cows)? - Debasement of language and reality: Violets dad says that language is dying and words are being debased. So he tries to speak entirely in weird words and irony, so no one can simplify anything he says (137). Is there a value to linguistic complexity? What is it? (5 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; assign homework slip; collect in class student writing.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 47 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 8 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 151-172): nudging again, the real thing, fight and flight (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) On page 157, an advertisement for a really expensive upcar (the swarp XE -11) uses a parable from the Bible about the rich and poor: it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich guy to get into heaven. Think about what you know about Titus and his new upcar, or people who have brand new cars. Do you think excessive wealth makes it harder for people to live well (and or get into heaven)? Can an upcar get you there? Why or why not? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiri ng you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life.

----------------------

Waters and Viney 48

Week 2, Day 8: Jigsaw Philosophical Discussion; Feed (p. 151-172)

Standards Addressed: (2.2.a) Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes Prepared Graduates: Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real-life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks Concepts and Skills Students Master: Interpreting and evaluating complex informational texts require the understanding of rhetoric, critical reading, and analysis skills Evidence Outcomes: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.6) Purpose of Activity: Jigsaw discussion groups give students small group oral expression and listening practice and give them a chance to focus in a particular thematic aspect of the text. These jigsaw groups then share out to the rest of the class to ground further teacher facilitated discussion. Again, the purpose is to get deeper into the text by practicing asking good questions and getting curious, while practicing the critical thinking skills of having reasons and evidence, some from the text, for your claims. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (7 minutes) Review Feed (p. 151-172): nudging again, the real thing, fight and flight For their next date, Titus and Violet attend a Coke party. The Coca-Cola corporation is giving out free Coke to anyone who talks positively about Coke to their friends, and they want to take advantage of the deal. Violet, who prefers resisting corporations, finds it impossible to play along. She makes weird comments and uses big words nobody else knows until Tituss friends start acting surly toward her. She asks Titus to take her home. In his upcar, he takes his friends side, and he and Violet have a fight. She confesses that her feed still is not working properly. It is part of her brain, so the doctors have no way to remove it. They do not know how to fix it, and it might kill her. (Feed). (5 minutes) Pre-Discussion Prompt: Read aloud page 157. On page 157, an advertisement for a really expensive upcar (the swarp XE -11) uses a parable from the Bible about the rich and poor: it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich guy to get into heaven. Think about what you know about Titus and his new upcar, or people who have brand new cars. Do you think excessive wealth makes it harder for people to live well (and or get into heaven)? Can an upcar get you there? Why or why not? Each Jigsaw group generates 2 Discussion Questions

(5 minutes)

Waters and Viney 49

(20 minutes) Jigsaw Group Facilitated Discussion (Fallback Philosophical Discussion Questions) - Identity and Conscious Consumerism. The big question I have is: who are we in relationship to what we buy and what we do? - When we buy something to wear or to eat, does that change who we are? Why or why not? - When we do something, like choose to connect to the feed or choose to be friends with someone, does this change who we are? Why or why not? If it depends, what does it depend on? -Marcuses One-Dimensional Man: from Wikipedia: Marcuse strongly criticizes consumerism, arguing that it is a form of social control. He suggests that the system we live in may claim to be democratic, but it is actually authoritarian in that a few individuals dictate our perceptions of freedom by only allowing us choices to buy for happiness.[2] In this state of "unfreedom",[3] consumers act irrationally by working more than they are required to in order to fulfill actual basic needs, by ignoring the psychologically destructive effects, by ignoring the waste and environmental damage it causes, and by searching for social connection through material items.[4] . Additionally, advertising sustains consumerism, which disintegrates societal demeanor, delivered in bulk and informing the masses that happiness can be bought, an idea that is psychologically damaging. Reflective/evaluative post-writing activity; assign homework slip; collect in class student writing.

(5 minutes)

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. "One-Dimensional Man." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 June 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Dimensional_Man>. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 50 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 9 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 173-189): so much to do, seashore, limbo and prayer (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Agree or Disagree: While M.T. Anderson might have taken some creative license and used some exaggeration, most of what goes on in Feed is pretty close to our world today. Can you bring in evidence that our world is like or unlike M.T. Andersons world he creates in Feed? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 51

Week 2, Day 9: Ranking Activity Jigsaw Group discussions; Feed (p. 173-189)
Standards Addressed: (2.2.a) Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes Prepared Graduates: Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real-life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks Concepts and Skills Students Master: Interpreting and evaluating complex informational texts require the understanding of rhetoric, critical reading, and analysis skills Evidence Outcomes: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.6) Purpose of Activity: Jigsaw discussion groups give students small group oral expression and listening practice and give them a chance to focus in a particular thematic aspect of the text. These jigsaw groups then share out to the rest of the class to ground further teacher facilitated discussion. Again, the purpose is to get deeper into the text by practicing asking good questions and getting curious, while practicing the critical thinking skills of having reasons and evidence, some from the text, for your claims. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines - HANDOUT: Happiness in Feed Ranking Activity Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (5 minutes) Review Feed (p. 173-189): so much to do, seashore, limbo and prayer The lesions everyone has are becoming popular, and people now buy fake lesions to look cool. Calista gets one to impress Link, and Quendy tries to outdo her by getting her entire body covered in little, plastic-capped cuts so people can see through her skin (Feed). Titus and Violet chat about the new lesions people are getting and Calista makes fun of Violet for always looking for the decline of civilization. (15 minutes) Groups complete the Ranking Activity Handout (22 minutes) Class discussion on Group Rankings. Groups share out their answers. Any consensus or points of disagreement in the rankings? Discuss. Definition of Happiness should emerge. Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; assign homework slip; collect in class student writing.

(5 minutes)

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points.

Waters and Viney 52

References: Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 53 Jigsaw Group Ranking Activity: Which Character in Feed is the Happiest and Why? ~~~~~ GROUP NAME: _____________________________________________ Group Members: __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ In groups, rank the following characters on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most happy. Be prepared to defend your group's highest and lowest rankings. Rank: ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Titus Titus's mom Titus's dad Titus's brother: smell factor Violet Violet's Dad Quendy Calista Marty The Hacker on the moon

~~~~~~~~ Pick one character that you chose as the least happy and answer the following questions: (1) What is preventing this character from being more happy?

(2) What could they do to become happier?

Pick one character that you chose as the most happy and answer the following question: (1) Why do you consider this person to be the most happy?

Waters and Viney 54 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 10 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 190-203): flat hope, our duty to the party (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Do Tituss actions (and non-actions) in relation to Violet strike you as realistic? How does Tituss concept of love differ from Violets? Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a sim ple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to whic h you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 55

Week 2, Day 10: Jigsaw Group Discussions; Feed (p. 190-203)

Standards Addressed: (2.2.a) Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes Prepared Graduates: Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real-life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks Concepts and Skills Students Master: Interpreting and evaluating complex informational texts require the understanding of rhetoric, critical reading, and analysis skills Evidence Outcomes: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.6) Purpose of Activity: Jigsaw discussion groups give students small group oral expression and listening practice and give them a chance to focus in a particular thematic aspect of the text. These jigsaw groups then share out to the rest of the class to ground further teacher facilitated discussion. Again, the purpose is to get deeper into the text by practicing asking good questions and getting curious, while practicing the critical thinking skills of having reasons and evidence, some from the text, for your claims. Materials Needed: - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (12 minutes) Review Feed (p. 190-203): flat hope, our duty to the party Titus and Violet go to a party, and people are still talking about the lesions and cuts theyre buying to look cool. When she arrives at a party, Titus and his friends argue about it; some people say it looks cool and others say it is disgusting. Some of the kids start a game of spin the bottle to change the subject, and when the bottle turns to Violet she turns white and starts shaking. She shouts: We are hovering in the air while people are starving....Were playing game s, and our skin is falling off. (Feed) Violet begins to act very strangely, like shes broken: she tries to slap Titus after she screams at everyone that everyone at the party is making themselves into monsters, but she cant work her arm. Then she falls to the ground in a bad seizure and they call an ambulance to take her away (though some of the partygoers think shes just in mal and dont want to call an ambulance because theyd get in meg trouble. (5 minutes) Each Jigsaw group generates 3 Discussion Questions

(25 minutes) Jigsaw Group Facilitated Discussion (5 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; assign homework slip; collect

Waters and Viney 56 dialectical journal entries for the week. Assessment: Students will submit their dialectical journals at the end of the class for participation points. References: Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed>. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 57 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 11 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 207-223): 52.9%, 87.3%, 87.1%, 87.1, 86.5% (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) Re-read page 219: Is FeedTech responsible for paying for Violets medical bills? Keep in mind that Violets family was aware of the potenti al risks involved with implanting her feed so late in the development of her brain. Explain why or why not. Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life. ----------------------

Waters and Viney 58 WEEK 3: Introduction to Position Paper: The Components of an Argument

Week 3, Day 11: Thesis Statements and Fishbowl Discussion; Feed (207-223)
Standards Addressed: (3.3.a) Standard 3: Writing and Composition Prepared Graduates: Apply standard English conventions to effectively communicate with written language. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Standard English conventions effectively communicate to targeted audiences and purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (a) Follow the conventions of Standard English to write varied, strong, correct, complete sentences. Purpose of Activities: The mini-lesson on thesis statements is meant to remind students what a good thesis statement is, and to help them brainstorm possible thesis statements for their position paper, which is due at the end of the fifth week of this unit. Following this, students will be introduced to the fishbowl discussion format as one way to continue group discussions on Feed. Materials Needed: - Thesis Statement mini-lesson - Fishbowl Discussion Introduction - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (15 minutes) Thesis statement mini-lesson (5 minutes) Review Feed (p. 207-223): 52.9%, 87.3%, 87.1%, 87.1, 86.5% At the end of the last chapter, Violet and Titus are at a party, and Violet screams at some of the other guests calling them monsters, because they have skin lesions and use them as part of their fashion. Violet has a seizure and ends up in the hospital. The subsequent chapter titles reference her feed efficiency. FeedTech denies violets petition for her feed repairs. She screams that everyone is making themselves into monsters. She falls to the ground in a seizure. An ambulance takes Violet to the hospital. A while later, she wakes up and finds that all her memories from when she was six years old have disappeared. When she sees Titus, she apologizes for her behavior at the party, but she also admits that it felt good to scream. She is dying, and she knows it. Her feeds warranty is expired, so she and her father ask FeedTech for free repairs. Their petition is rejected because Violet does not spend enough money through her feed and because she is too confusing a customer to be worth helping. (Feed) (23 minutes) Introduce students to fishbowl format and first fishbowl discussion.

