“Meat-Free and Me”

Laura Oster

Introduction

1. Attention Catcher: Talk about anticipating typical Thanksgiving food and what I will eat (maybe show a slide or photograph for watching).
2. Listener Relevance Link: Eating habits are changing across the country for health reasons. (Cite the American Dietetic Assoc.)

• Speaker Credibility Statement: I’ve been a vegetarian for five years now and I have also interviewed other vegetarians as well as taken a course on vegetarianism.

1. Thesis Statement: Living a vegetarian lifestyle is an important aspect of who I am today.
2. Preview: How I made this choice, family issues as a result, ways this choice affects my life today.

 

Body

1. First main point: How I made this choice.
   1. Subpoint: Personal childhood experiences not unlike yours (listener relevance), story about my pet cow Charlie (feeling) and picture (watching).
   2. Subpoint: Book I read as a young adult thanks to my friend Amy: Diet for a New America (thinking)
   3. Subpoint: Steps I went through to adjust my eating habits and still be healthy, (Vegetarian Times, Jan. 1997) (thinking and doing)

 

Transition:

The decision to become a vegetarian not only affected my own life, it also created some interesting issues within my family.

 

1. Second main point: Family conflicts (listener relevance link – young adults separating from family to make own decisions).
2. Subpoint: Family felt betrayed.

1. Sub -subpoint: My father who is a rancher didn’t understand.
2. Sub-subpoint: Grandparents worried I would become anemic.
3. Subpoint: Eventually, my family learned more about vegetarianism.
4. Sub-subpoint: Learning about the vegetarian food pyramid helped. (Hubbard, 1996).
5. Sub-subpoint: My grandma learned how to prepare several vegetarian dishes (Farell-Kingsley, 1999)

 

Transition:

I’m glad my family has adjusted to my choice to be a vegetarian; however, this choice continues to affect my life today.

 

III. Third main point: I deal with both disadvantages and advantages as a result.

1. Subpoint: There are some dis-advantages of being a vegetarian.
2. Sub-subpoint: Sometimes, my options are limited at restaurants.
3. Sub-sub-subpoint: My options at places like McDonald’s are salads and soda.
4. Sub-sub-subpoint: My options at other restaurants are limited too.
5. Subpoint: There are some definite advantages to being a vegetarian.
6. Sub-subpoint: Vegetables cost less than meat (Dworkin, 1999)
7. Sub-subpoint: A low-fat diet is good for you and vegetables are low in fat.
8. Sub-subpoint: I feel a sense of personal satisfaction.

 

Transition:

Although being a vegetarian is not always easy, it is worth the struggle because it  is true to who I am.

 

Conclusion:

1. Thesis restatement: Now you know why a vegetarian lifestyle is such an important aspect of who I am.
2. Main point summary: I talked about why I made this choice, how this choice has impacted my personal relationships, and how this choice continues to affect my life today.

• Clincher: As a vegetarian, I’ve discovered a world of food I never knew existed. Believe me, this Thanksgiving, my mouth will water, too, as I sit down hungrily before my rice pilaf with grilled vegetables and garlic roasted tofu.

 

References

 

Applegate, L. (1997, April). Vegetable matter. Runner’s World, 32, 26-27.

 

Cole, M.R. (1999). Restaurant dining – the meatless way. Vibrant Life, 15, 21-26.

 

Your outline should be two (full) pages (not including references).

 

You will need a minimum of ten references. (Three of them must be non-internet.)

 

Non-internet = interviews, books (physical), magazines, brochures, etc. Academic and scholarly publications (refereed by other academics) will also be considered non-internet.

 

Internal References must also be included. In the outline (in the Third Main Point), it looks like this – (Dworkin, 1999). You can use APA or MLA style (both not both).

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course

Instructor’s Name

Date

 Do Schools Kill Creativity

Introduction

Creativity is one of the most difficult skills to acquire. People have varied definitions of creativity and many people think of it differently. However, it is the ability to transcend traditional ways of thinking or acting and develop new and original ideas, methods, and subjects (Morr, Kelly p. 1). Therefore, creativity can present in terms of both thinking and acting. People have argued differently as to whether school kills creativity (Raslan 1507). I have read several books, articles, websites, and personal opinions arguing that school kills creativity while others state that school fosters creativity. This speech defends that creativity is part and parcel of school today.

