ENG 120, L55 Mary Staub Connecting the Parts Adapted from They Say I Say / Smart Words

ENG 120, L55Mary Staub

Connecting the Parts

Adapted from They Say I Say / Smart Words

“Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore” (By Robert Frank p. 580-585)

PEOPLE remember the past with exaggerated fondness. Important aspects of life really were better in the old days.

During the three decades after World War II incomes in the United States rose rapidly. At about the same rate — almost 3 percent a year — for people at all income levels. America had an economically vibrant middle class. Roads and bridges were well maintained. Impressive new infrastructure was being built. People were optimistic.

Connecting the Parts

Transitions Key terms Pointing words Repetition, with a difference

Transition words: categories

Agreement / Addition Examples / Support / Emphasis Elaboration Comparison / Similarity Contrast / Opposition / Limitation Cause and Effect Concession Conclusion / Summary / Restatement

Brainstorm Agreement / Addition

Also And Besides Furthermore In addition Indeed In fact As Too

Moreover By the same token Equally important

Brainstorm linking words/transitions Examples / Support / Emphasis Elaboration Comparison / Similarity Contrast / Opposition / Limitation Cause and Effect Concession Conclusion / Summary / Restatement

CONNECT THE PARTS: TRANSITIONS AND LINKING WORDS “Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore”

PEOPLE remember the past with exaggerated fondness. Important aspects of life really were better in the old days.

During the three decades after World War II incomes in the United States rose rapidly. At about the same rate — almost 3 percent a year — for people at all income levels. America had an economically vibrant middle class. Roads and bridges were well maintained. Impressive new infrastructure was being built. People were optimistic.

“Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore”

People often remember the past with exaggerated fondness. Sometimes, however, important aspects of life really were better in the old days.During the three decades after World War II, for example, incomes in the United States rose rapidly and at about the same rate — almost 3 percent a year — for people at all income levels. America had an economically vibrant middle class. Roads and bridges were well maintained, and impressive new infrastructure was being built. People were optimistic.

During the last three decades the economy has grown much more slowly. Our infrastructure has fallen into grave disrepair. All significant income growth has been concentrated at the top of the scale. The share of total income going to the top 1 percent of earners, which stood at 8.9 percent in 1976, rose to 23.5 percent by 2007. During the same period, the average inflation-adjusted hourly wage declined by more than 7 percent.

CONNECT THE PARTS:

By contrast, during the last three decades the economy has grown much more slowly, and our infrastructure has fallen into grave disrepair. Most troubling, all significant income growth has been concentrated at the top of the scale. The share of total income going to the top 1 percent of earners, which stood at 8.9 percent in 1976, rose to 23.5 percent by 2007, but during the same period, the average inflation-adjusted hourly wage declined by more than 7 percent.

Many economists are reluctant to confront rising income inequality directly. They say that whether this trend is good or bad requires a value judgment that is best left to philosophers. That disclaimer rings hollow. Economics was founded by moral philosophers. Links between the disciplines remain strong. Economists are well positioned to address this question. The answer is very clear.

CONNECT THE PARTS:

Yet many economists are reluctant to confront rising income inequality directly, saying that whether this trend is good or bad requires a value judgment that is best left to philosophers. But that disclaimer rings hollow. Economics, after all, was founded by moral philosophers, and links between the disciplines remain strong. So economists are well positioned to address this question, and the answer is very clear.

Some moral philosophers address inequality by invoking principles of justice and fairness. Because they have been unable to forge broad agreement about what these abstract principles mean in practice, they’ve made little progress. The more pragmatic cost-benefit approach favored by Smith has proved more fruitful. It turns out that rising inequality has created enormous losses and few gains for its ostensible beneficiaries.

CONNECT THE PARTS:

Some moral philosophers address inequality by invoking principles of justice and fairness. But because they have been unable to forge broad agreement about what these abstract principles mean in practice, they’ve made little progress. The more pragmatic cost-benefit approach favored by Smith has proved more fruitful, for it turns out that rising inequality has created enormous losses and few gains, even for its ostensible beneficiaries.

Recent research on psychological well-being has taught us that beyond a certain point, across-the-board spending increases often do little more than raise the bar for what is considered enough. A C.E.O. may think he needs a 30,000-square-foot mansion because each of his peers has one. Although they might all be just as happy in more modest dwellings, few would be willing to downsize on their own.

CONNECT THE PARTS:

Recent research on psychological well-being has taught us that beyond a certain point, across-the-board spending increases often do little more than raise the bar for what is considered enough. A C.E.O. may think he needs a 30,000-square-foot mansion, for example, just because each of his peers has one. Although they might all be just as happy in more modest dwellings, few would be willing to downsize on their own.

But use caution, or else….

Spot is a good dog. He has fleas.

Spot is a good dog because he has fleas.

Recap: Connecting the Parts


Everyone knows some young person who is impressively “street smart” but does poorly in school. What a waste, we think, that one who is so intelligent about so many things in life seems unable to apply that intelligence to academic work. What doesn’t occur to us, though, is that schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work.

Key terms: ‘Hidden Intellectualism’, by Gerald Graff, (p. 380)

Everyone knows some young person who is impressively “street smart” but does poorly in school. What a waste, we think, that one who is so intelligent about so many things in life seems unable to apply that intelligence to academic work. What doesn’t occur to us, though, is that schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work.




Pointing words

PronounsThisThese That Those He, she, it, they…His, her, their….Themselves, ourselves

Nor do we overlook one of the major reasons why schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts: the fact that we associate those street smarts with anti-intellectual concerns. We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty and academic. We assume that it’s possible to wax intellectual about Plato, Shakespeare, the French Revolution, and nuclear fission, but not about cars, dating, fashion, sports, TV, or video games.


Nor do we overlook one of the major reasons why schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts: the fact that we associate those street smarts with anti-intellectual concerns. We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty and academic. We assume that it’s possible to wax intellectual about Plato, Shakespeare, the French Revolution, and nuclear fission, but not about cars, dating, fashion, sports, TV, or video games.


The trouble with this assumption is that no necessary connection has ever been established between any text or subject and the educational depth and weight of the discussion it can generate. Real intellectuals turn any subject, however lightweight it may seem, into grist for their mill through the thoughtful questions they bring to it, whereas a dullard will find a way to drain the interest out of the richest subject. That’s why George Orwell writing on the cultural meanings of penny postcards is infinitely more substantial than the cogitations of many professors on Shakespeare or globalization.






Pointing words: example‘Hidden Intellectualism’, by Gerald Graff

Students do need to read models of intellectually challenging writing—and Orwell is a great one—if they are to become intellectuals themselves. But they would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do this at first on subjects that interest them rather than ones that interest us.

Pointing words: example‘Hidden Intellectualism’, by Gerald Graff

Students do need to read models of intellectually challenging writing—and Orwell is a great one—if they are to become intellectuals themselves. But they would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do this at first on subjects that interest them rather than ones that interest us.



Apply to your work, next week

Tech. Competency 12 I created this PowerPoint to accompany a lesson on

‘transitions’ and ‘connecting the parts’ for ENG 120, an undergraduate (freshman) expository writing class.

I sequenced the slides (and animation) in a way that enabled me to model whole-class with the students how ‘transitions’ and ‘connections’ work. Then students engaged in multiple activities throughout the lesson to practice what was modeled.

Documents

ENG 120, L55 Mary Staub Connecting the Parts Adapted from They Say I Say / Smart Words