Waters and Viney 59 Discussion questions: - Does FeedTech have a responsibility to Violets health? - Is it fair that Violets petition was denied? - Do corporations have obligations to pay for health issues associated with their products? - Do you think that Titus is a good friend for visiting Violet in the hospital? - In what ways is Titus supportive or unsupportive for Violet? (4 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; distribute homework slip. Collect potential thesis statements from students as ticket-out-the-door.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. Students must write down 1 potential thesis statement from discussion as a ticket-out-the-door. References: "Creating a Thesis Statement." Purdue OWL. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/>. "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed/> Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. "Student Fishbowl." Critical Multicultural Pavilion. EdChange. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/fishbowl.html>.

Waters and Viney 60 Thesis Statement Mini-lesson Purpose: In week 5 of this unit, students will be asked to write a position paper on some question relevant to happiness in the 21st century, one central component of which is a thesis statement that they will defend with good reasons and evidence. This is the first step in composing that paper. By the end of this lesson, students will have a grasp on crafting a strong and clear thesis statement. Materials: Teachers will need an overhead or a document camera to show students the example sentences. Students can practice crafting thesis statements in their notebooks. Time: This mini-lesson should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Assessment: Students will be asked to craft one sentence that satisfies all three conditions below, and turn it in as a ticket-out-the-door. The sentence does not need to be the thesis statement students will actually use in their position paper.

What is a thesis statement? Definition: a clear, concise statement of the position you will defend in your paper. The thesis sentence should take a firm stance on a debatable issue, not summarize information. Your thesis should also be narrow and specific so as to avoid ambiguity, and it should be an assertion that matters. Three qualities of a good thesis statement: debatable, narrow, and important. 1. Debatable: your thesis needs to be claim other people might reasonably dispute. It also needs to take a clear and firm stand on an issue. Poor Examples: There are some negative and positive aspects about being really wealthy. Drugs are bad for a persons happiness. Better Examples: Excessive wealth is not essential for happiness and it has the potential to cause some unhappiness. Drugs themselves do not result in unhappiness, but abusing them does. 2. Narrow : your thesis needs to be specific, and it needs to state a claim you can adequately defend in the space you are allotted. Poor Examples: Unhappiness has many causes and effects. Technology is bad for society in the long run. Better Examples: The lack of close, meaningful relationships is one cause of unhappiness.

Waters and Viney 61 Social networking sites have the potential to create the same quality of happiness that physical forms of gathering do. 3. Important: your thesis needs to express a claim people care about, and one that you care about as well. It must pass the so what? question. Poor Examples: Constant text messaging changes the way people think. Being well educated is part of being happy along with many other things. Better Examples: Constant text messaging diminishes our ability to express ourselves clearly and accurately, which is one important aspect of a happy life. The use of illegal drugs to alter ones mental states is never a healthy way to achieve long-lasting happiness in life. Concluding Remarks: A good thesis statement will at least have all three of these qualities: debatability, narrowness, and importance. (Adapted from the common syllabus of CSUs CO150 program, 2011 -2012, as well as the Purdue Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/)

Todays Tick-out-the-door: craft one sentence that satisfies the three qualities of a good thesis statement (debatability, narrowness, and importance). Think about a claim you want to defend about happiness in the 21st century; this sentence may or may not become the central claim of you position paper in week 5 of this unit.

Ticket-out-the-door

Name:

Waters and Viney 62 Fishbowl Discussion Introduction Purpose: Fishbowl discussions motivate students to listen actively to the ideas and perspectives of the other students in the class. A fishbowl also gives teachers an opportunity to hear the experiences, ideas, and feedback of students while giving them a chance to have an equal voice in the group discussion. Preparation: To prepare for the fishbowl discussion, ask the fishbowl students to sit in a small circle in the middle of the room. The rest of the students in the class, or the observers, should sit in a larger circle around the fishbowl students. Time: About 30 minutes (including the review of the Feed reading from the night before). Assessment: Using the Discussion Participation Spreadsheet, student participation will be tracked and recorded. Introduction to Fishbowl: Lead students through the ground rules of fishbowl discussions, assign roles, and then begin the dialogue. 1. During the course of the fishbowl, observers are not allowed to speak. Their job is to listen, take notes, and learn from the fishbowl students. Observers will have an opportunity to discuss any issues that emerge in later dialogue. 2. One of the fishbowl students must take the role of facilitator. It will be his or her responsibility to ask questions, facilitate the fishbowl discussion, and make sure everyone has an opportunity to talk. 3. Fishbowl discussion must stay on topic. For todays discussion, we will be considering the following questions from last nights reading: o Does FeedTech have a responsibility to Violets health? o Is it fair that Violets petition was denied? o Do corporations have an obligation to pay for medical bills associated with their products? If so, to what extent? o What if the patient (or consumer) is aware of the risks of the companys product? o Were Violet and her family fully aware of the risks associated with her feed? o What would you do if you were in Violets situation? o Do you think that Titus is a good friend for visiting Violet in the hospital? o In what ways is Titus supportive or unsupportive for Violet? o Is Titus a good friend? Why or why not? 4. Everyone in the fishbowl should have at least one opportunity to talk. 5. One observer must take the role of the time-keeper. Fishbowl today will last for 30 minutes. 6. We will conclude the discussion with an open-ended question that anyone can respond to, which is: What is one thing you have learned from this experience? After this, we will move the desks back, and you will hand in your ticket-out-door (from todays mini-lesson on thesis statements). (Adapted from EdChange: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/fishbowl.html)

Waters and Viney 63 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 12 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 224-244): 52.0%, 82.4%, 80.9%, 78.6%, 77.8%. 76.3% (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) After you read, go back to pages 229-233, and reread Violets list called Definitive list of things I want to do. Then, contrast these activities with the first sentence in the book: We [Titus and his friends] went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out t o completely suck (pg. 3). Do you think that Titus and his friends are spoiled by the Feed? What would be on your list of definitive things to do before you die? Explain. Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life.

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Waters and Viney 64

Week 3, Day 12: Argument: Thesis (2) and Fishbowl Discussion; Feed (224-244)
Standards Addressed: (1.2.b) Standard 2: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals. Evidence Outcomes: (b) Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. Purpose of Activity: The mini-lesson on thesis statements part 2 is meant to be a continuation of the mini-lesson from the day before. First, students needed to be introduced to thesis statements in general. Todays mini-lesson, following Smagorinsky, focuses on the importance of defining or qualifying crucial terms within thesis statements. Unless we understand what a claim even means, we cannot be in a position to put it forward or support it with reasons. Following the mini-lesson, we will continue with our fishbowl discussion. Materials Needed: - Refining Thesis Statements mini-lesson - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (15 minutes) Refining Thesis Statements mini-lesson (5 minutes) Review Feed (p. 224-244): 52.0%, 82.4%, 80.9%, 78.6%, 77.8%. 76.3% Violet sends multiple messages to Titus from the hospital: personal thoughts, memories about her family, top 22 things she definitely wants to do, etc. Titus ignores the messages and even erases many of them. Violets troubles are too much for Titus to handle. She begins sending him long messages full of memories, musings on life, and lists of things she wants to do before she dies. He has trouble listening to them, and he does not respond. He gets wasted, avoids her, and erases many of her messages then tells her afterward he did not receive them. (Feed) (23 minutes) Fishbowl reminder; get into fishbowl again for class discussion; assign new roles. Fishbowl Discussion questions: - Is there anything unique about Violets wish list of things to do? - Why might these activities be significant against the backdrop of what the other teenagers want to do? - Is it wrong for Titus to ignore Violet? If so, why? - Does Titus have an obligation to respond to Violet and to support her while she is in the hospital?

Waters and Viney 65 (4 minutes) What would you do if a close friend of yours was in the hospital? If you had to make a list like Violets, what would be on it and why?

Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; distribute homework slip. Collect one definition of one term from students as ticket-out-the-door.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. Students will produce one definition of one term from students as ticket-out-the-door in order to learn the importance of qualifying each important term that appears in a thesis statement. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed/> Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Waters and Viney 66 Refining Thesis Statements mini-lesson Purpose: Last time students were introduced to the three qualities every thesis statement should have (debatability, narrowness, and importance). Todays mini-lesson is designed to show students how to take their thesis statement to the next level by refining it in two ways: using qualifier words and defining significant words. Once again, the sentence that students produce today will not necessarily be the statement that they will defend in their final position paper. Materials: Teachers will need an overhead or a document camera to show students the example sentences. Students can practice crafting thesis statements in their notebooks. Time: This mini-lesson should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Assessment: Students will be asked to refine their sentence from last time (or create a brand new one) that takes into account the importance of qualifier words. In addition students need to define at least one significant term that appears in their thesis.

