Monday 10-31-11

MONDAY

Patterns of organization refer to the way in which writers put together the supporting details in a passage or in a paragraph.

·        Sometimes writers compare and contrast the qualities of two or more things. This is what we call comparison and contrast.

·        Sometimes writers concentrate on the order in which a series of events happened. This is what we call time sequence or chronological order.

·        If the writer focuses on the reasons why something happened and its consequences, then we call this pattern cause and effect.

·        Of course, this doesn’t mean that writers use only one pattern; oftentimes, the patterns are mixed. By recognizing the patterns, you will be better able to make sense of what you read.

There are five basic patterns of organization:

·        Chronological order

·        Comparison and/or Contrast

·        Cause and Effect

·        List of items

·        Definition and example

Knowing which pattern is being used helps you to:

1.      Locate information in the text

2.      Differentiate between what is important and unimportant

3.      Mentally sequence the main ideas in a logical order

4.      Synthesize ideas that appear in different locations in the text

Pattern                                                           Transitions used

Chronological order                                  Words that show time (first, then, next,                                                                                          when, after, during, finally)

Comparison and contrast                                    Words that show comparison or contrast                                                                                     (like, alike, also, similar, similarities,

                                                                        same,             in contrast, on the other hand,

                                                                        unlike, differs from, but)

Cause and Effect                                        Words that show cause and effect

                                                                        (because, causes, reasons, so, results,

                                                                        therefore, lead to)    

List of items                                                             Words that show addition (also, another,                                                                                     one, first, second, in addition, next, finally)

Definition and example                             Words that show illustration (for example,                                                                                               to illustrate, for instance, such as)

Tuesday 10-25-11

Activity 2

Read the following letters to the editor that were published in the Miami Herald and answer the questions:

Letter 1

       For the sake of safety, the Miami-Dade County School Board should implement a rule requiring all students to wear uniforms. Faculty, administrators, and students must have the confidence to know that those in and around their schools belong there.

   Safety and security must take precedence. This decision should no longer be left up to the parents on a school-by-school basis. It is time for the board to act without spending endless hours debating this critical issue.

-ELLEN ABRAMSON, North Miami

1.      How does the author persuade readers that all students must wear uniforms?

a) She talks about how young students sometimes do not know who their

     teachers are.

b) She uses facts and statistics.

c) She accuses school administrators of not doing enough to protect students.

d) She states that student safety and security must come first.

2.      How does the author feel about the current system for     

     deciding whether or not students wear uniforms?

a) The author thinks that the current system should be eliminated.

b) The author thinks that the current system should be maintained.

c) The author doesn’t state her opinion about the current system.

d) The author thinks parents should vote on a new system.

3.  With which statement would the author most likely agree

     with?

a) The Miami-Dade School Board should leave it up to parents to decide if their   

     children wear uniforms.

b) Students should be free to decide what to wear to school.

c) The Miami-Dade School Board should implement a rule requiring all students

     to wear uniforms.

d) Only elementary school students should be required to wear uniforms.

Letter 2

  Reptiles may sound like trendy pets, but buyers should beware. Reptiles require specialized care. Many die in their first year of captivity, and they carry salmonella bacteria that can cause life-threatening complications.

  The health risks are so great that selling small turtles (with shells less than four inches long) is illegal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping reptiles out of homes with children under 5, pregnant women, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems.

  People get reptiles when the animals are small. But when they grow, they can quickly outgrow their tanks and their welcome. Some Florida communities are overrun with iguanas, pythons and monitor lizards that escaped or were released. These animals can crowd out native wildlife and endanger pets and people.

  In the interest of public health and safety, animal welfare and the environment, The Humane Society of the United States recommends against getting reptiles as pets.

-BETH PREISS, director, exotic-pets campaign, Humane Society of the United States, Gaithersburg. Md.

4.  Which statement best supports the idea that reptiles are a

     health risk?

a) Reptiles require specialized care.

b) Reptiles carry salmonella bacteria that can cause life-threatening

     complications.

c) Many reptiles die in their first year of captivity.

d) People get reptiles when the animals are small.

5. How does the author persuade the reader that reptiles are not

    good pets?

a) The author talks about the health risks, the safety issues, and the

     environmental problems that owning a reptile can cause.

b) The author appeals to the reader’s emotions.

c) The author quotes other authors.

d) The author relates a personal story to prove her point.

Monday 10-24-11 PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE

When writers seek to convince, persuade or otherwise change other people's minds, the language they use is extremely important. If you pay attention to the words they use, you will be able to figure out their intentions. Sometimes writers use objective language (facts, statistics, and reliable information) to illustrate their point. Other times they use techniques that appeal mainly to emotions instead of logic or reason. This is called propaganda. Scare tactics and stereotyping are forms of propaganda; so is an attempt to get you to do something or buy something or buy something by suggesting that “everyone is doing it.”

      In evaluating any piece of persuasive communication, “read between the lines” and try to figure out how you are being persuaded. As you read a persuasive selection, look for ways the writer tries to sway your opinion. Some of the most common techniques follow.

