9th Grade Unit 1: EVERYTHING is an...

Survey of Literature 9th Grade

Unit 1: EVERYTHING is an argument!

Essential Questions • In the age of technology is writing important?

• What makes a good argument? • Why write?

BY THE END OF THIS UNIT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well inferences drawn from the text.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Created by Westinghouse English Department (2011, Parlee: Revised 2012)

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Essential Questions Essential Questions are questions that we ask ourselves throughout a unit that focus and guide us. They may not have right or wrong answers, but everyone should have an opinion on them. Let’s take a look at our EQ’s for this unit. As you look at them, write your thoughts and attempt to answer the question—

even if you think you don’t know, try!

1. Why write?

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2. What makes a good argument?

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3. In the age of technology is writing still important?

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Quick Write#1

Welcome to Freshman Survey Literature. Take a seat—any desk seat—and get started on this, your first assignment. If you want to chat with new friends you can do so in the hall. In here, we begin when the bell rings.

Name:_____________________ Period_________ Read the following quotes and choose the one that BEST represents who you are. If you don’t like any of them, give me a quote you know or make one up yourself!

• At fourteen you don't need sickness or death for tragedy.-- Jessamyn West

• Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.--

Quentin Crisp

• Figuring out who you are is the whole point of the human experience.-- Anna Quindlen

• If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.--

General George S. Patton, Jr.

• Love all, trust a few, do wrong to no one.—William Shakespeare Why does this reveal your personality? Give me an example to prove your claim! (Use the back if you’re prolific!) Then, we’ll talk about how THIS simple exercise is an ARGUMENT….’cause everything is! ___________________________________________________________

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SUCCESS at GWCP (Cover Sheet) After discussing what the freshman year looks like, and how important it is, your homework is to write a quick write (or create a creative way of sharing your thoughts) in which you describe what it takes to be successful at Westinghouse High School in your freshman year. Creative ways to respond

• Collage • Photography (done by you!) • Short story • Comic Strip • Another teacher “okayed” response

Purpose: You are exposing HOW one can be successful at GWCP and what that might look like to you in particular. Writer’s Role: You are a freshman at GWCP. Audience: The audience is other freshman at GWCP. Form: Your writing should be in the form of a creative essay or creative response. Please see the list above for ideas. CRS Correction Area #1: Content The response includes (at least 3) specific examples, or pieces from evidence (from class content) as well as outside experiences that showcase or put a person on the path of success. CRS Correction Area #2: Mechanics When you turn in your response it should have no spelling or capitalization errors. Pay attention to your sentences—avoid run-‐ons and fragments (when you can) and work on varying sentence style and length. Please see rubric for more information on how to earn an A and show mastery.


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4 3 2 1 Content Student fully

answers the prompt as well as includes 3 specific details that lead to success at GWCP

Student fully answers the prompt but includes only 2 details that lead to success at GWCP.

Student does not fully answer the prompt and includes some details that lead to success at GWCP.

Student does not fully answer the prompt or the response is confusing.

Neatness Product is neat and complete. Student has spent time completing this.

Product is somewhat neat and somewhat complete. Student has spent some time on this product.

Product has scribbles and cross outs or looks generally like student did it haphazardly.

Product is not well done.

Spelling and capitalization

No errors in spelling or capitalization present in product.

1 error in spelling or capitalization present in product.

2 errors in spelling or capitalization present in product.

3 or more errors in spelling or capitalization present in product.


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Quick Write#2

After reading SPEAK we’ve learned that high school can be tough—especially the first day. In a Quick Write (more directions below) tell me about a first day of school for you—you can be creative and make-up an anecdote, or tell the truth. OR, if you’re stuck with that prompt, tell me one thing you HATE about English and Reading and one thing you LOVE about English and Reading. No fair just telling me what you don’t like

What’s a Quick Write? A quick write is • Written quickly that’s the easy part.

• Written in complete sentences. • 50-100 words (and sometimes it can be less depending on what your teacher asks of you). • It involves answering the prompt fully and supporting your response with specific details

or stories (anecdotes). ___________________________________________________________

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Binders: 9th Grade Survey Lit Your binder is a very important tool that encourages academic success at Westinghouse High School. There will be periodic binder checks that impact your grade, but overall a binder will keep you organized, keep your graded work in one place, and keep you on top of your homework and class work. Here is how your binder should be set up for Freshman Survey Literature. (There’s a copy of this document in your APPENDIX of this unit.) Front:

_________ Syllabus

_________Notebook or loose-‐leaf paper

Tab 1:

________ Bell Ringers: The Word Within the Word

Tab 2:

________ Unit Packet (This will change based on the unit we are currently studying.)

Tab 3:

________ WREN and Grammar Instruction

Tab 4:

________ Graded Work (This will consist of written graded work that has a rubric accompanying

it. This is a great way to look back at your written work and see how far you’ve progressed in

your mastery of great writing!)

Tab 5:

________ Handouts/Notes (You may also keep notes in your notebook if you have one.)

_______TEACHER CHOICE

Total points for each binder check:________/70

Extra credit for excellent organization:________


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Survey Literature: Syllabus Quiz This quiz will identify whether or not you read your syllabus—and if you understood the words that you read!

• Please answer ________ of the questions below on a separate sheet of paper. • Make sure you fill in the answers as we discuss the rest. • THIS IS YOUR FIRST GRADE so make it good and thorough!

1. What is the overall theme for the entire freshman year of English?

2. Who are the other TWO teachers that could help you with your freshman English class?

3. Do you have to type “most” of your assignments?

4. What is our first unit about?

5. What is a CRS skill?

6. What TWO full texts do we read this year? (Hint: One is a play that you may have read

before…at least you think you’ve read it!)

7. Will you have final exams in this class? If so, when do they occur?

8. Do you have to do any outside reading? If so, what and how often?

9. What’s the late work policy at Westinghouse and in English class?

10. What happens if you are tardy to class?

11. When is the “parent and student signed sheet” due?

12. If you miss a class, how long do you have to make-‐up class work?

13. Do you need to bring a binder to class and what happens if you lose your Survey Literature

packet?

14. Are cell phones (and other technology) allowed in class? Are cell phones allowed outside of

class?

15. What happens if you have your cell phone/technology out?


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The WRIGHT Family! After engaging in the WRIGHT family activity for the first, or second, time, pick three of the questions below and answer them on this sheet of paper. You can use the back if you need to!

1. What made the activity difficult to accomplish?

2. What impact did what other people do have on your ability to stay up with the story? 3. How did you feel during the activity?

4. What would have made the activity easier to accomplish?

5. How hard was it to listen and pass the objects at the same time? 6. How much of the story can you remember? 7. How seriously did everyone take the activity?

8. What impact did the level of seriousness have on the activity? 9. What can this activity tell us about communication?

10. How hard were you concentrating during the activity? 11. How hard were the people concentrating on either side of you? 12. How does this level of concentration compare with what you do when someone is talking to you?

When you’re listening in class?

13. Describe a situation you have had where someone was not really listening to you when you were

telling him/her something? How did that make you feel?

Everyone must answer this question (and you don’t get to count it as a part of your three): What THREE

RULES should have governed this activity—meaning, what three rules can you come up with to make this

activity work better?


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Name:___________________________________

Main Idea and Supporting Details: 16-19. I can identify the main idea of an uncomplicated passage and support this main idea with

specific details from the text. Pre-Reading: MAKE IT OR BREAK IT: THE FRESHMAN YEAR Vocabulary I Need to Know. 1. IMPISH 2. REINFORCEMENT 3. SUBTLE

What I THINK the word means. 1. 2. 3.

What the word really means: 1. 2. 3.

Before reading your assigned text, determine your purpose for reading. (Your teacher may give

this to you or you may form it yourself.) My purpose for reading is:

Discovering what is the ARGUMENT in this text and HOW you know?