In addition to what we learned last time, good thesis statements are thoughtful and clear. A thoughtful thesis statement is one that uses qualifier words, so that the assertion does not immediately sound implausible or offensive. A clear thesis statement uses clear language, and whenever a significant or potentially unclear term appears in a thesis, the writer should define that term for the audience. Part 1: Qualifier words A thesis statement with a qualifier word is typically more thoughtful, because such a statement is more likely to persuade your audience and less likely to offend them. It shows that you have considered the issue in its complexity, and that you are not rushing to make sweeping claims about something always or never being the case. Examples of qualifiers: Some, Many, Most, Typically, Generally, Usually, etc. Examples of absolutes: Never, Always, None, All, Everyone, No one, etc. Un-thoughtful:Americans lack happiness because they are slaves to consumerism. Excessive wealth is enough for being happy; everyone loves money. More thoughtful: Many Americans fail to find lasting happiness in buying products. Few people find no happiness in having incredible amounts of money.

Part 2: Defining terms Good thesis statements need to be clear, which means that each term in the thesis statement needs to be clear. It is fine if a term in your thesis statement is not immediately clear to your audience, so long as you provide some definition of the term as you intend for it to be read.

Waters and Viney 67 Examples of terms that need defining : ethical, unethical, healthy, unhealthy, reasonable, unreasonable, true, real, poverty, wealth, harmful, beneficial, meaningful, long-lasting, and of course, happiness. Examples of statements with unclear terms: 1. Meaningful and long-lasting relationships are a necessary condition for true happiness. 2. The overuse of technology can be harmful to ones personal well-being and happiness. 3. Having knowledge and being well educated is vital for true happiness in ones life. Questions about the ambiguities in the above statements: 1. What makes a meaningful relationship, and how long-lasting does it need to be? 2. When is technology overused, and in what sense can it be harmful to someone? 3. How well educated does one need to be, and what does true happiness mean? Notice that in each case, the original sentence contains terms that are not immediately clear and that could be interpreted in several ways. This is not good argumentative practice, because an audience might misinterpret your meaning and be less likely to accept your claim. Perhaps, for instance, your audience would be persuaded by #2 if overused means using technology for more than 10 hours a day, and harmful roughly means physical health and well -being. Unless you specify what exactly you mean, you risk undermining your own purpose. Concluding Remark: A good thesis statement will likely have at least one qualifier, and will be composed of clear and unambiguous terms; and if it does contain such a word, then the writer should define the words immediately after presenting the statement.

Todays Tick-out-the-door: refine your sentence from last time, or create a brand new sentence from scratch, that uses at least one qualifier word. Following this, identify one significant term that needs to be defined, and attempt to define it in a new sentence.

Ticket-out-the-door

Name:

Waters and Viney 68 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 13 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 245-276): 76.2%, 76.2%, 59.3%, 57.2%, 54.1%, 51.5% (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that the principle of humanity represented the ground of all ethical behavior: Always treat others as ends in themselves and never merely as means. Using this principle, explain why you think that Titus does or does not treat Violet ethically. Consider, for instance, whether he treats her as a person, or whether he uses her and perhaps even discards her at some point. Explain. Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life.

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Waters and Viney 69

Week 3, Day 13: Argument: Reasons Good and Bad; Fishbowl Discussion; Feed (245-276)
Standards Addressed: (1.2.c-d) Standard 2: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals. Evidence Outcomes: (c) Implement an effective group effort that achieves a goal...(d) Participate in the preparations of the group activity or product, defining and assuming individual roles and responsibilities. Purpose of Activity: Now that students have drafted practice thesis statements, and qualified the necessary terms regardless of whether or not they choose to keep this thesis statement for the paper due in the fifth week of this unit students are now in a position to look at reasons for supporting this claim. We will briefly examine good versus bad reasons for accepting a claim. This is a skill that will be worked on not only throughout this unit, but the entire year as well. Materials Needed: - Good Reasons mini-lesson - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (15 minutes) Good Reasons mini-lesson (5 minutes) Review Feed (p. 245-276): 76.2%, 76.2%, 59.3%, 57.2%, 54.1%, 51.5% Violet is upset that Titus has not responded to her messages. She takes a taxi to his house to see him, and they decided to leave for the weekend. They make up false names and reserve a hotel room. They almost have a sexual encounter, but Titus backs out because he knows that she is going to die soon. One day Violet arrives at Tituss house and asks him to run away with her. He is feeling bad for erasing her messages, so he agrees to go. They go to a hotel in the mountains. She explains that she wants to have sex before she dies, but Titus cannot bring himself to do it. When she asks what is wrong, he says, I keep picturing you dead already... Its like being felt up by a zombie, okay? He realizes how terrible this sounds, and he apologizes. He also breaks up with her and explains that just because she is dying does not mean he should be forced to stick with a relationship that is not working anymore. She attacks him for his ignorance of the world, telling him that the world is dying and moving toward war while he runs around being young and having fun. He drives them home. He feels guilty but unable to find words to speak to her anymore. The silence bores him. To fill the time, he buys a jersey.

Waters and Viney 70 The next day, Violet messages Titus to say she is not sorry but that she loves him and thinks he is smart, the sort of person others could learn from if he decided to change the way he lived. He ignores her and slides back into his usual life, where he mostly manages to ignore the fact that everyone is losing hair and getting increasingly disgusting lesions. However, he cannot ignore the fact that his friends do not accept rides in his upcar. For some reason he cannot understand, it is not cool enough. (eNotes.com) (23 minutes) Fishbowl reminder; get into fishbowl again for class discussion; assign new roles. Fishbowl Discussion questions: - Are Violet and Titus mature enough for a romantic or even sexual relationship? Why/why not? - What makes someone ready for a closer relationship? - Violet accuses Titus of ignoring the reality of the world, e.g. the current political turmoil and potential war. Do you think that Titus, as a teenager, should be up to date and informed about whats happening the world? - Does he have a right to ignore worldly problems and just be a teenager? - What about you? Should you be aware of important global issues? - Should teenagers read the newspaper? Do they have an obligation to do so? (4 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; distribute homework slip. Collect one argument example heard in class as ticket-out-the-door.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. Students will record one argument example heard in class as a ticket-out-the-door in order to begin to think about strong and weak support for a claim. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed/> Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print.

Waters and Viney 71 Good Reasons mini-lesson Purpose: Making clear and concise claims is an important skill, but perhaps more important is being able to support such claims with good reasons. When we hear someone put forward assertions, especially in cases where we intuitively disagree with those assertions, we expect that person to offer sound reasons to accept that assertion. Without this support, we literally have no reason to accept the claim. When we put forward a claim, we are in the same position; we have an obligation to support our statements with reasons. This mini-lesson is designed to briefly introduce students to the study of logic so that they have an informed perspective when they go to write their position paper, which requires that they offer reasons in support of their thesis. Materials: Teachers will need an overhead or a document camera to show students the example sentences. Students can practice crafting thesis statements in their notebooks. Time: This mini-lesson should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete, but it can easily be cut off about halfway through (noted below) if students ask a number of questions. Assessment: Students will be asked to produce one reason to logically support the thesis statement they have been crafting and refining from the last two days as a ticket-out-the-door. The other option is for students to record one argument they heard from the fishbowl discussion, and to consider whether the argument is good or bad and why or why not.

QUESTION: What makes a good argument? Surprisingly, half of what makes an argument good has nothing to do with what the argument is about. The logic of an argument is independent of its content. All arguments are either Deductive or Inductive. In deductive arguments, the conclusion is intended to follow from the premises with logical necessity, i.e. if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. If a deductive argument is such that the conclusion follows with logical necessity from the premises, then the argument is valid; otherwise, its invalid. (Notice: validity says nothing about the actual truth-values of the premises!) Examples: Valid Deductive Argument All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Socrates is mortal. Also Valid (but unsound) 1. All dogs are watermelons. 2. All watermelons are purple. 3. All dogs are purple.

So, from a logical point of view, both of these arguments are good in the sense that their conclusions follow with logical necessity from their premises. However, only the example on the right actually has true premises. This makes it a sound argument (a valid argument with true premises). The example on the left we call valid, but unsound.

Waters and Viney 72 In inductive arguments, the conclusion is intended to follow from the premises with a high degree of probability, i.e. if the premises are true, then the conclusion is likely true. If an inductive argument is such that the conclusion follows from the premises with a high degree of probability, and the premises are true, we say that the argument is strong; otherwise, it is weak. Examples: Strong Inductive Argument All observed swans are white. All swans are white. Weak Inductive Argument 1. I saw Marsha at my house on Monday. 2. Marsha will be there next Monday.

ANSWER: the form makes an argument good and true premises make an argument good. (Possible cut off point if lesson is taking too long the rest can be covered another day). What does this mean for my position paper? You should know what type of argument (deductive or inductive) you intend to put forward. This will give you some basis for deciding whether the logic of your argument is sound or strong, as the case may be. The first step should be putting your thesis statement and reasons (and evidence if youre ready) in premise-conclusion form: Reason: Drugs and alcohol negatively affect your mental as well as physical well-being. Thesis: Drugs and alcohol have absolutely no place in a truly happy life. Once you do this, it will be easier to figure out what kind of argument you have, and it will be easier to pick out the assumptions you are making. Do I intend for my thesis to follow with necessity from my reasons? Or, do I intend for my thesis to follow with probability from my reasons? What assumptions does my argument make? What would have to be true for my conclusion to be supported by my reasons? Are my assumptions claims that most people would agree with? Or, are my assumptions counterintuitive? Do they need support as well? What assumptions, if added to my argument, would make it stronger? Is there a way to rephrase my conclusion to make my argument more compelling? Should I back off a little and defend a slightly weaker claim? Or, am I in a position to defend a stronger claim?

