A. Read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Section 1, and Analyze Purpose and Point of View – RI.8.6 (20 minutes)

• Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can analyze the author’s point of view and purpose in an excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

• Instruct students to retrieve their copies of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and turn to page 10.
• Read aloud section 1 as students read along silently. Refer to the Text Guide: The Omnivore’s Dilemma (for teacher reference) for excerpt, questions, and vocabulary. If students are able to read independently or in small groups, group students accordingly, and set the time for them to read the excerpt. If students do not finish reading the section within the allotted reading time, distribute Synopsis: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Section 1 to each student to review the key details from the section.
• After reading the section, ask students to Think-Pair-Share about the gist they determined for the section of text:

“What is the gist of this section?” (The author is investigating food sources.)

• Invite students to record the gist onto a sticky note, sticking it at the front of the chapter for quick reference. Alternatively, give students a different option for recording gist, such as writing a margin note or using a graphic organizer that they will return to in the future.
• With students’ support, record the meanings of food chain (the series of processes by which food is grown or produced, sold, and eventually consumed), organic (produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents), and processed food (a series of mechanical or chemical operations performed to change or preserve food) on the domain-specific word wall with translations in students’ home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each key term to scaffold students’ understanding. Invite students to record these words in their vocabulary logs.
• Lead students through the following steps of the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol for the questions below:

1. Partners stand back-to-back to each other, being respectful of space, listening as each question is posed.
2. Prompt students to turn and stand face-to-face with each other.
3. Direct partner A to share his or her answer to the question posed.
4. Direct partner B to share his or her answer to the question posed.
5. Tell students to find a different partner, and proceed through steps 1–4 again.
6. Repeat for each question.

• Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face:

“What food traditions does your family or culture have? What food(s) do you eat often?” (Responses will vary, but may include: arroz con pollo, roti, fish and chips, Black Forest ham, assam, ravioli, chorizo, spring pancake, cornbread, barbecue)

“What are you interested to learn more about now?” (Responses will vary, but may include: where food comes from, or specific food chains that the author has called out.)

“What did the author say about the point of this book?” (Responses will vary, but may include that the point isn’t to scare the reader. It’s to help us rediscover the pleasures of food.)

• Emphasize the point of the text by rereading aloud the final paragraph of the introduction, beginning at, “There were parts of this book that were difficult to write . . . .”
• Remind students that they analyzed the point of view of characters in the previous module. Explain to students that “point of view” is a bit different in a nonfiction text. Students will analyze the point of view of the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma because the book is a nonfiction text and is written from Michael Pollan’s perspective. Explain to students that some nonfiction texts are purely information, like an encyclopedia, and are not written from a particular point of view, but other texts, like this one, present particular points of view and perspectives. Tell students that they will analyze the author’s attitude toward certain topics and begin to describe and evaluate the author’s thinking in detail in the upcoming lessons.
• Display and distribute Author’s Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore’s Dilemma note-catcher. For ELLs and students who require additional support, the Author’s Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore’s Dilemma note-catcher ▲ can be used to help guide students’ thinking with pre-filled information and sentence starters to help students complete the first entry.
• Orient students to the note-catcher. Read aloud the headings on the note-catcher and the supporting prompt questions in each section. Tell students that this note-catcher will help them track the author’s purpose and point of view on different topics throughout the book. Remind students that the author’s purpose is the reason the author writes something.
• Have students turn to page 11. Draw students’ attention to the following sentence:

“But I found I was going crazy from worrying about food.”

• Ask students the following questions from the note-catcher:

“What topic is the author addressing?” (where our food comes from)

“What is the author’s attitude toward this topic?” (Where our food comes from is important and something we should really think about.)

“What is the author’s reason for writing this?” (to educate readers about where our food comes from and what is in it)

“What words or ideas from the excerpt helped you determine that point of view?” (going crazy, worrying)

“How does the author’s point of view add to our understanding of this topic?” (helps us understand how complicated the omnivore’s dilemma is)

• Have students agree on responses as a class. Record these responses on the displayed note-catcher, and instruct students to follow along and record the responses on their own note-catchers. Refer to Author’s Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore’s Dilemma note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as needed.
• Draw students’ attention to the following sentence on page 11:
• “Instead we have dozens of different ‘experts’ who give us lots of different advice about what to eat and what not to eat.”
• Ask students the following questions from the note-catcher:

“What topic is the author addressing?” (the way we get information about our food today)

“What is the author’s attitude toward this topic?” (Our food choices are more confusing now, and we don’t know whom to listen to.)

“What is the author’s reason for writing this?” (to prove to the reader that we have an “omnivore’s dilemma” in how to make good food choices)

“What words or ideas from the excerpt helped you determine that point of view?” (experts, people knew about food because they grew it or hunted it themselves)

“How does the author’s point of view add to our understanding of this topic?” (helps us understand that we do not have firsthand knowledge of where our food comes from)

• Have students agree on responses as a class. Record the class responses on the displayed note-catcher, and instruct students to follow along and record the responses on their own note-catchers. Refer to Author’s Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore’s Dilemma note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as needed.
• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.