AGENDA 10/2

Introduce first five vocabulary words from Nature unit

Discuss "Americans and the Land" by John Steinbeck and introduce the "FATTR" mnemonic for writing persuasive claims:

• F - focus (paraphrase of the text's/author's argument)
• A - author's name (capitalized and spelled correctly)
• T - title (formatted correctly - capitalized and in quotation marks or italics/underlined)
• T - text type (genre: is this an essay? novel? news or magazine article? speech? letter?)
• R - response (your opinion or reaction--to what extent to you agree or disagree)

Note that for RESPONSE the following ideas might be helpful:

Is your reaction to the piece more of a "yes...but" or "no...however"? That is, consider both what the author explores that you agree with, and also perhaps note what the author oversimplifies, overlooks, or doesn't explore deeply enough as you craft your response.

Write a complex, "FATTR" claim for "Americans and the Land."

Re-read "Americans and the Land" to notice rhetorical techniques.  

Examine the similes in ¶1, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 17. What do these similes, taken together, suggest?

Examine ¶1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, and 16 for patterns of diction. What do you see? (For example, diction of destruction, diction of purity, etc.) What do these diction patterns suggest?

Examine ¶3 and ¶16 for analogies.  What effects do these particular comparisons create?

HW: Read "Letter to President Pierce, 1855" by Chief Seattle in the McGraw-Hill Reader.  Write a "FATTR" claim and note appeals to ethos, logos, or pathos in the speech (remember that it might not contain all three). In addition, reread the speech and be ready to discuss which parts of the language of the speech make it memorable or persuasive. Also, take a look at the California Official Voter Guide that might be hanging around your house to familiarize yourself with the CA propositions. And don't forget about independent reading--500 pages this grading period!