Poverty Seminar Coaching

DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​​

1. Seminar Pre-Write. DUE: Monday, 10/2, Start of Class. Google Classroom OR Hard Copy
2. Idea Fishing Part 2. DUE: Wednesday, 10/4, Start of Class (9:25 AM). Google Classroom.

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)

1. Revised College Essay + Display Board. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday, 10/4, Start of Class (9:25 AM). Google Classroom.

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Announcements

1. Late Policy Reminder- I do not accept work after a week, so please submit missing assignments within that time frame!
2. First Honors Meeting- Wednesday, 11/4, 1st period.  We will get you books, the reading schedule, and all due dates for this semester.
   
3. Lunch- We are continuing to work on this issue.  A longer lunch comes with other tradeoffs.  Be patient, and we will get your input soon on the hard choices here.
   

​Starter 2: Why does poverty exist?
Why does poverty exist?  Write at least 6-8 sentences that offer an explanation for why poverty exists in the United States.  Draw on your knowledge of history, politics, what you read, the music you analyzed, your own experiences…  Dig deep, and use specific examples to support your ideas.

Coach the Texts
Coaching Norms:

1. Take intellectual risks
2. Everybody speaks and participates actively
3. Speak up/Leave space
4. Take your time

The Uses of Poverty
Paragraph by paragraph.  For each paragraph:

1. Summarize the main idea
2. Clarify confusions/define unfamiliar terms
3. Make a connection to personal experience, other text, song, movie…anything really

At the end: What is the thesis, or main argument of this piece?

​Poverty by America
Page by page. For each page:

1. Summarize the main idea- what was most important about this page?
2. Clarify confusions/define unfamiliar terms
3. Talk about what kind of evidence was used on this page to support claims

At the end: What is the thesis, or main argument of this chapter?

Final Coaching Task: Have your group write two thought-provoking seminar questions on an index card and give them to me.

Seminar Prewrite
Choose ONE​ of the following questions to answer in a full paragraph (so, 1/4-1/2 a page).  Make sure you have specific textual references/quotes in here. 

1. Make two connections between texts (song, Poverty by America, Uses of Poverty).  Quote the texts, then explain the connections you have made.
2. Why does poverty exist, according to the authors of these two texts?
3. Which text makes the more powerful argument?  Why?
4. Poverty by America
   1. Desmond defines poverty as “a tight knot of social problems,” breaking with conventional definitions that focusonly on low incomes. What are the implications of this view? How would you define poverty?
   2. “America’s poverty is not for lack of resources. We lack something else.” What do we, as a country, and as a citizenry, lack in this context?
5. The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All
   1. Of the different functions Gans argues the poor play, which seem most important to you?  Why?
   2. To what extent do you agree with this argument that poverty still exists because it is beneficial to society? Explain your reasoning using evidence from any of the texts.