Other considerations: You will likely have about three reasons to support your thesis. It may be that these different lines of support represent different kinds of arguments. Maybe you have deductive support for your conclusion as well as inductive support for it. So, you may have a number of assumptions that are required to draw your conclusion.

Waters and Viney 73 Other ways to check the strength of your argument : Play the role of your fiercest opponent (the person or group who would most strongly disagree with your thesis statement). Ask yourself: what would they say about my reasons and my assumptions? Are there any weak points in my argument? How could I rephrase or revise parts of my argument to preempt these objections? Or, Ask someone else to be skeptical of your argument. Sometimes a new pair of eyes can show you the weak or objectionable pieces of your reasoning. (Adapted from Marcus Vineys PHIL 110 Logic and Critical Thinking Notes, 2010 -2011). Todays Tick-out-the-door: produce one reason to logically support the thesis statement you have been crafting and refining from the last two days as a ticket-out-the-door. The other option is for you to record one argument you heard from todays fishbowl discussion, and to consider whether the argument is good or bad, and why or why not.

Ticket-out-the-door

Name:

Waters and Viney 74 ---------------------Homework Slip for Day 14 ---------------------(R) Read M.T. Andersons Feed (p. 277-300): summertime, the deep, 4.6%, 4.6% (Q) As you read, please write one philosophical inquiry question for class discussion in your dialectical journal. Please cite the place in your text that the question arose with a page number. (A) After you read, go back to page 290, and reread where Violets father claims: We Americansare interested only in the consumption of our products. We have no interest in how they were produced, or what happens to themhe pointed at his daughter what happens to them once we discard them, once we throw them away Explain whether you think this is true or not in the book as well as in our own time and country. Remember, as much as possible, your question should be open-ended, genuine, deep, and/or philosophical. Open-ended questions are not easily answerable with a simple yes or no and may have different answers depending upon ones perspective. Open-ended questions often lead to other questions, so they are great for classroom discussions. Genuine questions are questions that you really care about and to which you dont have the answer. In order to ask genuine questions, compare what you are reading to your life and the world that you are living in. While your questions may be about the world, they also need to relate to the reading (which is why Im requiring you to cite a page number with your question). Deep questions require some thinking and digging. Answers are not easily accessible and could be approached in multiple ways. Philosophical questions lead to wisdom (our capacity to live a richly fulfilling life) and might deal with one or more of the following: right vs. wrong, knowledge, the self, character, beauty, reality, logic, worth, and the good life.

----------------------

Waters and Viney 75

Week 3, Day 14: Argument: Evidence and Philosophical Chairs Discussion; Feed (277-300)
Standards Addressed: (1.2.a) Standard 2: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals. Evidence Outcomes: (a) Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decisionmaking, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. Purpose of Activity: We have already discussed the importance of supporting thesis statements with reasons, but we need to take the argumentative process a step further and consider the fact that reasons themselves need support, since they are claims as well. The evidence mini-lesson is designed to show students different kinds of evidence, examples of each, and how they might use evidence to support their reasons. Following this mini-lesson, students will be introduced to a new format of discussion called philosophical chairs, which is an activity that requires students to get up and move around. Its a kinesthetic way to get students thinking about their positions on difficult questions from Feed. Materials Needed: - Good Evidence mini-lesson - Introduction to Philosophical Chairs - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (15 minutes) Good Evidence mini-lesson (5 minutes) Review Feed (p. 277-300): summertime, the deep, 4.6%, 4.6% At the end of the last chapter, Violet sends a message to Titus apologizing to him about how their trip ended. She doesnt want to fight and just wants to make up before its too late - Theres always time. Until theres not. Titus doesnt respond and he leaves to hang out with his friends. Sometime later, Violets father contacts Titus. Violet dies and Titus doesnt know how to react. Months later, Titus receives a message from Violets father, saying that everything has stopped. He drives to her house and finds her in bed, immobile and possibly unaware of him. Her father shouts at Titus to go back to playing his silly little games and ignoring the real world. Titus tries to apologize for breaking up with Violet, but as usual he does not know what to say. He goes home and does not know what to do, so he buys pants. He buys pair after pair until his credit runs out. He uses his feed to watch them moving toward him through the delivery system.

Waters and Viney 76 Titus knows he has failed Violet somehow, and he cannot quite live with this. Two days later, he returns to her house and sits talking to her unconscious body. He cannot quite be the person she saw in him, the dissident who would help her fight the feed, but he is also unwilling to let go of her memory. He promises to think about her and tell her story. As the novel ends, he is sitting by her bed, holding her hand and describing her story as if it is an advertisement for a movie. (Feed) (23 minutes) Introduction to Philosophical Chairs Philosophical Chairs Discussion statements (agree/disagree/not sure): - Titus fails Violet as a friend. - Titus did nothing wrong when he bought a pair of pants in grief/confusion about Violet. - Buying products is a good way to cope with grief, loss, sorrow, or sadness. - Titus treats Violet like a product, not another person. Titus discards her. - Titus will change his ways after the experience of losing Violet. - Titus will keep Violets memory alive. - Titus will resist the feed. - People dont care about where or how their products are produced. (4 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; distribute homework slip.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed/> Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print. "Philosophical Chairs." Irving's AVID Wiki. Web. 8 May 2012. <http://irvingavid.wikispaces.com/Philosophical+Chairs>.

Waters and Viney 77 Good Evidence mini-lesson Purpose: Using evidence to prove or support reasons is an essential part of making an effective argument. Supplying reasons to an audience is important, but not enough. Since reasons are claims too, they need support of their own. This mini-lesson is designed to introduce students to the types of evidence and how they might be used in their position paper. Materials: Teachers will need an overhead or a document camera to show students the example sentences. Students can practice crafting thesis statements in their notebooks. Time: This mini-lesson should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Assessment: Students will be asked to brainstorm possible pieces of evidence for the argument they would like to make in the final week of this unit as a ticket-out-the-door. In addition, students will be asked to consider potential sources for finding this evidence.

QUESTION: What is good evidence? Evidence refers to any kind of information that supports the reasons in your argument. Recall that reasons are general statements put forward to support your conclusion. Both your conclusion and your reasons are in dispute, and until they are supported with evidence, your reader may (and probably should) remain unconvinced. Since evidence is not (typically) in dispute, but must be accepted as given, strong use o f evidence is essential for persuasive writing. In order to use evidence most effectively, you should first know the type of evidence you intend to use. Types of Evidence 1. Facts and statistics: Evidence gathered by sound and widely accepted research methods Examples: 13% of male high school students believe life is a meaningless existential abyss. A dragonfly has a lifespan of no more than 24 hours. Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on Earth. 2. Testimony : Evidence drawn from experts, interviews, or witnesses Examples: The scientific community generally agrees that human-caused global warming is real. Local law enforcement stated in a recent interview that the murder case was closed. Franklin witnessed an auto accident around 7:30 a.m., involving John and Peter.

Waters and Viney 78 3. Anecdotes: Evidence taken from personal experience Examples: Marsha felt that the work environment was more hostile than any outsiders believed. Bucks believes that his past traumas with his father give him insight int o how to treat horses. As a student myself, I know that direct lecture is very rarely engaging. 4. Analogies: Evidence from one source used to support something new Examples: There might be life on Europa because it has an atmosphere that contains oxygen just like Earth. This clean up method worked for this disaster, so it might work for this other disaster. 5. Thought experiments: Evidence in the form of intuitions about conceptual cases Examples: Consequences arent the only morally relevant feature of an action, because I can imagine a case where a gunman secretly attempts to shoot someone, but misses and the person survives with no knowledge of the event, and yet we intuitively feel that the gunman did something wrong. Concluding Remark: The type of argument you want to make will be partially determined by the type of evidence that you have to support it. Or, the type of argument you want to make determines the type of evidence you need to find. Either way, your evidence needs to be not only relevant to the truth of your reasons, but should sufficiently support them as well. Todays Tick-out-the-door: brainstorm possible evidence for the argument you have been drafting thus far (consider the reasons you crafted last time and think about the kind of evidence it would take to prove these claims). Finally, state at least one potential source for finding this evidence. In other words, where will you go to gather this evidence?

Ticket-out-the-door

Name:

Waters and Viney 79 Philosophical Chair Discussion Introduction Purpose: A philosophical chair discussion is an activity designed to be a kinesthetically oriented activity used to motivate students to take positions on important statements and to listen to the other ideas and perspectives in the class on those statements. Philosophical chairs discussions also give teachers an opportunity to hear the experiences, ideas, and feedback of students while giving them a chance to have an equal voice in the group discussion. Time: About 30 minutes (including the review of the Feed reading from the night before). Assessment: Using the Discussion Participation Spreadsheet, student participation will be tracked and recorded. Directions for Philosophical Chairs: 1. Desks will be arranged in a large U-shape. There will be three zones into which students can take a position on various statements read out loud. The three zones are agree, disagree, and unsure. What follows are the directions for students during the discussion: 2. Listen/read the statement and decide whether you agree or disagree with it. You may also remain uncertain about the statement. 3. Quickly and quietly move to the zone you wish to stand in, and face your fellow students across the room. Try to make room for everyone in the same zone, and try not to block other students lines of sight. 4. If you want to remain undecided about the statement, sit in the unsure zone so that you can see both sides. 5. Address your fellow students by their first names and respond politely and respectfully. 6. Please briefly summarize the previous speakers point before stating his/her own comments, e.g. I hear what youre saying, Johnny, but I think that 7. Please think before you speak and organize your thoughts. Consider making points only when you have some new to add, or when you really want to respond to someones point. 8. After speaking, please wait until at least two other students speak before you speak again; everyone should have an equal chance to have their voice heard. 9. Only one speaker may speak at a time, and everyone else must remain careful, thoughtful, and polite listeners. 10. If you would like to object or make a criticism, please address or challenge ideas and not persons; we can always separate whats said from who says it. 11. If your position changes during the discussion, you may move to another position, but please be ready to state why you came to this decision. Philosophical Chairs Discussion statements (agree/disagree/not sure): Titus fails Violet as a friend. Titus did nothing wrong when he bought a pair of pants in grief/confusion about Violet. Buying products is a good way to cope with grief, loss, sorrow, or sadness. Titus treats Violet like a product, not another person. Titus discards her.

