The Atlantic: “Can the Middle Class Be Saved?”

Here is the article from the September 2011 issue of The Atlantic about the Great Recession’s effects on the American middle class. Thanks Wendy!

Can the Middle Class Be Saved?

National resource

The Atlantic, the middle class

Here is my draft for things I will need to pre-teach and also some guided reading questions. FYI I will only have students read first half, stopping at the “Changing the Path…”

Can the Middle Class Be Saved?
By Don Peck
From The Atlantic, September 2011
Excerpt pp. 60-68.
Lesson ideas from W.Robinson

Vocabulary
Plutonomy
Meritocracy (тmeritocratic eliteт)
Silicon Valley
Wall Street
Blue collar
White collar
Globalization
Ex-urbs (as opposed to suburbs)
Stratification (as in тincome stratificationт)
тthe aughtsт (as in aught-seven = 2007)
тcognitive or manual skillsт

Guided Reading
What are the тcultural problemsт referenced on pages 65-66? (Infer)
Peck uses data and statistics throughout the article. Choose the most noteworthy, important, or surprising statistic (according to your own criteria). Defend your choice.
Locate both facts and opinions related to education. Highlight facts in blue and opinions in yellow. Then paraphrase each fact and opinion onto a list/chart.
Locate and mark voices other than Peckтs in this text. Choose three and analyze how or why are these other voices used?
Locate at least 3 examples of PIE. Mark and label the text to show you recognized Point, Illustration, and Explanation.
Look carefully at the illustration on page 66. What is the message? Explain how the elements of the cartoon work to create this message.

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1 Comment »

wendyrobinson says:

August 18, 2011 at 12:39 pm

Here is my draft for things I will need to pre-teach and also some guided reading questions. FYI I will only have students read first half, stopping at the “Changing the Path…”

Can the Middle Class Be Saved?
By Don Peck
From The Atlantic, September 2011
Excerpt pp. 60-68.
Lesson ideas from W.Robinson

Vocabulary
Plutonomy
Meritocracy (тmeritocratic eliteт)
Silicon Valley
Wall Street
Blue collar
White collar
Globalization
Ex-urbs (as opposed to suburbs)
Stratification (as in тincome stratificationт)
тthe aughtsт (as in aught-seven = 2007)
тcognitive or manual skillsт

Guided Reading
What are the тcultural problemsт referenced on pages 65-66? (Infer)
Peck uses data and statistics throughout the article. Choose the most noteworthy, important, or surprising statistic (according to your own criteria). Defend your choice.
Locate both facts and opinions related to education. Highlight facts in blue and opinions in yellow. Then paraphrase each fact and opinion onto a list/chart.
Locate and mark voices other than Peckтs in this text. Choose three and analyze how or why are these other voices used?
Locate at least 3 examples of PIE. Mark and label the text to show you recognized Point, Illustration, and Explanation.
Look carefully at the illustration on page 66. What is the message? Explain how the elements of the cartoon work to create this message.

LikeLike