2+-+The+Omnivore's+Dilemma

UNIT TOPIC AND LENGTH: This unit uses the topic of food choice as the medium by which to teach students how to analyze and navigate informational text. Students will write an essay demonstrating their mastery of the content and their ability to synthesize information from text. Suggested unit length 2-3 weeks.
 * Unit Outline-Grade 7 Literacy: Choosing What and How to Eat**

COMMON CORE LEARNING STANDARDS : a) Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b) Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c) Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. d) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. e) Establish and maintain a formal style. f) Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. b) Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. c) Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers. Y It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not // He wore an old[,] green shirt // ). b) Spell correctly. Knowledge of the features and format of a nonfiction text enhance the understanding of the text. One’s reading and information gathering has the potential to influence the choices that we make.
 * RI.7.1 ** Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 * RI.7.2 ** Determine two or more central ideas in a tex t and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
 * RI. 7.4 ** Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
 * RI.7.5 ** Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
 * RI. 7.10 ** By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
 * W.7.2 ** Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
 * L.7.1 ** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a)
 * L.7.2 ** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a) Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g.,
 * ** BIG IDEAS/ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS: **

Writers who keep a specific audience in mind are able to clearly convey their ideas to the reader(s). || ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: How does interaction with a text provoke thinking and response?

Why are the choices we make influenced by reading informational and literary texts?

How does a w riter create informational and persuasive pieces that respond to topic, purpose, and audience? || Text Structure Headings and Sub-headings Inserts (text within text) Graphics: pictures Captions Use of italics Concluding sentence or paragraph Questioning sentences Reading Literary and Informational Texts Literary and informational text components Main ideas, arguments, and theme Supporting textual details Author's purpose Comparison/Contrast to support an argument Assessment of author's arguments and support within a text Domain specific vocabulary
 * CONTENT:

Informational and Explanatory Writing Essay writing format Comparison/Contrast format Awareness of audience Conventions of Standard English Response to probes with textual support Analysis of relevant content || SKILLS: Identify headings and sub-headings within the text and explain how they aid comprehension. Identify inserts and explain their purpose within the text. Explain how the use of graphics can support the main idea, theme, or argument within text. Explain how the captions of pictures can aid in understanding a written text. Determine the use of italics within the text. State how the use of a concluding sentence or paragraph can enhance the understanding of a text. Discuss how the author's use of questioning sentences can assist in the development of the main idea, theme, or argument. Explain the similarities and differences of the literary and informational text components. Determine the central idea and analyze its development throughout the text. Identify textual support and evaluate its effectiveness Determine the author's purpose and explain if the purpose was indeed accomplished. Identify examples of comparison and contrast within the text. Evaluate the effectiveness of the comparison/contrast as textual support for the author's purpose or argument. Assess the author's claims and counter- claims used as support within the text to determine if the author's reasoning is sound. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as used in the text and gain a working knowledge of domain specific vocabulary in context. Identify the components of an essay and apply those components in writing. Create written responses explaining how the author develops, compares, and contrasts his/her main idea or argument through multiple topics. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the text structure, development, and vocabulary are appropriate to the specified audience. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing. Use appropriate transitions to improve the coherence of written texts.

Add   relevant facts, concrete details,  quotations, and other examples to support a main idea or argument in a written piece.

Cite   textual evidence to support written  responses and apply conventions of Standard English grammar.

Write   informative/explanatory texts to  examine a topic and convey information through the selection and analysis of relevant content.

||     INITIAL         A         SSESSMENT         : After reading the first three sections (pp. 85-89) of "The Omnivore’s Dilemma," students will be asked to write a one page response explaining what the author means by the omnivore’s dilemma and analyzing the causes of the dilemma using evidence from the text.
 * ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE AND ACTIVITIES          :

FORMATIVE          A           SSESSMENT         : Students will be asked to select a comparison that the author makes after page 89 in "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" and write a one-page response briefly describing the comparison and then analyzing how the comparison helps Pollan develop his argument about the omnivore’s dilemma.

FINAL          P           ERFORMANCE           T           ASK         : Students will be asked to write an informative/explanatory essay of approximately one page in which they analyze how Pollan in his chapter, "The Omnivore’s Dilemma," organized and developed his argument regarding the omnivore’s dilemma.

