Daily Challenge: Mental Illness in Our Lives

Developed by Christina Jimenez and Meline Akashian

MODULE: TEACHER VERSION

Grade 11, 4 to 5 weeks

Module Purpose

This module is designed to help students engage in a true inquiry process, turning what they wonder into research questions, and using those questions to drive high quality research. When the research is complete, they take what they have learned and apply their findings in two different genres to persuade two different audiences.

Questions at Issue

The questions at issue in this module are the following:

·       In our society, what are some of the challenges faced by people with a mental illness, and what are contributing factors?

·       How can we find trustworthy information to answer our questions?

·       How can we support individuals suffering with mental illness and the people who love them?

·       In the PSA medium, how can we best persuade others to do so?

Module Texts

Chivers, Christopher J. “Love’s Road Home.” New York Times, 10 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/fashion/weddings/sam-siatta-marries-ashley-volk.html.

Wong, Eunice C., et al. “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges.” Rand Health Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 2, 2016, Figures 1-4 and 6, www.rand.org/pubs/periodicals/health-quarterly/issues/v6/n2/06.html.

Module Video and Photographic Texts

“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Trailer.” YouTube, uploaded by HBODocs, 29 Jan. 2015, youtu.be/jSxt1GNQX-c.

“Many Sides of Jane Trailer.” YouTube, uploaded by A and E, 17 Jan. 2019, youtu.be/wDf2m qbJGgM.

“Oscar Nominated Short Films 2015: ‘Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1.’” YouTube, uploaded by Shorts TV, 5 Feb. 2015, youtu.be/g6r47tpnIcw.

“Unstuck: An OCD Kids Movie Trailer.” Ocdkidsmovie.com, Realistic Pictures, 2019, www.ocdkidsmovie.com.

Yalkin, Devin. “Love’s Road Home: Photographs.” 10 Nov. 2017, New York Times, by Christopher Chivers, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/fashion/weddings/sam-siatta-marries-ashley-volk.html.

Module Texts for PSA Genre Analysis

“Grand Central Terminal.” Bring Change to Mind, 2009, bringchange2mind.org/learn/psas/grandcentralterminal.

“Join the Movement – PSA Launches.” Each Mind Matters, 1 May 2015, www.eachmindmatters.org/movement-moment/join-the-movement-psa-launches.

“NAMI PSAs – Cure Stigma PSA.” National Alliance on Mental Health, 2018, www.nami.org/press-media/nami-psas.

“Supporting Student Veterans’ Mental Health Awareness PSA.” California Community College Student Mental Health Program,15 Feb. 2016, www.cccstudentmentalhealth.org/resource/supporting-student-veterans-mental-health-awareness.

“Work in Progress.” California Community College Student Mental Health Program, 2018, www.cccstudentmentalhealth.org/resource/work-in-progress-riverside-college-psa.

Module Learning Goals

At the conclusion of this module, students will be able to

·       Rhetorically analyze messages in a variety of mediums, including their own work and the work of peers

·       Use parallel structure in their own writing

·       Develop research questions and appropriately narrow or broaden them as needed

·       Gather, analyze and evaluate sources

·       Analyze models to determine the expectations and conventions of genres

·       Write a précis and an annotated bibliography

·       Design and complete a PSA proposal packet with attention to audience

Rhetorical Concepts

Composition with attention to audience; genre analysis; reading with and against the grain; assessing the credibility of sources; MLA style citations.

English Language Arts Standards

Emphasized in this module are the following English language arts (ELA) standards for grades 11-12: Reading Informational Text 1-3, 5-6; Writing 2, 7-8; Speaking and Listening 1-3.

English Language Development Standards

Emphasized in this module are the following English language development (ELD) Standards for grades 11-12: Part I, A. Collaborative, 1, Bridging; Part I, B. Interpretive, 5-6, Bridging; Part I, C. Productive, 11, Bridging; Part II, A. Structuring Cohesive Texts,1-2, Bridging; Part II, B. Expanding and Enriching Ideas, 3, Bridging.

Defining Features of the Module

In this module, students will analyze a human interest story for its unique structure and stylistic appeal; students will also use the text as a springboard for inquiry.

Various short videos and/or texts will be used as foils to help students read the love story against the grain and surface questions worthy of research. The culminating assignment will be based on research students have done around a mental illness of their choice.

Culminating Task

The culminating task is a grant proposal seeking funding or material support to create a public service announcement. The product is a three-part packet including the Proposal Overview, the PSA Storyboard, and an annotated bibliography. The task demands high quality research and attention to two audiences—the audience for the PSA and the audience for the proposal.

Setting Teaching Goals for the Module

This module deals with a sensitive subject, and this is complicated by the fact that you almost certainly have students in your classroom who deal with mental illness themselves or love someone who does. As the early module discussions will highlight, sensitivity around the issue is at least in part related to the stigma that surrounds mental illness and that dogs the mentally ill. There is no remedy to stigma without discussion—but how do you go about it and still maintain a safe space for the students in your room? How can you make this a relief valve for such students and not another source of pressure?

Before even beginning the goal-setting activity, consider an opening discussion around the preference within the mental health community to refer to those who suffer a mental illness as “a person with schizophrenia” rather than “a schizophrenic,” or as “my friend with bipolar disorder” rather than “my friend who is bipolar.” What’s the difference? Why does it matter? This can lead you into a class conversation around discussion norms for the course of the module. In this way, you have set a positive course without forcing any student to share beyond their comfort zone. As you and your classes move through the module, how will you keep the discussion norms central during whole group and small group conversations? Remember, more than one in twenty teens deal with a mental health issue in any given year; 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness present by age 14, and 75% by age 24 (“Mental Health by the Numbers”). Giving all students the tools to talk about this subject reduces stigma and increases opportunities for help and hope, now and in the future.

Given the module’s purpose and learning goals, what other teaching goals do you have for the module? Consider how much experience your students have with research, and consider how challenging it will be for your students to keep up with multiple due dates, since the final product is first researched and then completed in stages.

Finally, consider the logistics of this module. For example, will you have students take notes and write reflections in a reading log (which is referenced in student directions) or will you use some other system? Does your classroom have the technology to project videos from your computer screen, or do you need to figure out an alternative way for your students to see the multiple short videos that are assigned at various points in the module? Do you need to sign up in advance to have access to computers for research? If your school has access to online databases like SIRS or EBSCO, do your students know how to use them? If not, are you lucky enough to have an on-site librarian who can help?

NOTE on Italics in the TEACHER VERSION: The activities for students provided in the Student Version for this module are copied here in the Teacher Version for your convenience. The shaded areas include the actual activities the students will see. The use of italics in the shaded areas generally indicates possible student responses. These are not meant to be definitive correct answers, only some version of possible student responses showing an acceptable degree of understanding. These are meant to help keep discussions on the right track and indicate the need, should it arise, for further clarification or differentiation. If there are notes to the teacher within the shaded areas, they are indicated by italics and parentheses.

Reading Rhetorically

Preparing to Read

Getting Ready to Read – Setting Learning Goals for the Module

Purpose: To prepare students for the sensitive subject matter of this module and provide them with the learning goals and discussion norms for the course of the module

As discussed in the section “Setting Teaching Goals for the Module,” conduct a discussion around the preference within the mental health community to refer to those who suffer a mental illness as “a person with schizophrenia” rather than “a schizophrenic,” or as “my friend with bipolar disorder” rather than “my friend who is bipolar.” What’s the difference? Why does it matter? Use this as a springboard to establish more global discussion norms for the module. Then give students the list of learning goals, and give them five minutes to write a reflective response in their reading logs.

Activity 1: Getting Ready to Read – Setting Learning Goals for the Module

Quickwrite: Look at the following list of learning goals for this module. Think about what might make some of those goals harder for you than others. Then choose two or three goals that you want to focus on throughout the module. (If you are not sure what an item on the list means, that might be a good reason to choose it). List those goals in your reading log, and explain why you chose each of them. List some ideas—what are some things you could do to achieve those goals?

Be sure to keep these goals in mind as you complete activities throughout the module. When you remember to work toward one of these goals, return to this page a put a check mark next to it.

·       Appropriately discuss a serious subject with peers

·       Rhetorically analyze messages in a variety of mediums, including your own work and the work of peers

·       Use parallel structure in your own writing

·       Develop research questions and appropriately narrow or broaden them as needed

·       Gather, analyze and evaluate sources

·       Analyze models to determine the expectations and conventions of genres

·       Write a précis and an annotated bibliography

·       Design a PSA and complete a three-part PSA proposal packet with attention to audience

Video Texts 1-4 – “Many Sides of Jane Trailer”; “Unstuck: An OCD Kids Movie Trailer”; “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Trailer”; “Oscar Nominated Short Films 2015: ‘Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1’”

Getting Ready to Read – Quickwrite

Purpose: To introduce the topic of mental illness in a way that introduces some basic understandings and challenges some common misconceptions. The concept of stigma is introduced in these videos and will be further developed in Activity 3. Additionally, this activity asks students to consider the value of video to raise awareness about mental illness, which is a precursor to the culminating activity.

You will guide students through several important steps in this activity. Each step is important, setting groundwork for thinking that students will do in future activities. Here are the basic stages of this lesson:

1.     Quickwrite

2.     Short videos one at a time with brief written responses

3.     Follow-up quickwrite

4.     Bar Association’s definitions of mental illness

5.     APA statistics

6.     Before/After Reflection

The majority of your class time will be spent having students view three separate videos and respond to them one at a time. Ideally, you can project the videos to your class so that students can view the videos and write their responses all together, keeping everyone on the same timeline. If projecting the video is not possible, it is fine to have students view the videos on one-to-one devices, but they will need headphones.

Before showing students the videos, give them three to five minutes to do a quickwrite in their reading logs, responding to this three-part prompt:

Based on what you know right now—

1.     Describe what you think “mental illness” is or means.

2.     Explain what your understanding is based upon (e.g., articles you have read, movies you have seen, people you know, etc.).

3.     Judge the credibility of those sources.

Do not engage students in a discussion of these quickwrites now. Toward the end of this activity, students will compare their own definitions with one that you provide.

Now show students the various videos, preferably in the order they are listed. After each trailer, give students two to three minutes to respond to the questions.

1.     Consider showing the video twice before having students respond to the prompts. Note: If students are viewing videos on one-to-one devices, be aware that they may choose to scroll down and read comments, many of which harshly assume that “Jane” is faking her symptoms. Their comments reveal various attitudes people with mental illness sometimes face. It is not the goal of this activity to engage in that discussion; however, if students do review these comments, it could serve the discussion in Activity 3. Ask them to make a few notes on their ideas or questions, so they can bring up those points in Step 3 of Exploring Key Concepts.

·       “Many Sides of Jane Trailer” by A&E. (youtu.be/wDf2mqbJGgM)

2.     After students have viewed the trailer once or twice, scroll up and down the web page, and/or navigate to the “About” page. Students will see various clues that will give them further insight into the purpose and audience of “Unstuck.”

·       “Unstuck: An OCD Kids Movie Trailer” by Realistic Pictures, Inc. (www.ocdkidsmovie.com)

3.     There are two videos. The first is a forty-second trailer; the other is a two-minute interview with the directors of the film. The interview is included because it provides information about the directors’ purposes and because it deals briefly but directly with the issue of stigma.

·       “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Trailer” by HBO Documentary Films (youtu.be/jSxt1GNQX-c)

·       “Oscar Nominated Short Films 2015: ‘Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1’” by Shorts TV (youtu.be/g6r47tpnIcw)

Once students have watched all the videos and written the attendant responses, give students a few minutes to compare their responses with neighbors.

Ask students to respond to one of the follow-up questions.

Then, provide the definition of severe mental illness (Appendix A), taken from a white paper posted on the American Bar Association’s Web site, to students. Work through the vocabulary challenges together (e.g., cognition = thinking, emotion regulation = mood, etc.).

·       How does this definition distinguish severe mental illnesses from others?

·       Why might the American Bar Association write a paper on severe mental illness and the death penalty?

Post the statistics below on the board before asking students to complete the Before/After Reflection on the same page where they initially wrote their own explanation of mental illness.

·       The American Psychiatric Association estimates that, in a given year, 19% of adults experience some form of mental illness, and over 4% experience severe mental illness.

Activity 2: Getting Ready to Read – Quickwrite

Your teacher has already asked you to explain what you think mental illness is, based on what you currently think about the topic. Now your teacher is going to show you some videos that may add to your thinking.

After each video or set of videos that your teacher presents, respond thoughtfully to at least three of the following questions in your reading log. (Try to choose some different questions for each round.)

·       Who is the audience for the show/film advertised in the trailer? Is there more than one target audience? Why do you say so?

·       What is the show or film’s purpose(s)? Why do you say so?

·       How might video footage change or add to people’s understanding of this topic, over just reading about it? Which images or sequences were most effective? Why do you say so?

·       What was the most interesting, enlightening, or surprising information in the trailer? Why?

·       Each show or film follows or interviews individuals. Why do you think these individuals chose to participate?

Quickwrite: Once you have written quick responses to each of the videos separately, now choose one of the questions below and respond to it thoughtfully, keeping in mind all the videos.

·       What details from any of the trailers suggest that people who face mental illness challenges often feel misunderstood? Explain.

·       Two of the videos mentioned “stigma.” In “The Many Sides of Jane Trailer,” Jane says, “The stigma can be really thick, but I feel like it’s time we right that wrong.” In the “Oscar Nominated Shorts 2015” video, one of the film’s directors says, “We’re trying to destigmatize reaching out for help. We’re trying to say there’s no shame in this. If you’re a military member, it’s not weak, instead it’s strong to recognize that you need help, and to get it.” Based on these quotes or your own prior knowledge, explain your current understanding of “stigma.”

Before/After Reflection: Now that you have watched the videos and seen an extended definition of “mental illness,” respond to these prompts on the same page where you wrote your initial definition of mental illness:

·       How does this definition of mental illness confirm, add to, or change your opinion of what mental illness is?

·       How did the videos contribute to your thinking?

·       Where do you think there might still be gaps in your understanding?

Explain your responses as specifically as you can.

Text 1 – Wong et al., “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges,” Figures 1-4 and 6

Exploring Key Concepts

Purposes: To introduce information that will help students comprehend the main text in the module

This activity is layered with various purposes, and it will likely take at least a full 55-minute class period. It introduces information that will not only help students comprehend the main text in the module, but it will also help them read against the grain later, when it comes time to develop inquiry questions.  Additionally, this activity is intended to surface and address misconceptions that students may have about mental illness which could derail their comprehension and schema-building. Finally, this is an initial foray into research, so students will need access to the Internet. If you are not sure what students already know about discriminating between more and less credible sources, it is an opportunity for formative assessment.  

If students begin to get derailed on what “counts” as a “mental illness” or the difference between a “mental disorder,” a “syndrome,” and a “mental illness,” etc., get them off this track. There are two talking points:

1.     For our purposes, if a condition affects a person’s moods, thinking, or behavior, and it presents daily challenges, then it is worthy of students’ attention in this activity.

For example, there may be conflicting opinions among experts whether Alzheimer’s should be categorized as a mental illness; but it is certainly a condition that affects many people’s lives, directly or indirectly, and it certainly could be the subject of a PSA when students choose a topic for the culminating assignment.

2.     It is worth asking students to consider why people want to know whether a condition “counts” as a “mental illness.”

For example, is a student comfortable with thinking of a friend as someone with anorexia, but uncomfortable thinking of them as someone with a mental illness? Such quandaries may point to stigmas and misconceptions attached to mental illness.

This activity requires preparation in advance because students need access to the Internet as well as poster paper (or ledger paper), markers, and sticky notes.

Step 1: Brainstorm Various Mental Illnesses (3-5 minutes)

Guide the class in a brainstorm of mental illnesses. Try to compile a list of at least 15.

As you collect students’ contributions on the board, students capture them on a new page in their reading logs. (They return to this page again when they develop a focus for their research.)

Step 2: Collaborative Research Poster (25-30 minutes)

Divide the class into small groups of four to five students. Initially, students need a way to access the Internet. Each student in the group should be responsible for a different set of research questions. If possible, orchestrate it so that each disorder that students brainstormed is researched by at least one group. In groups of four, decide whether or not Person Four will also research the question designated for Person Five.

Provide groups with butcher paper and markers, so each group can collect their findings on a poster.

Debrief students’ findings before moving on to the next step. Be sure to allow enough time for Step 3.

