1. A collection of ideas from Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
They Say / I Say
A collection of ideas from Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

2. They Say . . .
Good writers do more than just present their own ideas. They present their ideas as a response to others’ ideas.
Good writers use the ideas of others as a launching pad for their own ideas. You can agree OR disagree with these ideas.
Good writers “enter a conversation” with others. “They” may be:
An author or other famous person
A family member
A friend
Yourself!

3. Writing Lesson #1: What do “they” say about your topic?
Sample:
The The term “vegetarian” tends to be synonymous with “tree hugger” in many people’s minds. They see vegetarianism as a cult that brainwashes its followers into eliminating meat for the vague goal of “animal welfare.” However, few vegetarians choose their lifestyle because they are brainwashed. On the contrary, many vegetarians are actually independent thinkers, concerned citizens, and compassionate human beings. For the truth is that there are many very good reasons for giving up meat. Perhaps the best reasons are to improve the environment, to encourage humane treatment of livestock or to enhance one’s own health. In sum, a close examination of a meat-eater’s diet will show that vegetarianism is clearly the better option for sustaining the Earth and all its inhabitants.
Writing Lesson #1: What do “they” say about your topic?
Sample:
The The term “vegetarian” tends to be synonymous with “tree hugger” in many people’s minds. They see vegetarianism as a cult that brainwashes its followers into eliminating meat for the vague goal of “animal welfare.” However, few vegetarians choose their lifestyle because they are brainwashed. On the contrary, many vegetarians are actually independent thinkers, concerned citizens, and compassionate human beings. For the truth is that there are many very good reasons for giving up meat. Perhaps the best reasons are to improve the environment, to encourage humane treatment of livestock or to enhance one’s own health. In sum, a close examination of a meat-eater’s diet will show that vegetarianism is clearly the better option for sustaining the Earth and all its inhabitants.

4. Try it! Respond to one of the following topics using the “They Say/I Say” format
Cats make better pets than dogs
Schools should no longer sponsor football teams
Standardized testing is good
Justin Bieber is the best singer
Students should be required to wear school uniforms
The driving age should be raised to 18
Make up your own topic!

5. Will Richardson fears his daughter will not be googled well
Will Richardson fears his daughter will not be googled well. He is worried that when someone types her name into a search engine, they will not find links demonstrating how smart or kind or creative she is. Even worse, he says, they will find no links connected to her name at all.
agree OR
disagree
diagree
However, just because one doesn’t have a big and impressive digital footprint doesn’t mean one is doomed. On the contrary, having no digital footprint at all could be a good thing. If there is no information about you online, that could simply mean that you spend your time doing things other than using social media. For the truth is many people do good without feeling the need to shout their good deeds to the world. Would you rather hire someone who boasts about every little thing they do or someone who does good simply for goodness sake, and not because they are looking for accolades? In sum, we need to look deeper than the results of an internet search to find who people really are.
After all, this is the age of the internet. Just as people need to build healthy personal connections, so they also need to build a healthy online profile. Employers, recruiters, colleges—indeed just about everyone—expect to find information about potential employees, athletes and students online. The truth is, people have come to depend on the internet to provide them all the information they need.
Trying to research someone online and not getting any hits is frustrating and may plant seeds of doubt in the researcher’s mind about the candidate’s abilities and social connections. In sum, if you want to have a better chance at being hired tomorrow, you should start cultivating a positive digital footprint today.

6. Will Richardson fears his daughter will not be googled well
Will Richardson fears his daughter will not be googled well. He is worried that when someone types her name into a search engine, they will not find links demonstrating how smart or kind or creative she is. Even worse, he says, they will find no links connected to her name at all.
agree OR
disagree
However, just because one doesn’t have a big and impressive digital footprint doesn’t mean one is doomed. On the contrary, having no digital footprint at all could be a good thing. If there is no information about you online, that could simply mean that you spend your time doing things other than using social media. For the truth is many people do good without feeling the need to shout their good deeds to the world. Would you rather hire someone who boasts about every little thing they do or someone who does good simply for goodness sake, and not because they are looking for accolades? In sum, we need to look deeper than the results of an internet search to find who people really are.
After all, this is the age of the internet. Just as people need to build a healthy credit record, so they also need to build a healthy online profile. Employers, recruiters, colleges—indeed just about everyone—expect to find information about their potential employees, athletes and students online. The truth is, people have come to depend on the internet to provide them all the information they need.
Trying to research someone online and not getting any hits is frustrating and may plant seeds of doubt in the researcher’s mind about the candidate’s abilities and social connections. In sum, if you want to have a better chance at being hired tomorrow, you should start cultivating a positive digital footprint today.

7. Writing Lesson #1: What do “they” say about your topic?
Sample:
The term “digital shadow” is scary to many people. They see the idea of a digital shadow as proof that somebody is watching everything they do. However, just because an internet company is tracking what you like online, doesn’t mean they are stalking you. On the contrary, these companies don’t attach their data to you, personally. As the author says, “To be clear, these companies gather data without attaching it to your name.” The truth is that we all benefit from allowing companies to track us online. For one, we get free internet. The advertisers pay the owners of the site so we don’t have to. In a sense, we are buying this “free” service with our data, not our money. Furthermore, we no longer have to wade through ads we have no interest in. Instead, we are presented with companies and deals which could be of use to us. Personally, I would rather see ads for pottery tools than hunting tools. In sum, the idea of someone following your every click online may sound scary at first, but when you see what you get in exchange for your data, I think you will agree having a “digital shadow” is a small price to pay.

8. Choose a statement The water in the Straight River is polluted.
Our perspective changes how we view an issue.
No one needs to know what the Fibonacci Sequence is.
Geo Caching is easy.