During-Reading: As you read, take a look at EACH paragraph. Try and determine the main idea or reason behind each paragraph or a group of them. Remember to look back at your vocab if you have trouble with the words. Paragraphs 1-‐3:

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Paragraph 4:

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Paragraph 5-‐6:

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Paragraph 7:

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Paragraph 8-‐9:

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Paragraph 10-‐12:

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Post-Reading: When you’re done reading, check out all of the main idea/reason statements you wrote down for each paragraph. What do they combine to tell you? (Look for repetition in theme, idea, and purpose.)

1. The WHAT is the author trying to argue here? (Guess what, that’s your MAIN IDEA!):

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2. Now, pair-‐share your main idea with the person next to you. Did your discussion change

your mind/make you modify your main idea? Why or why not?


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Name:______________________________ can draw conclusions and identify supporting details and main ideas while applying understandings to real world situations.

Directions: The passage below discusses the importance of the freshman year. While reading please annotate the text by asking questions, making comments or connections, and noting important details. USE THE ANNOTATION BACKBONE FOUND IN YOUR APPENDIX.

Freshman year: Make or break Published: Friday, May 29,

2009, 10:06 PM By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

It's 10 a.m. on Monday, and Tigard High freshman Samantha Steadman is facing down a page of x's, y's and negative numbers. Sam is enrolled in pre-algebra plus a math support class designed to help her pass one of the most frequently failed classes in America: freshman math. The skateboard-loving ninth-grader with the impish smile and independent streak will need all the help she can get. She earned low grades in middle school and struggles with reading -- warning signs that she could follow in her father's footsteps and drop out of Tigard High. Today's review is supposed to be a cinch, but she's stumped. X = Y- 5. Huh? Like many ninth-graders, she's more focused on her hairstyle and her friends than on algebra. Freshman year of high school is rarely a favorite for students or teachers. But new research shows that when it comes to getting a diploma, no year matters more. If students don't attend school regularly and don't pass all their classes as freshmen, they are likely to drop out -- no matter how much parent support and great teaching they get later. A student who ends ninth grade without earning six credits has less than a one-in-four chance of earning a diploma, a study in Portland found. As a result, some metro-area high schools -- including Tigard High and Portland's Franklin High -- are doing


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more than ever to try to get all freshmen to pass every class. Both schools offer ninth-graders smaller classes, reinforcement in reading and math and personal follow-ups with students who miss class the most. The Oregonian followed three ninth-graders at the two schools to see whether the extra attention would help them succeed. (This article will concern only one of these Sam Steadman.) Tigard High's signature is a reading program that tracks the progress of every student and gives the weakest readers intensive help from a teacher invested in their success. So far, results at both schools show fewer freshmen failing. But some ninth-graders still fall through the cracks. Back in the Tigard High math class, students are grappling to solve -4 - (-2). Teacher Jane Harris senses the class is lost and flips on the overhead. She asks everyone to draw the problem, using colored squares to represent positive and negative numbers. Sam, in a move she has perfected, subtly peeks at the answer of the student next to her. Never mind that the girl is just as confused about subtracting negative numbers as Sam is. "The answer is negative 2," Harris says. "I got 2," Sam says, grinning. "I just forgot the negative." In Portland, a coalition of educators, employers and nonprofit groups commissioned a study that tracked every student who entered Portland high schools in fall 2000 or who transferred into the class of 2004 to figure out why 2,370 of them, or 47 percent, dropped out. Although students typically don't quit until junior year or later, researchers found that the trouble begins freshman year, when many students fall so far behind that they never recover. Samantha Steadman Midway through her freshman year, Sam Steadman has made some important discoveries for someone just 15 years old. The future that awaits teens who smoke pot and ditch class -- as she did last fall -- isn't what she wants. People who end up with nice houses and good


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jobs, people others can rely on, people with success -- they're the ones who stick it out through high school and go to college. Sam credits the staunch backing of her father and stepmother for her turnaround. "She's really excelling now," her father, Craig, said this month. Making headway By spring, Sam the freshman has done a 180-degree turn from Sam the eighth-grader. She comes to school almost every day. She's passing all her classes, even getting some Bs. On days when she has homework, she makes a point of doing it before she watches TV. "I want college. I want to be important. I want people to be able to rely on me," she reflects in May, repeating the pep talks she gets at school and from her folks. "Freshman year is like the jumping board in a swimming pool. I needed to jump in and get a good education. I want to become something better."


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NAME:

Make it or Break it Question #1: Main Idea

Remember: The main idea represents the ENTIRETY of a passage, not merely sections or specific examples.

1. Which of the following statements best reflects the ENTIRETY of the passage? a. Sam turned things around and is now excelling in high school. b. In order to excel in life, a student must always excel in high school. c. Freshman year can be a great indicator of future academic and economic success. d. Freshman year is incredibly important to success later on in life and making smart choices now will lead

to smart choices later on.

Explain why you chose this answer. What is present in the reading to lead you to this choice?

Was your answer correct? Yes-‐you are awesome! ________ No? You are not as awesome as that kid who got it right, but I think you are still pretty cool._________ Thinking about your thinking (metacognition): What makes the following incorrect answer (distracter) incorrect?

Look again at the answer stems. Write, in the line provided, which answer stems fits with the distracter type. _______ Distortion

_______Switch

_______ Unsupported Positive

_______ Extreme

The MUST KNOWS discussion (Please answer on a separate sheet of paper and in complete sentences.)

1. Why do you think the freshman year is so important? What makes it different than, say the Junior year, when students take the ACT?

2. Does Samantha’s high school resemble our own in anyway, if so, how? What are the similarities between you and Sam? Differences?

3. Do you know of any supports that GWCP offers you if you are struggling?


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Worth the Wait By Rick Reilly Directions: As you read, think about what your brain is doing. Make a note of the connections, comments, questions, and clarifications you think of on the right hand side. USE THE ANNOTATION BACKBONE Or SAY SOMETHING….or another strategy that you use. Why do they come? Why do they hang around to watch the slowest high school cross-country runner in America? Why do they want to see a kid finish the 3.1 miles in 51 minutes when the winner did it in 16? Why do they cry? Why do they nearly break their wrists applauding a junior who falls flat on his face almost every race? Why do they hug a teenager who could be beaten by any other kid running backward? Why do they do it? Why do all of his teammates go back out on the course and run the last 10 minutes of every race with him? Why do other teams do it too? And the girls' teams? Why run all the way back out there to pace a kid running like a tortoise with bunions? Why? Because Ben Comen never quits. See, Ben has a heart just slightly larger than the Chicago Hyatt. He also has cerebral palsy. The disease doesn't mess with his intellect -- he gets A's and B's -- but it seizes his muscles and contorts his body and gives him the balance of a Times Square drunk. Yet there he is, competing for the Hanna High cross-country team in Anderson, S.C., dragging that wracked body over rocks and fallen branches and ditches. And people ask, Why? "Because I feel like I've been put here to set an example," says Ben, 16. "Anybody can find something they can do -- and do it well. I like to show people that you can either stop trying or you can pick yourself up and keep going. It's just more fun to keep going." It must be, because faced with what Ben faces, most of us would quit. Imagine what it feels like for Ben to watch his perfectly healthy twin, Alex, or his younger brother, Chris, run like rabbits for Hanna High, while Ben runs like a man whacking through an Amazon thicket. Imagine never beating anybody to the finish line. Imagine dragging along that stubborn left side, pulling that unbending tire iron of a leg around to the front and pogo-sticking off it to get back to his right. Worse, he lifts his feet so little that he trips on anything -- a Twinkie-sized rock, a licorice-thick branch, the cracks between