Waters and Viney 80 Titus will change his ways after the experience of losing Violet. Titus will keep Violets memory alive. Titus will resist the feed. People dont care about where or how their products are produced.

(Adapted from Beth Rasmussens 7th Grade English class at Boltz Middle School in Fort Collins, CO, in Fall 2011, and " Irving's AVID Wiki at irvingavid.wikispaces.com/Philosophical+Chairs).

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Week 3, Day 15: Philosophical Chairs Discussion

Standards Addressed: (1.2.c) Standard 2: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals. Evidence Outcomes: (c) Implement an effective group effort that achieves a goal. Purpose of Activity: Today students will revisit the anticipation guide that they filled out on the first day of the unit. By this time students will have read Feed and participated in numerous class discussions about the book and the accompanying philosophical questions posed by the teacher as well as fellow classmates. We will also briefly review the last four days of minilessons, and make sense of arguments in terms of thesis-reasons-evidence-trees. Materials Needed: - Thesis Reasons Evidence Tree mini-lesson - Anticipation Guide part 2 - Discussion Participation Spreadsheet (to monitor student participation) - HANDOUT: Homework Slips with Asking Philosophical Questions guidelines Classroom Procedure: (2 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (10 minutes) Thesis-reasons-evidence tree mini-lesson (35 minutes) Philosophical Chairs: Before todays discussion, have students revisit Anticipation Guide from Day 1 of the Unit. Students will now answer these questions as they see fit. They should note any changes in their beliefs. Discussion statements from Anticipation Guide (agree/disagree/not sure): - People who are on Facebook a lot are generally happier than those who are not. - People with a lot of Facebook friends are happier than people with few good friends. - Being in a meaningful relationship is the most important aspect of living a happy life. - The more stuff you can afford to buy, the happier you are able to be. - Happiness is an individual and not a collective phenomenon (i.e., it is impossible for whole groups of people to have the same happiness). - Protecting the environment is a big part of real happiness. - Staying healthy and active is a big part of real happiness. - Using alcohol and drugs makes people happier. - Happiness is the same for all people and all times, regardless of history or culture. - Computer technologymainly the Internetis a great tool for living well. (3 minutes) Reflective/evaluative post-writing activities; distribute homework slip.

Assessment: Students will submit their daily writing and homework at the end of the class for participation points. Collect Dialectical Journal Entries. References: "Feed." Enotes.com. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/feed/>

Waters and Viney 82 Thesis-reasons-evidence tree mini-lesson Purpose: The purpose of todays mini-lesson is to review the last four mini-lessons from this week (good thesis statements, good reasons, and good evidence), and put them altogether and make sense of them in terms of a tree structure. This should provide students with some ideas about how to outline and compose their argument for their position paper. Materials: Teachers will need an overhead or a document camera to show students the example sentences. Students can practice crafting thesis statements in their notebooks. Time: This mini-lesson should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Assessment: Students will be asked to consider possible argument trees that they may like to put forward in their final position paper.

(Adapted from the common syllabus of CSUs CO150 program, 2011 -2012)
Thesis: the central claim, assertion, or conclusion being put forward by an author. The truth-value of a thesis is typically in dispute (i.e. we should not accept it until we are given good rea son to do so). If a thesis werent in dispute, there would be no point in arguing for it. We would not try, for instance, to convince anyone that humans are mortal, because this claim isnt in dispute. Most, if not all, people would readily assent to this claim, because its common knowledge. Reasons: the general claims offered to support the thesis. Good reasons are ones that, if true, would guarantee or provide strong support for the thesis. Like the thesis, however, reasons are also typically in dispute (to be clear, this does not necessarily mean that people would actively deny the claim; more reasonably, one would simply suspend judgment about its truth-value). Certainly reasons are not always in dispute, because it might be, for instance, that an audience would simply grant the claim that donuts are cheap. But much of the time reasons will need support of their own, especially when they extend beyond common sense. We call this support evidence. Evidence: the specific statements of fact offered to support reasons. These claims come from a variety of sources such as scientific research, observation, studies, personal experience, etc. Unlike the thesis and reasons of an argument, the evidence is not typically in dispute. The word evidence itself derives from the word evident, which means obvious, apparent, or present before us. Of course, evidential claims can be challenged, but usually those who find the evidence are also open about how they found it, so that anyone who wanted to could go see for him or herself.

Waters and Viney 83 WEEK 4: Collaboration: Begin and Finish Group WebQuest Research (COMPUTER LAB)

Week 4, Day 16: WebQuest Group Work (Computer Lab)

Standards Addressed: (4.1.a-b) Standard 1: Research and Reasoning Prepared Graduates: Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Independent research designs articulate and defend information, conclusions, and solutions that address specific contexts and purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (a) Define and narrow a topic for self-designed research for a variety of purposes and audiences...(b) Critique research questions of self and others for bias and underlying assumptions. Purpose of Activity: This entire week is devoted to group collaboration in the computer lab. Students will be asked to work together using various forms of technology to research predesigned topics and questions, and ultimately to develop and present a succinct report on their findings and positions in the form of an Igniteshow. This activity sequence is meant to encourage group work as well as familiarize students with technology and oral presentations. Materials Needed: - Computer lab rules and expectations - Guidelines for producing personal record of work accomplished - WebQuest URL: http://sites.google.com/site/happinessinthe21stcentury/ Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (5 minutes) Explain computer lab rules and expectations 1. No food or drinks in the computer lab. 2. Treat the computers and equipment with respect. 3. Work quietly and efficiently while by yourself and in groups. 4. Keep a record of work accomplished during the day. 5. Log off the computers when you are finished, and put everything back where it was. (2 minutes) Assign student groups for WebQuest and Igniteshow presentations (38 minutes) WebQuest Walkthrough and free-time for student groups to explore (2 minutes) Students log out of computers and record work accomplished for the day Assessment: Students will keep informal record of work accomplished during computer time. As a ticket-out-the-door, students need to turn in this record in the form of a brief description that will fit on one half sheet of paper. References: *No references for today

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Week 4, Day 17: WebQuest Group Work (Computer Lab)

Standards Addressed: (4.21.b-c) Standard 1: Research and Reasoning Prepared Graduates: Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Independent research designs articulate and defend information, conclusions, and solutions that address specific contexts and purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (b) Critique research questions of self and others for bias and underlying assumptions...(c) Critique and defend sources and information based on credibility, relevance and appropriateness relative to context and purpose. Purpose of Activity: Today is an extension of last time. Students will have more time to work in their groups on the WebQuest. In addition, for those students who are not already familiar with PowerPoint, there will be a mini-lesson on creating one for an Igniteshow. Materials Needed: - PowerPoint mini-lesson: How to create an Igniteshow - WebQuest URL: http://sites.google.com/site/happinessinthe21stcentury/ Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (2 minutes) Remind students about computer lab rules and expectations (10 minutes) PowerPoint and Igniteshow mini-lesson 1. Collect images from the web (preferably creative commons images from Flickr, and cite source). 2. Paste one image per slide on a blank PowerPoint project. 3. Set the slide advancement to automatic and make sure that the slides advance at 15-second intervals (you will need 20 slides to produce a 5 minute Igniteshow). 4. If you use text, use very little, because the slides move too fast for people to read. 5. Once you are finished, save the PowerPoint as a QuickTime video, and you may upload to YouTube if you would like. (43 minutes) WebQuest free time for student groups to explore. (2 minutes) Students log out of computers and record work accomplished for the day Assessment: Students will keep informal record of work accomplished during computer time. As a ticket-out-the-door, students need to turn in this record in the form of a brief description that will fit on one half sheet of paper. References: Ignite Talk Videos. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://igniteshow.com/> Flickr. Yahoo! Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/>

Waters and Viney 85

Week 4, Day 18: WebQuest Group Work (Computer Lab)

Standards Addressed: (4.1.c-d) Standard 1: Research and Reasoning Prepared Graduates: Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Independent research designs articulate and defend information, conclusions, and solutions that address specific contexts and purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (c) Critique and defend sources and information based on credibility, relevance and appropriateness relative to context and purpose...(d) Design and defend a set of diverse research strategies...to identify information appropriate to the needs of a research question, hypothesis, or thesis statement. Purpose of Activity: Today is another computer lab day. Students will have more time to work in their groups on the WebQuest as well as planning their Igniteshow. Materials Needed: - WebQuest URL: http://sites.google.com/site/happinessinthe21stcentury/ Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (43 minutes) Remind students about computer lab rules and expectations. Free time for student groups to work on their completing their WebQuest projects. (2 minutes) Remind students that tomorrow will be the last day to work on WebQuest and Igniteshow before presentations on day 5 of this week. (2 minutes) Students log out of computers and record work accomplished for the day Assessment: Students will keep informal record of work accomplished during computer time. As a ticket-out-the-door, students need to turn in this record in the form of a brief description that will fit on one half sheet of paper. References: *No references for today.