Step 3: Synthesizing Information and Asking Questions

As students work on their posters together during Step 2, pass out the five figures taken from Wong et al., “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges.” Printouts must be made in color. Alternatively, you can project the graphs or share them with students digitally.

Before you begin, survey the features of the first chart. What do the X and Y axes tell you? Why is it color coded? Where is the title of the chart?

“Stigma” was introduced in Activity 2, but the data students analyze here will allow them to dig more deeply into that concept and consider how it reacts with some other factors they have already associated with mental illness. This activity encourages students to see interrelationships between the ideas they have researched, and to begin to see these issues systemically rather than as isolated problems.

If there is time, you could also ask students to peruse the infographics at “Mental Health by the Numbers” on NAMI’s Web site: www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers.

Formative Assessment: Did students’ conversations show some discrimination between stronger and weaker sources when doing the research? Do the discussions students had and the connections that students made in the Synthesizing Information portion of the activity show an understanding of key concepts like stigma and the negative cycles that can occur when addiction complicates mental health issues?

Activity 3: Exploring Key Concepts

Your teacher has divided you into groups of four to five people. Work with your groupmates to divide up the research tasks; everybody should research something different. Each person should take notes; at the end of this activity, your group will explain your findings to one another and then compile them into an organized poster.

Before you begin researching this topic, answer the following questions: What should you look for to determine the credibility of the sources you take notes from? How will you keep track of where your information came from?

It should be a source with verifiable medical credentials. A hospital, a professional organization for people involved with mental health, or maybe a professional journal that focuses on mental health issues. Or maybe a well-known non-profit organization or a government organization that tries to help people with mental health issues. They should not be selling anything on the site.

Person 1: What does it mean to “self-medicate” for mental illness? What forms can that take? What are the causes and effects of self-medicating?

“Self-medicating” is a term to describe how people sometimes abuse substances to feel better. They can use alcohol or all kinds of different drugs like opioids, heroine, marijuana, etc. Often people with mental health issues don’t really know what’s going on with them, so they do what they can to feel better. This can lead to addiction, though, and all the problems that come with addiction.

Person 2: What are different ways alcoholism can interact with mental illness? What are the causes and effects?

Sometimes alcoholism can contribute to developing a mental illness. Alcoholism definitely complicates things when the person is also mentally ill. And often people with mental health issues become addicted to alcohol trying to cope with it. They might not even know they are mentally ill.

Person 3: What are misconceptions or myths about mental illness? What are the causes or effects of these misconceptions?

People with a mental illness are dangerous; you can’t recover from a mental illness; you should avoid people with mental illness; people with a mental illness cannot contribute to society, lead normal lives, be good parents; etc. Such misconceptions might keep those suffering mental illness from telling people or getting help, which of course makes the situation so much worse; these misconceptions also might mean society isn’t as helpful as it could be, especially if people give up and avoid those with a mental illness, writing them off as dangerous or a lost cause.

Person 4: Consulting the brainstormed list your class developed at the beginning of this activity, research some of the disorders that your class brainstormed. What are the daily challenges of the disorder? What are the symptoms, and how do they impact the affected person’s daily life and relationships?

Person 5: What are various types of treatments for mental illness? What is the difference between “recovery” and “cure?”

Although it is true that you can’t be “cured” of a mental illness, you can experience a full recovery, where the symptoms are gone and it doesn’t affect your life anymore. Treatments include therapy, virtual reality simulations, medications, etc.

1.     After looking at the data your teacher gives you, respond to these prompts as a group:

Why are researchers interested in how people suffering from mental illness perceive things like stigma and the possibility for recovery? Where do you think those perceptions might come from?

Researchers are interested because these beliefs would affect how people behave. If you are afraid of the stigma, or if you think you can’t be helped, you might be less likely to end up getting help because you don’t want to talk to anyone about the issues you are facing. These perceptions might come from how people around them talk about mental illness, or from movies, which sometimes aren’t very realistic.

What questions arise based on this data? If a researcher wanted to dig deeper, what should they try to figure out?

(Responses will vary)

2.     Go back to the poster that your group created.

3.     Draw lines between ideas that are somehow connected, and label those lines with an explanation of those connections.

Misconceptions à hurt relationships; self-medicating à alcoholism; etc.

4.     Add sticky notes where the stigma surrounding mental illness might interact with ideas on your poster. Explain the connection between stigma and the idea that is already on your poster.

Stigma à alcoholism; stigma à harmed relationships; stigma à not getting help; etc.

Additional Teacher Note: Here are two optional resources. The American Psychiatric Association Web page titled “What Is Mental Illness” has links to a variety of disorders—preview it before you assign it to students so you are aware of the breadth of conditions they list there: www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness. Additionally, if students express discomfort with some conditions being considered a mental illness, David Rettew’s Psychology Today blog entry “Is Autism a Mental Illness” could be a useful follow-up. It will make clear to students that there is often discussion in professional communities about how to classify some common problems; more importantly, it will tie directly to the conversations about stigma which are central to this activity. From here forward in Activity 2, the blog could be introduced anywhere, simply depending on when you have 30 minutes to fit it in.

Activity 3a: Exploring Key Concepts – Follow-up Questions for “Is Autism a Mental Illness” (Optional)

1.     What seems to be the difference between conditions that are considered “mental illness” and those that are considered “neurological disorders”?

It’s still not totally clear to me, but it seems like it’s the difference between whether you are born with it…? Except he gave examples of mental illnesses that you are born with. Maybe it’s the difference between something physically different about your brain and something different about how your brain works. But I see why sometimes people don’t always agree. Like he said, there are things they keep figuring out as research goes on.

2.     What reason does the author suggest why some people reject calling autism a mental illness?

He thinks people don’t like the stigma. Like, maybe parents of autistic kids don’t want to think of them as “mentally ill.”

3.     What concerns does he raise?

Well, for one, changing the label might make it easier for insurance companies to not cover you, which is scary. But more, he thinks giving in to the stigma just keeps stigma going.

4.     This author does not take a position on whether or not autism is a mental illness. So what is his purpose for writing a response to the question in the title?

I think this article is less about autism than it is about stigma. I think he is trying to point out to people that creating an “us/them” situation is just bad for everybody. And he is talking to doctors who are helping to build the stigma, not just regular people.

5.     How might his concerns relate to the class discussion we had before, about the difference between saying, for example, “an autistic person” and “a person with autism.”

“A person with autism” is resisting a label. This doctor seems to suggest that the labels we use are not helpful. Whether someone is “mentally ill” or has some “neurological” problem, they should be thought of as people first.

Text 2 – Chivers, “Love’s Road Home”

Surveying the Text

Purpose: To make initial predictions about the text by surveying its features and considering its genre

Have students survey the features of the text to make inferences about the occasion, audience, and purpose of the text. Have students make inferences from the given URL first, and then pass out print copies of the text for students to engage in the second half of the activity.

If students are unfamiliar with the way newspapers are organized, you may want to have a physical Sunday paper at the ready, so they can see how a newspaper is divided into sections. Within those sections, the stories that are deemed most important will be on the front page and above the fold. Other indicators of a story’s importance might include how much space has been devoted to it, including the size of the headline and the number of words and/or pictures. Give them a chance to see the fashion/weddings section in particular.

This activity also gives students the opportunity to consider the difference between “hard” and “soft” news: hard news tends to be stories that inform or contextualize an event or situation with some urgency/exigence at the local, regional, national, or international level; soft news tends to be human interest stories that entertain, often centered on individuals who may or may not be celebrities.

Activity 4: Surveying the Text

Surveying the features of a text can give readers a sense of what a text is about and how it is put together. It can help readers decide what strategies to use when they read. Write the responses to the questions below in your reading log (or some other safe place) because you will use them again later.

·       Look at just the Web address below. What can you infer simply by looking at the URL?

www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/fashion/weddings/sam-siatta-marries-ashley-volk.html

·       What is the occasion that provoked Chivers to write this article?

Sam Siatta is marrying Ashley Volk.

·       What is the purpose of this article?

It is a wedding announcement. Is this for people who know them but weren’t invited to the wedding? Or maybe Sam or Ashley is a celebrity?

·       Who is the audience for this article?

The audience is probably someone who cares about Sam and/or Ashley.

·       Now take a look at the article, “Love’s Road Home.” Read any titles, subtitles, and items in bold font. Note the author, date, and length of the article. What do you notice about the text? Does it alter your predictions about the occasion, purpose, or audience?

There is only the title, “Love’s Road Home,” which makes it sound like a journey. If the story really is about Sam and Ashley getting married, this is more than just a wedding announcement because it is way too long for that. I am curious about the things in bold font because they seem random. Why would “at lunch time on Halloween” be important enough to put in bold?

Photographic Texts – Yalkin, “Love’s Road Home: Photographs”

Making Predictions and Asking Questions

Purpose: To make predictions based on details from text and image

“Love’s Road Home” is an example of the photojournalism genre because large, high-quality images add dimension to the prose reporting. By the very nature of the way images interact with the human brain, the photographs generate emotional responses from the reader that are layered into the experience of reading the text.

For this activity, you could have students look just at the first image that the article presents, reprinted below and included in a larger format in Appendix B. Alternatively, you could preview all the photographs in the order that they appear in the article (Appendix B). This might be especially helpful for students who are likely to be troubled by the article’s narrative, which is not presented in chronological order. Previewing all the photographs will give them a strong idea of the article’s basic through-line. Even if students do view all the pictures, have the class work together on the analysis.

If possible, project a high-quality digital image for the whole class to see. Alternatively, students could access the image(s) themselves from the online article, or you could provide students printed versions of the image(s). In any case, guide students through this three-step process, which is based on a strategy called “See, Think, Wonder” from Ron Pritchard’s Making Thinking Visible (55-63). Have students work independently on the first phase, pushing them to see more than just the most obvious details; then ask students to share out in phases 2 and 3, pushing them toward layered responses.

·       Step 1: What do you see? List as many details as possible.

·       Step 2: What do you think is going on? What else is going on? Support your suggestions with details from the photo.

·       Step 3: What does the photo make you wonder? Think beyond what this picture can show you.

Activity 5: Making Predictions and Asking Questions

When you go to the article “Love’s Road Home” online, a picture of Sam Siatta and Ashley Volk takes up the full screen, and you have to scroll down to begin reading the article. Now that you and your classmates have closely observed and discussed that opening image, respond thoughtfully to these questions:

·       Based on this picture, predict the tone of the article.

Sam seems contented and maybe relieved. I think we will be rooting for them.

·       How might this picture reveal a theme or be symbolic?

It’s hard to say without reading it first. It’s interesting that you can’t really see Ashley much, but she is important in the picture. She is holding Sam up, almost. He looks peaceful, like he’s resting on her.

·       How do you think the photographs will add to the article?

It will make the story more personal. This one picture is catching them in what seems like a private moment. The photographs will probably draw us in and help us connect with them and their story.

·       Read paragraphs 1-6 of the text. What do you wonder?

Understanding Key Vocabulary – Word Sort

Purpose: To familiarize students with the key vocabulary in “Love’s Road Home”

In this activity, students are provided with a glossary of vocabulary words specific to this text, and students are asked to sort words into categories based on what those words mean.

For the word sort, students can work individually or in pairs. Their task is to create category headings that can encompass three or more vocabulary words, attempting to group as many vocabulary words as possible. You may need to provide students with a sample category to help them understand this activity at first. Some possible categories include: “legal,” “military,” “mental health,” “religion,” “difficulties to overcome,” etc.

If your students might benefit, consider modeling the different mind-mapping strategies mentioned in the student instructions: bulleted lists, columned charts, and word webs.

Students may not be able to categorize every single word—that is OK. As you move around the room, check that students are grouping words together based on what they mean, and not such things as “they have hyphens” or “they all begin with p.”

Below is an example of one way to collect words into groupings:

Legal

Military

Mental Health

Religion

probation

counterinsurgency

post-traumatic stress disorder

Quran

penitentiary

turret

alcoholism

officiate

officiate

decorate

depression

betrothed

appellate

grunt

self-medicating

mitigation

valor

motive

decorate

chambers

vacate a conviction

Formative Assessment: As you walk the room, see if the explanations that students offer for their groupings demonstrate an understanding of the vocabulary words.

Activity 6: Understanding Key Vocabulary – Word Sort

Below is a glossary of words that are specific to the text you will read. Keep this list with you as you read the article.

penitentiary (noun)

a prison maintained in the U.S. by a state or the federal government for serious criminals

descend (verb)

to go down

appellate (adj.)

When people are found guilty in a court case, they can sometimes “appeal” that decision, asking a new judge to “overturn” or reverse it. An “appellate” court is where such appeals are decided.

puppeteer (noun)

the person who makes puppets move

motive (noun)

the reason that explains someone’s action

post-traumatic stress disorder (noun)

a mental disorder that usually happens after a traumatic event (Symptoms can include reliving the event, withdrawing from others, living in a hyper-alert state, among other things. Also known as PTSD.)

probation (noun)

a method of dealing with people who have been convicted of a crime, which allows them to live outside of jail under the supervision of a probation officer

mitigation (noun)

the act of making something better or milder; making a consequence less severe

decorate (verb)

giving a soldier a medal of honor that “decorates” his/her uniform

valor (noun)

heroic courage; bravery or integrity in the face of great danger

grunt (noun)

slang for a soldier, especially an infantryman

turret (noun)

a dome, sometimes heavily armored, with guns inside it; turrets are mounted on something like a plane, ship, tank, or building

beset (adj.)

attacked from all sides; surrounded by troubles

chambers (noun)

the private office of a judge

cusp (noun)

a point that marks the beginning of a change

officiate (verb)

to perform an official ceremony, such as marry two people

betrothed

engaged to be married (adj.) or someone who is engaged to be married (noun)

Quran (noun)

the sacred text of Islam

trades (noun)

some line of skilled manual or mechanical work, for example, carpentry, masonry, etc.

omission (noun)

something left out, not done, or neglected

vacate a conviction

a judge’s action to cancel a conviction, making it like the court case never happened

Sort the list of glossary words into at least three different categories of your own making. Try to place as many words as you sensibly can into each category. Put words into a category based on what the words mean; do not put words together because, for example, they are all verbs or they all start with “p.” If a word fits into more than one category, you may write it more than once. To organize your lists, you could create a table with columns, a word web, bulleted lists, or any other system that makes clear what categories you have created and which words you have grouped together inside those categories.

Creating Personal Learning Goals

Purpose: To revise the learning goals students set at the beginning of the module and set new goals for the reading portion

In this module, students will encounter both print and video texts. Furthermore, students will be using these texts as a starting point for inquiry and research, so students are well served not only by comprehending the text, but by keeping track of their ideas and questions for future reference.

Activity 7: Creating Personal Learning Goals

Before setting new goals, open your reading log and revisit the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the module. On the same page in your log, answer the next two questions:

1.     What have you done to try to make progress towards any of those goals?

2.     Did you miss some opportunities to make progress? If so, what do you think you could have done?

At this point, you are going to set some learning goals for just the reading portion of the module. Below is a bulleted list of some of the things you will be learning or doing for the next week or two. Compare this list with the goals you set for the module—does that help you choose some items from the list for a focus? Or are there some you would like to focus upon for other reasons?

·       Keep track of your thoughts and questions about the text

·       Take notes from a twelve-minute video about a complicated story

·       Write an analytical summary of the article

·       Practice recognizing and writing with parallel structure

·       Sort out what happened in a story in which the events are told out of order

Quickwrite: Identify one or two goals for the reading portion of this module and explain why you chose them. If they connect to your learning goals for the whole module, explain how so.

Be sure to keep these goals in mind as you complete the activities of the module. When you remember to work toward one of these goals, return to this page a put a check mark next to it.

Reading Purposefully

Reading for Understanding

Purpose: To help students understand the text and consider the power of images to enhance a narrative

The first reading of a text is intended to help students understand the main ideas of the text. Before students read the text, have them develop a question based on the text’s title, to help them set a purpose for reading. They could also preview the first three comprehension questions below.

As students read, be sure the companion document, the article’s photographs, is available to students. Ideally, students are reading from and marking up the article on paper while the document with the photographs is on a computer, so they can look at the images in high quality. Throughout the module, students will consider the ways that imagery can contribute to meaning. This is useful preparation for a culminating project that asks them to develop the concept for a public service announcement.

