Taxing unhealthy food would be an inexpensive way to improve American health. Offering healthy lunches at school means kids are more likely to eat healthy food at home. Activity 4: Making Predictions and Asking Questions Read the first paragraph of “No Lunch Left Behind” silently. What do Waters and Heron think should happen to school lunches? Now that you’ve read the first paragraph, explain what the title of the article means. Now read the first five paragraphs of “Bad Food?,” and then discuss the following questions: What is it going to be about? Why does Bittman put a question mark after “Bad Food?” Who do you think is the intended audience for this piece? How do you know this? Is this the same as the audience for “No Lunch Left Behind”? Turn the title of Bittman’s article into a question to answer as you read the essay. Reading Activity 5: Reading for Understanding The first reading of an essay is intended to help you understand the text and confirm your predictions. This step is sometimes called reading “with the grain” or “playing the believing game.” As you read, think about the following questions: Which of your predictions turned out to be true? What surprised you? If your predictions turned out to be wrong, what misled you? Can you answer the question you created from the title? What, if anything, is still confusing to you?
“First off, we’ll have to listen to nanny-state arguments. . .” (par. 25). Why does Bittman use “we” in this sentence? How could you rewrite this sentence to make it sound more formal? Postreading Activity 12: Summarizing and Responding—Rhetorical Précis Use the article with your annotations to help you write a rhetorical précis of Bittman’s article, “Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables.” Be sure to paraphrase what Bittman says in your own words; do not quote. Sentence 1: Note the name of the author, the genre and title of the work, and publication date in parentheses; a rhetorically accurate verb, and a that clause containing the major assertion or thesis statement of the work. Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis following the order of the article. Sentence 3: A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order to” phrase. Sentence 4: A description of the intended audience, the relationship the author establishes with the audience, or both. Activity 13: Thinking Critically In your group, answer the following questions about the traditional rhetorical appeals that Bittman makes in “Bad Food? Tax it, and Subsidize Vegetables.” Be sure to consider what you think Waters and Heron, “No Lunch Left Behind,” and Brody, “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic,” would say in response to Bittman’s arguments. Select a reporter to write down your group’s answers so you can share them with your classmates. Group 1: Questions about Logic (Logos) What are Bittman’s major claims and assertions? Do you agree with his claims? What evidence does he use to support his claims? How relevant and valid do you think the evidence is? How sound is the reasoning? Is there any claim that appears to be weak or unsupported? Which one, and why do you think so? What would Brody and Waters and Heron say in response to Bittman’s proposal? Group 2: Questions about the Writer (Ethos) What can you infer about Bittman from the text? Does he have the appropriate background to speak with authority on the subject? Is he knowledgeable on this subject?