MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Lesson on paragraphs, here for early in your memo, in the definition/description move where we also need to address context.  Skill?:  Coherence in a paragraph (sample content but the paragraphs might not be complete for the purposes of your coffee cup paper):

"Meh" paragraph
Plastic and paper cups pose problems for recycling. Ceramic cups are very energy intensive to produce. Recycling seems environmentally-sound.  Paper does not degrade deep within most landfills and the plastic coating is also difficult.  Not all plastic can be recycled.  You need to check the bottom of the container.  Landfills are increasingly full.  There is a huge "patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean.

Note: can you see the compare/contrast move here, even in this meh or necessary draft version?

Better paragraph
Paper and plastic both pose disposal problems.  First, not all plastic can be recycled. Check the bottom of the plastic container. "No. 1" and "No. 2" types can be recycled by most facilities. Second, paper does not degrade deep within most landfills because of low oxygen conditions. The plastic coating also interferes with decay. Landfills are increasingly full.  There is a huge "patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean.

Note: do you see a place for a referral citation, using the Seattle news article posted earlier? Can you find a more general article that you can refer to, about the limits of recycling and landfilling?  Recall that this information, now, at this level of detail is common knowledge, even if you do know this.

Even better paragraph (can you see the re-thinking of content as well as sentence-level revision)
Paper and plastic both pose disposal problems.  First, not all plastic can be recycled. Check the bottom of the plastic container. "No. 1" and "No. 2" types can be recycled by most facilities. Second, paper does not degrade deep within most landfills because of low oxygen conditions. The plastic coating also interferes with decay. Landfills are increasingly full, with paper and plastic part of the waste stream. Not all plastic is recycled or landfilled. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) a huge "patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean is further evidence of of the environmental harm posed by plastic.

Note: do you see a place for a referral citation? Caution, that NRDC piece has been taken down. Keep in mind that even good stuff on the internet goes away.  You can use the Charles Moore foundation pages as a referral citation.

==== (pivoting away from definition/desorption to analysis; reveal your decision criteria!)

Life cycle analysis definition paragraph content items:

use a sourcing sentence (signal phrase) like "According to ........Life cycle analysis (LCA) assesses......

"Life cycle analysis is the primary decision criteria used in this memo to evaluate our coffee cup choice."

"Note that Martin Hocking's work uses LCA to assess the energy intensivity of paper, styrofoam, and ceramic cups."

"Charles Moore's work on the fate of ocean plastic focuses on the disposal step of life cycle analysis."

(These last two sentences serve as transitions to the summary paragraphs where you focus on the science of Hocking OR the science of Moore, depending on your recommendation. This is the heart of your memo, the EVALUTION PARA that uses evidence for your claim on which cup is better, given your problem frame)

On the board, in class, we will work out a P1, P2, P3. . . series arrangement where P = Paragraph. Take a picture of this to guide your work.