The questions below are designed to elicit their broad understandings of “Love’s Road Home.” If students need a reminder of what the word “context” means, revisit it before students begin the activity.

Additional Teacher Note: In this three-part activity, Part 2 and the first stage of Part 3 could be assigned to students for homework. Then students could complete the Part 3 partner-work in class the following day. Students write a summary sentence to close out Part 3: make sure students keep it somewhere safe because they may choose to use it for the first sentence of their précis in Activity 15.

Directions for Five-Word Summary (With a Twist):

1.     Ask students, working on their own, to choose five words from the text (excluding names!) that you would absolutely need to use if you were going to summarize this article for someone who is unfamiliar with the story. Remind students that there is more than one story in the article, and their word choices should reflect that.

2.     Once individual students have created their lists, pair them with another student. Together, these students now use that bank of ten words to create a new and refined list of five words. As you work the room, you should hear them explaining to one another the significance of their initial choices and negotiating with each other about which words will make their final list of five, still keeping in mind that these words together should reflect the whole text.

3.     Have students write a sentence, using all five of their words, that offers a summary or overview of the article. Here’s the twist: Provide students with this sentence starter: In Christopher Chivers’s human interest story “Love’s Road Home’ (2017), he…” (Of course, students may reword the opening as long as they completely introduce the source material in their opening). Emphasize that the sentence should accurately summarize the whole text.

As you work the room, encourage students to choose a precise and descriptive verb or verb phrase to capture what Chivers is doing in this piece. If this may be a challenge for some of your students, consider providing a list of some possible choices on the board: chronicles, recounts, introduces, warms readers’ hearts by, details, follows the journeys of, etc.  

Activity 8: Reading for Understanding

Part 1: Work with a partner to respond to these comprehension questions:

·       What narratives are woven together in the article? Why?

·       Whose story is this? Why do you say so?

·       In paragraph 29, the author says Ashley is taking care of “the post-war version of her best friend.” What does the author assume readers understand about Sam from that description?

·       Review the photographs. Choose one of them that you believe adds meaning that was not in the text of the article. Explain which photo you are looking at, which details within the photo that you are looking at, and the idea(s) you believe those details add to the text.

Part 2: Now that you have read the whole text, these comprehension questions ask you to revisit some specific details. Work on your own for the following section. Choose for your analysis any two of the quotations listed underneath the prompt.

With the benefit of knowing the whole story, explain the context of each quoted detail and how it adds to the narrative. The first one is done for you as an example.

·       “Joy flashed through her, followed by dread” (par. 6).

Example: This is the part where Ashley noticed that Sam had thread on his ring finger, and he told her it was how he stayed hopeful about the future while he was stuck in jail. He basically proposed to her. The mix of joy and dread is meaningful. Ashley really loves Sam, but their road has been very hard. I think she feels dread because it is impossible to see what their future will be like, and at that point she is afraid to get her hopes up and get her heart broken.

·       “He left to join the Marine Corps, which decorated him for valor and praised him for saving men’s lives” (par. 28).

·       “Ms. Lavin suspects the latter, but is not sure” (par. 41).

·       “The judge describes the day as Chicago’s finest moment” (par. 48).

·       “Hundreds of people were filling out the forms” (par. 66).

·       “The rose petals showed the last steps of a long path, her road home” (par. 84).

·       “The omission was deliberate” (par. 92).

·       “He was ready either way” (par. 96).

Part 3: Finally, follow your teacher’s instructions to complete the five-word summary.

Annotating and Questioning the Text

Purpose: To track character introductions, identify spots of confusion, and mark sources of wonder, all annotations that will serve them in future activities

In this module, the primary text is used as a jumping-off point for inquiry. So, as you work the room, encourage the process of wondering. The questions students generate now could later provide a focus for their research. One example might be, “How long should a loved one stick it out with a mentally ill person?”

If students seem stuck on how to wonder, encourage them to begin with “what if” questions. Here are a couple of samples:

·       What if the judge had never read about Ashley and Sam?

·       What if Ashley had given up on Sam?

Activity 9: Annotating and Questioning the Text

For this activity, you will need your article, as well as a highlighter and a pen, so you can add some symbols and annotations in the margins.

·       Work with a partner to highlight, one time each, the name of every different person who appears in this article. In the margin of your text, explain the role they play in this story.

·       Working on your own, put a question mark in the margin anywhere there is something that still confuses you.

·       Put a star in the margin next to something that makes you wonder, and write out your question. Do this at least three times.

What if Sam had “won” the fight and really hurt the other marine?

Had Sam tried counseling for his PTSD before he was put in jail?

What does the government do for veterans with PTSD?

What if Sam wasn’t a soldier but had PTSD for some other reason. How would this story be different?

What are the warning signs and symptoms of PTSD, and where can somebody seek help?

After you are done reading and annotating, go back and look at the places where you put stars. In your reading log (or somewhere else safe), write out clearly and completely at least three distinct things that the article made you wonder about. Keep these responses safe because you will refer to them in future activities.

Negotiating Meaning

Purpose: To help students clarify the order of events in “Love’s Road Home”

Although “Love’s Road Home” is at heart a narrative, its structure is one layer of the text’s complexity. It weaves together multiple narratives (Sam, Ashley, Conner Lavin, and Justice Lavin), and frequently jumps back and forth in time.

In this activity, students will work together to clarify the chronology of events, which will set the stage for them to discuss the effect of the author’s structural choices in Activity 11: Examining the Structure of the Text.

Activity 10: Negotiating Meaning

In groups of two or three, you will work together to navigate some complex and potentially confusing parts of the text.

Even though “Love’s Road Home” is a narrative, it has an unusual structure. It weaves together more than one story, and it jumps back and forth in time.

Begin by reviewing your annotations from Activity 9. As groupmates, share with one another where you placed question marks in the margin. Explain what you find confusing and work together to make sense of the confusing spots. Then move on to the tasks below.

·       There are a few short sections in the text with words in bold font. Why is that? How are they supposed to help the reader?

·       Within each of the major sections, identify flashbacks, and flashbacks within flashbacks. Identify them in the margins of your article and include a brief summary of the flashback.

Put key events and characters’ turning points into a basic chronological order, using the categories below as signposts. Once you get to 2017, there are multiple entries—try to put those entries in chronological order, too. You can begin this exercise by skimming the text for dates, but that will not always work. Sometimes the clues to chronology come in phrases that mark time, like “late last spring” in paragraph 16.

Childhood & Youth

Ashley had loved Sam since elementary school (par. 7)

Boyfriend and girlfriend in high school, but then he left to join the Marines (pars. 27-28)

2008

Conner Lavin joins the military (par. 32)

2012

Conner Lavin killed in Afghanistan (para 40)

Justice Lavin is “haunted” by loss of his nephew, but there is nothing he can do about it (par. 46)

Exact year? Sam Siatta was a sniper fighting the Taliban, was a decorated hero, came home feeling lost and began self-medicating (pars. 50, 28, 52)

2014

Sam entered a house drunk and got in a fight with another former marine (par. 55)

2016

Early 2016 – Sam proposes in prison (pars. 3, 5)

Spring 2016 – Sam released from prison after New York Times did an article about his PTSD. Prosecutor vacated conviction, Sam pled to lesser charge, went on probation (par. 16)

Sam’s disability pension was cut, so Ashley started “carrying him” while he went to PTSD counseling (pars. 19-22)

2017

Jan. 2017 – Ashley is “caring for the post-war version of her best friend” (par. 29)

Jan. 2017 – Justice Lavin reads an article about Sam and Ashley and reaches out to the couple (pars. 49, 58)

Summer 2017 – Sam begins working construction with “Helmets to Hardhats” (par. 68)

Early Oct. – Sam proposes again in Noodles and Co. (pars.71-73)

Halloween 2017 – Sam and Ashley get married (par. 12)

Examining the Structure of the Text

Purpose: To examine the effect of narrative details shared out of chronological order

In Activity 10, students put the events related in the article into chronological order; now they consider why the author chose to tell these stories out of sequence.

As students engage with these questions, push them to see beyond the idea of introductions as “hooks,” so they can consider beginnings as frames. Introductions can establish what a story is about. Consider the fact that the events in Ashley and Sam’s story could be framed, for example, as a commentary on the legal system’s interface with the mentally ill, or a call for more infrastructure to support combat veterans, etc. But the beginning of this text makes clear—this is a love story.

Beginnings and endings are privileged spaces in a text, and the middle is often where you “bury” less important information. Juxtaposing unlike ideas by putting them next to each other can be used to great effect. Images are valuable ways to engage both the hearts and minds of an audience. Chivers employed these techniques in “Love’s Road Home,” and all of these are techniques that students could apply when they design their 30-60 second PSA.

Activity 11: Examining the Structure of the Text

In the same groups of two to three that you worked with in Activity 10, respond to any two questions from Part A and any two questions from Part B.

Part A

·       Look back at the chart you made in Activity 10, outlining the actual chronology of events in this article. Why do you think Chivers did not tell the story in chronological order?

If he had, it would have started more or less with Sam’s crime, and readers might not have been so sympathetic. This opening sets readers up for what the story is really about, and it goes better with the human-interest story purpose.

·       Look at the three main sections of the text that you identified in Activity 10. Why do you think Chivers organized information in this way?

Well, reading this is pretty complicated, so it needed some sort of organization with all the flashbacks. So it was basically Sam and Ashley, then the judge, then all of them together. And maybe each of their sad stories needed to be told first to add up to the happy ending for all of them.

·       Beginnings and endings are always important choices for an author to make. How do the article’s opening paragraphs serve the author’s overall purpose for writing this piece? How do the beginning and ending work together?

I think Chivers chose that scene for the beginning because it shows right away what a true love story it is. How could it get much worse than that, but Ashley wants to be with Sam. You feel bad for them, too, for the indignity of not being able to hold hands, so you are on their side right away. The scene also sets up the flashbacks that explain all the obstacles they faced up until Sam got put in jail. The ending works with the beginning because it is the happy ending of this story. Also, the story kind of starts with Ashley, and it ends that way, too.

Part B

·       What does the collection of photographs add to this text?

It’s like looking at their wedding album. We’re family, joining them on their big day, especially in the private moments. It definitely makes them real, not just characters in a story.

·       Find where the author describes Sam Siatta’s crime. Why did he put it there?

I’m not sure if Chivers did it on purpose, but it does bury the crime in the middle, like it’s no big deal. But maybe the flashbacks went in order and that’s just how it happened. I’m not surprised he didn’t make the crime the opening scene, though.

·       Choose any other flashback to analyze. What was the author’s purpose for including that flashback? Why do you think the author put it in that spot?

Considering the Rhetorical Situation

Purpose: To further develop their understanding of the interrelationships between the audience, purpose, and occasion of the text

In this activity, students will need their Reading Log entry from Activity 4, in which they made initial predictions about the author’s purpose, audience, and occasion. Now that students have a much deeper understanding of the text, they should be able to offer much deeper and more nuanced responses to those questions. Your role in this is to push students with follow-up questions, so they generate layered and interrelated responses to questions of audience, purpose, and occasion.

Students should keep their notes because these responses will be very useful to students in Activity 15, when they are asked to write a précis.

Before students begin, review the difference between correcting, refining, or adding to their predictions.

Formative Assessment: Let students know where to write their reflections—3x5 card? Reading log? Collect students’ Rapid Reflections to see their self-assessments. Students’ responses should indicate they feel confident that they have at least a basic understanding of the text and its rhetorical situation.

Activity 12: Considering the Rhetorical Situation

In your reading log, find the entry from Activity 4 where you wrote down your predictions about the purpose, audience, and occasion of this text. Now that you have read the text, you can be more specific and thorough in your responses.

For this activity, use the same page in your reading log that you used in Activity 4. Your task is to reread your initial predictions and correct them, refine them, and/or add to them.

·       What is the occasion that provoked Chivers to write this article?

A happy ending; the triumph of love; a feel-good fairy tale, including a fairy godfather. They had written about Sam Siatta before, so this was like a follow-up. Sam’s life has turned from really depressing to full of love and hope.

·       What is the purpose of this article?

This is a feel-good article. It is not meant to stir up conversation about mental illness. It is on the fashion page! It might also be a little self-congratulation for the newspaper. Did their article help Sam and Ashley get their happy ending?

·       Who is the audience for this article?

People who are reading the articles on the fashion and weddings page are looking for soft news. They might also be people who read about Sam’s hard times before, so they would be interested in finding out how that story turned out. People who might be particularly moved might be those who have PTSD in their lives somehow—themselves or someone they care about—or maybe mental illness of some other kind. But most everybody can relate to hard times and feel happy for people who triumph over so much to be together.

Once you have developed your thoughts about the purpose, audience, and occasion of the text, trade reading logs with another student.

·       Work together to develop one another’s responses even further and add those ideas into your reading log.

·       Working with your partner, write two distinctly different sentences that make a connection between two elements of the rhetorical situation. For example, how could you explain a connection between the text’s purpose and its audience?

This is a feel-good article for people who read about Sam’s troubles before and who now get to see there is so much love and hope in his life now.

Quickwrite: Rapid Reflection – Look at how much you added to your analysis of the rhetorical situation. What is your reaction to the evidence of your learning? For example, were you surprised at how much detail you were able to add to your analysis? Are you worried you don’t understand this article yet?

Analyzing Rhetorical Grammar

Purpose: To introduce students to (or refresh their memories about) parallel structure

Writers who command parallelism write more clearly and elegantly than those who don’t. Parallel structure organizes for readers thoughts that are alike; it can lend rhythm to the ideas being expressed, and create opportunity for repetition that is musical or emphatic or both.

Before Activity 13, begin with the brief exercise below. This could be an introductory warm-up to Activity13, but may better be used the day before as a quick diagnostic of students’ basic understanding of parallelism. If used as a diagnostic, ask students to respond to the prompt on an Exit Slip, using any grammatical terms that they are comfortable with in their explanations. These slips should not only give you a sense of students’ facility with parallelism (whether it is intuitive or studied), but also give you useful input in organizing mixed groupings when students move on to the exercises.

Warm-up Prompt: In terms of its structure and attention to things like punctuation and other conventions, what is wrong with the bulleted list below?

·       List of Difficulties Ashley and Sam had to Overcome

·       Sam came home from Afghanistan with PTSD

·       He could not find work because of his criminal record.

·       Why did the government cut off his disability checks?

·       working at the bar until 5AM

·       Sam and Ashley finally get married

Complete student responses would include these ideas:

·       The title (“List of Difficulties Ashley and Sam Had to Overcome”) should not have a bullet because it is not part of the list–that is, it is not one of the difficulties.

·       “Sam and Ashley finally getting married” should be removed from the list because it is not a difficulty they had to overcome. It does not belong in this list.

·       The question needs to be turned into a statement so that they all match.

·       The items in the list should match grammatically—one could, for example, begin each item with a personal pronoun or with Sam and/or Ashley’s name.

·       End punctuation needs to be consistent; either they all have periods or none of them do.

·       Opening capitalization needs to be consistent.

When debriefing with students, highlight the points that the items in the list must belong together; students should be able to categorize them in some way. Getting students to express that “these are all” difficulties the couple had to overcome is useful preparation for the activities to come. Lead the class in revising the above list to fix all the errors, and consider asking students to capture this corrected example in their notes or reading log.

Additional Teacher Note: Activities 13 and 14 (or Activity 13 alone) are designed to allow you to approach parallelism with a series of mini-lessons that could be conducted intermittently, as students close out the reading section of the module and begin the research and writing process. This will allow students repeated exposure to the concept of parallelism, while they practice with tasks that become incrementally more demanding. In the table below are two possible ways to divide up the activity, depending on the general confidence your students already have with parallelism. For classes where most students have some previous practice with parallel structure, assigning some of the activities as homework to be reviewed and discussed in class is another option. Also, every set of student directions from here to the end of the module includes at least one example of parallelism, so you could spend a minute or two every day asking students to find it.

It is important, however, to introduce parallelism and give students a bit of practice before Activity 15, when they will be asked to write a rhetorical précis.