Bandwagon:

The "bandwagon" approach encourages you to think that because everyone else is doing something, you should do it too, or you'll be left out. The technique embodies a "keeping up with the Joneses" philosophy.

Name Calling:

This technique consists of attaching a negative label to a person or a thing. People engage in this type of behavior when they are trying to avoid supporting their own opinion with facts. Rather than explain what they believe in, they prefer to try to tear their opponent down.

Glittering Generalities:

 Words that are patriotic, attractive, or catchy but don’t really say anything

Stereotyping:

This technique uses commonly held but oversimplified or unfair images of a group to make a point.

Testimonial:

This technique is easy to understand. It is when "big name" personalities are used to endorse a product. Whenever you see someone famous endorsing a product, ask yourself how much that person knows about the product, and what he or she stands to gain by promoting it.

Snobbery:

This technique tries to make people think that they can be better than others by acting or thinking a certain way.

Guilt by Association:

This technique implies that if you’re a friend of a person who did something bad, you are probably guilty, too.

Scare Tactics:

These are tactics that describe “possible” negative effects with strong and unsupported images that make people act out of fear instead of reason

Activity 1

Read the following statements. Identify the propaganda technique that is used in each statement.

1.      The younger generation is lazy and disrespectful.

2.      I saw Jackson hanging out with those Carter boys who are always causing trouble. He’s probably a troublemaker, too.

3.      Let’s keep America great: Vote for Candidate Dedevilli.

4.      If that new bill is passed, the quality of our schools will decline, our young people won’t be able to compete in the global economy, and our nation will fall into poverty and ruin.

5.      Mayor Robbins is a big, dirty crook!

6.      You enjoy the finer things in life. Don’t settle for less. Drive the all-new turbocharged 2007 Macura Type ILT.

7.      If supermodel Urma Lopiswheat uses Shine Shampoo, you should too!

8.      Everybody’s rushing out to see the hot new sci-fi flick, Planet of the Grapes! What are you waiting for?

Thursday's Activity - Main Idea 10-13-11

Read the following paragraphs and find the main idea.

1.A baby sleeps about eighteen hours a day. Ten-year-­olds sleep about ten hours. As an adult, people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each day. By the time people are old, they sleep only about six hours.

The story mainly tells:

A.how people go crazy without sleep

B.how babies sleep

C.how much sleep people need

D. how many hours teenagers sleep

2. In America we have Halloween. In Mexico they have Todos Los Santos, which means All Saints. This is the day when people think of their family and friends who have died. They visit the cemetery instead of going out to trick-or-treat. But they do have pictures of skeletons and ghosts hanging around. They also have lots of candy to eat.

The story mainly tells:

A.what holidays are like

B.what Halloween is like in Mexico

C.what Todos Los Santos means

D.what we do on Halloween

3.  A few years ago, a man in Los Angeles got a special license plate for his car. It said NONE. After two weeks he got a bill for parking tickets. It was for almost one thousand dollars! He knew he couldn't have gotten that many tickets. He found out the reason for his big bill. If a car didn't have a license plate, the police just wrote none in the blank on the parking ticket. He got a new plate right away.

The story mainly tells:

A.what to do when you get a lot of parking tickets

B.what problems a special license plate caused

C.what the police wrote in the blank

D.how to avoid getting tickets

4. In the old days ranchers were fighting farmers for land and for water. Before the farmers came, the ranchers could let their herds run free. But the farmers put up barbed-wire fences to keep the cattle away from their fields and crops. This simple fence of twisted wire came to stand for the settling of the West.

The story mainly tells:

A.how the herds ran free

B.how the ranchers won the range wars

C.why ranchers fought farmers

D.how to build fences

Wednesday Activities - Main Idea 10-12-11

—Ideas can be arranged in order of how general or specific they are. For instance, meal is more general than lunch (lunch is one kind of meal), and lunch is more general than sandwich (sandwich is one type of lunch). Put a 1 by the most general idea in each group, a 2 by the less general idea, and a 3 by the most specific idea.

 

Example:

__1__ tools     ___3___ circular saw         _2_power tool

Tools is more general than power tools (power tools are one kind of tools), and circular saw is more specific than power tools (a circular saw is a power tool).

ACTIVITY 1

—Put a 1 by the most general idea in each group, a 2 by the less general idea, and a 3 by the most specific idea.

A.___ board games       ___ Monopoly       ___games

B.___ coin                     ___ money            ___ quarter

C.___microwave           ___ appliance        ___ kitchen appliance

D.___ reading material  ___ sports pages  ___ newspaper

E.___ amusement –park rides    ___ roller coasters   ___ rides

F.___ parent                 ___ father              ___relative

 ACTIVITY 2

Read the Passage and identify the Main Idea and Supporting Details

The Erie Canal changed the way people moved goods in the 1800’s.  The 363 mile canal connected Albany, New York to Lake Erie in Buffalo for the first time.  When the Canal opened in 1825, building supplies and goods could be transported quickly and cheaply across New York State.  Canal boats pulled by mules carried people and supplies across New York.