Project: Write an Paragraph on Ethical Consumption

Aim

We will write an essay about ethical consumption (倫理的消費) (why we need to think carefully about people and the environment before we buy things).

By the end of this project, you will be able to write a paragraph summarising your reading on the problem:

• Invention
  • Research a topic
  • take notes
  • cite sources (出典を引用します)
• Arrangement: Put your ideas in a clear order
• Style: Write clear sentences, using formal English in academic style
• Delivery: Format (フォーマット) an essay well (fonts, spacing, titles etc)

Class 1 Task A: Think and Understand

• We buy/use a lot of different products every day
  • food every day
  • clothes every month
  • electronics (e.g. phone) every few years
• However, this can be bad for:
  • the people/places where they are collected
  • the people/places where they are produced
  • the people/places where they are recycled
• For example, how often is the answer “I don’t know”?
  • Was your shirt made by children?
  • Was your phone made in a safe factory?
  • Do the eggs you eat come from a happy chicken?
  • Were your cosmetics tested on animals?
  • Is there palm oil in your toothpaste?
  • Will your phone be recycled properly?

Class 1 Task B: Read this example paragraph

• Bold bits can be copied
• Keywords (e.g. “poverty”) are NOUNS and are used three times
• The main topic (shea butter) isn’t repeated too often.

This paragraph outlines three problems that** shea butter production can cause - poverty, lack of child education, and loss of trees. The first problem is poverty. Developed countries buy shea butter at too low a cost for farmers to have a stable income. For this reason, people sometimes make enough money, but sometimes experience poverty. The second problem is lack of child education. Due to a the lack of money, children sometimes have to work making shea butter rather than go to school. As a result, many of them cannot read or write, as situation which can lead to problems arranging export, negotiating, and getting information. The third problem is loss of trees. Some people cut down the shea trees in order to make charcoal, which is sold as a commodity, and people can get income quickly. However, the trees take a very long time to grow again, and until then people cannot make the butter. In summary, there are three main problems - poverty, lack of child education, and loss of trees - of which the most serious is lack of child education.

Homework for class 2 (or class 1 if we have time): Choose a topic and do some reading

• Make a list of products
  • things you used this week or that you buy regularly
  • things you have at home
  • things you want to buy
• Make a list of the MATERIALS (材料) used in the things on your list
  • e.g. palm oil in toothpaste
  • e.g. cotton in t-shirts
• Choose a good essay topic from your list:
  • Must be a material (材料) or a very simple product
  • Do not choose complicated things (e.g. iPhone)
  • Do not choose my example topic (shea butter)
• Claim it online
  • TASK: Post on Classroom
  • Read what your classmates have posted.
  • If someone else has chosen your topic, too late! Choose a new one!
  • Post your topic e.g. “I’m Hiroko, and I choose cotton”
• Do some research - is your topic OK?
  • Research your topic a little.
    • Read 3 things. Take notes
    • Japanese OK! This is writing practice, not reading practice!
    • Google your topic + “problem” or the example keywords below
      • Find good sources (newspapers, government, NGO).
      • Avoid bad sources (wikipedia, dictionary, answer sites)
      • Avoid plagiarisism! (don’t copy paste into your notes, it’s dangerous)
  • Find 3 problem keywords
    • For people (workers, farmers) and environment NOT for you/companies.
    • e.g.”tobacco farms use child labour” not “tobacco gives us cancer”
    • Use Keywords correctly. Easiest option: use only NOUNS. For example
      • child/slave labour
      • conflict
      • poverty,
      • dangerous working conditions
      • deforestation
      • air/water/sea/soil pollution
    • If you can’t find 3 problems, change your topic!
    • In class next week you will share your topic and research. I want to see
      • notes on what you read
      • 9 lines minimum,
      • three http links
      • Japanese OK.

Class 2 Task A - Share your Ideas

You should now have notes like this

• Problems
  • child soldiers
    • Some detail on child soldiers
    • Another detail on child soldiers
  • dangerous mining conditions
    • Some detail on mining conditions
    • Another detail on mining conditions
  • water pollution
    • Some detail on water pollution
    • Another detail on water pollution

Share your ideas in class. Only do the third line (definition) if your topic word is not well known

• My name is Hiroko
• I chose Tantalum.
• (Tantalum is a kind of metal used to make electronics like mobile phones.)
• There are three main problems - child soldiers, dangerous mines, and pollution.
• Firstly, child soldiers. GIVE TWO DETAILS.
• Secondly, dangerous mines. GIVE TWO DETAILS.
• Thirdly, pollution. GIVE TWO DETAILS.
• Any questions?

Class 2

In class, we will also talk about:

• Introduction and conclusion
• Writing summary sentences
• Formatting written work.

Homework for Class 3

• Find the template online
• Write your 11 sentences
• Bring it to class for friend check next week.

Check the list of common mistakes

• Link is here