Possible Ways to Divide Activity 13 Into Mini-Lessons

Day 1: Activity 13, “Introduction” and “These are All…”

Day 1: Activity 13, “Introduction” and “These are All…”

Day 2: Activity 13, “Break Apart Sentences”

Day 2: Activity 13, “Break Apart Sentences” and “Combine Sentences”

Day 3: Activity 13, “Combine Sentences”

Day 3: Activity 13, “Imitation x 2 choices”

Day 4: Activity 13, “Imitation”

Day 4: Activity 13, “Imitation”

Day 5: Activity 13, “Imitation”

Day 5: Activity 13, “Imitation”

Activity 13: Analyzing Rhetorical Grammar – Parallelism

In the exercises that follow, you will work with parallel structure. For anyone who hopes to write clearly and elegantly, learning to craft parallel ideas is absolutely necessary. Parallel structure organizes ideas to help readers comprehend your thoughts, but it also adds flow and rhythm to your writing.

Part 1: Introduction to Parallel Structure (a.k.a. Parallelism)

The Big Idea: When ideas belong together in a group or a list, then make them match.

·       Ideas in a parallel list are connected (or could be) with or, and, or but

·       Ideas in a parallel list are written to grammatically match each other

The following sentence shows a basic example of parallel structure.

Still jumpy from the war, he departed the military burdened by confusion, sorrow and shame. (par. 52)

Notice these two things:

·       The items in the list belong together in a list because they are all emotions that “burdened” Sam after he left the military.

·       Each item in the list grammatically matches the others: “confusion, sorrow, and shame” are noun, noun, and noun.

Parallelism can happen in sets of two, three, or more. What matched sets do you see in these sentences? How do those items grammatically match?

Missions changed, priorities shifted, some clock ran down. The village where Mr. Siatta and his peers had bled and killed returned to Taliban control. (par. 51)

Missions changed, priorities shifted, some clock ran down: they all begin with noun + past-tense verb

Bled and killed: both are past-tense verbs

Parallelism can happen with any type of grammatical chunk: types of WORDS, types of PHRASES, types of CLAUSES, or the structure of SENTENCES.

In the sentence below, main clauses have been connected with the coordinating conjunction “and.” Rewrite the given passage into four sentences total, so the parallel list is broken up into three separate sentences. (Note: You will need to add words to the opening idea.)

“[The string on my finger is] a reminder that when I get out of here we’re going to have a future, and I’m going to marry you, and we’ll have a real life,” he said. (par. 5)

The string on my finger is a reminder of what I can look forward to when I get out of here. We’re going to have a future. I’m going to marry you. We’ll have a real life.

Part 2: These are all…

In this activity, the underlined words are items in a parallel list. Explain why these items belong to the same list, and how these items grammatically match. Begin your sentence this way: “These are all…”

1.     He hoisted a pint of Guinness, set aside his misgivings and threw in his blessing, with a toast. (par. 35

These are all things Justice Lavin did when he was making a toast to his nephew. Each item in the list starts with a past tense verb.

2.     He was in PTSD counseling, trying to regain his confidence and calm. With a job tending bar three or four nights a week until 4 a.m. and Saturday until 5, she brought home her tips, amassing enough in small bills each month to keep a roof above their heads and food in the fridge. (par. 22)

In the first list, these are both what Sam was trying to regain in counseling. They are both nouns.

In the second list, these are both what Ashley was paying for with the money that she earned. They are both a noun + a prepositional phrase.

3.     Things looked up. No longer Illinois Department of Corrections Inmate No. Y11107, Mr. Siatta continued his run of alcohol-free months, restored himself to top physical condition and resumed his live-in relationship with Ms. Volk, while training to enter the local mixed-martial arts club-fighting scene. (par. 18)

These are all positive things Sam did after he got out of prison. They are all past-tense verbs.

4.     Her fatigue ran deeper than this, to years of worrying about Mr. Siatta, first when he was in Afghanistan, then when he was in prison, and now while he tried to find the work that might elevate his sense of self-worth. She stayed with it, dutifully, sometimes mechanically, “to be able to pay the rent, pay the bills, pay for the groceries, electric and phones.” (par. 26)

These are all reasons that Ashley worried about Sam. They are all subordinate clauses that have to do with time (when, when, and while).

Break Apart Sentences

In the sentences below, break up the parallel strings into different sentences. Once you have done so, explain what you have learned by doing it.

1.     He left to join the Marine Corps, which decorated him for valor and praised him for saving other men’s lives. She had never wanted him in the corps. She dreamed peaceful dreams, of becoming a broadcast journalist or opening a dance school. (par. 28)

He left to join the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps decorated him for valor. The Marine Corps praised him for saving other men’s lives. She had never wanted him in the corps. She dreamed peaceful dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. She dreamed peaceful dreams of opening a dance school.

2.     She started screaming, there in the restaurant, jumping up and down, kissing him. “Creating,” she said, “a scene.” (par. 74)

She was in the restaurant. She started screaming. She started jumping up and down. She started kissing him. She started “creating a scene,” she said.

3.     “He’d be thrilled,” he said. “He’d grab a cold one, top it off, and give them cheers.” (par. 93)

“He’d be thrilled,” he said. “He’d grab a cold one. He’d top it off. He’d give them cheers.”

By breaking up the parallel structure into different sentences, I can see how many words you can save by putting the listed things together. It especially helps you not have to repeat the same words over and over. In the last example, I had to say “he’d” four times. Also, it’s just smoother. Turning everything into its own sentence makes the writing choppy and like an elementary school book.

Combine Sentences

Take these sentences and combine them into one sentence that uses parallelism for ideas that belong together. You do not have to match how the sentence was actually written in the article, as long as your sentence is grammatical. You may have to add or subtract words to make this work!

1.     She reached across the table to clutch his calloused hands. She reached across the table to examine that flimsy cell-block ring. She reached across the table to accept.

She reached across the table to clutch his calloused hands, to examine that flimsy cell-block ring, to accept.

2.     Ms. Volk waited for Mr. Siatta. Ms. Volk lifted Mr. Siatta. She did that when he was at war. She did that when he was in prison. She did that when he was finally back home.

Ms. Volk waited for, and lifted, Mr. Siatta—when he was at war, when he was in prison, and when he was finally back home.

3.     “We have to support our country,” he said. “We have to support our flag,” he said. “We have to support our men and women in uniform,” he said.

“We have to support our country, support our flag, and support our men and women in uniform,” he said.

4.     He added his own festive touch. His festive touch was buying flowers. His festive touch was spreading orange rose petals on his courtroom floor for the bride to walk across.

He added his own festive touch, buying flowers and spreading orange rose petals on his courtroom floor for the bride to walk across.

Imitations

When you imitate sentences, you are matching an author’s moves, but writing about something completely different.

·       Look at the sample imitations before you begin, to get an idea of what is supposed to match the model, and where you have freedom to make the sentence your own.

·       Choose a passage you will use as your model. Circle all the parallel elements in that passage.

·       Optional increased cool factor: Put a box around repeated words, so you can try to have repeated words in those spots, too.

·       When you write your imitation, avoid using words from the model, except the ones that are already underlined. Be sure you put parallel elements in your passage in the same places where they exist in the model.

1.     Model: Let it be known that Ashley Volk had loved Sam Siatta since elementary school, the age of True Love Always in sidewalk chalk. She loved him before he joined the Marines and went to war, before he descended into depression and alcoholism upon his return, before he was convicted on a felony charge for a crime he did not remember through a blackout fog. (par. 7)

Sample Imitation: Let it be known that my room has stunk since fifth grade, the age of lying to mom about taking a shower. My room stunk before I got a pet skunk, before I stuffed three years’ worth of fast food bags under my bed, beforeit took me six months to realize my mom decided I should learn to do my own laundry.

Your Imitation:

2.     Model: Yet she had to admit it. She wanted him as her husband. She reached across the table to clutch his calloused hands, to examine that flimsy cell-block ring, to accept. (par. 9)

Sample Imitation: Yet she hesitated. She was not ready to make a promise. She withdrew her hand from his, examined the faded wood grain on the table top, looked away.

Your Imitation:

3.     Model: Ashley Volk took an unyielding position—that Sam Siatta was a good man, better than his record and stronger than his troubles, and he would succeed. (par. 21)

Before you begin, identify both sets of parallelism. This one is tricky. Which ideas are in which groups? Make sure you match the same structure!

“Sam was a good man” and “he would succeed” are Ashley’s unyielding position. “Better than his record” and “stronger than his troubles” both describe the ways Ashley thought Sam was a good man.

Your Imitation:

4.     Model: “When Sam was not all that communicative while in battle in Afghanistan, she didn’t give up,” he said. “When he came back and was a more distant and remote kind of guy, she didn’t give up. When he was convicted and imprisoned, she didn’t give up. She kept on fighting, for him and for them.” (pars. 88-89)

Your Imitation:

Analyzing Stylistic Choices

Purpose: To introduce students to stylistic choices that are variations of parallel structure

Although there are many style choices that Chivers makes to contribute to the human-interest story appeal of this text, this activity continues to focus mainly on parallelism. In this case, Part 1 will focus on some stylistic choices associated with parallelism.

·       If one item in your parallel list is out of balance with the others, it goes at the end

·       Sometimes it can be effective to repeat an important word at the beginning of each idea in a list

·       Sometimes it can be effective to leave conjunctions out of the list

Have students work in pairs to respond to the questions; periodically debrief as a class so students can check their understanding and ask questions.

If students enjoyed writing imitations in Activity 13, they could continue that work with any of the passages included in this activity. Their aim should be not only to mirror the grammar and/or structure of the model, but also to achieve an effect in the same manner.

Activity 14: Analyzing Stylistic Choices

Part 1: Analyzing Stylistic Choices Related to Parallelism

1.     “We have to support our country, support our flag, support our men and women in uniform,” he said. “Even if we disagree with the mission.” (par. 36)

·       In the sentence above, why is “support our men and women in uniform” put last? How would it affect the sentence to rearrange the items in the list?

It’s last because it’s different. And maybe because it’s the most important. But even if it wasn’t the most important it would sound strange to put it at the beginning of the list or in the middle. The rhythm would be off.

·       What is the effect of leaving “and” out of the list?

It creates a kind of pile-up. It really puts even more weight on the word “support.”

2.     Her fatigue ran deeper than this, to years of worrying about Mr. Siatta, first when he was in Afghanistan, then when he was in prison, and now while he tried to find the work that might elevate his sense of self-worth. She stayed with it, dutifully, sometimes mechanically, “to be able to pay the rent, pay the bills, pay for the groceries, electric and phones.” (par. 26)

·       In the sentence above, how does Chivers use time markers with a parallel string to help make his writing clear?

It is kind of a long sentence. It helps you keep things straight when he says first, then, now. He is able to cross a big span of time doing that, without losing me.

·       Why do you think Chivers decided to repeat “pay” with the first few items of the parallel list, but not with all of them?

I think that he repeated it to emphasize how much responsibility Ashley had, but if he said it any more, it might make it sound like she was complaining about it, which isn’t the point.

3.     Yet she had to admit it. She wanted him as her husband. She reached across the table to clutch his calloused hands, to examine that flimsy cell-block ring, to accept. (par. 9)

·       What is the effect created by “to accept?” How did the author create that effect? Why?

Accepting is such an important moment, so making it short like that was almost like a period on the sentence. Done deal. The rest of the description was just creating drama to lead up to her saying yes.

4.     Let it be known that Ashley Volk had loved Sam Siatta since elementary school, the age of True Love Always in sidewalk chalk. She loved him before he joined the Marines and went to war, before he descended into depression and alcoholismupon his return, before he was convicted on a felony charge for a crime he did not remember through a blackout fog. (par. 7)

·       What effect is created by repeating the word “before” at the beginning of each parallel item in the list?

Saying “before” over and over emphasizes how long Ashley has really loved Sam.

5.     Find another example where Chivers repeats the same word at the beginning of a parallel string. What effect was Chivers trying to achieve in that example? Is the particular word that got repeated of some importance?

Part 2: Analyzing Other Stylistic Choices

1.     She started screaming, there in the restaurant, jumping up and down, kissing him. “Creating,” she said, “a scene.” (par. 74)

Still jumpy from the war, he departed the military burdened by confusion, sorrow and shame. (par. 52)

·       Work with a partner to figure out a more typical way to organize the ideas in each of the sentences above. Why were these sentences arranged the way they were?

A standard list sentence would have been like this: “He departed the military, still jumpy from the war, burdened by confusion, sorrow, and shame.’ In both the model sentences, it’s like the ideas were put in order so that the beginning and ending were the most important ideas, the ones that carry the meaning of the sentence—his PTSD and the bad feelings, those are what the writer wanted us to notice.

2.     The next phase of his rescue fell to Ms. Volk. Her contribution can be summarized in three words. She carried him. (par. 20)

·       Chivers frequently puts short sentences next to long ones. What is the effect of doing that in the sentence above?

It emphasizes the point, for sure, an important point. It makes her seem like a soldier, like when brothers in arms won’t leave a fallen soldier behind. She’s a hero, too.

·       Quote another passage where he achieves an effect by putting a short and a longer sentence next to one another, and explain the effect.

Questioning the Text

Summarizing and Responding – Précis

Purpose: Students write a précis of the article

A précis is an analytical summary that can be completed in about four sentences. This activity prepares students to write multiple modified précis in Activity 30, the annotated bibliography assignment to come. You can assign this task individually or to small groups who compose their final draft on posters that you review with the class.

In addition to their general annotations on the text, students should gather their work from specific activities:

·       Their five-word summary from Activity 8. Students may need to revise or refine it, but it should provide an excellent start for the opening sentence of the précis.

·       Their notes and practice with parallelism from Activity 13 should help student negotiate the long and sometimes difficult second sentence.

·       Their analysis of purpose, audience, and occasion from Activity 12 should help students with the whole précis, but in particular with the third and fourth sentences.

Given that there are multiple narrative threads in this text (Ashley, Sam, Justice Lavin, and his nephew Conner), students will have to organize their thinking to make sure these interwoven stories are all reflected in their précis. This will likely prove especially tricky in sentences #1 and #2. Does each student’s opening sentence reflect not just Ashley and Sam, but Justice Lavin, too? In the second sentence, which traces what the author does, do students manage to reflect the reason the author included the multiple stories that converge in this article?

Unhelpful vs. Helpful Generic Advice

If you search online for “rhetorical précis,” you will find many templates that offer generic advice which may not be entirely helpful for this text.

1.     They often call for students to use a “that” clause in sentence #1. That advice presumes students will use an opener like “Chivers argues that…” or “Chivers suggests that…”; however, Chivers’s moves may be more accurately captured with words like chronicles, describes, recounts, etc.—which are not elegantly followed by “that.” Please note that the sample précis does not use a “that” clause.

2.     In sentence #2, the generic advice is to follow the text chronologically—that is, talk about what each chunk of the text accomplishes in the order that those chunks appear. Because this text does not tell the story in chronological order, some students may have difficulty with this. It is true, the text is broken down into three basic parts (Sam and Ashley before Justice Lavin; Conner Lavin and his effect on Justice Lavin; Sam and Ashley after Justice Lavin), and students could analyze what Chivers’s does in these three sections, in order. However, it might work just as well to talk about how Chivers uses his three main characters to achieve his purpose. Or it might work just as well to ask students to identify Chivers’s three most successful tactics in achieving his purpose (which would open the door for students to include analysis of the images as part of their précis).

The common generic advice that remains helpful is the encouragement to choose strong verbs. Some writers refer to “rhetorically active” verbs. This module uses the phrase “descriptively precise” to request that students spend some energy on choosing exactly the right verbs to describe what an author is doing and accomplishing.

There is a categorized verb list in They Say I Say (Graff and Birkenstein 40-41). Having said that, a whole class conversation could be productive and instructive, gathering up verbs that describe Chivers’s purposes, moves, and effects. Within this discussion, have students use a thesaurus to look up synonyms to collect on the board as well.

Sample Précis

Your class may or may not have read the optional text noted in Activity 3: Exploring Key Concepts. Here is a sample précis of that blog entry:

In David Rettew’s Psychology Today blog entry called “Is Autism Mental Illness: The strange battle over what’s psychiatric versus neurological” (2015), he warns against thoughtlessly promoting stigma around mental illness. The author describes one anecdote and more examples of experts debating whether conditions are a mental illness or something neurological; then he explains the unexpected consequences of such debates, like insurance companies canceling coverage for autism because of those who argue it is not a “mental illness”; finally, he suggests that some people who engage in those debates are doing so, not because of scientific evidence, but because they want to avoid the stigma of mental illness. With this blog, Rettew looks at classifying mental illnesses from a different perspective in order to challenge people who are talking about categorizing people’s problems in a way that promotes an “us/them” dynamic in the mental health community. Rettew’s audience includes regular people interested in psychology or autism because Pscyhology Today is written for a broad audience; however, his audience is also other experts who engage in these debates because they should know better than to fall victim to—or promote—stigma, with autism or any kind of diagnosis.