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linoleum tiles. But he won't let anybody help him up. "It messes up my flow," he says. He's not embarrassed, just mad. Worst, he falls hard. His brain can't send signals fast enough for his arms to cushion his fall, so he often smacks his head or his face or his shoulder. Sometimes his mom, Joan, can't watch. "I've been coaching cross-country for 31 years," says Hanna's Chuck Parker, "and I've never met anyone with the drive that Ben has. I don't think there's an inch of that kid I haven't had to bandage up." But never before Ben finishes the race. Like Rocky Marciano, Ben finishes bloody and bruised, but never beaten. Oh, he always loses -- Ben barely finishes ahead of the sunset, forget other runners. But he hasn't quit once. Through rain, wind or welt, he always crosses the finish line. Lord, it's some sight when he gets there: Ben clunking his way home, shepherded by all those kids, while the cheerleaders screech and parents try to holler encouragement, only to find nothing coming out of their voice boxes. The other day Ben was coming in with his huge army, Ben's Friends, his face stoplight red and tortured, that laborious gait eating up the earth inch by inch, when he fell not 10 yards from the line. There was a gasp from the parents and a second of silence from the kids. But then Ben went through the 15-second process of getting his bloody knees under him, his balance back and his forward motion going again -- and he finished. From the roar you'd have thought he just won Boston. "Words can't describe that moment," says his mom. "I saw grown men just stand there and cry." Ben can get to you that way. This is a kid who builds wheelchair ramps for Easter Seals, spends nights helping at an assisted-living home, mans a drill for Habitat for Humanity, devotes hours to holding the hand of a disabled neighbor, Miss Jessie, and plans to run a marathon and become a doctor. Boy, the youth of today, huh? Oh, one aside: Hanna High is also the home of a mentally challenged man known as Radio, who has been the football team's assistant for more than 30 years. Radio gained national attention in a 1996 Sports Illustrated story by Gary Smith and is the hero of a major movie that opens nationwide on Oct. 24. Feel like you could use a little dose of humanity? Get yourself to Hanna. And while you're there, go out and join Ben's Friends. You'll be amazed what a little jog can do for your heart.


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Name: Period:

Survey of Literature Identifying Cause/Effect Relationships Passage Title: Worth the Wait by Rick Reilly Remember: Cause/effect relationships are not merely sequential, you must be sure that the “cause” of each of the effects is the reason for that “effect.” Assignment:

A. As you read the passage, identify and write down at least one CAUSE for each of the effects. You may only use information that is included in the passage.

CAUSE EFFECT

1 Ben’s body contorts and his muscles seize.

2 Ben is bloody and bruised at the end of the races he runs.

3 Ben never quits.

4 The author mentions Radio, a mentally challenged man that has been the football team’s assistant for more than 30 years.

(For this one, think of what the CAUSE does to you, the reader. What EFFECT does it have on your understanding of the story?)

5 Rick Reilly decides to interview Ben for the first time.

Discussion Questions: (Please answer on a separate sheet of paper. Remember to answer in complete sentences.) 1. The author begins this work with a question, WHY. “Why do they come?” What does he give as the reason for all

of the spectators that watch Ben finish his cross-‐country races? What reason does Ben give for why he does what he does?

2. What challenges does Ben face in his life? 3. What challenges do you face that you’ll need to overcome this year in order to be successful? What do you think

is ONE THING you can do right now that will help you be successful this year?


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GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE COLLEGE PREP The Big A: Assessment

Begin with End in Mind: THE ACT 1 This is where we’re headed. In the next three years you’ll be assessed and assessed and reassessed. You’ll be sick of it. Believe me, your teachers recognize this but there’s a point to all of this testing and it’s to prepare you for the mother of all tests—the ACT! What is the ACT you ask? Well, I’m glad you did! The ACT is an assessment that pin-‐points your college readiness. It includes four subject area tests plus a 30-‐minute Writing Test.

ACT results are accepted by all 4-‐year colleges and universities in the U.S.

The ACT includes 215 multiple-‐choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete, including a short break (or just over four hours if you are taking the ACT Plus Writing). Actual testing time is 2 hours and 55 minutes (plus 30 minutes if you are taking the ACT Plus Writing). *Modified from the original version the ACT website.

What does the ACT test?

The ACT works off of standards called College Readiness Standards (CRS). For every content area there are specific sets of objectives and standards that the ACT covers. For example, in reading we have Main Ideas, Supporting Details, Relationships, Author’s Purpose…and the list goes on. The cool thing about reading is that our CRS’s are used in other content areas—for example, on the Science portion of the ACT you not only have to interpret data scientifically but you also must use your reading skills—draw conclusions, make inferences and

predictions, and so on. 2

What’s it look like?

Section I In 2007, changes were made in the calculation of meeting and exceeding standards on the ACT (which includes another test called the PSAE—sometimes we just call it that!). The calculations are based on the total number of items correct on Day 1 and Day 2 of the test. This is done to ensure that one day is not advantageous over another day. Below are the applicable PSAE tests for the assessed subjects.1

• PSAE Math : ACT Math (60 Questions) + WorkKeys Applied Math (33 Questions)

• PSAE Reading: ACT Reading ( 40 Questions) + WorkKeys

1. What’s the first thing you think of

when you hear ACT? (Come on, FIRST

THING…..)

2. Given the information BEFORE this

number, what might this infer about the

READING skills that you’ll learn this

year?

1 Data provided by Paul Zavitkovsky and Cynthia Barron of the Urban Education Leadership Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.


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Reading (33 Questions) Time: 35 minutes 3

• PSAE Science: ACT Science (40 Questions) + ISBE Science (45 Questions)

• PSAE Writing: ACT English (75 Questions) + ACT Writing Reading

• Most students need to answer 20 ACT questions and 22 Work Keys questions correctly to reach the Meet Standards cut score of 155; 42 of 73=58%

• Most students need to answer 31 ACT questions and 28 Work Keys questions correctly to reach the Exceed Standards cut score of 178; 59 of 73=81%

English

• Writing is the ACT English + the writing. English ACT section consists of 75 questions. If you get half of those and about a

7 on the writing you should meet standards 4

So What! I’m a FRESHMAN!

It’s important to remember that you don’t just jump into high school and take the ACT. We work you up to it by making sure you understand the skills and test taking strategies needed in order to do well on the exam. FIRST, we ensure you understand what CRS (College Readiness Standards) are—which you’ll be tested on during the ACT. We instruct you in these skills, practice with them, and then, assess you to ensure that you’re headed in the right direction. NEXT, we proctor larger assessment tools (like EXPLORE and PLAN) to make sure you’re achieving growth. Without these exams, which can sometimes be tedious and not very fun to sit for, we won’t know what you need to work on. That’s why it’s important for you to take them seriously—because we do! LASTLY, we produce quality lessons that implement these skills while giving you all the content knowledge you’ll need in order to understand your world, the future, and be able to communicate those

understandings to others (primarily through the written word). 5

We want you to succeed! We want you to go to college….and, since you’re here, at GWCP, we assume you want that too.

3. How many Reading questions are on

the ACT portion of the reading exam?

How long do you have to complete the

exam? Tell me your reaction to this

information.

4. What types of questions do you think

the ENGLISH portion of the ACT will

have? How will this differ from the

READING portion?

5. How will GWCP prepare you for the

ACT?

6. According to the article, why is the ACT an important test?


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7. List TWO challenges you’ll face in taking the ACT. (I promise, we’ll be able to address these throughout

the next three years!)

8. List TWO ways you can prepare for the ACT.


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Name:___________________________________

Main Idea and Supporting Details: 16-19. I can identify the main idea of an uncomplicated passage and support this main idea with

specific details from the text. Pre-Reading: FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT STUDYING Vocabulary I Need to Know. 1. COGNITIVE 2. RETENTION 3. HALLOWED

What I THINK the word means. 1. 2. 3.

What the word really means: 1. 2. 3.

Before reading your assigned text, determine your purpose for reading. (Your teacher may give this to you or you may form it yourself.) My purpose for reading is:

Discovering what is the ARGUMENT in this text and HOW you know?