Waters and Viney 86

Week 4, Day 19: WebQuest Group Work (Computer Lab)

Standards Addressed: (4.1.e-f) Standard 1: Research and Reasoning Prepared Graduates: Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Independent research designs articulate and defend information, conclusions, and solutions that address specific contexts and purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (e) Critique and defend evidence relative to its use to address a particular context and purpose...(f) Determine and use the appropriate style guide to govern format and documentation of quotations, paraphrases, and other information from a range of research sources. Purpose of Activity: While today is another computer lab day, students should be done with their WebQuests, and should be using the time to finalize Igniteshow presentations. With any remaining time, students should practice delivering their Igniteshow presentations because all groups will be presenting tomorrow. Materials Needed: - Igniteshow rubric - Igniteshow presentation sign-up sheet Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (10 minutes) As a class, go over the Igniteshow rubric and answer any specific questions students have about the presentations. Explain that Igniteshow scripts will be due by the end of the day (5 minutes per presentation, roughly 45 seconds per student). (45 minutes) Free time for students to complete their Igniteshow presentations. Walk around, answer questions, and begin filling in the Igniteshow sign-up sheet. Presentation 1: Presentation 2: Presentation 3: Presentation 4: Presentation 5: Presentation 6: (2 minutes) Students log out of computers and record work accomplished for the day. . . . . . .

Assessment: As groups, students will need to turn in their Igniteshow scripts by the end of the period. Additionally, students will keep informal record of work accomplished during computer time. As a ticket-out-the-door, students need to turn in this record in the form of a brief description that will fit on one half sheet of paper. References: *No references for today.

Waters and Viney 87

Week 4, Day 20: Student Presentations

Standards Addressed: (1.2.a-b) Standard 1: Research and Reasoning Prepared Graduates: Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective speaking in formal and informal settings requires appropriate use of methods and audience awareness. Evidence Outcomes: (a) Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks...(b) Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Purpose of Activity: Today is presentation day. Student groups will present their Igniteshow, which is a culmination of their research, thoughts, and discussions about their WebQuests. In addition to presenting, students will be evaluating themselves as well as others on both their roles in the Igniteshow presentations as well as the work they accomplished this week in the lab. Materials Needed: - Student Self-evaluation form and Peer evaluation form - Igniteshow presentation review form - Group presentation order (created from sign-up sheet) Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (40 minutes) Each group presents for 5 minutes with two minutes of questions/comments from class. During this time, audience members need to fill out an Igniteshow presentation review form for each group that presents. (7 minutes) Have students reflect on the process of creating the Igniteshow as well as presenting it with the self-evaluation form. Each student will also be responsible for evaluating their peers with the peer evaluation form. Assessment: Students will turn in completed self-evaluation forms, peer evaluation forms, and an Igniteshow presentation review form for each group that presented. References: "Peer Presentation Review Form." Pearson. Web. 08 May 2012. <wps.ablongman.com/ab_leverduffy_teachtech_2/23/6128/1568849.cw/index.html>. "Student Evaluation Forms." Portfolio Examples. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.peda.net/veraja/jyu/ac/all/portfolio/english/portfolio/esimerkki>.

Waters and Viney 88 Self-Evaluation Form: WebQuest and Igniteshow Contributed ideas Listened to and respected the ideas of others Compromised and co-operated Took initiative when needed Worked outside of class if necessary Spent time browsing for appropriate material Did my share of the workload/tasks My greatest strength from the list above is: The skill I need to work on from the list above is: Overall grade you would give yourself: Name Seldom Sometimes Often

Peer-Evaluation Form: WebQuest and Igniteshow Contributed ideas Listened to and respected the ideas of others Compromised and co-operated Took initiative when needed Worked outside of class if necessary

Peers Name: Seldom Sometimes Often

Spent time browsing for appropriate material Did my share of the workload/tasks Peers greatest strength from the list above is: One skill from above that he or she needs to work on: Overall grade you would give your peer:
(Adapted from http://www.peda.net/veraja/jyu/ac/all/portfolio/english/portfolio/esimerkki)

Waters and Viney 89 Igniteshow presentation review Group #: Group members: Please review each aspect of the presentation as follows: A Excellent B Very Good NI Needs Improvement Name:

____ Relaxation
Each presenter appeared relaxed and in control. Body language and voice communicated a sense of confidence. Listening to the presentation made me feel comfortable and confident that I understood the material.

____ Delivery
The delivery approach was organized and easy to follow. The presentation was clear and targeted. It helped me to grasp what each presenter was trying to communicate.

____ Voice
Each presenters voice was clear and sufficiently loud. The presenters successfully and frequently modulated and animated his/her voice to add interest and emphasize key points.

____ Eye contact

The presenters maintained eye contact with all members of the audience. The presenters seemed to be able to read the audience and address their needs. I felt that each presenter was frequently speaking directly to me.

____ Gestures
Each presenters gestures were appropriate and not redundant or distracting. The gestures helped to animate the presentation and emphasize key points in the material. The gestures helped me to stay focused and understand the content.

____ Visuals
The presenters included sufficient and appropriate visual materials to help me understand the content. Visuals were to the point, easy to see, and helped clarify the material presented.

Overall comments: In this presentation, what I liked best was In this presentation, what I think would make it even better was

(Adapted from http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_leverduffy_teachtech_2/23/6128/1568849.cw/index.html)

Waters and Viney 90 WEEK 5: Workshop and Completion of Position Paper:

Week 5, Day 21: Unit Re-Cap And Position Paper Re-Introduction

Standards Addressed: (3.1.a-b) Standard 3: Writing and Composition Prepared Graduates: Effectively use content-specific language, style, tone, and text structure to compose or adapt writing for different audiences and purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Style, detail, expressive language, and genre create a wellcrafted statement directed at an intended audience and purpose. Evidence Outcomes: (a) Use a range of elaboration techniques (such as questioning, comparing, connecting, interpreting, analyzing, or describing) to establish and express point of view and theme... (b) Create a clear and coherent, logically consistent structure appropriate to the chosen...genre. Purpose of Activity: Today begins the final week of the Happiness in the 21st Century unit. At this point, students have read and discussed M.T. Andersons Feed in multiple discussion formats, they have completed a WebQuest designed around questions of happiness in the 21 st century, and they have presented an Igniteshow as the result of their work with this WebQuest. Now students are ready to take a position on one guiding question of their choice. Todays class is meant to refresh student understanding of the position paper and the available questions they would like to answer in the form of a thesis statement. Materials Needed: - Position Paper assignment description and rubric - Any remaining graded student work from the last four weeks Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (15 minutes) Re-Introduce main questions for position paper; go over the position paper assignment description and rubric; answer any questions from students. (30 minutes) Have students pick a question they feel strongly about, and begin to draft their position statement and main reasons on the basis of their work (ticket-out-thedoors) from week 3 of this unit. Students should work quietly by themselves for 5-10 minutes, and then they can begin to gather in groups and discuss and brainstorm their ideas. (10 minutes) Open large class discussion about paper as well as time for any student to briefly share the idea or argument they are planning to pursue for the paper. (2 minutes) Assign Homework: Draft of Position Statement and Reasons due next time Assessment: Students will be observed and assessed on participation today only. References: *No references for today.

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Week 5, Day 22: Computer Lab Student Work Day

Standards Addressed: (3.2.a-b) Standard 3: Writing and Composition Prepared Graduates: Effectively use content-specific language, style, tone, and text structure to compose or adapt writing for different audiences and purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Ideas, evidence, structure, and style create persuasive, academic, and technical texts for particular audiences and specific purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (a) Articulate a position through a sophisticated claim or thesis statement and advance it using evidence, examples, and counterarguments...(b) Select appropriate and relevant information (excluding extraneous details) to set context. Purpose of Activity: Today is a continuation of last time; students will be working on their final position papers individually in the computer lab. For some help with the structure, development, and organization of the paper, there will be a mini-lesson on reason paragraphs using the TRIAC form. After today, students should be in a good position to work on their position papers by themselves until it is due. Materials Needed: - Reason Paragraph mini-lesson Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (2 minutes) Check student homework for complete (draft of thesis statement and reasons) (15 minutes) Reason paragraph mini-lesson (28 minutes) Free time for students to draft reason paragraphs and work on position paper in the computer lab; 2-3 minutes should be spent reviewing computer lab rules and expectations. (2 minutes) Students should log off of computers and put everything back the way it was. Assessment: Students will be asked to draft at least one paragraph by the end of the day, and they will also be asked to draft more for homework. In total, students will need 23 reasons to support their thesis statement in their final position paper. References: "Writing Research Paragraphs." Nouakchott Writing Classes. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://greenwriting.wikidot.com/writing-research-paragraphs>.

Waters and Viney 92 Reason Paragraph mini-lesson Purpose: The purpose of todays mini-lesson is to model for students one way to develop their reason statements, which they produced for homework, into full paragraphs. The mini-lesson begins with TRIAC paragraph development in general, but then moves into TRIAC form for reason paragraphs in particular. Materials: Teachers will need an overhead or a document camera to show students the example sentences. Students can practice crafting thesis statements in their notebooks. Time: This mini-lesson should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Assessment: Students will be asked to draft at least one paragraph by the end of the day, and they will also be asked to draft more for homework. In total, students will need 2-3 reasons to support their thesis statement in their final position paper. TRIAC Structure and Development T=Topic. This is the topic sentence of the paragraph. It announces the focus of the paragraph and acts as a mini-thesis statement for what follows. R=Restriction. This is a sentence or two that narrows the scope of the paragraph. It restates the topic sentence more specific terms and sets the direction the paragraph is taking the reader. I=Illustration. Here the writer gives evidence to support the topic. In this section, there would be facts, examples, statistics, quotes from authorities, and so forth. A=Analysis. In the analysis section of the paragraph, the writer explains to the reader why the evidence in the illustration supports the topic and restriction sentences. C=Conclusion. The last sentence is often part of the analysis. It helps the reader understand that the topic has been sufficiently discussed and that the paper will move on to a new topic. TRIAC for Reason Paragraphs T: Introduce the reason you will discuss in the paragraph. R: Focus the paragraph by qualifying or explaining the reason in other terms. I: Use evidence from your research to prove or support the reason you have presented. A: Discuss and analyze the evidence; explain why it proves the reason you have offered C: Wrap up the paragraph and explain how the reason proves your thesis statement.