For more examples, you can find “Ron’s Summary” in Reading Rhetorically (Bean et al. 65-66), and you can find more resources about the rhetorical précis in Jennifer Fletcher’s Teaching Arguments (46-48).

Formative Assessment: Students will be asked to write rhetorical précis again in this unit. If students provide accurate summary statements and defensible analysis using rhetorically active verbs, they are well-positioned to work more independently on the annotated bibliography assignment to come.

See Appendix C for a Rhetorical Précis Rubric.

Activity 15: Summarizing and Responding - Précis

Before you begin, retrieve your five-word summary from Activity 8, your analysis of rhetorical context from Activity 12, and your practice with parallelism from Activity 13. You will want to refer to these for this activity, when you write a précis of the article “Love’s Road Home”.

A précis is an analytical summary that captures both what a text says and does. They are short—about four sentences long—but writing them well requires a lot of thinking. Read the requirements for each sentence, and analyze the sample sentences before you begin to write your own.

Sentence 1*: Name of author, genre, and title of the text, with date in parentheses; a precisely descriptive verb (such as “challenges,” “exposes,” “applauds,” etc.); and an explanation of the thesis or an overview of the text as a whole. This umbrella statement is often more interesting if it shows a layered understanding or makes inferences about the text.

Sample: In David Rettew’s Psychology Today blog entry called “Is Autism Mental Illness: The Strange Battle Over What’s Psychiatric Versus Neurological” (2015), he warns against thoughtlessly promoting stigma around mental illness.

* Sometimes a “that” clause works in Sentence 1 (i.e., David Rettew argues that…).

Sentence 2: A listed explanation of how the author develops and supports the main idea. You could list his tactics in many ways, including explaining the chunks in order, considering the three main ways Chivers makes his points, etc. (Note: Use parallel structure when you list these ideas.)

Sample: The author describes one anecdote and more examples of experts debating whether certain conditions like autism are a mental illness or something neurological; then he explains the unexpected consequences of such debates, like insurance companies canceling coverage for autism because of those who argue it is not a “mental illness”; finally, he suggests that some people who engage in those debates are doing so, not because of scientific evidence, but because they want to avoid the stigma of mental illness.

Sentence 3: A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order to” clause.

Sample: With this blog, Rettew looks at classifying mental illnesses from a different perspective in order to challenge people who are talking about categorizing people’s problems in a way that promotes an “us/them” dynamic in the mental health community.

Sentence 4: A description of the intended audience.

Sample: Rettew’s audience includes regular people interested in psychology or autism because Pscyhology Today is written for a broad audience; however, his audience is also other experts who engage in these debates because they should know better than to fall victim to—or promote—stigma, with autism or any kind of diagnosis.

Before You Begin Writing

q Do you believe your five-word summary accurately captures what the whole text is about? Is the verb accurate and descriptive?

q Do you believe the inferences you made in Activity 12 about purpose and audience are insightful, moving beyond the obvious?

Completed Précis Self-Check

q Does my Sentence #1 include the author’s name, genre, title, date, and overview? Does it use an accurate and descriptive verb?

q Is the list in my Sentence #2 properly parallel? Try underlining the opening words of each idea in the list to check.

q In Sentence #3, did I use an “in order to” clause in the second half of my sentence to dive deeper into the author’s purpose?

q In sentence #4, did I identify an audience more specific than “everybody” or “the general public?”

q If somebody unfamiliar with the article read my précis, would they have a clear picture of what the article says and does?

Synthesizing Multiple Perspectives

Purpose: To research a complicating perspective on mental illness and the justice system

In this activity, students will find and analyze a brief narrative article or video about someone whose severe mental illness brought them into contact with the criminal justice system. If time is an issue, an alternative might be to find one or two examples yourself that you share with the whole class.

Asking students to find other narratives about people’s experience with severe mental illness and the law will help students see “Love’s Road Home” in a new light. “Love’s Road Home” is written as a feel-good human interest story. However, this activity is constructed presuming that many of the stories that surface through students’ research will not read like a (gritty) fairy tale. When students complete their Venn diagrams, they can combine into larger groups to compare notes. Which parts of Sam and Ashley’s story seems to be part of a pattern? Which parts are exceptions to the rule? What are the implications?

These conversations should help students be more successful in Activity 17 when they are asked to read “Love’s Road Home” against the grain and in Activity 19 when they develop meaningful research questions.  

Before you begin, briefly review the discussion you had in Activity 3 to encourage students to find high quality sources. What types of websites might they expect to have well-researched narratives on this topic? Before students take notes on the article or video they find, ask them to make predictions. “Based on the title, how might this be similar to and/or different from ‘Love’s Road Home’?” Encourage students to preview the notetaking prompts in order to develop a simple graphic organizer they can use to keep track of their ideas.

Note: The responses in the sample Venn diagram below reference a short video from PBS News Hour called “A Mother’s Story of Why Mental Illness ‘Should Never Be a Crime.’”

Activity 16: Synthesizing Multiple Perspectives

On your own or with a partner, find a credible source of information that tells the story of a person who came into contact with the criminal justice system because they suffer a severe mental illness. Whether you find a brief article or video, consider what signs you are using to determine the credibility of the source. Do you have questions about its content or credibility? Use the bulleted prompts below to guide your notetaking.

·       Trace the story’s plot points in chronological order.

·       Note the causes and effects of key events.

·       List all the characters in the story and identify their roles.

·       What is the purpose of this text/video?

·       Who is the audience?

Then create a large Venn diagram in which one circle represents Mr. Siatta’s story in “Love’s Road Home” and the other circle represents the person’s story from your research. Use your annotations from both texts to help you.

Thinking Critically

Purpose: To help develop a deeper understanding of the text and topic by reading against the grain

In this pivotal activity, students read “Love’s Road Home” against the grain. While reading with the grain is reading supportively, aiming to understand an author’s perspective, reading against the grain is, at its core, questioning a text, interrogating the author and their choices. However, rather than challenging Chiver’s logic, in this activity students resist his purpose.

Rather than reading this as a human-interest story with a happy ending, students use what they have gleaned from other resources in the module—the Venn diagram from Activity 16, the video trailers, the statistics around perceptions of stigma, etc.—to reframethe narrative. Rather than as a love story, what are other ways to look at the events in Sam and Ashley’s lives? For example, how could Sam, Ashley, and Justice Lavin belong in the same conversation as the family in the sample video from Activity 16, “A Mother’s Story of why Mental Illness ‘Should Never Be a Crime’?” How could Sam and Ashley’s story be about the consequences of stigma? Or self-medicating? Or the need for services like those described in “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1?” Or hope for those facing a mental illness, like “Unstuck,” the film about children conquering OCD?

As students look at “Love’s Road Home” from new perspectives, they generate questions; those questions may be narrowed or broadened in Activity 20 to become research questions for the culminating assignment.

Activity 17: Thinking Critically

You understood “Love’s Road Home” after you read it. But now that you are familiar with stories of other people whose mental illnesses brought them into contact with the criminal justice system, consider how you might now understand “Love’s Road Home” differently.

Reading Against the Grain

The story of Sam and Ashley Siatta ends happily, but it raises many questions. If it weren’t for Justice Lavin, how would this story have ended? How commonly do other people face the same obstacles that Sam and Ashley did, whether they suffer PTSD, suffer another mental illness, or love someone who does?

Review: Before you begin reading “Love’s Road Home” against the grain, review your notes from throughout the module, including your quickwrites, and your annotations and questions about the text. Review your notes carefully, one by one, from the various statistics, texts, and videos you have considered over the course of this module and make some informal notes about the connections you see.

Think Critically About the Text: In this activity, read against the grain by resisting Cristopher Chiver’s purpose. Instead of allowing this to be a story about two people who finally overcame obstacles to get married, what else could you say this story is about? Each of the additional resources you’ve interacted with provides another perspective on mental illness. Based on those connections and new perspectives, what questions come to mind based on Sam and Ashley’s story?

Begin with the Venn diagram you created in Activity 16, but be sure to review all your notes. Work with a partner to go through them together and develop a list of at least five questions.

·       Why didn’t Sam get help for his PTSD before he went to jail? Was it because of stigma?

·       What does the government do to make sure veterans with PTSD look for help and get it?

·       Is the legal system fair to people with a mental illness?

·       How do you get help if you have a severe mental illness and you’re not rich?

·       Why isn’t it easier to get help for a mental illness?

·       Where could Ashley have gone for support for herself?

·       How can loved ones best provide support for someone with PTSD?

·       What obstacles or injustices are faced by people who suffer from mental illness?

·       How does law enforcement or the justice system interface with people suffering from severe mental illness?

·       Who will stick up for a person with mental illness who is arrested?

Reflecting on Your Reading Process

Purpose: To give students time to review the progress toward their goals

Activity 18: Reflecting on Your Reading Process

Quickwrite: Open your reading log to the pages where you set learning goals for the module and goals for your reading. Write about a couple of those goals now. How are you doing? What has been the most helpful thing you have done to keep moving toward your goals? How can this progress help you in other classes?

In a couple of days, you will write goals for the writing portion of the module. What advice do you give yourself right now?

Preparing to Respond

Discovering What You Think

Considering Your Task and Your Rhetorical Situation

Purpose: To understand the culminating task

In this activity, students are introduced to the culminating assignment, a three-part proposal for a public service announcement.

Let students work in pairs to examine the writing task closely. They may feel concerned about elements that, at this point, they do not understand. Reassure students that they will receive guidance or samples, as the module moves along, for public service announcements, storyboard scripts, and annotated bibliographies.

Students will be able to take the tasks one at a time: research, PSA storyboard, proposal overview, and annotated bibliography. However, the various elements of the assignment depend upon one another, so students should try to do their best work at every stage.

This assignment as written does not call upon students to actually film their PSAs, but you may certainly make that a component of the module if you choose. If you do, be sure to consult your school district’s acceptable use policies to decide how students will share their videos. Flipgrid is one free option.

Activity 19: Considering Your Task and Your Rhetorical Situation

For one part of the writing task, you will be designing a public service announcement on an issue related to mental illness. A public service announcement (PSA) is a short video or commercial. The purpose of a PSA is to serve the common good: it may raise awareness on an issue in the hopes of changing public perception; it may propose solutions; it may encourage the public to take helpful action.

In Activity 20, you will take a closer look at the genre of public service announcements. For now, be sure you understand the basic requirements of the combined elements of the task and choose the research topic that will guide you for the remainder of the module.

Writing Task: There is a media production company in your area, Alliance Media, that annually accepts grant proposals for public service announcements. The company’s mission statement reads, “We bring together creative giants to build messages that move the world,” and they describe the grant as “providing resources to creative people who have a message that needs to be heard.” If a PSA proposal is accepted, the production company produces the video themselves or provides material support, like a camera crew and equipment, to those who submitted the proposal.

For this assignment, you will create a three-part proposal for a public service announcement that deals with an issue related to mental illness. Make sure you carefully meet the submission packet requirements. The requirements are detailed here:

·       Part I: Write a proposal overview in MLA style and include citations for your sources of information so we can verify your high-quality research. Your overview must explain the problem your PSA hopes to address, analyze your target audience and appeals, and defend the PSA’s advice/information/call-to-action.

·       Part II: Compose a complete storyboard of your PSA, including images (drawn or digital), titles, dialogue, voiceover, and description of the action within each panel. A well-written storyboard script is an acceptable alternative.

·       Part III: Compile an MLA-style annotated bibliography of your sources.

Read the writing task again, annotating for areas that need a deeper examination or clarification. Then use the following questions to fully break down the task.

·       Circle the key terms and define them in the margins. What do you need to understand to do this review?

Proposal, “analyze your target audience and appeals,” storyboard, voiceover, annotated bibliography, compile

·       Underline the verbs. What do you need to do in this review?

Write, include citations, explain the problem, analyze the audience and appeals, defend the advice, compose a storyboard, compile an MLA annotated bibliography

·       Do you fully understand all parts of the task? What questions do you still have?

How long should the overview be? What does it mean to analyze an audience and appeals? What is the difference between a bibliography and an annotated bibliography?

Considering Your Task and Your Rhetorical Situation – Identifying an Audience and Choosing a Research Question

Purpose: To determine the focus of their research

By the end of this assignment, students should give you an Exit Slip that outlines the focus of their research.

To support the first step, students should review the brainstormed list of various mental illnesses (e.g., PTSD, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, addiction, etc.) that the class compiled during Activity 3. Those posters may still be on the walls of your classroom. This step is important, so that students whose lives have been impacted by a particular mental illness have the opportunity to choose it for their research topic. Note: It’s not necessary to engage around what “qualifies” as a mental illness; for example, if a student proposes a PSA around Alzheimer’s, consider whether that student will be able to meet the expectations of the culminating task rather than whether or not Alzheimer’s meets the definition of a mental illness.

Once students have decided upon the mental illness that they will research, they will then broaden or narrow the questions they have generated about Ashley Volk and Sam Siatta’s story (from Activities 9 and/or 17) into research questions. Below are sample research questions, where X is the mental illness a student has chosen to research.

·       Where can friends and family of someone suffering from X find support for themselves?

·       What are the warning signs and symptoms of X, and where can somebody seek help?

·       What are common misconceptions about X?

·       How can loved ones best provide support for someone with X?

·       Are there times when you should stop supporting someone with X?

·       How does X affect someone’s daily life?

·       What obstacles or injustices are faced by people who suffer from X?

·       How does law enforcement or the justice system interface with people suffering from X?

·       Are there resources for mentally ill people who are poor or homeless?

·       Is the legal system fair to people with a severe mental illness?

·       What are the consequences of mental illness stigmas for people with X?

·       Who will stick up for a person with mental illness who is arrested?

Formative Assessment: When you collect students’ Exit Slips, review them. Is there a sensible relationship between the audience and the research question? Is the research question too broad or too narrow for the purpose of developing a PSA?

Activity 20: Considering Your Task and Your Rhetorical Situation – Identifying an Audience and Choosing a Research Question

At the end of this activity, you will give an Exit Slip to your teacher that briefly outlines a plan for your public service announcement, so you can begin your research with some focus.

To answer the questions on your Exit Slip, start by consulting your notes from throughout the module. Discuss your ideas with classmates as you move through the prompts and make decisions about your research.

·       Look back at the brainstormed list of mental illnesses that the class created during Activity 3 and the brief bits of research about them on the posters around your room. Is there a mental illness in particular that interests you? Or would you rather research mental illness issues in general?

·       Look at the list of questions you compiled in Activities 9 and 17 and the things you wondered about when reading Sam and Ashley’s story. Which of those questions interest you the most? How could those questions be reframed into research questions appropriate for a PSA, even if you decided to research another mental illness?

Example 1: Maybe you wondered, “How did Ashley manage to help Sam on her own for so long?”

If you were interested in researching OCD, that question could be broadened: “Where can friends and family of someone suffering from OCD find support for themselves?”

Example 2: Maybe you wondered, “What resources are available for people with a mental illness?”

That question could be narrowed: “Where can someone with PTSD get help?”

·       Consider your PSA. Will it be directed to people with a mental illness who are waiting to seek treatment, or those who can’t find treatment? Will your audience be loved ones who don’t know how to be helpful or loved ones who are burned out from helping so much? Or will you direct your message to a more general audience. You may do that, but remember, your task includes an audience analysis. The more specific you are with your target audience, the more specific your analysis can be. If you have already chosen a research question, that may have identified your audience for you.

Look at Example 1 above: that PSA is for an audience of people who love someone with OCD.

Look at Example 2 above: that PSA is more likely aimed at those who suffer PTSD.

Exit Slip: What mental health issue or mental illness will you focus on? Who will be your audience? What question will you try to answer for that audience, or what lack of understanding will you address?

Video Texts 5-9 – “Nami PSAs—Cure Stigma PSA”; “Grand Central Terminal”; “Join the Movement—PSA Launches”; “Supporting Student Veterans’ Mental Health Awareness PSA”; “Work in Progress”

Considering Your Task and Your Rhetorical Situation – Analyzing the PSA Genre

Purpose: To analyze the PSA genre so students can move forward planning a PSA of their own

As necessary preparation for designing their own PSA, in this activity students watch samples of public service announcements to determine the norms and latitudes in this genre. For example, PSAs are often 30-60 seconds long because that is the length of a television commercial; now, however, with so many avenues to post video online, PSAs can vary in length. The sample PSAs included here were chosen because they all deal with the concept of stigma. Students could find many more examples of PSAs by doing an online search for “award winning PSA.” They would find a broad range of approaches and appeals. Be aware because PSAs designed for online consumption do not have to meet broadcast network standards; some award winners include expletives.