During-Reading: As you read, take a look at EACH paragraph. Try and determine the main idea or reason behind each paragraph or a group of them. Remember to look back at your vocab if you have trouble with the words. Paragraphs 1-‐4:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 5-‐8:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 9-‐10:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 11-‐14:

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Paragraph 15-‐17:

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Post-Reading: When you’re done reading, check out all of the main idea/reason statements you wrote down for each paragraph. What do they combine to tell you? (Look for repetition in theme, idea, and purpose.)

1. The Main Idea of this selection is:

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2. Now, pair-‐share your main idea with the person next to you. Did your discussion change

your mind/make you modify your main idea? Why or why not?


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Name:______________________________ can draw conclusions and identify supporting details and main ideas while applying understandings to real world situations.

The passage below discusses new findings in how “we” study. While reading please annotate the text by using a strategy that works for you.

September 6, 2010 THE NEW YORK TIMES Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

By BENEDICT CAREY (edited by Ms. Parlee)

1. Every September, millions of parents try a kind of psychological

witchcraft, to transform their summer-glazed campers into fall

students, their video-bugs into bookworms. Advice is cheap and all too

familiar: Clear a quiet work space. Stick to a homework schedule. Set

goals. Set boundaries. Do not bribe (except in emergencies).

2. Such theories have developed in part because of sketchy education

research that doesn’t offer clear guidance. Student traits and teaching

styles surely interact; so do personalities and at-home rules. The

trouble is, no one can predict how.

3. Yet there are effective approaches to learning, at least for those who

are motivated. In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a

few simple techniques can reliably improve what matters most: how

much a student learns from studying.

4. The findings can help anyone, from a fourth grader doing long

division to a retiree taking on a new language. But they directly

contradict much of the common wisdom about good study habits, and

they have not caught on.

5. For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply

alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So

does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting,

rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.

6. “We have known these principles for some time, and it’s intriguing


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that schools don’t pick them up, or that people don’t learn them by

trial and error,” said Robert A. Bjork, a psychologist at the University

of California, Los Angeles. “Instead, we walk around with all sorts of

unexamined beliefs about what works that are mistaken.”

7. Psychologists have discovered that some of the most hallowed

advice on study habits is flat wrong. For instance, many study skills

courses insist that students find a specific place, a study room or a

quiet corner of the library, to take their work. The research finds just

the opposite. In one classic 1978 experiment, psychologists found that

college students who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two

different rooms — one windowless and cluttered, the other modern,

with a view on a courtyard — did far better on a test than students who

studied the words twice, in the same room. Later studies have

confirmed the finding, for a variety of topics.

8. Varying the type of material studied in a single sitting —

alternating, for example, among vocabulary, reading and speaking in a

new language — seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain than

does concentrating on just one skill at a time. Musicians have known

this for years, and their practice sessions often include a mix of scales,

musical pieces and rhythmic work. Many athletes, too, routinely mix

their workouts with strength, speed and skill drills.

9. Cognitive scientists do not deny that honest-to-goodness cramming

can lead to a better grade on a given exam. But hurriedly jam-packing

a brain is akin to speed-packing a cheap suitcase, as most students

quickly learn — it holds its new load for a while, then most everything

falls out.

10. When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it

holds its contents for far, far longer. An hour of study tonight, an hour

on the weekend, another session a week from now: such so-called

spacing improves later recall, without requiring students to put in

more overall study effort or pay more attention, dozens of studies have

found.

11. No one knows for sure why. It may be that the brain, when it

revisits material at a later time, has to relearn some of what it has


26

absorbed before adding new stuff — and that that process is itself self-

reinforcing.

12. “The idea is that forgetting is the friend of learning,” said Dr.

Kornell. “When you forget something, it allows you to relearn, and do

so effectively, the next time you see it.”

13. That’s one reason cognitive scientists see testing itself — or

practice tests and quizzes — as a powerful tool of learning, rather than

merely assessment. The process of retrieving an idea is not like pulling

a book from a shelf; it seems to fundamentally alter the way the

information is subsequently stored, making it far more accessible in

the future.

14. “Testing has such bad connotation; people think of standardized

testing or teaching to the test,” Dr. Roediger said. “Maybe we need to

call it something else, but this is one of the most powerful learning

tools we have.”

15. None of which is to suggest that these techniques — alternating

study environments, mixing content, spacing study sessions, self-

testing or all the above — will turn a grade-A slacker into a grade-A

student. Motivation matters. So do impressing friends, making the

hockey team and finding the nerve to text the cute student in social

studies.

16. “In lab experiments, you’re able to control for all factors except the

one you’re studying,” said Dr. Willingham. “Not true in the classroom,

in real life. All of these things are interacting at the same time.”

17. But at the very least, the cognitive techniques give parents and

students, young and old, something many did not have before: a study

plan based on evidence, not schoolyard folk wisdom, or empty

theorizing.


27

NAME:

Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits Question #1: Main Idea


2. Which of the following statements best reflects the ENTIRETY of the passage? a. A few simple techniques can change what a student learns from studying. b. If students change their study habits they will excel academically and be put on the path toward

collegiate success. c. The study habits that many people consider “good”, research shows, are not the best ways to retain

material and content. d. No matter what, new study habits will never turn a slacker into an A student.




_______Switch


_______ Extreme

The MUST KNOWS discussion (Please answer on a separate sheet of paper and in complete sentences.)

1. What does the passage recommend for “study habits”? Why is this interesting, based on what you’ve heard in your previous academic years?

2. What do you commonly do when you study? (Where do you study, for how often, do you listen to music, etc.)

3. What common misconception does the article bring out concerning testing? What does testing actually do for students and their retention of material?


28

WHY I WRITE ESSAY (Summative)

For this assignment you will be writing an essay in which you develop and justify an argument.

PROMPT: In the age of technology we’ve become blasé (we don’t care) about writing. However, writing has been and continues to be a cathartic and persuasive means of communication. In an articulate and fluent essay, drawing on the readings we’ve read in class or those you’ve read outside of class, compose a response where you agree or disagree with the above statement.

Purpose: You are exposing the reasons why writing is or is not important in our current age. You’ll also want to pay attention to what others say about writing (skilled authors that we read in class) so you can clarify your own reasons for your point of view! Writer’s Role: You are a freshman at GWCP. Audience: The audience for this essay is me, your teacher! Form: Your writing should be in the form of a creative essay. This essay should include ACTS (with a SIMPLE (or one point) thesis statement) 1 MELCON paragraph as well as a STAC. CRS Correction Area #1: Content The essay includes specific examples (from class content) as well as outside experiences that support your thesis (or argument). CRS Correction Area #2: Mechanics When you turn in your essay it should have no spelling or capitalization errors. Pay attention to your sentences—avoid run-‐ons and fragments and work on varying sentence style and length. CRS Correction Area #3: MLA Citation Within MELCONs each essay should have the following number of AWEs with appropriate MLA citations. Honors: 2 AWE. Regular: 1 AWE. Prep: 0 AWE or at your teacher’s discretion for adding AWE requirements.

Essay must be typed and submitted via Criterion by ________________


29

Attention Getter (question, fact, example, anecdote, contradiction)

Connector

Thesis Statement (SIMPLE or one point ARGUMENT)

C

TS

A


30

Subjects or Summary (Restate your primary points-sometimes you don’t need to do this and can jump right to “T”.)

Thesis revisited (maybe say it in a different way)

Clincher (give your audience something to think about…but NO NEW EVIDENCE/SUPPORT)

T

C

SA

AT

Attention Getter revisited (remember, good writing is circular so if you asked a question as an AG, then answer it here, etc.)


31

Proof Reading Protocol* (Developed by Ms. Whetstone)

1. Find a partner (or we’ll select one for you, depending on the teacher!) Make sure this is

someone that you trust and that you work with well. You will have 1 minute to do this and exchange papers.

2. WITHOUT TALKING to your partner, take ____________ minutes to read your partners essay for the first time.

3. Now, re-read the essay and this time highlight any grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. errors with a highlighter.

