1. Fast Food
Who’s to Blame?
Fast Food : Unit One

2. Reading selections for unit:
Brownlee, Shannon. “It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat.” Sacramento Bee. 5 Jan. 2003
Barboza, David. “ If You Pitch It, They Will Eat It.” New York Times. 3. Aug
Weintraub, Daniel. “The Battle Against Fast Food
Begins in the Home”. Sacramento Bee. 17 Dec
Zincenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” New York Times. 23 Nov
1. Reading selections are done in MLA format.
-Intro. MLA
-What do students notice about page?
~spacing
~alphabetical
~dates
~titles of articles vs. titles of books
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3. Grammar Focus of unit: Identifying Complete vs. Incomplete Ideas
Subject & Verbs
Phrases & Clauses
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4. Fast Food: DAY ONE
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5. Fast Food : Unit One

6. Fast Food: DAY Two
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7. Activity 1: Getting Ready to Read
~On a separate sheet of paper, write a response to the following topic:
Who’s at fault for America’s growing weight problem?
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8. Noticing Language 1. Kids are suing McDonalds for making them fat.
2. Because more children are obese, type 2
diabetes has increased in children by 25
percent.
3. Although McDonald’s is on every corner.
4. The fast-food industry is vulnerable.
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9. Every sentence has two parts: and
subject
predicate
1. The verb (predicate) is always related to the subject
2. The verb expresses:
-Action (eat, stop, buy, make, succeed)
-State of being (am, is was, were, become, appear)
-Mental states (know, think, feel, believe)
3. The verb either stands alone as the main verb (ate) or uses a helping verb (will eat) to be complete.
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10. Hints to Success 1. The verb usually comes after the subject.
I exercise one hour every day.
2. If the sentence is a question, the subject follows the verb or is in the verb phrase.
Are kids consuming too many calories?
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11. **you may write on the worksheet
Assignment
~Complete Grammar Exercise 2: Identifying verbs & verb phrases
**you may write on the worksheet
~turn your paragraph & this exercise into the front bin when the bell rings
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12. (Underline answers in a different color.)
Answers to Exercise 2:
Exercise 2: Identifying verbs and verb phrases
(Underline answers in a different color.)
1. started was
3. worked 4. were
5. got have crossed
7. should know 8. are
9. needs ‘ll [will] see
(Action verbs like “start” usually have progressive forms—“he is starting.” “Being” verbs like “is” and “got” (meaning “become”) do not. We can’t say, “He was getting lucky.”)
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13. Your Response: Was it convincing??
~Did you state your opinion clearly? ~Did you include information or evidence that supported your claim? ~Did you conclude your response by summarizing your ideas for the reader?
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14. How do make your response credible?
~Support your claim!!!
**Please take out:
“It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat”
“If You Pitch It, They Will Eat”
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15. ~Active vs. Inactive Reading
***New Skill Alert***
~Active vs. Inactive Reading
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16. Activity 2: Surveying the Text
1. What do the titles “It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat” and “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat” tell you about the author’s positions on who is responsible for America’s weight problem?
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17. Activity 2: Surveying the Text, cont.
2. What do you think is the purpose of these articles?
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18. Activity 2: Surveying the Text, cont.
3. “Portion Distortion” as published in The Sacramento Bee, and “If you Pitch It” was published in The New York Times. What similarities do you think these articles might have? What differences? Do you think they will be equally reliable?
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19. Activity 2: Surveying the Text, cont.
4. What else can you tell about the articles just by looking at them?
5. Do you think that this article might support your claims?
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20. Fast Food: DAY THREE
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21. Vocabulary Exercise ~What is the Vocabulary Self-Assessment Sheet?
~What can we learn from using the VSS?
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22. Activity 3: Making Predictions & Asking Questions
Read the first three and the last paragraphs of Brownlee’s article. What is the point of comparing burger’s, fries and cigarettes? What arguments so you think she will make?
Read the first three and the last paragraphs of Barboza’s article. According to Barboza, who is responsible for America’s weight problem? What arguments do you think he is going to make?
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23. Making Predictions & Asking Questions, cont.
3. Who is the intended audience for these articles? How do you know this?
4. What information and ideas are the authors likely to draw on to convince you of their positions?
5. Reword the titles and subtitles and turn them into questions for you to answer after you have read the full articles.
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24. Grammar: Exercise 3 Identifying compound verbs & verb phrases
~Verb Complements: in addition to the main verb phrase, verbs can act as nouns that follo the main verb
**don’t confuse these with the main verb!!
eg.
-Eating often at fast-food restaurants can lead to obesity.
-Americans continue eating hamburgers even though fast food is bad for them.
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25. First Reading
~Read:
-Brownlee’s, “It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat.”
-Barboza’s “ If You Pitch It, They Will Eat It.”
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26. First Reading ~Finish Reading:
-Brownlee’s, “It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat.”
-Barboza’s “ If You Pitch It, They Will Eat It.”
-Weintraub’s “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home”.
-Zincenko’s, “Don’t Blame the Eater.”
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27. Rereading Exercises Why is rereading a text important?
What is annotating??
Read RR p.52 & 53
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28. Fast Food: DAY FOUR Working with the Readings
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29. How to Annotate: Using Standard Annotations
-Underline, highlight, draw arrows, and make comments about: main ideas, questions or objections, and connections between ideas **Make these comments in the left hand margin.
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30. Learning How to Use Your Readings: Pt I
Activity #1:Reread & Annotate “Portion Distortion & “If you Pitch It”
~underline & identify:
author’s thesis (make sure to star this info.)**
arguments made to support the thesis
evidence used to support thesis
the conclusion
**make sure to mark any material that would work in your essay!!
Fast Food : Unit One

31. Activity 2: Surveying the Next Texts
1. What do the titles “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home” and “Don’t Blame the Eater” tell you about the author’s positions on who is responsible for America’s weight problem?
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32. Activity 2: Surveying the Text, cont.
2. What do you think is the purpose of these articles?
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33. Activity 2: Surveying the Text, cont.
3. What else can you tell about the articles just by looking at them?
4. Do you think that this article might support your claims?
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34. How to Annotate: Specific Annotations
Think back about your original predictions. Which predictions were right? (List them) Which ones did you have to modify as you read “Portion Distortion”?
What is the main idea of “Portion Distortion”? Who does Brownlee think is to blame for America’s obesity problem?
On your article, underline or highlight the sentence that most clearly indicates who is to blame. (Use a different color or mark this clearly.)
What does Brownlee think is the solution to the problem?
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35. Fast Food: DAY FIVE Annotating the Articles
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36. Grammar: The Comma
**See The Comma PPT
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37. First Reading
~Read:
Weintraub’s “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home”.
Zincenko’s, “Don’t Blame the Eater.”
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38. Rereading Exercises 1. Complete Reading worksheet-
Activity 2: Annotating the Text
2. Complete Reading worksheet-
Activity 3: Looking Language
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39. Activity 2: Looking Closely at Language (Understanding what you read)
1. According to Zincenko’s “Don’t Blame the Eater,” why are kids suing McDonald’s?
2. According to Zincenko, what are the choices for American kids to get an affordable meal? Use the work “option” in your answer.
3. What causes 30 percent of the new cases of childhood diabetes in America?
4. Give an example of an alternative to fast food. How easy is it for kids to purchase that alternative?
5. Do people who buy fast food know how many calories they are eating? Use the word “consume” or “consumer” in your answer.
6. What do you think of kids who file lawsuits against the fast-food industry?
7. Do you agree with Zincenko that the fast-food industry is vulnerable?
8. Do you make informed choices when you buy fast food?
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40. Fast Food: DAY SIX
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41. First Reading ~Finish Reading:
Weintraub’s “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home”.
Zincenko’s, “Don’t Blame the Eater.”
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42. Learning How to Use Your Readings: Pt II
Activity #1:Reread & Annotate “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home” and “Don’t Blame the Eater”
~underline & identify:
author’s thesis (make sure to star this info.)**
arguments made to support the thesis
evidence used to support thesis
the conclusion
**make sure to mark any material that would work in your essay!!
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43. Grammar: The Semi-Colon
**See The Semi-Colon PPT
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44. Fast Food: DAY SEVEN
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45. Rereading Exercises 1. Complete Reading worksheet-
Activity 4: Considering the Structure of the Text
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46. Writing a Summary ~Rhetorical Reading: p.59-62
**Basic Components of a Summary:
-Authors Name
-Title (of work you are summarizing)
-Basic points covered in article / text
**remember—YOUR OPINION does not
go in summary (unless they ask for it)
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47. Peer Response to Summary
Return the Peer Response Form so your partner can revise his or her Summary/
Response later.
Then talk about both articles with your partner and decide whether you agree or disagree with the authors’ views about marketing and its relationship to obesity.
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48. Fast Food: DAY EIGHT
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49. Writing Assignment (See Writing Assignment Handout
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50. Fast Food: DAY NINE
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