Show the sample PSAs listed below to introduce students to the structure of a PSA. Ask them to consider how the videos approach the topic and the way the message is delivered. For instance, is the PSA narrative? Explanatory? What is the role of visuals? What is the interplay of ethos, logos and pathos, and how effectively are they used in each video? After students watch each video, have them do a Think-Pair-Share with a partner in order to discuss their responses to the prompts. Afterwards, elicit responses from the class.

Engage students in the follow-up questions that ask them to more broadly make inferences about the features and conventions of public service announcements based on examining these examples. Make sure students recognize that PSAs do not sell things. For example, a public service announcement will not advertise a great self-help book or a service that will cost money to access.

Public Service Announcement Videos

1.     “NAMI PSAs – Cure Stigma PSA.” National Alliance on Mental Health, 2018, www.nami.org/press-media/nami-psas.

·       The topic of concern: Stigma associated with mental illness

·       Audience: General public

·       What they want the audience to do: Don’t contribute to the name-calling and stigmatization of people with mental illness.

·       Use of images: Celebrities

2.     “Grand Central Terminal.” Bring Change to Mind, 2009, bringchange2mind.org/learn/psas/grandcentralterminal.

·       The topic of concern: One in six people have a mental illness

·       Audience: General public

·       What they want the audience to do: Change a mind about mental illness and change a life.

·       Use of images: Showing people enduring stigma and supportive loved ones beside them

3.     “Join the Movement – PSA Launches.” Each Mind Matters, 1 May 2015, www.eachmindmatters.org/movement-moment/join-the-movement-psa-launches/

·       The topic of concern: Stigma associated with mental illness

·       Audience: General public

·       What they want the audience to do: Speak up about mental health. “Join us!”

·       Use of images: Celebrities

4.     “Supporting Student Veterans’ Mental Health Awareness PSA.” California Community College Student Mental Health Program, 15 Feb. 2016, www.cccstudentmentalhealth.org/resource/supporting-student-veterans-mental-health-awareness

·       The topic of concern: The mental health of veterans

·       Audience: Veterans who are students, but also fellow student body members

·       What they want the audience to do: Seek help if they need it. Contact the suicide prevention line. OR respect that veterans may be having a difficult time. Ask them how they are doing.

·       Use of images: Familiar classroom setting

5.     “Work in Progress.” California Community College Student Mental Health Program, 2018, www.cccstudentmentalhealth.org/resource/work-in-progress-riverside-college-psa/

·       The topic of concern: How to manage mental illness and move forward with life

·       Audience: Students who are dealing with a mental health issue

·       What they want the audience to do: Find a “tool” that will help them stay on track

·       Use of images: Interviews with real people; symbolic tools; people engaging in the activities that make them happy and keep them on track

Formative Assessment: Students discuss the features and conventions of public service announcements. As you monitor discussion, students should recognize that the messages and purposes are generally simple, since they are communicated in a short space of time. Students should also be able to verbalize how the imagery contributes to the message.

Activity 21: Considering Your Task and Your Rhetorical Situation – Analyzing the PSA Genre

Once you have conducted research on a problem related to a specific mental illness or mental health in general, you will design a Public Service Announcement (PSA) based on that research.

Your teacher will now show you several examples of PSAs. As you watch each of the videos, respond to these questions:

1.     What is the topic of concern?

2.     Who is the audience for the PSA?

3.     What do the creators want the audience to do?

4.     How did the PSA use images?

Make note of the rhetorical techniques being used and how the information is being delivered (as a narrative, an explanation, etc.) Stop after each video, turn to a partner, and discuss your findings.

Based on these PSAs and others you may have seen in the past, work with peers to develop responses to the following questions. Try to be as detailed as possible.

1.     What is the overall purpose to all of the PSAs you have just watched?

      To raise awareness on the issue of mental illness/mental health

2.     What are the key features of a Public Service Announcement?

      30-60 seconds in length, persuasive, backed by facts, clear message, prompts the audience to take action

3.     Who is the audience for a PSA?

      This shifts. It may be the general public, especially if the purpose is to raise awareness or challenge common assumptions. But the audience might be more specific if only certain groups can accomplish a call-to-action.

4.     What will the audience of this PSA already know?

      This will vary based on how common the problem is, whether the common view is a misconception, who the audience is, etc.

5.     What is the purpose of the information found in PSAs?

      To raise awareness or to get the audience to act on the issue.

6.     How does this genre establish credibility (ethos)?

      By using the most recent facts and figures on the subject or by having an actor who has personal experience with the issue deliver (part of) the message.

7.     How does the genre evoke an emotional response from the audience (pathos)?

      Through dramatization, personal stories, music, images, etc.

8.     What types of evidence are used to support the claims made in the genre?

      Facts and figures, personal anecdotes

9.     How formal or informal is the language being used in this genre?

      It typically is informal, everyday language. This helps the audience to relate to the message.

Gathering Relevant Ideas and Materials

Purpose: To give students the guidance they need to find high quality sources, and to support them in keeping track of source information

Spending a few minutes familiarizing yourself with Google Scholar will be time well spent, if you are not already familiar with its features. Because students are researching issues around medical conditions, it is crucial that they employ high standards when they gather research. Before you take students to Google Scholar, make sure they understand that they do not need to find peer-reviewed articles as their sources, but at minimum they must find sources which themselves cite peer-reviewed journal articles.

Whether you take students to Google Scholar’s Search Tips page (scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/help.html) and walk them through the advice or you simply search up any article about mental illness, these are points that need to be covered in your “quick tour”:

·       Scholarly articles are written for other experts in the field, so jargon is freely used, sometimes making it difficult for a general audience to understand them. Scholarly articles always include cited sources.

·       Peer-reviewed articles are a type of scholarly article. They have usually been published in a journal focused on a specific field (e.g., psychology), and before getting published, a group of expert reviewers examine the research methods and sources to determine the article’s credibility.

·       Unless you are in an online database that filters for peer-reviewed articles (which Google Scholar does not), the only way to know the difference between a scholarly article and a peer-reviewed scholarly article is to investigate the journal in which the text was published. A typical way to do such investigation would be simply to search the journal’s Web site for such information, or type into a search engine “Is X a peer-reviewed journal?”

·       Not all the scholarly articles are free, so look for ones that have a PDF or HTML link on the right-hand side.

Most students will find their research from sources that are aimed at a general audience. For example, they may find themselves at Web sites like Psychology Today, Scientific American Mind, or Psych Central; at sites like WebMD; or at advocacy sites for organizations like CHADD and TAPS, related to specific mental illnesses. But remind them that they need to work to make sure the information they cite has been based upon peer-reviewed research.

Model: First, if you have a way to project your computer so students can see your screen, take students to WebMD and then Psychology Today, finding any article. First show them how to look for citations. Sometimes the list of sources simply appears at the end of the article, but other times there is a link you must click on, and that link may say different things—“sources,” “citations,” “works cited,” “bibliography,” etc. (If there are no sources at all, model moving on to a new source!) Then, model how you would figure out whether or not the article’s sources are from peer-reviewed journals.

Additional Teacher Note: Activity 22 begins the research process. Activity 23 presumes the research is completed. If you are lucky enough to have a school librarian, they may be able to help if you let them know what students are doing, particularly if your school has access to online databases like SIRS or EBSCO. Over the next two or three days, while students conduct research at home and at school, consider including any remaining grammar mini-lessons and style analysis mini-lessons from Activities 13 and 14. Also, if you have not already set some basic deadlines, you should do so now, including due dates for completed research, the PSA rough draft, the PSA Proposal Overview rough draft, the annotated bibliography, and the completed proposal packet (comprised of the final drafts of the latter three artifacts).

Activity 22: Gathering Relevant Ideas and Materials

As you begin the process of developing a PSA that addresses an issue related to mental illness, the first step is research. The production company’s reputation would be damaged if they helped to create and distribute a message that was not grounded in research accepted by the medical community, so they made clear they will be checking the quality of applicants’ sources of information. Besides that, it would be unethical for you to create a PSA that provided bad information or advice, especially on such a consequential topic.

To submit a serious proposal, you need to

·       Gather useful information from high-quality sources

·       Keep track of the information you will need for citations and a works cited page

You are probably accustomed to asking yourself questions like this when you are deciding whether or not Internet sources are credible:

·       What is the author’s purpose for writing, and does it match my purpose for reading?

·       If the piece discusses an issue with multiple perspectives, does it do so fairly?

·       Is emotion used to support the argument’s logic, or is emotion used instead of logic?

·       Does the author have a reason to lie or create propaganda?

·       Is the tone designed to get people worked up, maybe with claims that seem extreme compared to other credible sources?

·       If there are interviews, why did the author interview those particular people?

·       Are quotations from others are being used fairly, or might they be twisted or taken out of context?

·       What does the publication tell me about its credibility?

All those are good questions to ask, but none of the answers alone (or even multiple together) can guarantee you the credibility of a source, especially on the Internet. You should know that peer-reviewed journal articles are the gold-standard for information when you are doing research. In a peer-reviewed journal article, a panel of experts in the field has also reviewed the article; they have determined the information was credible enough to publish their journal.

Your teacher is going to guide you through a quick tour of Google Scholar so you can answer these two questions:

1.     What is the difference between a scholarly article and a peer-reviewed article?

2.     How can you tell if an article is from a peer-reviewed journal?

Your Task: Find a source that helps answer your research question(s), a source which is either a peer-reviewed article itself or one which cites sources that are peer-reviewed. Write down a brief explanation of why the source you chose seems useful and write down all the information you would need to cite the source in MLA Style 8th edition.

Collecting Information for MLA 8 Citations

To complete a citation in MLA 8 format, collect the following information (when applicable!).

Author(s):

Title of Source:

Title of Container:

(See note below about “containers”)

Other Contributors:

(e.g., editors, illustrators, translators):

Version:

(e.g., 2nd edition, Director’s Cut, etc.)

Numbers:

(e.g., volume, issue number, “Season 2 Episode 21,” etc.)

Publisher:

Publication Date:

Location:

(e.g., pages numbers, URL, time-stamp range for videos, etc.)

All the information below relates to the second “container” (if there is one).

Title of Second Container:

Other Contributors:

Version:

Numbers:

Publisher:

Publication Date:

Location:

A Note About “Containers”: MLA 8 talks about sources having “containers.” Some sources have no container, like a book. If you cite a particular chapter from a book, though, then the chapter is the source, and the container is the book. An article might have a newspaper or a magazine as the container. Some sources you use might have two containers. For example, if you cite an episode (your source) of a television show (container 1) that you saw on Netflix (container 2). Or if you read an article (your source) from the New York Times (container 1) that you found in the database Ebsco (container 2).

Pro-Tips for Continuing Your Research:

·       Remember that research questions often lead to more research questions. You may have to broaden or narrow your questions more than once to get the information you need.

·       Always keep track of where your notes came from; an important aspect of the research process is being ready to cite the sources of your information, giving credit to others for their ideas and research.

·       Write down citation information when you take notes from a source that you have determined is useful and credible, notevery time you find a source.

·       Be sure that you put quotation marks around notes that you have written down (or copied and pasted) from a source, so that, later, you do not accidentally use someone else’s words as your own.

If you would like to keep track of citation information using a system other than the chart, speak with your teacher about how you plan to keep track of your sources and collect all the information you will need to write an MLA 8 annotated bibliography.

Developing a Position

Purpose: To outline the PSA proposal overview

Based on the research they have done, students now outline Part I of their writing task, the proposal overview: what is the problem, who is their audience, and what change will their PSA attempt to effect? As you work the room, keep students mindful of the need to support important claims with high quality evidence. As the student directions note, students will do a thorough analysis of their audience in Activity 25, so that section of their outline can remain basic at this stage.

Students will use this outline as the basis of their writing assignment, so they should be as thorough as possible in outlining the evidence they will use. Doing so will allow them to discover any gaps in their research while there is still time to fix it. If students need support in writing an outline, you could give them the outline below:

1.     Identify the problem your PSA will address

a.     Explain its causes and negative effects

i.      Provide multiple pieces of high-quality supporting evidence

2.     State your PSA’s message, advice, or call-to-action

a.     Explain the reason(s) for that message

i.      Provide multiple pieces of high-quality supporting evidence

3.     Identify the intended audience for your PSA

a.     Explain why they are the target audience for your PSA

i.      Provide supporting evidence or reasoning

Formative Assessment: Students are to put into words the messages of their PSAs and the audiences to whom they will direct their messages. If the message is research-based and simple enough to communicate in a brief PSA, and if the audience can contribute to effecting this change, then students have a good start on the overall task.

Activity 23: Developing a Position

Now that you have gathered information to help answer your research question, it is time to begin planning your PSA Proposal. Take a look again at the instructions for Part I, the proposal overview.

Part I: Write a proposal overview in MLA style, and include citations for your sources of information so we can verify your high-quality research. Your overview must explain the problem your PSA hopes to address, analyze your target audience and appeals, and defend the PSA’s advice/information/call-to-action.

Task: Create an outline that includes all three required sections: the problem, the change you will call for, and the audience you will target with your PSA. Within each section, include your supporting claims and the evidence you will use to back up those claims.

You will do a thorough audience analysis in Activity 25, so for now, it is sufficient in the audience section of this outline to include basic information—someone who suffers mental illness, a loved one, or the general public. If your research has led you to give advice that, for example, is only appropriate for a local audience, that should be mentioned in this audience analysis, too.

Self-Check:

Once you have completed your proposal overview outline, run through these questions to determine how prepared you are for the next steps in the process.

q Can I clearly state the problem I see and the change I am looking for?

q Do I have solid research to support my claims?

q Have I chosen an audience who can reasonably carry out the change I call for?

q Will I convince the people who read my proposal that the problem is worth solving?

q Will the people who read my proposal believe that the change I am asking for would be an effective start to addressing the problem?

Writing Rhetorically

Composing a Draft

Making Choices about Learning Goals

Purpose: To revise the learning goals students set at the beginning of the module and set new goals for the writing portion

As students are reviewing the goals they previously wrote in their reading logs, walk the room to get a sense of which students are actually following up with the checkmark notations next to their learning goals. Moving forward, how can you keep encouraging students to actively keep their goals in mind?

Activity 24: Making Choices about Learning Goals

Before setting new goals, open your reading log and revisit the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the module. On the same page in your log, answer the next two questions:

1.     How many checkmarks do you have next to your goals? What progress have you made so far?

2.     Do you need to do anything differently?

At this point, you are going to set some learning goals for just the writing portion of the module. Below is a bulleted list of some of the things you will be learning or doing for the next week or two. Compare this list with the goals you set for the module—does that help you choose some items from the list for a focus? Or are there some you would like to focus upon for other reasons?

·       Develop a storyboard for a public service announcement

·       Come up with your own research question based on the things we have read and watched

·       Write a paper that has multiple analytical summaries in it

·       Explain how your public service announcement appeals to your audience

·       Find very credible sources and cite them in an MLA style bibliography

Quickwrite: Identify one or two goals for the writing portion of this module. Explain why you chose them, and, if they connect to your learning goals for the whole module, explain how.

Be sure to keep these goals in mind as you complete the activities throughout the module. When you remember to work toward one of these goals, return to this page and put a check mark next to it.

Making Choices as You Write

Purpose: To complete an audience analysis for their PSAs

Encourage students to think about various PSAs they have felt struck by, and ask them what lessons they can learn from those models. But also remind students that the ideas in their PSA must be supported by strong research.

Students likely have a direction in mind already for the PSA, but if not, there are some possible prompting questions below.

1.     Who is your target audience? Is your audience the general public? Or are you gearing your message to a more specific audience? How will you appeal to them?

2.     Choose your objectives. What do you want your presentation to accomplish? What do you want your audience to know?

3.     How will you communicate your message? Will you make your point through explanation or narrative? What visuals and imagery will help you?