4. While reading, underline in pen or pencil any areas that you may have questions or are confusing to you.

5. While reading, jot down the questions you may have for the author in the margin near the area of the paper you are questioning.

6. Once finished, (again WITHOUT TALKING TO YOUR PARTNER) take 6 minutes to fill out the attached graphic organizer. Be sure you:

o Write out at least three questions that you may have about the paper. These could be the questions you wrote in the margin as you were reading.

o List three things the author did well in the paper. o List three things the author needs to improve upon in this paper.

-EX. What else is needed to make the thesis clearer, to make the topic easier for the reader to understand, to make the topic more interesting etc.?

7. Discuss each partner’s essay. 5 minutes each.


32

Peer Editing Notes Author: Reviewer:

A. Restate the thesis (or argument) of the paper in your own words. You must write out what you think their thesis is even if you are unsure.

B. Write out at least three questions that you may have about the paper. These could be the questions you wrote in the margin as you were reading.

C. List three things the author did well in the paper.

1. 2. 3.

1. 2. 3.

D. List three things the author needs to improve upon in this paper. 1. 2. 3.


33

Quick Write-Why Write? Read through the quotes (on the next page) on writing and the written word. Then, pick one, and respond to it in a quick write. Your goal in the QW is to tell me WHAT the author is trying to persuade you to think and HOW they do so. You might want to do this by answering these questions: What are they saying? Why do you think they’re putting it this way? Are they using emotional language in their quote—does this persuade you? (Use the back of this sheet or another sheet of lined paper if necessary.)



or stories. ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

(Teacher-Attach quotes here.)


34

Quick Write –Opening Lines!

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. –A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens.

Nine-year-old Kyle Graddy looked out across a minor league baseball diamond for the first time in his life and pondered the possibility of his own death.—Article about Peanut Allergies from CNN.com)

You better not never tell nobody but God. –The Color Purple, a novel by Alice Walker

Shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2003, David Kelly, a fifty-nine-year-old

scientist employed by the British government, walked out of his house…--The David Kelly Affair, magazine article by John Cassidy

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were

perfectly normal, thank you very much.—Harry Potter, a novel by J.K. Rowling

Stanley looked quite bored and somewhat detached, but then penguins often do.—First line of a novel

Read through the opening lines above. Which one sticks out to you? Why? Which one doesn’t? Why? (Answer those questions in your head!) Then, pick one, and respond to it in a quick write. Tell me why the phrase or sentence caught your attention and what you think the article, story, or text will be about based on those first few lines. (Use the back of this sheet or another sheet of lined paper because kid, there is NOT enough room below for a thorough response!)



or stories. ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________


35

Playing HOOKY or “How to Create a Great Attention Getter!” *adapted from Mrs. O’Neill

Keep Me In Your NOTES Section When Done Filling it out!

AG Option Definition

Example

Second/Third Sentence EXPLAINS the AG

A selection of text that the reader will find interesting and will get them to read on. Needs a page number if used from a source.

A % that is interesting and can shock the reader.

A fact that will shock the reader.

Using vocabulary from the selection or from your own research with a definition.

Usually asks the reader about a personal experience.

A statement that seems untrue but one that your paper will prove to be accurate.

**Remember, you may need to explain your AG in the following sentences. IF you choose a hook that the average reader off the street won’t understand, you must explain it in a second sentence of the introduction! **Also note: some of these AGs are more academic than others. HIGHLIGHT those that you think you’ll use for truly academic work instead of more personal responses.


36

Attention Getters (Practice and Apply)

A. FIRST, look at the example prompt below and answer the questions that follow.

Example Prompt: Teachers have it easy! They get the whole summer off. Or do they? Write an ACTS where you pick a side. Lying around in bed, hanging out at the pool, taking luxurious vacations and pretty much doing nothing. The average day for a teacher on summer vacation, right? Most people think that summer is time off for teachers; however, not only do teachers plan curriculum in the summer but they also refine assessments and attend professional developments. Summer may be time off for the kids, but it’s unpaid time ON for those who reach them the most!

1. Highlight the Attention Getter in the above ACTS (or opening paragraph).

2. What kind of an attention getter is this? (Review your notes)

_____________________________________________________________

3. Underline the thesis statement in the above ACTS (or opening paragraph).

B. NOW, in your group, read the prompts and pick one. Form an attention getter that will REALLY get the reader hooked! If you want to go the extra mile, form a thesis statement too (your argument). Notice the differences in prompt styles. Prompt 1: Some say Superman is better than Spiderman. Some contend it’s Shera that is the most powerful super hero of them all. Pick a super hero and argue that he/she is the greatest of all! Prompt 2: The best late night food is highly debated. In a well formed argument, pick a late night food and argue for it’s greatness. Prompt 3: Twilight is better than Harry Potter. Prompt 4: The best sport in the world is ______________. Prompt 5: CPS requires 4 years of PE. Athletes argue they shouldn’t have to take PE because they already exercise. PE teachers say they should take their class because they cover more than just exercise. Pick a side and argue for it with a concise and articulate argument.


37

Name: ____________________

Thesis Statements (Simple Thesis)

Directions: Look at the thesis statements below. If you think the thesis statement is good, write G next to the statement on the line. If you do not think the thesis statement is good, write a thesis statement that is more appropriate on the lines below. Discuss your results with your neighbor. Be prepared to explain why you think certain thesis statements were acceptable or not acceptable. 1. _____ I’m going to tell you why I think owning a gun should be

illegal in the United States.

New Thesis Statement? 2. _____ How to make my favorite Chinese dish.

New Thesis Statement? 3. _____ I’ve lived in Modesto, California for most of my life. New Thesis Statement?


38

4. _____ The current crisis in Israel has not only caused strife between Israelis and Palestinians, but also between other nations in the middle east.

New Thesis Statement? 5. _____ The cafeteria at this college is bad. New Thesis Statement? 6. _____ Employers look for employees who can take initiative,

manage their time, and make good decisions. New Thesis Statement?


39

WARRIOR NOTES: ACTS Definitions, Questions, Summaries

1. Sparking Questions: What’s the difference between a thesis and

an attention getter?

2. What are the components of a good thesis statement?


40

Thesis Statement: Apply Your Understanding: Now that we’ve reviewed and added on to our understanding of ACTS and thesis statements, tell me, what’s WRONG with these thesis statements?

1. Owning a gun in the U.S.A should be illegal because of the death they cause, crime rates, and because of misconduct.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Chinese food is one of my favorite foods and I want to show you how to make my favorite dish.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Although there are many Chinese dishes, orange chicken is the best.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Owning a gun should be illegal in the US if you’re not a policeman, have a gun license, and it causes too many crimes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Modesto California is a beautiful place to live because of the friendly people, amazing views, and astonishing parks and museums.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. My favorite Chinese dish is vegetable egg rolls because they’re delicious, have healthy vegetables, and are the best Chinese appetizer ever!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. In the U.S. A. guns should be illegal because it’s dangerous, it causes more crime, and the death rate will rise.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NOW—prove that you listened, that you understood, and that you can master

THESIS STATEMENTS by doing your HW (the next page).


41

Name__________________________ Thesis Statement Practice (3 point Thesis) Write a simple thesis below (a declaration) with three points to support it. Remember, thesis statements should not begin in my opinion, I think, I believe, etc. Question Should high school students be allowed to use iPods at school? Declaration

Reasons 1. 2. 3.

Question Should parents have access to their child’s Facebook page? Declaration

Reasons 1. 2. 3.


42

Question Should school cafeterias sell soft drinks? Declaration

Reasons 1. 2. 3.

Question Should high school students get to choose their own classes? Declaration

Reasons 1. 2. 3.

HOMEWORK: Now pick ONE of the above thesis statements (3 point thesis) and write an attention getter that goes along with it. If you can, try and CONNECT these two pieces with a sentence that relates them (this is the hardest part of forming a good ACTS). Use the attached Graphic Organizer.


