Freshmen: Today we introduce our vocabulary assignment and the Letter to the Editor assignment. Go to the class blog at http://bairdenglish.blogspot.com/2013/08/freshmen-and-sophomore-vocabulary.html to see this year's vocabulary schedule. Chapter 1 is due on September 6.
Additionally, go to http://www.sltrib.com/ and read three letters to the editor. Then post a comment on today's blog that answers the following prompt: "What letters did you read? Why do you think these letters were published by The Tribune? What did the writers do effectively?" This is due tonight.
Your own Letter to the Editor is due October 10 for all students, and Honors students also have one due on September 12. You may hand these in early, but no late letters will be accepted for credit. In order to earn full credit you must have your letter, with your contact information, in a stamped, unsealed envelope.
Lastly, your homework for tonight is to also read for 20 minutes from your book.
Sophomores: Today we began reading Life of Pi. We also talked about how to prepare for our Socratic Seminars. See the reading schedule at http://bairdenglish.blogspot.com/2013/08/life-of-pi-reading-schedule-2013-2014.html for info about the reading, when it's due, and what to do for the first seminar.
CNF: Today we read the introduction to Blink and talked about how to prepare for our Socratic Seminars. You should have five notes for our first seminar from the introduction. Please take a photo of your room and email it to me for a class activity. Don't alter your room (e.g. clean it up), just take the photo of it as it usually is.
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36 comments:
I read the letters titled "Recipe for Disaster," "Anti-Everything," and "Horse not Abused" completely oblivious to the fact that they were all based on the same topic. All three of these letters discuss the incident of Jerry the horse, a carriage horse in downtown Salt Lake who collapsed with what appeared to be colic. I think these letters made the Tribune because the topic is relevant to our local community and everyone has their own opinion on it. "Recipe Disaster" was suggesting that carriage horses stop parading through the streets while "Horse not Abused" argued that horses aren't harmed by pulling a carriage. I think that the writers effectively made their point with supporting details and kept things short and sweet. They had valid opinions and they all made very good arguments.
-Ellie H. 5th Period
I read "Wrong Number", "Anti-Everything", and "Horse Not Abused". I think the letters were published because the letters express the strong feelings and opinios people have. Many people can have the same opinion or different opinions but I think these articles were published because it was an incident that happened locally people get very emotional when it comes to animals so people get very strong opinions about it
Today I read 'Where's Coverage', 'Horse Not Abused' and Recipe For Disaster' in the 'Letter to the Editor' section of the Salt Lake Tribune.
'Where's Coverage', talks about the how news stations around the world are sometimes bias against certain events such as sports and news stories. I believe that the Salt Lake Tribune published this article because it may make other news stations more aware of how they are being bias. I thought the events the writer used in the article to compare the story that wasn't published were very eye opening, and made me certainly aware of the major events that are pushed under the 'News' rug.
'Horse Not Abused' discusses the controversial issue of the horses used for the horse drawn carriages in Salt Lake City. I personally think that horses have been used for hundreds and hundreds of years for human transportation. I believe that the horses are not being abused and that they are perfectly fine. I also thought it was incredibly cool how the writer is a horse owner.
Competing against 'Horse Not Abused' is 'Recipe for Disaster' which talks about the dangers of having horses in the streets of Salt Lake City. I believe that horses have every right to be in the streets as long as the owners are paying taxes.
Those are the articles that I read, and have been very beneficial and influential towards my 'Letter to the Editor Assignment'.
Mason M. Period 5
The writters effectively got their point across quickly and supported their arguements and opinions
Reyna L. Period 5
I have read the letter titled ''The weakest generation" and "One brainy idea" also "getting the first generation to collage." these three letter are very different. I think these letters made the Tribune because all these topics are important to know about and have other peoples opinions about things and to express different feeling with different people. -Mikayla.H period 5th
The letters I read were "No democracy", which stated that it was clear that Egypt is not a democracy, "Recipe for disaster", which discussed how it was not right to mix horses and carriages with cars and other vehicles, and "Horse not abused", which discussed the consequences of mixing horses with downtown Salt Lake, and how it is a type of abuse to horses.
I think that these letters were published mainly because the topics were current and interesting. The letters I read also made some very interesting assumptions for you to think about.
I noticed that each of these writers effectively made their opinions quick and to the point. They all gave out there opinion right at the beginning of their letter, and then explained and stayed on their opinion throughout the entire letter. They were interesting, to the point, and got their points across to the readers.
I read "Anti-Everything" which was about horse-drawn carriages in the city and how animal rights activists felt about them, "No Democracy" which was about how the writer felt when President Obama stated that Egypt lacked a democracy, and "End of the End" which was about one woman's feelings towards her favorite radio station being taken off air. I think that these three letters were published because the three people who wrote them wrote very briefly, but all were dripping with the opinion of the writers. I think that the writers were effective in the way that they began to convince me to be on their side in a very short letter. I maintain that if given a longer limit, the writers could have completely sold me on their ideas.
Abbi M. Period Five
I read 'Anti-everything,' 'horse not abused,' and 'wrong number.'
In 'Anti-everything,' I think that the letter was published because the author held a strong opinion and supported it very nicely through the entire letter.
In 'Horse not abused,' I think that it was published because the author gave a simple statement, cut to the chase and organized their letter so that the sentences flowed together.
i thought that 'wrong number' was a little funny because the author gave a personal story that seemed to make UTA facepalm as they read it. She gave her argument and opinion in a short but detailed manner which made it easy and fun to read.
Emma Ringwood
period 5
I read the letters ''Overshoot Day'', '' No Democracy'' and '' What's Scaring The GOP''. I think the reason these letters were published was they were clear, concise, and the fact that each author was clearly enthusiastic about there topic. Whether I agreed or disagreed with the letters, it made me think about the topics and want to learn more.
Katelyn Brimhall P. 5
I read the letters "Its august and we're thinking winter Olympics," "Dick Thien a founding editor of the USA died," and "U.S wont seek death penalty for NSA leaker snowden" now all three topics are very informative and very interesting the death penalty one tells about how General Eric Holder has told the Russian government about how they are not going to seek the death penalty for the Edward snowden and it goes on to say how Russia politicians should have Edward to be put in an asylum to avoid the death penalty and this article or letter to the editor was my favorite out of the three because it really use some background research and used valid opinions to support what they were writing about, and to me that makes any writing piece amazing.
I read "End Of The End" "Where's coverage?" and "Where is Outrage?"
I think they were published becaue they all have good points and they could all have many opnions from different people.
Myranda A. Period 5.
I read "Wrong number", "Hospital team", and "Where's coverage?" I think these were published because they warned people, thanked people, or asked people about something. They all got to the point quickly and effectively.
-Jonathan S. 5th Period.
I read "Selling selfishness to the'young invincibles","Rise and fall of e-empires",and "The weakest generation?".
I agree with the author of "Selling selfishness to the 'young invincibles" because she says people between the age of 20 and 30 are stereo typically lazy bums, but in reality one branch of the government is telling them to just to repeal an act. Many people of this age are also active in issues such as the gay rights movement as well.
"Rise and fall of e-empires" was on the topic of a big figure in computer developing was retiring and how this won't end Microsoft as some people say.I agree because losing one man, even if he was a big player in an industry, isn't the end of the world. My old school lost It's principal and 4 teachers from retirement or other reasons and still pull it together for another year.
"The weakest generation relates to today's young adults not having anything a defining moment in their generation. I disagree on the basis that the war on terror is still going on and the gay rights movement is happening. Neither may be as earth shaking as WW2, but still carry enough weight to define a generation
I read the letters "Overshoot Day", "Where is Outrage", and "Horse not Abused”.
Overshoot Day covered the fact that humans have officially begun to consume more resources than the Earth can produce. This alarming message gives a shocking eye-opener to how much we are damaging the Earth, and how little everyone is trying to stop it. I believed this letter was published because it is a highly applicable topic, and is one that will need a solution very soon. I think the author did a good job of successfully pointing out how it isn't hard to recycle or flip off a light switch.
The second letter, "Where is Outrage", investigates the lack of government reaction to the random killing of a white college athlete by "bored" black teenagers. The author questions why there was such of an uproar when black teenager Trayvon Martin was killed, but not as much of a response when a white college student was killed by bored black teens. He did a good job of recognizing how little political leaders like President Obama got involved in this case while they were all over Trayvon Martin's.
The third letter was "Horse not Abused". This letter explained how a man familiar with horses thinks that just because a single horse collapsed while carrying a carriage doesn't mean that all carriages should stop using horses. I think that this letter was published because of how much people's views contrasted on this subject. I liked how the author pointed out that horses have been used as working animals for a very long time, and carriage-carrying gives the horse exercise and stimulation, which is better than rotting away in a stall.
-Will R.
I read What's scaring the GOP , Wrong Number , and Anti-everything . I actually read the Tribune at home. Watching the Tribune shrink over time from people not subscribing to the news paper has also limited the number of letters coming into the Tribune. While some are well written, I feel sometimes, some of letters have no point of being in the editorial section. Anyways, in Anti-everything, the writer complains we show to much over sight to animals and that the carriage companies show love and affection to their horses. And while he does live in Salt Lake City, he probably doesn't ride the carraiges all that often. What's scaring the GOP was an interesting letter that made a good point, if the GOP fears Obamacare, then why try to repeal it and instead let it fail, so the GOP can swoop into a broken America and fix things. Wrong Number refers to the irony of UTA struggling for money, while giving higher ups bonuses. So when the TRAX's phone number was replaced by "America's hottest talk line", I too found myself thinking about the woman suing UTA over sexual harassment cases
Tommy Kelly-Period 5
The letters I read from the Salt Lake Tribune were "Anti-Everything," "Where's outrage?" and "Where's coverage?" The letters were published by "The Tribune" because they are relevant and also bring up good points. "Anti-Everything" by David Thomas presented the idea of the Humane Society, the PETA, and the anti-everything (anti-hunting and anti-animal experimentation) people wanting to bring forth their own agendas by rallying people up and jumping all over a stories in the news about animal abuse. The way the author presented his ideas and opinions in the letter was very effective and gave his audience/readers a different perspective on what the Human Society and the anti-everything people were really trying to accomplish. Even though people might look at his letter and say, "Eh, why does this concern me?" the author made sure he drew his audience in by mentioning what the original agenda of the anti-everything people, which is not to rally people up but to help the animals.The second letter I read, which caught my attention, was titled "Where's the outrage?" by Ronald Jensen. His letter basically focused on the political and justice outrage that's been going on in America,which included the Trayvon Martin case and the killing of a white man by three teenagers in Oklahoma. One thing the author did to draw readers into his letter was mentioning the names of political leaders. By doing this he makes a part of his audience, which may include some journalists, reporters, or writers interested in politics, want to listen and feed off of his ideas. His letter caught my attention because I don't agree, but yet, I don't completely disagree with it. I think his letter was published because he added a comparison of the killing of white man to the killing of Trayvon Martin, a black teen, which is an idea nobody has really brought up. Finally the last letter I read was "Where's the coverage?" by Deb Allen. What I thought the author did effectively in the letter was he directed his letter towards "The Tribune" and public reporters. His letter focused on the question why didn't the The Solheim Cup, which is the biggest event in women's golf, get any coverage. He pointed out that it was as important as any other sport, which was a really great point. His letter could also lead to the idea of women's sports not being supported enough.
-Aluwet D. Period 5
I read "Back to school parents have a key role to play", "Horse not abused", "Wrong Number". The reason they were published is because they used facts with their story and was argumentative and it was their opinion. I think all of them also did it on something they enjoyed or affected them. They made it very interesting and actually had myself questioning while reading.
Sam L. Period 5
i read "recipe for disaster" "wrong number" and "anti-everything". They all talk about different subjects but all have things in common. such as, that they are all very well written. these letters also persuade you or inform you about the topics they we written about.
-Abi G.
Period 5
The three letters I read were titled "Anti-Everything," "End of the End," and "Overshoot Day." I believe that these letters were published because people could relate to them and understand their meaning. In "Anti-Everything," the topic was about animal abuse. The author did a significant job of making the audience able to agree or at least understand his reasoning. in "End of the End" the woman who wrote it worded her thoughts very well. As I was reading it, I had some similar feelings from situations in my life. when one company tries to have a monopoly on any TV series or radio station in her case, its aggravating to people who liked watching it before it changed. Finally in "Overshoot Day", the topic was about having environmental limits. To all people who especially love the environment and feel strongly about keeping it clean, this letter probably spoke to them. Overshoot Day is a day when we should look back at how many resources we have used throughout the year. As it said in the article "Overshoot Day is a bold indication that now is the time to fight harder to create a world where we all live within our ecological limits." we should be careful with how we are harming the environment. We should all try to be more cautious, even by simply recycling, or picking up garbage that people have left behind.
I read the letters "Where's Coverage", "Recipe for Disaster", and "Wrong Number".
I think these letters where published to the Tribune because they talk about pressing issues. They all seem to be written about something in the community that is causing a debate. I think they were published so people living in SLC can hear some opinions, and make educated ones themselves.
What the authors did well was they all talked with conviction. This makes it so the reader is more inclined to agree with what they are saying. The writers also gave opinions, but supported them with some facts from their experience. This helps people relate, and also is a more personal type of writing rather than a typical, broad newspaper article.
These letters where all very well written, and will be beneficial to remember when I write my to the editor
-Mae Rodgers Period 5
I read "Hospital Team", "The End of The End", and "Overshoot Day." Hospital Team was about his woman that was in an LDS hospial and she talked about how nice the people were and the care she got. I think this got published because it was sort of an advertisement for the hospital saying that it was good service so that more people would go there. The End of The End is about this man that has a strong opinion about 101.9 the end discontinuing. He used strong phrases like "It insulted me." I think this got published because it showed the voice of the people on 101.9 the end ending. Overshoot day is, in my opinion the more important of the two. It talked about how August 20 was overshoot day. This means hat that day was when our "resource consumption exceeds that of the earth to replenish." I think this got published because people need to know that this is happening. If hey know that we are exceeding resource consumption then the people might cut down on consumption which will greatly help the environment
-Nate Howard 5th period
I read the letters "Overshoot Day," "Wrong Number," and "Recipe for Disaster." In the letter "Overshoot Day" discusses how our world is not taking things seriously about saving it. "In the first eight month we have exhausted our natural resources that were suppose to last all year." In "Wrong Number" a guy was supposed to call the trax number for times but instead got a sexy lady who told him he was on a talking program for men and women to talk to each other. What a shocker! Then finally "Recipe for Disaster" was about how horses should not half to live downtown and its animal cruelty because they hardly ever get to see a vet. I think the tribute decided to publish these because they are significant problems that need to be changed immediately for the sake of the people and animals everywhere.
Skylar L.
Period 5
I read "No Democracy," "Anti-Everything," and "Recipe for Disaster" published by the editor. No democracy was published because there is a big argument over the "president' of Egypt. They made there's short but sweet, hitting key points and strong words. The other two both focus of the recent collapse of Jerry, the carriage horse. This is a very big controversy right now which is probably why it was posted. They used dramatic writing and related to their own experiences.
-Marcus Corbett
Period 5
What I thought the authors did really well is one had experience with the topic because she had been a carriage driver in Chicago and seen what happens and wants to change the ways. The author of overshoot seems to know a lot of facts to support his statement which is always a good thing. Then finally the author of Wrong number just had a bad experience and wanted to share this dumb happening.
Skylar L.
Period 5
I read "The End of the End," "Wrong Number," and "Anti-Everything." "The End of the End" argues that 101.9 The End should not have been a cancelled station for she loved the different commentators and advertised products from the stations commercials. She hopes one day it will return. "Wrong Number" was about a guy who called what he thought to be the UTA phone number, but turned out to be a chat line. "Anti-Everything" was written by a man trying to convince the 'anti-everything' people to not worry so much about animals because most are being treated well. All these arguments had very valid reasons backing up their claim and all were relateable to other people. That is why they were able to get published.
Jack Boomer Per. 5
The letters i read were the "Anti Everything", "Parents Should Do More" and "Hospital Team". All of these letters had their own meaning and argument and made their point very clear! For example the letter "Hospital Team" was about this man who was very pleased with the people at The LDS Hospital. The " Parents Should Do More" letter argued that parents should do more with their children at school and "Anti Everything" was about the author's opinion about PETA complaining about the use of animals in horse-drawn carriages. I think that the "Anti Everything" letter was published because it probably was connecting to something in the news at that time. The "Parents should do more" letter was written very well and the letter called "Hospital Team" was a "feel-good piece".
Marren S
8-26-13
period 5
The three articles I read were "Days of Yesteryear", "Short Takes on the News", and "Save Water Stop fires". All three of theses letters on different topics, but they have to do with what America can sometimes be oblivious to. "Days of Yesteryear" made the Tribune because it states the idea that technology has been around for thousands of years from the quote "The American Indians used smoke signals to communicate." The writer brought up the quote "Return to us those thrilling days of yesteryear" from the song Lone Ranger hold on to memories. Think of a time when life was more simple, but the idea of technology was there, and think of how far we have come from those days.
"Short Takes on the News" made the tribune because it asks that America could eliminate soft drinks to be more healthy. also for behavior aspects. The writer effectively proved that studies have shown that kids that drink soda develop a more aggressive behavior. Also to help America avoid this problem by not developing soda habits when their young.
"Save Water Stop Fires" made the tribune because it discusses a big problem we have in western regions of America. The writer effectively brings up that it doesn't matter how big off a team of fire fighters there are it takes a lot of water to put out fires. Which brings up the awareness of droughts, that we need to conserve water and help save our planet.
I read the letters; "Recipe for Disaster", "Horse not Abused" and "Where is Outrage". The two letters "Recipe for Disaster" and "Horse not Abused" both talk about the same thing. It was about a horse named Jerry who had collapsed in Downtown Utah caused by the effects of heat in the 100's and appears to be colic. They are trying to tell people that horses are not our little slaves or puppets, especially Downtown where there are lots of cars and noises. He fell while pulling a carriage and it was a recipe for disaster. The other one, "Where is Outrage", is talking about how the government and presidents need to take large actions against violence in the states because this is a huge thing. Bored black teenagers killed an innocent white man in Oklahoma. There has been a lot of tragic and inappropriate killing recently and the president and other leaders have not been taking action on these big issues. Instead they really focus on the little things. They were so vocal before and always talking about how it will be better, but now they are just in absolute silence. It seems as if they think the topics are a poor fit in there agenda. I think these letters made the Tribune because they are very important topics to talk about and they are affecting out community in many ways. Also everyone should have there own input on things/ opinions. These writers definitely made there point and have made really good opinions and arguments.
-Albert S. Period 5
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