4.     Decide on a tone. Will you use a tone that is serious, formal, informal, humorous, etc.?

5.     Key benefits – How would society/people benefit if this issue were addressed?

6.     Reasons to believe – Why should your audience believe that this is an issue that needs attention?

The storyboard style option handouts, Two-Column Script and Storyboard, (which offer the choice between whether or not to use images in the storyboard) are included in Appendix D. If students are hesitant to do a storyboard that requires drawing, they have two options: they can use the storyboard script format (), which uses written description instead of images; or they can embed jpg images into a digital storyboard to strong effect. If they do so, encourage them to take the photographs in landscape, like a TV screen; however, they will have to replicate the storyboard layout on their own.

When it comes time to construct storyboards, some students may be unfamiliar with the task. Remind those students how we figured out the expectations of the PSA genre—by looking at models. So students who are initially stuck on the storyboard assignment should look online for models.

Additional Teacher Note: Students begin the first draft of a storyboard in this activity, and they must complete it before they can do Activity 26.

Activity 25: Making Choices as You Write

Now it is time to plan your public service announcement, which involves many choices. For a PSA, the message should be simple but powerful. So what will your message be? Will your PSA tell a story, or will it inform the audience in some other way? What emotion(s) will most effectively engage your audience? How will words and images combine to create a lasting impact? In order to answer such questions, you first need to analyze your audience.

Respond as thoughtfully and completely as possible to each set of questions below because your responses will help you when it comes time to write the Audience Analysis section of your Proposal Overview.

·       What background knowledge does your audience already have on this topic? What background knowledge will you need to provide? Will your audience have any misconceptions that you need to correct in order for your message to be heard?

·       Is your audience aware of the problem you hope to help solve, or will they need to be informed or persuaded?

·       What values do your audience members have that could be related to your topic?

·       What fears might you need to help your audience overcome?

·       What will they need to know, or know how to do, in order to act on your call to action?

·       What television channel or other media outlet would be the best venue to target your audience?

Task: Create a storyboard of your PSA. As you do so, keep your audience in mind. Your Proposal Overview demands that you explain how the PSA targets to your audience. Think carefully about how you will use words and images to create your message. Since PSAs are a very short form, each moment of video and audio should contribute to the meaning.

Your storyboard can be drawn by hand, or you can embed images into a digital document. You could also choose to draft a two-column storyboard script, which uses vivid verbal description instead of pictures to help tell the story. Whichever style of storyboard you choose to create, each “panel” or camera shot will be accompanied by a description of what is happening in the shot and the audio (dialogue, voiceover, music).

Your teacher can provide you with a graphic organizer for either style of storyboard.

Revising Rhetorically

Analyzing Your Draft Rhetorically

Purpose: To consider revisions to storyboards and gather material for the Proposal/Project Overview

Students need completed storyboards to engage in this activity. As they engage in rhetorical analysis of their PSA storyboards, they are also gathering information that will allow them to both make changes to their storyboard and collect the information they need to write the Project Overview, which is the next task.

Additional Teacher Note: Students begin writing the rough draft of the Project Overview at the end of this activity. That draft must be completed before students can engage in the next activity. Preview Activity 27 and decide whether or not you will have students conduct the activity digitally or on paper. Printed copies of students’ double-spaced essays may be preferable because you will more easily be able to monitor the highlighting and notetaking that is central to that activity.

Activity 26: Analyzing Your Storyboard Draft Rhetorically

A rhetorical analysis of your PSA asks you to assess your completed storyboard based on the needs of your audience, the purpose and message of the PSA, and the ethos behind it.

Remember, your responses during this rhetorical analysis are exactly the ideas you will need to compose your draft of the Proposal Overview. Before you begin this activity, review the requirements of that writing task. After you complete the analysis below and get feedback from peers, you may or may not decide to make revisions to your storyboard. Once any revisions are made, use the ideas you have collected here to write the rough draft of your Proposal Overview. Remember to cite your sources as you go.

Follow your teacher’s directions for the due date and format (double-spaced and printed?) of this rough draft.

1.     What problem does the PSA attempt to address? Will it be clear to your audience that this is a problem that needs to be solved?

2.     How does the PSA address the values and needs of your audience? Look back at your audience analysis from Activity 25 and explain the various ways that your PSA is tailored for the audience that you described.

3.     How are you using words and images to move your audience? Are you using your beginning and ending to achieve an effect?

4.     Is the purpose of your PSA to inform your audience, or are you calling them to action? In either case, how will achieving your purpose help to solve the problem?

5.     What types of evidence does your Production Company audience value most highly? Will you be able to support the claims you make in this PSA with credible evidence? Would the medical community approve of your sources?

6.     Have at least three peers review your storyboard—peers who do not know what your PSA is about. Ask them to fill out the PSA Responses below (and you do the same for them). Based on their responses, do you need to make any changes to ensure that your PSA achieves its purpose with the audience?

PSA Peer Responses

1.     What is the problem that the PSA is trying to address? Why is it important to address it?

2.     Who is the audience for this PSA?

3.     What is the purpose of this PSA?

4.     Why did the creator choose these images? Do you find them compelling?

5.     Why did the author choose these words? Are they compelling?

6.     What are your compliments and suggestions?

Composing a Draft

Negotiating Voices

Purpose: To clearly distinguish the voices of the writer, the authors of their sources, and other people that the author of your sources quoted or paraphrased

This activity does not presume that students are expert in quoting, paraphrasing, and citing sources, but it does presume that students know the difference between them. If those are not safe assumptions, you could insert your own mini-lesson here, or embed parts of the Negotiating Voices activity from the “Human Impact on Climate Change” module, which offers an introduction to each of those concepts.

While the student version of this activity is written as though students follow the step-by-step directions on their own, it is a better choice to guide students through each step, making sure they understand the annotations and revisions they are to make at each step. That allows you to work the room and know what you are looking for as you do. The steps in this activity should be done in the order presented because the revisions students make sometimes build on one another.

If time runs out during class, the second half of revision process is fairly straightforward, once students understand the premise of each change they are being asked to make. Many students could independently complete the final revisions that are called for (i.e. citing authors by last name only once they have been introduced; making sure, when relevant, that page numbers appear in parenthetical citations; eliminating authors’ last names from parenthetical citations when they have already been named in the sentence).

Some students might benefit from support when they are asked to embed attributions within the sentence. First of all, students will have trouble if they try to make corrections to their sentences simply by adding words; frequently, students will find that sentences need to be reworded and ideas reordered to smoothly fit in the attributions.

The first time a voice appears

Every succeeding time a source appears…

X suggests…

Jerry Jones, the author of No Way, suggests…

Jones suggests…

X argues…

Amanda Merkle, winner of the Lights On Award, argues…

Merkle argues…

X believes…

Antone Smith, the first to theorize on this topic, believes…

Smith believes…

A resource with more such sentence frames is Graff and Birkenstein’s They Say I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (316). You could also refer students back to the verb list you may have used in Activity 15, from the same text (40-41).

Note: While this activity specifically uses students’ highlights to guide them in properly attributing their source material, the markings may also quickly suggest the proportion of evidence to explanation in their papers.

Activity 27: Negotiating Voices

In any research paper, the author must go back and forth between various “voices” in the text. In your paper, these are people whose voices might appear:

·       You

·       The authors of your sources

·       The organization responsible for the text if no author is listed

·       Other people that the author of your sources quoted or paraphrased

One important task when you write a research paper is to make sure your reader always knows which ideas belong to which people. That is what we are working on in this activity, and the work begins with two different colored highlighters and the rough draft of your Proposal Overview.

Highlighting

1.     Highlight in color #1 the first time each voice from a source appears in your paper. This includes source authors and the people they quote or paraphrase.

2.     Highlight in color #2 every other time an idea from a source appears in your paper.

3.     Review what you already highlighted in color #2 and put a star in the margin if you have paraphrased information from your source (as opposed to quoting the source).

Once you have completed the highlighting, put down the highlighters and pick up a pen or a pencil that you will use to begin making notes to yourself in the margins of your rough draft. After your teacher guides you through the second phase of annotating your rough draft, use the steps below to make revisions to your Proposal Overview.

All sentences highlighted in Color #1: Because Color #1 appears where you are including someone’s voice or ideas for the first time, make sure you introduce that person.  An introduction means you including their first name, last name, and relevant credentials. Make any revisions needed; if you do need to make changes, they will probably require rewriting the sentence, not just adding some words.

Example: Imani Jackson, Health and Wellness reporter for the New York Times, points out the consequences of…

Example: In an interview with Jared Jensen, outspoken supporter of To Write Love On Her Arms, Smith asks…

Example: The World Health Organization, an international organization that combats health crises around the world, offers advice to local governments about…

·       How does this type of introduction, each time a new voice appears, help your reader?

·       How does it contribute to your credibility as the paper’s author?

All the starred sentences in Color #2 (using paraphrases): Give credit to the speaker inside the sentence, using last name only. Because you have already introduced everybody in the previous step, readers do not need to hear their first names or credentials again. Make any revisions necessary; again, your changes will probably require rewording the sentence, not just adding on the name.

Example: People are often confused about how to help veterans in crisis, but Smith recommends the Veterans’ Hotline as a resource for veterans and their worried loved ones (3).

·       In the sentence above, which idea belongs to the paper’s author, and which idea belongs to Smith?

·       How would the sentence change if Smith had been cited in the parentheses at the end of the sentence?

·       In this type of writing, why do we use last names instead of first names to refer to authors?

All the other sentences in Color #2 (using quotations): Since you have already given credit to sources of information that you paraphrased, the only thing left is to make sure you give credit to sources that you have quoted. Here you have a choice, and you will decide which flows better: do you want to give credit to the source inside the sentence, as you practiced above, or will you use a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence?

Example: It is reassuring to know that “there are effective treatments for mental disorders and ways to alleviate the suffering caused by them,” but here is the problem: “Access to health care and social services capable of providing treatment and social support is key” (World Health Organization).

Example: The crisis network was designed “to leverage the bonds of fandom to create a real support system for people in crisis” (Collins 2).

·       Which of the above sources is online? How can you tell?

All information highlighted in Color #1 and Color #2:

·       If you have print sources, do you have page numbers cited in parentheses? If not, add them.

·       If you have mentioned a source author’s name inside the sentence, did you remove their name from the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence? If not, do so.

Example: People are often confused about how to help veterans in crisis, but Smith recommends the Veterans’ Hotline as a resource for veterans and their worried loved ones (Smith 3).

What is the sense behind these conventions of MLA style?

Reflection: In your journal, write a quick response. The next time you need to give credit to sources in a paper (also described as “making attributions” or “attributing sources”) how will you remember the moves you have just practiced? Make a plan and write it down here.

Revising Rhetorically

Gathering and Responding to Feedback

Purpose: To listen to feedback and create a plan for revising the PSA

Following Activity 27, students revised their PSA Proposals. At this time collect their proposals. If you have time to provide feedback to individual students, wonderful. Alternatively, skim students’ drafts and create a list of global and local level issues that are common among many of the papers. Use the Proposal Overview Rubric (Appendix E) to help focus your comments, which should relate to revision rather than editing. If you provide students with feedback about common errors, then also show them examples and discuss how to fix them.

Whether you give students individual feedback or commentary on common strengths and weaknesses, be sure you also give students time to plan their revisions.

Activity 28: Gathering and Responding to Feedback

In Activity 26, peers gave you feedback on your storyboard. Be sure that any changes you made to the PSA are reflected in the PSA Proposal Overview before you submit it!

Your teacher is going to give the class feedback on common problems found in these papers. Take notes on the feedback your teacher offers the class. Once those notes are complete, then look through your returned paper and assess whether it displays any of the strengths or weaknesses your teacher described. Now write down a plan for your revisions. If you can’t make a plan yet, instead write down one or two specific questions about your storyboard and ask your teacher about them. Be sure you get the clarification you need, so that you can write a plan for your revisions.

Editing

Editing Your Draft

Purpose: Students work in groups of two or three to edit the rough drafts of their PSA Proposal Overviews

For Activity 29, students can skip prompt #8.

When students complete the rough draft of their annotated bibliography in Activity 30, have them return to this activity. In that case, they should engage with #1-8.

Activity 29: Editing Your Draft

Edit the draft of your Proposal Overview on the basis of the information you have received from your instructor and/or peer editor. The following editing guidelines will also help you to edit your own work:

1.     If possible, set the guide aside for 24 hours before rereading it to find errors.

2.     Decide how you want to go about editing. You may want to divide into pairs and read sections out loud to each other, or you may want to work as a group and take turns reading out loud while everyone else asks questions and points out errors (always remembering to maintain a constructive and respectful attitude).

3.     After reading aloud, divide up the sections, and focus on individual words and sentences rather than on the overall meaning. Take a sheet of paper, and cover everything except the line you are reading. Then touch your pencil to each word as you read.

4.     Look for only one type of error at a time—one pattern of errors. Then go back and look for a second type and, if necessary, a third.

5.     Check where you have ideas that belong in a group. If parallel structure is appropriate, have you constructed your sentences so that each idea grammatically matches the others? Find at least two examples of parallelism in your paper, underline them, and have a peer or your teacher double-check them.

6.     When in doubt, use a dictionary to check spelling and confirm that you have chosen the right word for the context. Remember that spell check won’t catch certain kinds of spelling errors.

7.     Check that information from your sources is properly documented, with a correct combination of attribution and citation.

8.     On the Works Cited page, make sure all the information is correct, including spacing, periods, capitalization, and order of the items. It helps to read down: check all the author titles first, then all the titles, then all the publication information. Errors will show up that might not appear if you read line by line.

Preparing Your Draft for Publication

Purpose: In this activity, students will write the annotated bibliography, the final artifact in the PSA Proposal packet

This is an important piece of how students demonstrate that the problems and solutions presented in their PSA merit attention.

Although the student version of this activity presents a great deal of information at once, break down this task into steps that occur over, probably, a couple of class periods, assuming one-hour class periods and that students are introduced to concepts in class and continue the task at home.

●      Create citations using the 8th edition of MLA style

Although there are citation generators, have students construct their own citations, so they can learn the basic principles, which are fairly straightforward in MLA 8. Students will need the graphic organizers from Activity 22 in which they have collected all the pertinent information, as well as the samples offered in this activity.

●      Write analytical summaries of sources using a modified rhetorical précis format

For the analytical summaries, students are guided to write a modified rhetorical précis, in which the first four sentences are constructed the same way as in the rhetorical précis for “Love’s Road Home” from Activity 15. However, they will add two more sentences that discuss the source in terms of its usefulness and credibility.

●      Properly format the combined citations and summaries

Students will examine the sample annotated bibliography entry and read the formatting instructions to understand the formatting requirements.

Tell students what your minimum requirements are for the number of entries, which should not be fewer than three. Ideally, students’ annotated bibliographies demonstrate a strong research foundation for the main claims in their PSAs.

When students’ annotated bibliography rough drafts are complete, return to Activity 29, so students can work with peers to edit them. Consider using the Annotated Bibliography Rubric in Appendix F to score students’ final products.

Note: For additional resources regarding MLA 8, the Purdue Owl is a rich and helpful Web site.

Formative Assessment: Before they begin the annotated bibliography, have students review the rhetorical précis they wrote for “Love’s Road Home.” In their journals, students could make note of what they learned from that experience to apply to this new task. Then ask students to show you the first annotated bibliography entry they complete, so you can do a quick review. Does the annotation paragraph show an understanding of the source and attention to questions of credibility? Does it reveal that the student has successfully found a source that helps answer their research question(s)? Is the formatting correct?

Activity 30: Preparing Your Draft for Publication

The final piece of your PSA Proposal Packet is the annotated bibliography. This artifact will give the people who review your proposal an initial idea of how thoroughly and carefully you have researched your topic. This is an important consideration for them because, if they help create and distribute your PSA, their own reputation is at stake.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

When a list of citations is placed on a separate page at the end of a research paper, it’s called a bibliography or a works cited page. An annotated bibliography is like an extended works cited page; it has the same citations but also includes a brief analytical summary of each source listed. This way, your reader knows more than just where to find your source; the annotation also gives them an overview of what the source contains—which is very helpful for fellow-researchers.

MLA Citations

Below is the basic format for an MLA style citation. It is designed to be flexible, so researchers can document all the different types of sources available to us in the 21st century.

A Source with a Single Container:

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of the Source.” Container, version, other contributors, numbers, publisher, publication date, location.

Chivers, Christopher. “Love’s Road Home.” New York Times, 10 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10 /fashion /weddings /sam-siatta-marries-ashley-volk.html. Accessed on 2 October 2019.