43

Weekly Reader 1: A Roadmap for the Planet (HONORS)

Assignment Directions Highlight areas of confusion or uncertainty. Use your reading strategies to better

understand these sections. Thoughtfully notate the text with questions, comments, clarifications, and concerns. (At least 10 notations.)

by Bjorn Lomborg June 12, 2011 Some of the most polluted places are the megacities of the developing world, such as Shanghai, New Delhi, and Mexico City. In the 1930s and 1940s, however, London was more polluted than any of these cities are today. From the 18th through the mid-19th century, whale oil provided light to much of the Western world. At its peak, whaling employed 70,000 people and was the United States’ fifth-largest industry. The U.S. stood as the world’s foremost whale slayer. Producing millions of gallons of oil each year, the industry was widely seen as unassailable, with advocates scoffing at would-be illumination substitutes like lard oil and camphene. Without whale oil, so the thinking went, the world would slide backward toward darkness. By today’s standard, of course, slaughtering whales is considered barbaric. Two hundred years ago there was no environmental movement to speak of. But one wonders if the whalers, finding that each year they needed to go farther afield from Nantucket Island to kill massive sea mammals, ever asked themselves: what will happen when we run out of whales? Such questions today are similar to those questions asked of “sustainability”. Climate alarmists and campaigning environmentalists argue that the industrialized countries of the world have made sizable withdrawals on nature’s fixed allowance, and unless we change our ways, and soon, we are doomed to an abrupt end. Take the recent proclamation from the United Nations Environment Program, which argued that governments should dramatically cut back on the use of resources. The mantra has become commonplace: our current way of living is selfish and unsustainable. We are wrecking the world. We are gobbling up the last resources. We are cutting down the rainforest. We are polluting the water. We are polluting the air. We are killing plants and animals, destroying the ozone layer, burning the world through our addiction to fossil fuels, and leaving a devastated planet for future generations. In other words, humanity is doomed. It is a compelling story, no doubt. It is also fundamentally wrong, and the consequences are severe. Tragically, exaggerated environmental worries—and the willingness of so many to believe them—could ultimately prevent us from finding smarter ways to actually help our planet and ensure the health of the environment for future generations. Because, our fears notwithstanding, we actually get smarter. Although Westerners were once reliant on whale oil for lighting, we never actually ran out of whales. Why? High demand and rising prices for whale oil spurred a search for and investment in the 19th-century version of alternative energy. First, kerosene from petroleum replaced whale oil. We didn’t run out of kerosene, either: electricity supplanted it because it was a superior way to light our planet. For generations, we have consistently underestimated our capacity for innovation. There was a time


44

when we worried that all of London would be covered with horse manure because of the increasing use of horse-drawn carriages. Thanks to the invention of the car, London has 7 million inhabitants today. Dung disaster averted. In fact, would-be catastrophes have regularly been pushed aside throughout human history, and so often because of innovation and technological development. We never just continue to do the same old thing. We innovate and avoid the anticipated problems. This prompts the question: have we lived unsustainably in the past? In fact, by almost any measure, humans have left a legacy of increased opportunity for their descendants. And this is true not just for the rich world but also for developing countries. In the last couple of hundred years we have become much richer than in all previous history. Available production per capita—the amount that an average individual can consume—increased eightfold between 1800 and 2000. In the past six decades, poverty has fallen more than in the previous 500 years. This decade alone, China will by itself lift 200 million individuals out of poverty. While one in every two people in the developing world was poor just 25 years ago, today it is one in four. Although much remains to be done, developing countries have become much more affluent, with a fivefold increase in real per capita income between 1950 and today. But it’s not just about money. The world has generally become a much better educated place, too. Illiteracy in the developing world has fallen from about 75 percent for the people born in the early part of the 1900s to about 12 percent among the young of today. More and more people have gained access to clean water and sanitation, improving health and income. And according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the percentage of undernourished people in the developing world has dropped from more than 50 percent in 1950 to 16 percent today. As humans have become richer and more educated, we have been able to enjoy more leisure time. In most developed countries, where there are available data, yearly working hours have fallen drastically since the end of the 19th century: today we work only about half as much as we did then. Over the last 30 years or so, total free time for men and women has increased, thanks to reductions in workload and housework. Globally, life expectancy today is 69. Compare this with an average life span of 52 in 1960, or of about 30 in 1900. Advances in public health and technological innovation have dramatically lengthened our lives. We have consistently achieved these remarkable developments by focusing on technological innovation and investment designed to create a richer future. And while major challenges remain, the future appears to hold great promise, too. The U.N. estimates that over this century, the planet’s human inhabitants will become 14 times richer and the average person in the developing world a whopping 24 times richer. By the end of the century, the U.N. estimates we will live to be 85 on average, and virtually everyone will read, write, and have access to food, water, and sanitation. That’s not too shabby. Anybody who has traveled through polluted industrial areas of China or other developing nations knows that we have serious challenges to resolve. But our journey of the last centuries does show that developing better technology has most often been how humanity has achieved better lives and less pollution. We forget too easily that innovation and ingenuity have solved most major problems in the past. Living sustainably means learning the lessons from history. And chief among those is that the best legacy we can leave our descendants is to ensure that they are prosperous enough to respond resiliently to the unknown challenges ahead.


45

Weekly Reader 1: A Roadmap for the Planet (REGULAR)

Assignment Directions This is ONE FULL ARTICLE. Highlight areas of confusion or uncertainty. Use your reading strategies to better understand these sections. Thoughtfully notate the text and

answer the questions that follow each portion on a separate sheet of paper. by Bjorn Lomborg June 12, 2011 Some of the most polluted places are the megacities of the developing world, such as Shanghai, New Delhi, and Mexico City. In the 1930s and 1940s, however, London was more polluted than any of these cities are today.

1. What’s the point of this attention getter? Is it successful, why or why not? From the 18th through the mid-19th century, whale oil provided light to much of the Western world. At its peak, whaling employed 70,000 people and was the United States’ fifth-largest industry. The U.S. stood as the world’s foremost whale slayer. Producing millions of gallons of oil each year, the industry was widely seen as unassailable, with advocates turning their noses up at lighting substitutes like lard oil and camphene. Without whale oil, so the thinking went, the world would slide backward toward darkness.

2. (MOW) What does the word unassailable mean, as used here? 3. (Main Idea) What is the author’s main idea in this paragraph—what’s he trying to

prove?

By today’s standard, of course, slaughtering whales is considered barbaric. Two hundred years ago there was no environmental movement to speak of. But one wonders if the whalers, finding that each year they needed to go farther afield from Nantucket Island to kill massive sea mammals, ever asked themselves: what will happen when we run out of whales? Such questions today are similar to those questions asked of “sustainability”. (Sustainability is the world’s ability to keep living as it is. For example, if we run out of oil, how will we keep our cars going? Using oil might be an “unsustainable” way of life.) Climate alarmists and campaigning environmentalists argue that the industrialized countries of the world have made sizable withdrawals on what nature has for us, and unless we change our ways, and soon, we are doomed to an abrupt end. Take the recent proclamation from the United Nations Environment Program, which argued that governments should dramatically cut back on the use of resources. The mantra has become commonplace: our current way of living is selfish and unsustainable. We are wrecking the world. We are gobbling up the last resources. We are cutting down the rainforest. We are polluting the water. We are polluting the air. We are killing plants and animals, destroying the ozone layer, burning the world through our addiction to fossil fuels, and leaving a devastated planet for future generations. In other words, humanity is doomed.

4. (DC) Do you think the author agrees with the United National Environment Program? Why or why not?


