The Omnivore's Dilemma Part 1

Review the photographs on pages 133 and 142 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Read the text excerpts on pages 133–134 (stop at “. . . under federal organic rules.”), and pages 142–146 (starting at “Let us sell you lettuce.”).

"What information do the photographs give the viewer?"

• They show toxic chemicals being added to the fields.

• They explain that the lettuce is produced in an industrial organic setting.

• They show healthy-looking fields and packages of organic lettuce.

• They explain that to produce the lettuce and get it to stores uses a lot of fossil fuels.

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Review the photographs on pages 133 and 142 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Read the text excerpts on pages 133–134 (stop at “. . . under federal organic rules.”), and pages 142–146 (starting at “Let us sell you lettuce.”).

What is one advantage of presenting this topic in print text format?

• Students can return to the text and reread it as needed

• The speaker’s body language and tone help the reader understand the author’s purpose.

• It is easy for students to copy and paste parts of the document as a way of taking notes.

• The text level matches all readers who encounter the text.

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Review the photographs on pages 133 and 142 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Read the text excerpts on pages 133–134 (stop at “. . . under federal organic rules.”), and pages 142–146 (starting at “Let us sell you lettuce.”).

What is one disadvantage of presenting this topic in a photograph?

• It is difficult for a photograph to be misinterpreted, so all viewers will have the same understanding presented about industrial organic farming.

• It gives an incomplete understanding to a viewer about the topic of industrial organic farming.

• The details can be overwhelming for a student who struggles with content of industrial organic farming or the level of the text.

• Readers tend to rush and read text quickly, therefore not thinking deeply about the content of industrial organic farming.

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Refer to the print text sections and infographics from The Omnivore’s Dilemma (pages 34–39).

What are the advantages of presenting the material on page 37 in an infographic?

• It provides only little context on the topic, which can make the information difficult to interpret.

• It is visually engaging and draws the reader into the topic by presenting a mix of text and images with captions.

• It presents “bite-sized” pieces of information about the loss of diversity of crops, which is easy for the reader to understand at a glance.

• It turns complicated information on the topic into visual graphics that are easy to understand.

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Refer to the print text sections and infographics from The Omnivore’s Dilemma (pages 34–39)

What is one disadvantage to presenting the material on page 37 in an infographic?

• It can be read efficiently and quickly provides information for readers on the topic.

• It provides only “bite-sized” pieces of information, which can leave the reader without important details on the topic.

• It is engaging and easily catches readers’ attention, drawing them into the topic.

• The visual elements, such as the change from three columns of crops to only one, add depth to the reader’s understanding of the topic.

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Refer to the print text sections and infographics from The Omnivore’s Dilemma (pages 34–39).

What is the purpose of showing the infographic on page 37?

• to inform the reader about the decline in crop and livestock diversity between 1920 and 2002

• to convince people to eat less corn, since industrialized farming of highyield corn is the cause of the decline in crop diversity between 1920 and 2004

• to connect ideas about the crops that were grown in 1920 and the animals raised in 1920 and how those influence consumer health

• to describe the changes in the number of acres used for farming in the United States between 1920 and 2002

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Refer to the print text sections and infographics from The Omnivore’s Dilemma (pages 34–39).

What can you infer about the motive behind the infographic presented on page 37?

• The motive behind the infographic is likely environmental because Michael Pollan believes that a lack of crop diversity is better for the environment.

• The motive is likely political because Michael Pollan presents this information in hopes that readers will support candidates from farming states like Iowa.

• The motive is likely political because Michael Pollan wants politicians to support financial incentives for farmers who grow corn.

• The motive behind the infographic is likely environmental because Michael Pollan wants more people to be aware of the impact a lack of crop diversity has on the landscape of farming areas like Iowa.

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Read pages 117–120 in The Omnivore’s Dilemma (stop at “. . . after months in the freezer or on the road.”), including the infographics on pages 117 and 119.

What are the advantages of presenting the material on pages 117–120 using printed written text?

• It provides details about the topic of chicken nuggets, especially about what corn-based ingredients are used to produce them.

• The reader can go back to the text multiple times to review the information presented on the ingredients in chicken nuggets.

• The reader can employ active reading strategies (like annotating and coding) to help him or her understand more about the ingredients in chicken nuggets.

• The reader can read the “bite-sized” pieces of information quickly and efficiently to gain an understanding of the corn-based ingredients in chicken nuggets.

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Read pages 117–120 in The Omnivore’s Dilemma (stop at “. . . after months in the freezer or on the road.”), including the infographics on pages 117 and 119.

What is one advantage of presenting the material on page 119 as an infographic?

• It provides only little context on the topic, which can make the information difficult to interpret.

• The reader can misinterpret information presented about chicken nuggets.

• Because it uses many details, the reader builds a complex understanding of the corn-based ingredients used to produce chicken nuggets.

• It turns complicated information about chicken nuggets into visual graphics that are easy to understand.

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Read pages 117–120 in The Omnivore’s Dilemma (stop at “. . . after months in the freezer or on the road.”), including the infographics on pages 117 and 119.

What is one purpose of showing the infographic on page 119?

• to convince people to avoid eating chicken nuggets and select healthier fast-food options

• to suggest that chicken nuggets changed the industrial farming system, by increasing the demand for broiler chickens

• to inform consumers about the popularity of chicken nuggets and the unhealthy fats they contain

• to describe how chicken nuggets, even though popular, are detrimental to consumers’ health and should be avoided

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