A Source with Two Containers:

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of the Source.” Container, version, other contributors, numbers, publisher, publication date, location. Second Container, version, other contributors, numbers, publisher, publication date, location.

Notice some simple principles:

·       There are periods after the author and the source, but the container is only separated by commas from all the details that describe it, with another period following of everything related to that container.

·       If there is a container, the “source” will be in quotation marks and the container will be italicized.

·       The citations have indented lower lines (“hanging indents”) so that it is easy for readers to skim the list of authors.

·       If a source was found online, it is an optional good practice to include “Accessed on…” and the date at the end of the citation.

Annotated Bibliographies

Look at the model below. What do you notice about the citation? What do you notice about the annotation that has been added to the citation? What resources do you already have that you should use?

The citation looks exactly the same, as far as I can tell. The annotation must be the paragraph that is attached to the citation, which is basically describing the source. It looks like the précis we wrote before, except it’s longer. To write these, I am going to use the notes I took on my sources. I am also going to need the graphic organizers where I collected all the information about the sources (author, URL, date, etc.). I should probably get out the handout from earlier in the unit, when we wrote the précis for “Love’s Road Home.” And I should look at the feedback on my précis, too, and see if there are things I could do better this time.

Model Annotated Bibliography Entry

Rettew, David. “Is Autism a Mental Illness? The Strange Battle Over What’s Psychological Versus Neurological.” Psychology Today, 8 Oct. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/abcs-child-psychiatry/201510/is-autism-mental-illness. Accessed 8 Feb. 2019.

In David Rettew’s blog entry “Is Autism Mental Illness: The strange battle over what’s psychiatric versus neurological,” he warns against thoughtlessly promoting stigma around mental illness. The author describes one anecdote and more examples of experts debating whether conditions are a mental illness or something neurological; then he explains the unexpected consequences of such debates, like insurance companies canceling coverage for autism because some argue it is not a “mental illness”; finally, he suggests that some people who engage in those debates are doing so because they want to avoid the stigma of mental illness. With this blog, Rettew looks at classifying mental illnesses from a different perspective in order to challenge people who are using classifications in a way that promotes an “us/them” dynamic in the mental health community. Rettew’s audience includes regular people interested in psychology or autism because Pscyhology Today is written for a broad audience; however, his audience is also other experts who engage in these debates because they should know better than to fall victim to—or promote—stigma, with autism or any kind of diagnosis. This article supported my research on issues around stigma because it showed the problem is not only with the public but with caregivers, too. Even though this is a blog, it seemed credible because David Rettew was trained in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, he is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and he has a book about child psychology published by the Norton Professional Press. He does not take a position on the title’s question (which would definitely have needed peer-reviewed sources), but instead shows examples of experts engaging in the debate and cautions people involved to be careful about how they talk about it.

Writing Task: Compose an annotated bibliography that analyzes key resources you found during your research. The product should have MLA style headings, and the title should be your primary research question. Keep in mind that the purpose of your annotated bibliography is to convince the people who will judge your PSA proposal that you conducted your research carefully. At the same time, consider them fellow researchers, interested in learning about the topic, too.

1.     Create your citations. Use the information you gathered on your notetaking charts from Activity 16 to create citations in MLA style.

2.     Write your analytical summaries. Use the précis format that you learned in Activity 15, but add two or three more sentences to the end of the précis—at least one that analyzes the usefulness of the source, and one that analyzes its credibility.

3.     Use the sample annotated bibliography entry above and the instructions below to compile your work into a properly formatted Annotated Bibliography.

Guidelines for a Modified Rhetorical Précis

Before you begin writing your annotation paragraphs, review the feedback you got on the rhetorical précis you wrote in Activity 15. Are there specific goals you can set for yourself when writing the précis for this assignment?

Sentence 1: Name of author, genre, and title of work; a precisely descriptive verb and (maybe starting with “that”) an accurate overview or the main idea of the source

Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the main idea, often matching the order in which those ideas appear in the text (Note: Use parallel structure when you list these ideas, whether or not you put all of them into once sentence.)

Sentence 3: An analysis of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order to” clause

Sentence 4: An analysis of the intended audience

Sentence 5: An explanation of why this source was useful in answering your research question

Sentence 6: An analysis of the source’s credibility

Formatting the Annotated Bibliography

First of all, remember the instructions in the prompt. Your annotated bibliography must include MLA style headings, and the title of your paper should be your primary research question. The text of your entire paper will be purely double-spaced, with no extra spaces between any elements on the page. Use the model annotated bibliography to understand how to format each entry.

Look again at the model annotated bibliography entry. What do you notice about formatting?

·       The entry begins with an MLA 8 citation that includes all the relevant information about the source and follows all the rules about periods and italics, etc.

·       The first line of the citation is all the way to the left-hand margin, and any following lines—including the annotation paragraph—are indented.

·       The first line of the annotation is indented even more, since it is the beginning of a paragraph.

·       The citation and annotation paragraph are double-spaced all the way through, with no extra spaces.

Reflecting on Your Writing Process

Purpose: To encourage students to reflect on what they have learned and what they are proud of

Activity 31: Reflecting on Your Writing Process

Quickwrite: Open your reading log to the pages where you set goals for your writing. What did you do to work toward those goals? Thinking about the work you have submitted, your comprehension of the material, your research skills, your ability to keep up with due dates, etc.—what are you most proud of? What did you do that accounts for your success?

Reflecting on Your Learning Goals

Purpose: To encourage students to reflect on how they have learned and how well they accomplished their goals

Before asking students to reflect on their learning process, remind them of the reasoning behind setting learning goals: to improve awareness of our own processes, to improve our learning, and to understand how we can transfer these skills to other areas of our education/learning

Activity 32: Reflecting on Your Learning Goals

At the beginning of this module, you set goals for your learning. Now go back to your learning goals.

Quickwrite: Did you meet your goals? Why or why not? What did you discover about your own learning process throughout this module? What did you notice about yourself as a reader, writer, and/orresearcher? What did you learn about yourself from being a part of a group? Which of these skills can you take with you to other classes? Write a thoughtful response about your experience creating these goals and working towards them.

Reflecting on Your Teaching Process

Before you move on to the next thing, capture for yourself important lessons learned while guiding students though this module. Are there activities that you would approach differently next time? Are there issues of timing or pacing that you would want to do differently in the future? Other trouble spots you should make note of?

What were the best things about having students work with this module, and are there things you might exploit more fully next time around?

Did your classes grow in their ability to discuss a sensitive subject? If so, what was your role in that, and what lessons should you capture here for your future self?

Consider the next module you plan to use with your classes. How can you build upon students’ work and thinking in this module to keep them moving forward? Which skills merit an intentional focus as you plan for the next module?

Appendixes

Appendix A: Definition of Severe Mental Illness and its Relevance to Criminal Justice           61

Appendix B: Photographs 1-15, The New York Times                                                                62

Appendix C: Rhetorical Précis Rubric                                                                                         70

Appendix D: Two Column Script and Storyboard Graphic Organizers                                      71

Appendix E: Proposal Overview Rubric                                                                                      73

Appendix F: Annotated Bibliography Rubric                                                                              74

Appendix A

Definition of Severe Mental Illness and its Relevance to Criminal Justice

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), defines mental disorder as: “a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning...usually associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities.”

Severe mental illness refers to a narrower set of diagnoses. According to the American Psychological Association, it includes “mental disorders that carry certain diagnoses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression; that are relatively persistent (e.g., lasting at least a year); and that result in comparatively severe impairment in major areas of functioning.”

Although not an exhaustive list, the most recognized and common severe mental illnesses include schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorders, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty 2019).

American Bar Association, Death Penalty Due Process Review Project. “Executive Summary.” Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty, Dec. 2016, p. 1.

APPENDIX B – Photographs 1-15                                                                                                                                                                                 

Photograph #1: Ashley Volk and Sam Siatta early on their wedding day. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #2: Ashley Volk and Sam Siatta (at right) had been an on-again, off-again couple since sixth grade. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #3: Early on Halloween, the couple began preparing for their wedding in Chicago. Mr. Siatta had proposed (for the second time) just a month before. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #4: Ms. Volk waited for, and lifted, Mr. Siatta—when he was at war, when he was in prison, and when he was finally back home. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #5: Mr. Siatta, in his kitchen, dressing for the day. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #6: The couple prepares to leave for the courthouse. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #7: On their way to the wedding, Ms. Volk had bought a bouquet at the supermarket. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph 8: A quick kiss before they head upstairs to the ceremony in the Bilandic Building in Chicago                     Devin Yalkin for The New York Times.

Photograph #9: Rich Volk walks his daughter down an aisle sprinkled with rose petals, compliments of the judge. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #10: Justice Terrance J. Lavin marries the couple. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times.

Photograph #11: Maureen Siatta (holding Ms. Volk’s hand) had given her son her own wedding band for his bride. Mr. Siatta’s father died when Sam was 12. His mother had never remarried.
Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #12: The newly married couple. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #13: Mr. Siatta and Ms. Volk on their way to a post-wedding luncheon. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

Photograph #14: A reception lunch at Connie’s Pizza in Chicago. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times.

Photograph #15: Maureen Siatta, the groom’s mother, toasts the newlyweds. Devin Yalkin for The New York Times.

Appendix C

Rhetorical Précis Rubric

Sentence 1

Provides complete introductory information and a thorough, accurate overview of the text, using descriptively precise verbs

5    4    3    2    1

Sentence 2

Captures accurately what the author does throughout the text, expressing those ideas in a clear parallel list and using precisely descriptive verbs

5    4    3    2    1

Sentence 3

Expresses the author’s purpose using precise verbs and an “in order to” clause, explaining the logical inference with references to ideas in the text

5    4    3    2    1

Sentence 4

Identifies one or more specific audiences, explaining those logical inferences with references to ideas in the text

5    4    3    2    1

Total  ____ /20

Appendix D

Two-Column Script

Video:

Number each video panel as a new shot. Describe what is in the viewfinder. Describe the action in the shot. Describe any special effects or titles.

Audio:

Include the script for dialogue or voiceover (VO). Describe any sound effects and/or soundtrack.

Appendix D (cont.)

Storyboard

Shot #:

Shot #:

Shot #:

Action:

Action:

Action:

Dialogue/Voiceover:

Dialogue/Voiceover:

Dialogue/Voiceover:

Effects/Titles:

Effects/Titles:

Effects/Titles:

Appendix E

Proposal Overview Rubric

5 – Superior

4 – Strong

3 – Adequate

2 – Marginal

1 – Weak

Response to the Topic

Responds effectively to all aspects of the task, focused by a complex understanding context, audience, and purpose in both PSA storyboard and Proposal Overview

Addresses the topic clearly, but may respond to some aspects of the task more effectively than others, guided by an understanding of context, audience, and purpose in PSA Storyboard and Proposal Overview

Addresses the topic, but may slight some aspects of the task, demonstrating adequate attention to con­text, audience, and purpose in PSA Storyboard and Proposal Overview

Distorts or neglects aspects of the task, and may demonstrate lapses in attention to context, pur­pose, and audience in PSA Storyboard or Proposal Overview

Indicates confusion about the topic and a flawed un­derstanding of the rhetoricalsituation, or neglects important aspects of both PSA Storyboard and Proposal Overview

Understanding and Use of the Source Material

Demonstrates a thorough critical understanding of the source material and elegantly credits those sources

Demonstrates a sound critical understanding of the source material in developing a well-reasoned response and clearly credits those sources

Demonstrates a generally accurate understanding of the source material in developing a sensible re­sponse, and clearly credits those sources with minor lapses in form

Demonstrates some under­standing of the source material, but may miscon­strue parts of it or make limited use of it in devel­oping a weak response. Incomplete crediting of sources.

Demonstrates a verypoor understanding of the source material, does not use the source material ap­propriately in developing a response, or may not use the source material at all. May fail to credit sources.

Quality and Clarity of Thought

Explores the issue(s) real­istically, thoughtfully and in-depth.

Shows some depth and complexity of thought

May treat the topic sim­plistically or repetitively

Lacks focus, or demon­strates confusion

Lacks focus and coher­ence, and often fails to communicate its ideas

Organization, Development, and Support

Tasks are coherently orga­nized, well-developed, and supported by high quality research, apt reasons, and compelling examples and images, effectively em­ploying a range of conven­tions associated with the genre

Tasks are well-organized, developed, and supported by quality research, rele­vant reasoning, and effec­tive examples and images, successfully employing conventions associated with the genre

Tasks are adequately orga­nized and developed, gen­erally supported with ade­quate research, reasons, examples, and images, generally employing con­ventions associated with the genre

Tasks are poorly organized and developed, presenting generalizations without ad­equate and appropriate support or presenting de­tails without generaliza­tions, demonstrating in­consistent attention to genre conventions

Tasks are disorganized and undeveloped, providing simplistic generalizations without support, and demonstrating a limited understanding of how to employ the genres

Syntax and Command of Language

Has an effective, fluid style marked by syntactic variety and clear command of language

Displays some syntactic variety and facility in the use of language

Demonstrates adequate use of syntax and language

Has limited control of syntax and vocabulary

Has inadequate control of syntax and vocabulary

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

Is generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

May have a few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

May have some errors, but generally demonstrates control of grammar, usage, and mechanics

Has an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that some­times interfere with meaning

Is marred by numerous errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that fre­quently interfere with meaning

Appendix F

Annotated Bibliography Rubric

Grade

Content

Assessing Credibility

Conventions

Superior

Entries offer accurate and complete analytical summaries of the sources and analyze them in a way that is useful for fellow-researchers

Entries offer a thorough assessment or justification of the sources’ credibility

Bibliography conforms nearly perfectly to MLA 8 style; all information is included in entries; may contain 1-2 minor errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling.

Strong

Entries offer analytical summaries of the sources in a way that is somewhat useful for fellow-researchers

Entries offer a reasonable assessment or justification of the sources’ credibility

Bibliography conforms to MLA 8 style with few errors; all information is included in entries with a few exceptions; some minor errors in grammar, mechanics, andspelling

Adequate

Entries offer analytical summaries of the sources that skim the surface of the texts and may not consistently provide enough detail to be useful for fellow-researchers

Assessment of the sources’credibility is incomplete

Bibliography visibly conforms to MLA 8 style with some errors; several entries are incomplete; some errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling

Marginal

Entries vaguely summarize sources, may demonstrate occasional misudnerstanding of the sources, and may not explain sources’ usefulness for fellow-researchers

Assessment of the sources’ credibility is thin and may show some misunderstanding of the task

Bibliography attempts to conform to MLA 8 style, but entries are consistently so incomplete that reader would not be able to find the sources. There may be major errors in grammar, mechanics, and/or spelling.

Weak

Entries’ summaries misrepresent the sources

Demonstrates no attempt to assess the credibility of sources or shows little understanding of the task

The bibliography is not in MLA 8 style; there are major errors in grammar, mechanics and/or spelling

Works Cited

“A Mother’s Story of Why Mental Illness ‘Should Never be a Crime.’” YouTube, uploaded by PBS NewsHour, 10 Jan. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ozj7TvpDHI.

American Bar Association, Death Penalty Due Process Review Project. “Executive Summary: Definition of Severe Mental Illness and its Relevance to Criminal Justice.” Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty, Dec. 2016, p. 1, www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/images/crsj/DPDPRP/SevereMentalIllnessandtheDeathPenalty_WhitePaper.pdf.

Bean, John C., Virginia A. Chappell, and Alice M. Gillam. Reading Rhetorically, Longman, 2011, pp. 65-66.

“Google Scholar Search Tips.” Google Scholar. scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/help.html.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 4th ed., W. W. Norton, 2018, pp. 40-41, 316.

“Mental Disorders: Key Facts.” World Health Organization, 9 Apr. 2018, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders. Accessed 4 August 2019.

“Mental Health by the Numbers.” NAMI.org, National Alliance on Mental Health, 2019, www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers.

Pritchard, Ron, et al. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners, Jossey Bass, 2011, pp. 55-63.

Rettew, David. “Is Autism a Mental Illness? The Strange Battle Over What’s Psychological vs. Neurological.” Psychology Today, 8 Oct. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/abcs-child-psychiatry/201510/is-autism-mental-illness.

“What is Mental Illness?” American Psychiatric Association, Rannah Parekh, Aug 2018, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness.