Transcript Fast Food

Fast Food
Who’s to Blame?
Fast Food : Unit One
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. 2003.
Weintraub, Daniel. “The Battle Against Fast Food
Begins in the Home”. Sacramento Bee. 17 Dec.
2002.
Zincenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” New York
Times. 23 Nov. 2002.
Fast Food : Unit One
Fast Food:
DAY ONE
Fast Food : Unit One
Fast Food : Unit One
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?
Fast Food : Unit One
Activity 2: Surveying the Text
1. What does the titles “It’s Portion
Distortion That Makes America Fat”
tell you about the author’s position on
who is responsible for America’s
weight problem?
Fast Food : Unit One
Activity 2: Surveying the Text,
cont.
2. What do you think is the purpose of
this article?
3. “Portion Distortion” was 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?
Fast Food : Unit One
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?
Fast Food : Unit One
Activity 3: Making Predictions &
Asking Questions
1. 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?
2. Who is the intended audience for these
articles? How do you know this?
3. What information and ideas is the author
likely to draw on to convince you of their
positions?
Fast Food : Unit One
First Reading
~Read:
-Brownlee’s, “It’s Portion Distortion
That Makes America Fat.”
Fast Food : Unit One
Rereading Exercises:
Activity #1:
Now that you now what “Portion Distortion” is
about, answer the following questions.
1. Think back to your original predictions. Which were
right? Which did you have to modify as you read
“Portion Distortion”?
2. What is the main idea of “Portion Distortion”? Who
does Brownlee think is to blame for America’s obesity
problem? Underline or highlight the sentence that
most clearly indicates who is to blame.
3. What does Brownlee think is the solution to the problem?
Fast Food : Unit One
Rereading Exercises:
Learning How to Use Your Readings
Activity #2:
Reread & Annotate “Portion Distortion”
~underline & identify:
author’s thesis (make sure to star this info.)**
arguments made to support the thesis
evidence used to support thesis
the conclusion
Fast Food : Unit One
Responding to Reading:
Writing a Summary
(See attached assignment sheet)
Group A
Write 6-7 sentence summary of Brownlee’s
“Portion Distortion” following the summary
guidelines from Reading Rhetorically p.59-62.
Then write a 3-4 sentence response to
Brownlee’s views.
Fast Food : Unit One
Peer Response to
Summary
• Exchange your summary/response with a
partner from Group B. Use the Peer
Response Form to evaluate your partner’s
summary/response.
• 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.
Fast Food : Unit One