(Adapted from http://greenwriting.wikidot.com/writing-research-paragraphs)

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Week 5, Day 23: Computer Lab And Initial Peer Review

Standards Addressed: (3.2.e-g) Standard 3: Writing and Composition Prepared Graduates: Effectively use content-specific language, style, tone, and text structure to compose or adapt writing for different audiences and purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Ideas, evidence, structure, and style create persuasive, academic, and technical texts for particular audiences and specific purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (e) Control and enhance the flow of ideas through transitional words or phrases appropriate to text structure...(f) Support judgments with substantial evidence and purposeful elaboration...(g) Draw a conclusion by synthesizing information. Purpose of Activity: Today is another opportunity for students to work on their position papers in the computer lab. The amount of time allotted is extended to allow all students access to computers, just in case they do not have access at home. If any students have made good progress on their position paper and they are almost done, they will have an opportunity today to begin to work through an initial, informal peer review workshop session. Materials Needed: - Initial peer review ideas (for students who are ready) Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) (5 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. Check student homework for completion (draft of at least one reason paragraph in TRIAC form. (40 minutes) Free time in computer lab for students to work on their position papers; if/when students are done, they may begin an initial peer review session with the following prompts and questions: o Have your partner play the role of your fiercest opponent (the person or group who would most strongly disagree with your thesis statement). What would this opponent say about my reasons and my assumptions? Are there any weak points in my argument? How could I rephrase or revise parts of my argument to preempt these objections? o Or, have your partner play the role of a fence sitter who doesnt disagree with your argument, but is somewhat skeptical about it. Sometimes a new pair of eyes can show you the weak or objectionable pieces of your reasoning. (2 minutes) Students log off computers. Assign Homework: finish and bring a complete draft of your position paper to peer review workshop day tomorrow. Assessment: Students will be observed and assessed on the basis of involvement and participation today. References: *No references for today.

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Week 5, Day 24: Computer Lab And Full Peer Review

Standards Addressed: (3.2.h) Standard 3: Writing and Composition Prepared Graduates: Effectively use content-specific language, style, tone, and text structure to compose or adapt writing for different audiences and purposes. Concepts and Skills Students Master: Ideas, evidence, structure, and style create persuasive, academic, and technical texts for particular audiences and specific purposes. Evidence Outcomes: (h) Revise writing using feedback to maximize effect on audience and to calibrate purpose. Purpose of Activity: The entire class period today is devoted to a full peer review workshop session. Students will be placed with a partner, and they will be read their partners paper and give feedback on a separate sheet of paper. Thus, students will be introduced to the process and importance of peer revision activities. Materials Needed: - Guidelines for peer review - Peer review form - Position paper rubric Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) (7 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. Go over and explain guidelines peer review sessions; answer questions; pair students with each other randomly, so that they work with someone new. (38 minutes) Peer review workshop session; handout peer review forms and position paper rubrics; walk around and answer questions about the position paper and giving feedback. (2 minutes) Come back together as a group; assign homework: bring final draft of position paper tomorrow incorporating feedback from todays peer review session. Assessment: Students will be observed and assessed in terms of involvement and participation in the peer review workshop session. Additionally, students will be assessed on the quality of feedback they give to their review partner using the review form References: "An Introduction to Peer Review." Writing@CSU. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/peerreview/index.cfm>.

Waters and Viney 95 Guidelines for Peer Review While peer-review is used in multiple contexts, there are some common guidelines to follow in any peer-review situation. For Writers: If you are the writer, think of peer-review as a way to test how well your writing is working. Keep an open mind and be prepared for criticism. Even the best writers have room for improvement. Even so, it is still up to you whether or not to take the peer-review reader's advice. If more than one person reads for you, you might receive conflicting responses, but don't panic. Consider each response and decide for yourself if you should make changes and what those changes will be. Not all the advice you get will be good, but learning to make revision choices based on the response is part of becoming a better writer. For Readers: As a peer-review reader, you will have an opportunity to practice your critical reading skills while at the same time helping the writer improve their writing skills. Specifically, you will want to do as follows: Read the draft through once: Start by reading the draft through once, beginning to end, to get a general sense of the essay as a whole. Don't write on the draft yet. Use a piece of scratch paper to make notes if needed. Write a summary: After an initial reading, it is sometimes helpful to write a short summary. A well written essay should be easy to summarize, so if writing a summary is difficult, try to determine why and share that with the writer. Also, if your understanding of the writer's main idea(s) turns out to be different from what the writer intended, that will be a place they can focus their revision efforts. Focus on large issues: Focus your review on the larger writing issues. For example, the misplacement of a few commas is less important than the reader's ability to understand the main point of the essay. And yet, if you do notice a recurring problem with grammar or spelling, especially to the extent that it interferes with your ability to follow the essay, make sure to mention it. Be constructive: Be constructive with your criticisms. A comment such as "This paragraph was boring" isn't helpful. Remember, this writer is your peer, so treat him/her with the respect and care that they deserve. Explain your responses. "I liked this part" or "This section doesn't work" isn't enough. Keep in mind that you are trying to help the writer revise, so give him/her enough information to be able to understand your responses. Point to specific places that show what you mean. As much as possible, don't criticize something without also giving the writer some suggestion for a possible solution. Be specific and helpful. Be positive: Don't focus only on the things that aren't working, but also point out the things that are.

(Adapted from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/peerreview/index.cfm)

Waters and Viney 96 Peer Review Form Position Paper Writer: Reader: Please use the following questions and prompts to guide your workshop session with your partner. You may take notes on this form, but please answer the questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper. Keep in mind the guidelines for effective peer review sessions. You will be assessed on the quality of feedback you give your partner using this form.

Writer: My purpose is: The main point I want to make in this text is: One or two things that I would appreciate your comments on are:

Reader: After reading through the draft one time, write a summary of the text. Do you agree with the writer's assessment of the text's main idea? In the following sections, answer the questions that would be most helpful to the writer or that seem to address the most relevant revision concerns. Refer to specific places in their text, citing examples of what you mean. Also, write comments directly on the writer's draft where needed. Introduction Is there an introduction? Is it effective? Concise? Interesting? Does the introduction hook the reader and give him/her a sense of the papers purpose? Body Does it meet the objective stated in the introduction? Does it stay focused on this objective or are there places it strays? Is it organized logically? Is each paragraph focused on a single idea? Is each idea thoroughly explained and supported with good evidence? Are there transitions and are they effective? Conclusion Is there a conclusion? Does it work? Finally, what are two or three revision suggestions you have for the writer?

(Adapted from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/peerreview/worksheets.cfm)

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Week 5, Day 25: Final Position Paper Due; Reflection Activity

Standards Addressed: (1.2.a) Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening Prepared Graduates: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective Concepts and Skills Students Master: Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals Evidence Outcomes: Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decisionmaking, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. Purpose of Activity: Today is the last day of the unit; position papers are due. Students will turn in their final drafts of the paper, self-reflection forms, and will be given the opportunity to share or present their arguments to the class. We began this unit with difficult questions about what it means to be happy in the 21st century and what this means for the good life. We will close, though not entirely conclude, this discussion in order to move forward. Materials Needed: - Self-evaluation form Classroom Procedure: (3 minutes) Attendance, Housekeeping. (15 minutes) Introduce and explain self-evaluation form and activity; students will reflect on their position, the reasons in support of this position, and the five-week long process of coming to this position. Explanation of self-evaluation:
o A good self-evaluation is neither a defense nor an apology. Rather, it's a way of becoming more aware of what you go through when you write and of what troubles (if any) that you regularly run into. Writing a brief self-evaluation each time you have completed a writing project should make you more aware of your strengths as a writer and help you see more clearly what skills you need to work on. Sharing your self-evaluations can guide me as well. By seeing where you are having problems, I may be able to offer more helpful advice. The self-evaluation form should help to get you started, but feel free to add comments not covered by these questions.

o o

(2 minutes) Collect final drafts of position papers as well as student self-evaluations. (40 minutes) Informal sharing of arguments voluntary only, not mandatory; discussion of the role of happiness in the 21st century; connection to overarching course theme of the good life; answer any remaining questions about the unit, Feed, or class in general. Conclude class and briefly preview next unit. Assessment: Final position paper and self-evaluation form.

References: "Self-Evaluation of Essays." Grammar & Composition. About.com. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/selfeval.htm>.

Waters and Viney 98 Position Paper Self-Evaluation Name

1. What part of writing this paper took the most time? Perhaps you had trouble finding a topic or expressing a particular idea. Maybe you agonized over a single word or phrase. Be specific when you answer this question.

2. What is the most significant difference between your first draft and this final version? Explain if you changed your approach to the subject, if you reorganized the paper in any significant way, or if you added or deleted any important details.

3. What do you think is the best part of your paper? Explain why a particular sentence, paragraph, or idea pleases you.

4. What part of this paper could still be improved? Again, be specific. There may be a troublesome sentence in the paper or an idea that isn't expressed as clearly as you would like it to be.

5. Are you proud of the argument you made? Do you feel that you successfully communicated your thoughts in a strong and meaningful manner? Would you change anything about your position if you had the chance?

