Lesson Plans

The lesson plans will be posted here just prior to each class.  Students may use these to review the class or to see what they missed in case of absence.

Dec. 1, 2008

I.       Quiz:  FFN 111-119

          A.      Hand out and review

II.      Role

A.        Role

B.        For Wednesday:

·        2-P on FFN SR 16-31

·        Bring in topic and draft works cited list for Paper 5

III.     FFN 111-131 – Analysis and discussion

A.       (111)  John Richard Simplot, “Mr. Spud,” another American hero. 

1.      His relationship with Ray Kroc; where McDonald’s gets its fries from.

2.      How Simplot started.  Detail on killing wild horses (112) and cutting timber from Yellowstone (112):  Why does Schlosser include such details?

3.      How French fries made Idaho the potato capital in the 1950s.  What has been the result of this for small farmers?   What happens when we go from family farmers to agribusiness?

B.      What happened to the flavor when McDonald’s switched from beef tallow to vegetable oil?  (120).

C.      About 90% of the money we spend on food goes toward processed food.  Processing destroys much of the flavoring.

1.      “Natural flavors” to the rescue.  New Jersey Turnpike.

D.      (122-123)  Read paragraph on how are tastes are developed.

E.      FDA does not require flavor companies to disclose the ingredients of their additives so long as the are considered to be safe (GRAS).

1.      Is this okay?  Would you rather know what the ingredients are?

2.      Consider the ingredients of a shake on p. 125.

3.      Note how vegetarians can’t know whether products they get are meat free (128).

F.                Carmine:  128.  Dannon yogurt.

               IV.     Citing journals

A.      See Hacker 387:  how does citing journals differ from other periodical sources like a newspaper and magazine?

B.      What journals are; how they differ from magazines.  Show examples.

C.      Go to Academic Search Premier and do “natural flavors.”

          D.      Show how to cite:  Hacker 387.

E.      Exercise:

 E.      Show “The Smoking Fry” as students work.

Nov. 26, 2008

I.        Role call.

          A.      Collect 2-P responses. 

B.               For Monday:

·        Read FFN 111-131

·        Writer’s Reference 333-341; 408-412

C.      Return graded work

II.      Discussion of supplemental readings 5-11 (Consumer Reports)

A.      Board work:  Have students create a flowchart showing how meat is produced; how it can become infected.  Put on board.

a.  Look at how at the preparation level, meat can also become infected (222).

b.  Pages 6-7 provide a similar flow chart. 

c.  Does this article make you feel better at all about some of the things you read in the last chapter from Schlosser?

III.     FFN 169-178 –  Analysis and discussion

A.      Will slaughterhouse jobs ever be completely safe?  Does Schlosser ever seem to acknowledge they won’t be?  Is Schlosser concerned about the animals here?

C.      The whole idea of line speed.  Read para. on p. 174; then, go back, look at one on p. 173.  This was talked about in the video clip I showed on Monday (show again the section about the meatpacking plant).

1.      Combine the increased line speed with the abilities of the workers, and you have trouble.

D.      Schlosser’s style:  note the lead up to the little window passage on page 172:  How did Schlosser get into this plant?

E.      Is meatpacking the most dangerous job?  Article on “most dangerous” jobs:  (http://www.rense.com/general12/job.htm)

F.      Late night cleaning crews – the worst of the worst.  What is it that they do that’s so bad?

G.      Note the list of injuries on page 178.  The Schlosserian technique of listing used again.  Note how he closes this.

IV.     FFN SR 11-15 –  Analysis and discussion

A.      Articles really focus on immigrants who do these jobs, why they do it.  What do they add to Schlosser’s analysis? 

V.      Possible paper topics out of this

          A.      Immigrant workers in the U.S.; injury rates; reimbursement.

A.               Review list of topics from last year’s 1A students

VI.     Option:  Work or Watch

          A.      Option 1:  Morgan Spurlock interview with Eric Schlosser

1.      (DVD) (20 minutes).  Discuss.

          B.      Option 2:  Work on Paper topics.