Flyer vs. Article: Which Source Supports a Claim?
Two texts sit side by side on a fifth-grade desk. Text A is a one-page town flyer headlined 'Recycle and Save the Planet!' Its bullet points say: 'Recycling is easy,' 'Blue bins are picked up every Tuesday,' and 'Together we can make a difference.' It has no numbers. Text B is a 250-word newspaper article. It reports that Ridgeville recycled 1,200 tons of paper and plastic last year, a 15 percent increase from 2022. Town engineer Dana Wells says the program costs $80,000 a year and saves about $110,000 in landfill fees, but 20 percent of blue-bin items were contaminated with food waste. Students must write a paragraph answering: 'Does Ridgeville's recycling program help the town?' The teacher requires a claim, at least one fact from each text, and a response to a possible limitation.
1. A student writes, 'Ridgeville's recycling program helps the town because recycling is easy and everyone should do it.' Which text does this response rely on, and why is it weak for the question? Revise the claim using evidence from the texts.
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The response relies on the flyer. 'Recycling is easy' and 'everyone should do it' are slogan-like statements, not evidence about whether the program helps the town. The question asks about help, which requires results such as savings, waste reduction, or problems. A stronger claim is: 'Ridgeville's recycling program helps the town because it saves about $30,000 a year in landfill fees, even though 20 percent of blue-bin items are contaminated.' That version uses the article's cost and savings figures and its contamination rate. It also makes a qualified claim: the program helps, but it has a problem. The flyer's Tuesday pickup detail could be added to show the service exists, but it cannot carry the argument alone.
2. How does the author's purpose differ between the flyer and the article, and how does that affect which details each text includes?
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The flyer's purpose is to persuade residents to recycle and to make the program seem simple and positive. That is why it uses a headline, short bullet points, and slogans such as 'Together we can make a difference,' and why it leaves out costs and contamination. The newspaper article's purpose is to inform readers about the program's results, including both benefits and problems. That is why it includes numbers (1,200 tons, 15 percent, $80,000, $110,000, 20 percent) and a quote from the town engineer. Purpose shapes which details an author includes and leaves out. A reader who wants to judge the program should notice that the flyer is one-sided and use the article for measured evidence.
3. The paragraph must include one fact from each text. Which fact from the flyer and which fact from the article are most useful for judging whether the program helps the town? Explain.
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The most useful flyer fact is that blue bins are picked up every Tuesday, because it shows the program is a real service available to residents. The most useful article fact is the savings comparison: the program costs $80,000 a year and saves about $110,000 in landfill fees, for a net savings of about $30,000. That fact directly addresses whether the program helps the town. The flyer fact alone cannot answer the question because it does not show a result. The article's contamination rate is also useful as a limitation, but the savings figure is the strongest support for a 'helps the town' claim. Using both texts means pairing a fact about access with a fact about results.