46

It is a compelling story, no doubt. It is also fundamentally wrong, and the consequences are severe. Tragically, exaggerated environmental worries—and the willingness of so many to believe them—could ultimately prevent us from finding smarter ways to actually help our planet and ensure the health of the environment for future generations. Because, our fears notwithstanding, we actually get smarter. Although Westerners were once reliant on whale oil for lighting, we never actually ran out of whales. Why? High demand and rising prices for whale oil spurred a search for and investment in the 19th-century version of alternative energy. First, kerosene from petroleum replaced whale oil. We didn’t run out of kerosene, either: electricity supplanted it because it was a superior way to light our planet.

5. (MI) Here comes the crux of the author’s argument—what is he trying to prove in this article?

For generations, we have consistently underestimated our capacity for innovation. There was a time when we worried that all of London would be covered with horse manure because of the increasing use of horse-drawn carriages. Thanks to the invention of the car, London has 7 million inhabitants today. Dung disaster averted. In fact, would-be catastrophes have regularly been pushed aside throughout human history, and so often because of innovation and technological development. We never just continue to do the same old thing. We innovate and avoid the anticipated problems.

6. (SD) What pieces of evidence does the author use to support his main idea?

As humans have become richer and more educated, we have been able to enjoy more leisure time. In most developed countries, where there are available data, yearly working hours have fallen drastically since the end of the 19th century: today we work only about half as much as we did then. Over the last 30 years or so, total free time for men and women has increased, thanks to reductions in workload and housework. Globally, life expectancy today is 69. Compare this with an average life span of 52 in 1960, or of about 30 in 1900. Advances in public health and technological innovation have dramatically lengthened our lives. We have consistently achieved these remarkable developments by focusing on technological innovation and investment designed to create a richer future. And while major challenges remain, the future appears to hold great promise, too. The U.N. estimates that over this century, the planet’s human inhabitants will become 14 times richer and the average person in the developing world a whopping 24 times richer. By the end of the century, the U.N. estimates we will live to be 85 on average, and virtually everyone will read, write, and have access to food, water, and sanitation. That’s not too shabby. Anybody who has traveled through polluted industrial areas of China or other developing nations knows that we have serious challenges to resolve. But our journey of the last centuries does show that developing better technology has most often been how humanity has achieved better lives and less pollution. We forget too easily that innovation and ingenuity have solved most major problems in the past. Living sustainably means learning the lessons from history. And chief among those is that the best legacy we can leave our descendants is to ensure that they are prosperous enough to respond resiliently to the unknown challenges ahead.


47

Lomborg directs the Copenhagen Consensus Center and is the author of The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It.

7. Given that you are a product of a generation of environmentalists that believe we ARE contributing to the end of our planet by using up resources, how do you feel about this article? Do you agree or disagree with it? Do you think it’s convincing?


48

Weekly Reader 1: A Roadmap for the Planet (PREP)

Assignment Directions This is ONE FULL ARTICLE. Highlight areas of confusion or uncertainty. Use your reading strategies to better understand these sections. Thoughtfully notate the text and

answer the questions that follow each portion on a separate sheet of paper. by Bjorn Lomborg June 12, 2011 Some of the most polluted places are the megacities of the developing world, such as Shanghai, New Delhi, and Mexico City. In the 1930s and 1940s, however, London was more polluted than any of these cities are today.

1. In this attention getter the author compares two things (megacities of today and London of the past). Who had the most pollution? Is this interesting? Why or why not?

From the 18th through the mid-19th century, whale oil provided light to much of the Western world. At its peak, whaling employed 70,000 people and was the United States’ fifth-largest industry. The U.S. stood as the world’s foremost whale slayer. Producing millions of gallons of oil each year, the industry was widely seen as unassailable, with advocates turning their noses up at lighting substitutes like lard oil and camphene. Without whale oil, so the thinking went, the world would slide backward toward darkness.

2. (MOW) What does the word unassailable mean, as used here? 3. (Summary) Restate what the author is saying in this paragraph in one sentence.

(What’s he trying to tell us here?)

By today’s standard, of course, slaughtering whales is considered barbaric. Two hundred years ago there was no environmental movement to speak of. But one wonders if the whalers, finding that each year they needed to go farther afield from Nantucket Island to kill massive sea mammals, ever asked themselves: what will happen when we run out of whales? Such questions today are similar to those questions asked of “sustainability”. (Sustainability is the world’s ability to keep living as it is. For example, if we run out of oil, how will we keep our cars doing? Using oil might be an “unsustainable” way of life.) Climate alarmists and campaigning environmentalists argue that the industrialized countries of the world have made sizable withdrawals on what nature has for us, and unless we change our ways, and soon, we are doomed to an abrupt end. Take the recent proclamation from the United Nations Environment Program, which argued that governments should dramatically cut back on the use of resources. The mantra (or saying) has become commonplace: our current way of living is selfish and unsustainable. We are wrecking the world. We are gobbling up the last resources. We are cutting down the rainforest. We are polluting the water. We are polluting the air. We are killing plants and animals, destroying the ozone layer, burning the world through our addiction to fossil fuels, and leaving a devastated planet for future generations. In other words, humanity is doomed.

4. (DC) Do you think the author agrees with the United National Environment Program? Why or why not?


49

It is a compelling story, no doubt. It is also fundamentally wrong, and the consequences are severe. Tragically, exaggerated environmental worries—and the willingness of so many to believe them—could ultimately prevent us from finding smarter ways to actually help our planet and ensure the health of the environment for future generations. Because, our fears notwithstanding, we actually get smarter. Although Westerners were once reliant on whale oil for lighting, we never actually ran out of whales. Why? High demand and rising prices for whale oil spurred a search for and investment in the 19th-century version of alternative energy. First, kerosene from petroleum replaced whale oil. We didn’t run out of kerosene, either: electricity supplanted it because it was a superior way to light our planet.

5. (MI) Here comes the crux of the author’s argument—what is he trying to prove in this article?

For generations, we have consistently underestimated our capacity for innovation. There was a time when we worried that all of London would be covered with horse manure because of the increasing use of horse-drawn carriages. Thanks to the invention of the car, London has 7 million inhabitants today. Dung disaster averted. In fact, would-be catastrophes have regularly been pushed aside throughout human history, and so often because of innovation and technological development. We never just continue to do the same old thing. We innovate and avoid the anticipated problems.

6. (SD) What pieces of evidence does the author use to support that humanity always comes up with a solution to the world’s problem (specifically of natural resources running out)?

As humans have become richer and more educated, we have been able to enjoy more leisure time. In most developed countries, where there are available data, yearly working hours have fallen drastically since the end of the 19th century: today we work only about half as much as we did then. Over the last 30 years or so, total free time for men and women has increased, thanks to reductions in workload and housework. Globally, life expectancy today is 69. Compare this with an average life span of 52 in 1960, or of about 30 in 1900. Advances in public health and technological innovation have dramatically lengthened our lives. We have consistently achieved these remarkable developments by focusing on technological innovation and investment designed to create a richer future. And while major challenges remain, the future appears to hold great promise, too. The U.N. estimates that over this century, the planet’s human inhabitants will become 14 times richer and the average person in the developing world a whopping 24 times richer. By the end of the century, the U.N. estimates we will live to be 85 on average, and virtually everyone will read, write, and have access to food, water, and sanitation. That’s not too shabby. Anybody who has traveled through polluted industrial areas of China or other developing nations knows that we have serious challenges to resolve. But our journey of the last centuries does show that developing better technology has most often been how humanity has achieved better lives and less pollution. We forget too easily that innovation and ingenuity have solved most major problems in the past.


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Living sustainably means learning the lessons from history. And chief among those is that the best legacy we can leave our descendants is to ensure that they are prosperous enough to respond resiliently to the unknown challenges ahead. Lomborg directs the Copenhagen Consensus Center and is the author of The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It.

7. Given that you are a produce of a generation of environmentalists that believe we ARE contributing to the end of our planet by using up resources, how do you feel about this article? Do you agree or disagree with it? Do you think it’s convincing?