Body

Someone might ask how I made the choice or came to the conclusion that school does not kill creativity. It is through personal experiences with school that I believe school has made me more creative than before. I am a creative writer based on the knowledge I have gained from school. I have some friends who are dancers after joining the school music club. Therefore, to say in general that school kills creativity is wrong. I understood that school can promote creativity after reading Vincent-Lancrin (270), which suggested that people value creativity in music, entertainment, technology, and other aspects of existence. Teachers tend to teach students other skills they need to be creative. School exposes students to an immense array of creative activities from music, visual art, fiction, to game design (Johnson p.1). The decision that school promotes creativity not only affects one’s life but also the people around them.

Family and friends who feel that education kills creativity might feel betrayed when advised to focus on school. People who focus on artistic creativity such as dancing or music may be more furious with school (Kettler 240). However, some schools provide programs in music, dancing, public speaking, and other areas of arts. However, the perception and attitude that school kills creativity usually end and turnaround after they have realized the kind of support school provided for their creativity. According to ElSayary (126), STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics. STEAM education is the fusion of the disciplines; science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics which is considered to be an essential paradigm for creative teaching and learning (Khine 65). It is pleasing when people realize that school does not kill creativity, however, this choice will have an impact on the individual’s lives forever.

There are several advantages of incorporating creativity in school learning programs. For instance, creative people are full of alternatives. According to Calarco (81), dancers who also study chemistry can decide to settle with one or both. Similarly, those who are musicians may decide to pursue music as their career or any other normal profession. Creativity helps students remain well informed and open-minded. According to Fields (240), creativity allows students to express themselves. It also promotes thinking and problem-solving. One might also think of a disadvantage of nurturing creativity in schools. Well, that might be just one, it required the individual much time and a lot of focus to succeed (Karwowski 4). It takes sacrifice to offer those two requirements and they are the major reason why some people are not creative (Harris and De Bruin 130). Although being creative is not easy, it is worth the struggle because it is true to who I am.

Conclusion

Now you understand why I support that school does not kill creativity and why I have made creativity my portion. I talked about why I am supporting this fact, how this choice has impacted my life and that of family and friends and how it continues to affect my life today. The school promotes creativity in various ways. Furthermore, the word creativity is broad, beyond being a musician or an acrobat. Therefore, creativity also entails thinking in the field of technology, medicine, and other areas.

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References

Calarco, Jessica M. C. Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School. Oxford University Press. 2018.

ElSayary, Areej. “Teaching and Assessing Creativity in STEAM Education.” (2021): 126-131. https://www.iiis.org/CDs2021/CD2021Spring/papers/EB072XU.pdf

Fields, Ziska, Julien Bucher, and Anja Weller. Imagination, Creativity, and Responsible Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Business Science Reference, 2019.

Harris, Anne, and Leon R. De Bruin. “Secondary school creativity, teacher practice and STEAM education: An international study.” Journal of Educational Change 19.2 (2018): 153-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-017-9311-2

Johnson, Ben. “4 Ways to Develop Creativity in Students.” George Lucas Educational Foundation. January 31, 2022. https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-ways-develop-creativity-students

 Kettler, Todd, Kristen N. Lamb, and Dianna R. Mullet. Developing Creativity in the Classroom: Learning and Innovation for 21st-Century Schools. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

Khine, M. S., & In Areepattamannil, S. (2019). STEAM Education: Theory and Practice. Springer.

Karwowski, Maciej. “School does not kill creativity.” European Psychologist (2021). https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000449

Morr, Kelly. “What is creativity? The ultimate guide to understanding today’s most important ability”. 99designs, 2019. https://99designs.com/blog/creative-thinking/what-is-creativity/

Raslan, Gilson Soares, and Janaina Visibeli Barros. “Creativity in School: emancipation or instrumentalization? 1.” Educação & Realidade 43 (2018): 1499-1514. https://www.scielo.br/j/edreal/a/B35tMVgsnM9KRSNTKtm5zwf/?format=html&lang=en

Vincent-Lancrin, Stephan, Mathias Bouckaert, Meritxell Fernandez-Barrerra, Carlos Gonzalez-Sancho, Gwenael Jacotin, Joaquin Urgel, Quentin Vidal, and Luca F. De. Fostering Students’ Creativity and Critical Thinking: What It Means in School. OECD Publishing, 2019.