(Adapted from http://grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/selfeval.htm)

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Culminating Unit Assessment: WebQuest

Culminating Assignment Sheet

The following two tasks are meant to help you come to a deeper understanding of true and genuine happiness in the 21st century. Take a look at the following list of questions:
Does Facebook and other social media make people happier? Do drugs and alcohol make people happier? Is happiness the same for all people at all times? How does history and social movements change our understanding of happiness? Are there parts of happiness (e.g. Friendship) that will never change no matter what? Is protecting the environment important to happiness? Is buying cool stuff important to happiness? Is the way we use language and communicate important to our happiness? What does M.T. Andersons novel Feed teach us about happiness in the 21st century?

1. Individual Task (worth 80%): You will each write a 2-3 page persuasive position paper on one of the topics above or a specific topic of your choice (clear with me first) that relates to our theme of Happiness in the 21st Century. You will take a position on one of the questions above and then draft, write, and revise an persuasive essay that supports your positions with reasons, and supports your reasons with evidence. You may also write an extended definition essay where you (1) define what happiness is and (2) defend why your definition is right, helpful, or insightful. Because you will be writing an argumentative, persuasive essay, you will need a clear thesis, supporting reasons, and evidence to support your reasons. You must cite all of your sources! 2. Group Task (worth 20%): In your expert groups, you will create a five minute multimedia Power Point presentation that presents your research on happiness in the 21st century. To help you with this task, you will each choose a different role--philosopher, artist, social scientist, futurist, social media specialist--in order You must relate your findings to Feed and use at least 3 specific references to the text (include page numbers).

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Happiness in the 21st Century: Persuasive Position Essay Rubric

Student Name: CATEGORY ________________________________________

432Above Standards Meets Standards Approaching

Position Statement

The position The position statement statement provides a clear, provides a strong, and mostly clear precise statement statement of of your position. your position. Support for Includes three Includes three or Includes two pieces of Includes one Position pieces of more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, or fewer evidence (facts, evidence (facts, examples, real-life pieces of statistics, statistics, experiences) that might evidence examples from examples, real- support the position, but you (facts, WebQuest life experiences) dont make it clear how your statistics, articles and that support the evidence supports your examples, materials, real- position. You've position statement. real-life life experiences) cited Feed. experiences). that support the position. You've cited Feed at least twice. Quality of All of the Most of the At least one of the pieces of Evidence and Evidence and evidence and evidence and evidence and examples is examples are Examples examples are examples are relevant and has an NOT relevant specific, relevant specific, relevant explanation that shows how AND/OR are and explanations and explanations that piece of evidence not explained. are given that are given that supports the author's show how each show how each position. piece of evidence piece of supports the evidence author's position. supports the author's position. Sentence All sentences are Most sentences Most sentences are well Most Structure well-constructed are wellconstructed, but there is no sentences are with varied constructed and variation is structure. not wellstructure. The there is some constructed or paper is at least varied sentence varied. three pages long. structure in the essay.

1 Standards Below Standards A position statement is There is no present, but it is unclear position and/or vague and unspecific. statement.

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Happiness in the 21st Century: Group Multimedia Project Rubric

Student Name: CATEGORY Content ________________________________________

Originality

4 Above Standards Covers topic indepth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent; Multiple Citations are provide Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive.

3 Meets Standards Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good: Few Citations are provided Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights.

2 Approaching 1 Below Standards Standards Includes essential Content is minimal information about OR there are the topic but there several factual are 1-2 factual errors: errors. No Citations are A Citation is provided provided Uses other people\'s Uses other people\'s ideas (giving them ideas, but does not credit), but there is give them credit. little evidence of original thinking. Use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the presentation content. Delivery not smooth and audience attention often lost.

Attractiveness

Makes excellent use Makes good use of of font, color, font, color, graphics, effects, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the etc. to enhance to presentation. presentation.

Presentation

Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the presentation content. Well-rehearsed Rehearsed with Delivery not with smooth fairly smooth smooth, but able to delivery that holds delivery that holds maintain interest of audience attention. audience attention the audience most most of the time. of the time. Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired format. Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired format.

Sources

Source information Very little or no collected for source information graphics, facts and was collected. quotes, but not documented in desired format.

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Works Cited:
An Introduction to Peer Review." Writing@CSU. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/peerreview/index.cfm>.
Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print. Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. Print.

"Creating a Thesis Statement." Purdue OWL. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/>.

Edmondson, Elizabeth. "Wiki Literature Circles: Creating Digital Learning Communities." English Journal 101.4 (March 2012). Print. Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy. Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print.

"Philosophical Chairs." Irving's AVID Wiki. Web. 8 May 2012. <http://irvingavid.wikispaces.com/Philosophical+Chairs>.

Priles, Maria. The Fishbowl Discussion: A Strategy for Large Honors Classes. English Journal 82.6 (October 1993), pp. 49-50. Web. 29 Apr. 2012.

"Self-Evaluation of Essays." Grammar & Composition. About.com. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/selfeval.htm>.
Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry out Instructional Units . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print. Smagorinsky, Peter. The Dynamics of Writing Instruction: A Structured Process Approach for Middle and High School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2010. Print.

"Student Fishbowl." Critical Multicultural Pavilion. EdChange. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/fishbowl.html>.
Wessling, Sarah Brown. Supporting Students in a Time of Core Standards: English Language Arts, Grades 9-12. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2011. Print.

"Writing Research Paragraphs." Nouakchott Writing Classes. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://greenwriting.wikidot.com/writing-research-paragraphs>.

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Reflection and Evaluation

Self-Reflection (Sean Waters): Looking back on the process of creating this assignment and considering my assessment, I wax romantic: I would like to be assessed on the quality of the learning experience first, and then on how the project meets and exceeds the assignment criteria. So then, the first question I will answer is: what did I learn over the course of constructing this Happiness in the 21st century Unit Plan that will be valuable to my career as a teacher? And by extension, what did I learn creating this project that will benefit my students? First: Do the work that you are assigning your students. In this case, the process of asking philosophical inquiry questions is essential to modeling this skill for students, and therefore, important to student success. Assist them in working confidently and successfully toward the overarching goals of the unit. Give students practice thinking about their reasons and support for their claims throughout the process of brainstorming (60 percent of the writing load), drafting and revising (30 percent of the writing load), and editing (10 percent of the writing load) to give you the freedom to help and support individual learners. The process of peer review and group work enables the teacher to give special attention and assistance to ELL learners. Second, also in the vein of embodiment and modeling: Working together with my colleague Marcus Viney has been a wonderful lesson and experience in practicing the collaborative skills essential to success. Youve got to be open, patient, and focused. The key, and Gee is right about this, is creating a group affinity where the members are focused on the same goal. Our goal? To create a great way to get students involved in the process of critical thinking, speaking and writing by reading and thinking about a text that should matter to them. We loved getting deeper into the Feed again together. It is indeed an important modern classic. Self-Reflection (Marcus Viney): Gees theory that students learn best through simulated experiences has heavily influenced my thinking both as a teacher and as a student. Intuitively, I agree with Gee that in order to learn how to do something well, you simply have to do it even if its only through a simulation. This is why I feel that completing the unit plan was a rich experience for me as a pre-service teacher it was a simulated experience! I got to see firsthand what it takes to build a sequence of lesson plans, and it wasnt easy. In fact, this assignment brought me to a new level of awareness about how much work good teaching requires. I know that Sean and I probably put an excessive amount of work into this project, but Im proud to say that its something Id like to further develop and perhaps teach from someday. Id like to spend the rest of this self-reflection in terms of three ideas that are worth taking away from this experience. For me, then, the three most important and worthwhile things Im taking away from this experience are: - Practicing crafting lesson plans with one final goal in mind. - Exploring the web for resources and not reinventing the wheel. - Collaborating with a partner on a complex and detailed task. Smagorinsky has also been incredibly influential for me this semester as well. Backwards design is a must, and I cant imagine trying to create a unit plan, or anything larger, without endpoints in mind. Everything Sean and I put into the daily lesson plans was somehow informed by the final task of composing a position paper. Without a goal like this, we

Waters and Viney 104 would have been randomly patching lessons together, which would not only confuse us, but future students as well. I also learned to rely on the materials of other teachers. Even though we were working on a unit plan meant to last no longer than five weeks, creating daily activities as simple as minilessons became well, a test of endurance. There is no reason teachers shouldnt be using each others materials. Though, we should always remember to cite each others work as well. I got lucky working with Sean. We naturally see eye to eye, and we never ran into anything closely resembling a disagreement. In the future, I will look for partners to share the load and to brainstorm new ideas. There is no substitute for working together. Why carry a huge table by yourself when there are plenty of people around who can help you carry it?

Group Evaluation (Sean Waters and Marcus Viney): This assignment meets and exceeds the requirements for the assignment; we put in a lot of quality effort and skillfully and creatively met all of the following criteria: The cover sheet is professional and complete, and the introduction explains the fit of the unit, the students, the range and variety of texts and the standards followed. The UbD template is complete and demonstrates backwards design. The rationale is thoughtful, research-based, and justifies the appropriateness of the compelling organizing principle and focus for the unit (Happiness in the 21st Century). English Journal citations present. A concise unit calendar outlines an effective sequence of activities and assignments. Minute-by-minute lesson plans scaffold and enable students to perform an intellectually rewarding culminating assessment, include formative assessments that demonstrate evidence outcomes, are written in sufficient detail, include a gateway activity connected to the culminating assessment (which incorporates 21st c. skills). All handouts necessary are included. An assignment sheet and scoring guide for a meaningful and synthetic performative culminating assessment (WebQuest) is included. The scoring guide, however, could be better aligned with the assignment sheet and better describe exactly what students will need to do in order to get the grades they want on the assignment. It does assess what matters and uses clear gradations of quality without too much negative language. Weve included all 4 conference response forms and this concise self-evaluation. The materials are clear, precise, and well-constructed and well aligned with each other to the culminating project. The materials are bound in this nice binder, and used careful language throughout. A+