VOCABULARY
 * Informational Text, Literary Text, Text Structure, Textual evidence

Vocabulary/ Word Origin/ Latin Meaning Omnivores Omne (all, everything) Carnivores Carne (meat) Herbivores Herb (grass or green plant) Vore(vorare) (to eat or devour)

LEARNING          P           LAN           & A           CTIVITIES           : NOTETAKING: Students can choose the note-taking template that they wish to use while they are reading "The Omnivore’s Dilemma." Through note-taking, they will be able to collect the evidence used by the author to support his opinions about eating choices and the omnivore’s dilemma. Note-taking to Answer Questions Students should begin their reading by brainstorming questions that they predict will be answered by the text. This may be done as a whole class or individually. The teacher may also give students the questions. Once students have 3-4 questions, they use this graphic organizer to find evidence offered by the author to answer those questions. They then evaluate the evidence for its accuracy and strength in supporting the author’s argument. Reflective Note-taking Reflective note-taking is valuable for students to guide them through thinking about the information they are reading as they are reading it. Using the graphic organizer, students are led to take notes in their own words and then to reflect on and react to those notes with their own questions, opinions, responses, and evaluative comments. Once students have completed this note-taking sheet, they will have thought through the author’s arguments, formed an opinion about the strength of the arguments, and have gathered the evidence to be able to trace the line of argument used by Pollan in the text. ANALYZING ARGUMENTS: Students can use two different methods to analyze the arguments used by Pollan: cause and effect or fact vs. opinion. These graphic organizers will help students develop a plan for their writing. Cause-Effect Chart Students identify one cause of the omnivore’s dilemma (// Why is it hard to choose what and how to eat?  //  ) and note three effects of that cause. The effects may be stated as student-written summaries or with use of short quotations from the text. This graphic organizer will be helpful if students  plan to use a cause-effect organization for their final assessment task. Fact vs. Opinion Another way that students can assess the argument offered by Pollan is to analyze his use of fact vs. opinion. With this graphic organizer, students note the facts and the opinions, with reasons for their classification as fact or opinion. Students will be able to analyze the strength of the author’s argument by looking at the balance of fact and opinion and by analyzing the validity of both. CEI: Claim, Evidence and Interpretation This graphic organizer leads students through the thinking process of determining the claim (or argument) of the author, determining the evidence used by the author to back up his claim, and then analyzing and interpreting the evidence to assess the strength of the author’s claim. By organizing their thinking beforehand, students will have developed an outline for their final assessment task. DEVELOPING A LINE OF ARGUMENT OR OPINION: Once students have analyzed the text and determined the author’s argument and evidence, they need

to develop their own argument that they will write and support in the final assessment task. Two graphic organizers will help them develop their own thinking. Supporting an Opinion To complete the final assessment task, students must develop an opinion about Pollan’s ideas. This graphic organizer asks students to state their opinion in a concise sentence and then think through both the reasons they formed that opinion and the evidence from the text that supports that opinion. Students can use this organizer as an outline for their writing assignment. Developing a Line of Argument Students may be able to see two points of view about eating in America by reading Pollan’s article. As they are developing their own response to Pollan and his line of argument, students may want to identify the two points of view with the evidence used to back up each one. Using this graphic organizer will lead to students developing a line of argument that gives credence to the evidence supporting two points of view, but then results in a conclusion by the students themselves. MAIN IDEA /KEY IDEAS AND SUMMARY: Using this graphic organizer may help students organize the information extracted from each subsection of "Omnivore’s Dilemma." Having a snap shot summary of each sub-section can assist students in organizing their thinking and responding to the task in a strategic succinct manner. COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Included in the resource section are two videos that relate to the topic covered in the "Omnivore’s Dilemma." Michael Pollan, the author of "Omnivore’s Dilemma," stars in one of the videos ("Food, Inc"). This graphic organizer can be used to record the similarities and differences noticed between the article and the videos or between the two videos. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER TEMPLATES: For graphic organizer templates that can be used as formative assessment tools for many of the skills of the Common Core, see the // Information Fluency Continuum  // of the NYC Office of Library Services at [|__http://schools.nyc.gov/academics/libraryservices/standardsandcurriculum__] and look under "  Information Fluency Continuum 2010 Priority Benchmark Skills and Assessments       ." In the resource section are two videos that can be used to help students see the connection between what they are currently studying and the world around them as it relates to food. Using this graphic organizer can help focus students as they are viewing the video.
 * VIDEO VIEWING ORGANIZER:**

Multi-Media Resources: Video: Food Inc. Directed by Robert Kenner. Starring Michael Pollan, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser and Gary Hirshberg [|__http://www.foodincmovie.com/__] Video: The Future of Food. By Deborah Koons Garcia [|__http://www.thefutureoffood.com/__]
 * RESOURCES          :      ****

Websites: http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/Tools/MyPyramid/ http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities-main.asp http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/survey-2009fitnessgram.pdf Texts: Pollan, M. (2009). The omnivore’s dilemma. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The secrets behind what you eat (Young reader’s edition) (pp. 85-96). New York: Penguin. Articles http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-checkup/post/myplate-might-actuallywork/ 2010/12/20/AGALDIHH_blog.html http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/School-buses-no-place-for-junk-food-ads-1418094.php http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/business/03plate.html?hp http://healthland.time.com/2009/10/26/whats-in-your-bowl-the-top-10-least-nutritious-cereals/ (this mentions “your tot” but is otherwise helpful because it looks at popular cereals and marketing used to sell them to kids and parents). http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/12/cafeteria-cams-track-students-calorie-consumption-atschool/ 36 ||