Hard Times; Obama urges stimulus package, announces economic team

NIE Multimedia Program: Lesson 8

Ben Amato | Educational consultant
Expository Writing--ELA Standards 1, 3 and 4

The world's economy is in crisis and the President-elect Barack Obama is attempting to help, even before he enters the White House. Today's lesson looks at his attempts to aid the situation and the impact of our failing economy on students.

Television Component
News 12 has a story on the pressures college students face in securing an education in these troubled times. View the video twice and then answer the Multiple Choice questions.

Newspaper Component
Today's Newsday contains the article "Obama urges stimulus package, announces economic team." Read the story and then using the facts and details within, complete the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle.

NPR Radio Component
Listen to the NPR story about two students and their different paths towards a college education. Take notes and apply that information to the knowledge you have gathered about these economic hard times.

Language Arts Component Critical Lens
"If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion."
--George Bernard Shaw, writer (1856 1950)

In these economic hard times, students still need to plan and prepare for the future. A college education is still the best bet for success but paying for it has gotten a lot tougher.

Situation
Based upon the details in the article, the video clip and your own feelings about the economy, write an EXPOSITORY ESSAY about the hard times our world seems to be in and your own plan for future.

Click here to learn more about how to write an expository essay.

The Nature and Structure of an EXPOSITORY ESSAY
An EXPOSITORY ESSAY is a form of writing in which things are explained and described. The goal of this style is to inform the reader of some event, issue or discovery. Typical of all formal styles of writing, this essay will follow a set pattern of 3 paragraphs.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
Expository essays begin with the TOPIC, where in short, direct sentences the issue or event is explained. Details about the SETTING and CAST are presented next. These sentences tell WHO the major players are and WHERE the story is being played out. The final sentence of this section is where the writer presents his/her OPINION on the issue. This is a "grabber" that makes the reader want to read the rest of the essay.

BODY PARAGRAPH
This section concerns the details of the story. Using the information from the article and the video, the writer should present the facts in a strong, direct manner. It is best to arrange details in an ORDER OF IMPORTANCE. Place the more significant details at the start of the essay and the lesser ones later in the paragraph. The aim of an expository essay is to inform the reader, but the writer should also try to bring the reader to their opinion by using logic and the evidence.

CONCLUSION
The final section of an expository essay should drive home the opinion of the writer. Repeat the TOPIC in a short, clear phrase and then answer a few questions expressing your own thoughts on the situation. How can racism and hate crimes be prevented? Does illegal immigration fuel bias and violence? Can government make a difference in the attitudes and actions of prejudiced people? End this section with a look to the future. Will the coming years bring more of the same violence and death or have corners been turned?