Nickel and Dimed
Author Barbara Ehrenreich comments that, "There are no secret economies that nourish the poor; on the contrary, there are a host of special costs." As we continue our studies on Poverty and Homelessness, we will be using elements from the text to look at some examples of low-wage workers, and begin the evaluate the accuracy of her suggestion.
In this lesson, we will be looking at the cover image as well as an excerpt from Barbara Ehrenreich's 2002 bestseller Nickel and Dimed.
In this lesson, we will be looking at the cover image as well as an excerpt from Barbara Ehrenreich's 2002 bestseller Nickel and Dimed.
Activity One: OPTIC Analysis
An OPTIC visual analysis is a systematized approach to visual images and graphic texts. As part of our brief study of Nickel and Dimed students will be completing an OPTIC analysis using the book's cover image and language.
optic_analysis_nickel_and_dimed.docx |
Activity Two: Active Reading Assignment
As we have discussed in class, close and strategic reading (also known as active reading) is key to developing critical thinking skills and building the capacity to thoughtfully evaluate all types of text. Reading with "a pen in hand" helps readers to purposefully examine a text, question the author's ideas, and reflect on key elements.
For this activity, students are asked to read pages 11-29 of the text, and complete the active reading worksheet linked below. This should be detailed and complete, and turned in to our classroom inbox when complete.
For this activity, students are asked to read pages 11-29 of the text, and complete the active reading worksheet linked below. This should be detailed and complete, and turned in to our classroom inbox when complete.
nickel_and_dimed_active_reading_worksheet.docx |