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Name: Period:

Survey of Literature Identifying Supporting Details Passage Title: Roadmap to the Planet Remember: Supporting details are not merely true statements or words that are present in the reading; they provide support for an argument (main idea) to persuade the reader. Assignment:

B. As you read the passage, you will be searching for details that support the following thesis

Environmental concerns are important but there is nothing in the world’s history that says we’re going to use up all of our resources.

C. Your assignment is to identify 5 of the MOST IMPORTANT (no more, no less) supporting details that persuade a reader to agree with the above thesis. Please write each specific supporting detail below and bring this list to class with you for a discussion. Also, please complete the discussion questions.

1. _______________________________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________________________

4._______________________________________________________________________________________

5._______________________________________________________________________________________

Discussion Questions: (HONORS ONLY) Answer on a separate sheet of paper.

4. Notice how the author opens the article. What type of attention getter does he use? Why is this successful?

5. Why, according to the author, do environmentalists make it seem as though we’re ruining the planet and running out of resources?

6. This is a pretty radical article—especially for students that have grown up hearing about environmental concerns. Do you think the author is persuasive in his argument? Why or why not?


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CRS and Common Core Skill: Supporting Details! Passage taken from Spotlight on the ACT and modified by Parlee.

Detail Questions. Detail questions ask you about material that is directly stated in the passage. In fact, the correct answer to a Detail question sometimes features the EXACT wording used in the passage. More often, however, it paraphrases the text of the passage. Detail questions should be some of the easiest on the ACT because they are the most straightforward. You don’t need to interpret (or draw conclusions) information as you do with the other questions types. You know exactly where to go in the passage to find the answer, you’re certain to get a Detail question right. But detail questions can also be challenging if you don’t know where to look to find the answer. That’s one reason why (annotating) is important. Remember-‐-‐ don’t just focus on the details; (or) just pay attention to the main idea. You won’t be able to answer Detail questions without referring to the appropriate lines of the passage, but if you’ve made a passage map (or annotated), you’ll know exactly which paragraph to turn to after reading your question stem. Sometimes you may need to skim the whole passage to find key words used in the question stem, other times you can use your (annotation) to help you zero in on the appropriate part of the text to research a Detail question. Characteristics of Detail Questions You can easily recognize a Detail question by the wording of the question stem. Here are some

phrases that typically appear in detail question stems: • According to the author… • According to the passage… • As stated in the passage… • The passage indicates that…

Most detail questions focus strictly on verbal skills. You read the question, refer back to the passage, predict an answer in your own words, select the answer that matches your prediction. Knowing the main idea of each paragraph helps you determine where to search in the text. Being able to paraphrase what you read helps you make your prediction and find the answer that corresponds to it. All Detail questions require you to recognize something that is clearly and directly stated in the passage. The Trap Door: Steering Clear Of Answer Traps Any of the five traps (that appear in your notes—Distractors!) may appear in this section for a Detail question. The three most often seen are Distortion, Switch and one you DON’T have in your Distractor sheet—the Opposite. Switch: Read the question stem carefully. If the question is at all complicated it may help for you to put the question in your own words: how, what, when, where, and why. The switch answer is the most tempting when you haven’t taken the necessary time to understand


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EXACTLY what the question is asking. Just because a statement is true and you can find it in the passage, does not mean that it’s the right answer to that particular question! Distortion: To avoid the distortion answer trap, carefully re-‐read the appropriate part of the passage. You’re more likely to fall for a distortion if you’re trying to answer a question from memory instead of looking back at the passage. Opposite: The opposite trap is tempting because it treats an issues that is indeed in the passage to the detail mentioned in the trap answer may be familiar to you. Do not choose an answer simply because you remember that the phrase or detail was used in the passage. Go back to the part of the passage where the detail is discussed and re-‐read it carefully to understand exactly what is being said! Now let’s practice what we’ve learned regarding DETAILS!


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NAME: DATE: PER:

Getting Started Question #1: Supporting Details

Remember: The SUPPORTING DETAILS are true statements found in the passage that more often than not support a MAIN IDEA

1.Which of the following statements best supports a main idea of: Writing is challenging but if one pursues it consistently and with the right mindset, it can offer new worlds and community so one must keep at it.

e. Good writing is about telling the truth. f. Most students that take Lamott’s class are in it for the publishing and not for the true love of writing

itself. g. Writing is important because it opens up new worlds and helps you understand yourself and others,

therefore it’s key to a thriving society and culture. h. Books are important for in them the world sings to you and you are comforted by it, as many others

have been throughout the centuries.



What kind of distracter was the incorrect answer? ___Distortion ___Switch ____Unsupported Positive ____Extreme

The MUST KNOWS discussion: Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Why does Lamott have her students start by writing down all of their memories (even if no one will read them)? According to the author, what is the point of this exercise?

2. How does becoming a better writer make you a better reader? 3. Why does Lamott tell her students that they’ll “never get anywhere” if all they want from writing is to be

published? What overall point (about writing) is she trying to make to them? 4. In the end, what does Lamott say is the purpose of writing? Do you agree or disagree with her? Explain.


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MELCON: Take home mini-lesson What will I learn? By the end of this mini-‐lesson you should be aware of the parts of a basic and stand-‐alone MELCON, be able to identify them in a paragraph, and be clear enough on what they entail that you can write a MELCON paragraph in class tomorrow! When is this due? You should have this paper read, the work asked of you done, and the lesson learned by class time tomorrow. If you don’t, you’ll be very needy when it comes to writing time. What do I have to do?

1. Read the following text regarding MELCON. Take notes in Cornell Note format as you go—you may be writing what is on this sheet, however, writing it in your own hand will help reinforce your memory.

2. Label the paragraph on the backside of this page in MELCON format.

MELCON—What is it? MELCON is a format you can use when writing paragraphs and papers. It helps you state your arguments clearly and provides a framework to aid you in giving enough supporting evidence and explanations so that when others read your work, they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about/be persuaded by your arguments. There are MANY different types of MELCONs out there—basic MELCON, stand-‐alone MELCON (or MELCON-‐Plus), MEL-‐ROID (that’s a MELCON on steroids) and several more that you’ll come across in your years at GWCP.

The nitty gritty: MELCON is an acronym that stands for

M= main idea E=evidence L=link

Con=Conclusion

Let’s take a closer look at each portion. M= Main idea. The main idea is what you intend to prove in your paragraph. It’s stated

in a very direct and concise way. It should answer a question in one sentence and should NOT contain the words “Yes” or “No” to begin with—even though you are answering a question.

E= Evidence. The evidence is how you will prove your main idea. Use “one time” examples like facts, reasons, or quotes to prove your point. Be specific! Stick to your point. You must also make certain that this information moves along smoothly with transitions.

L=Link. The link is the explanation of your evidence. It links your evidence back up with your main idea—and may even link up your evidence with your thesis statement. This is where you tell your reader what you have learned about writing this paragraph. It should answer the question WHY and could move the reader beyond the main idea of your paragraph.


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Con= Conclusion. Wrap wrap wrap it up! The last sentence of the paragraph should be a conclusion; a sentence that wraps everything up and gives your paragraph closure. This should once again stress you first claim or main idea.

Now that you’ve read about the parts of a basic MELCON, let’s see if you can apply that knowledge to this paragraph. Label the paragraph for parts of MELCON. I started you out with the first portion—MAIN IDEA.

M Girls are smarter than boys! According to recent studies “72% of teenage girls out

perform boys on tests of vocabulary and reading comprehension” (Reed 12). This proves

that while not all girls are outsmarting boys in the academic arena, this research points towards

a trend in brain development—girls brains are getting bigger and better. Another article in

Times Magazine, finds that “although some girls are lagging behind in math and science, overall

many teenage girls are beginning to gain higher scores than their male counterparts on the ACT

and other standardized tests” (Zechariah 12). This is a great example of how girls are

beginning to show their brilliance because if they can achieve greatness on their test scores,

they must also be able to think at higher levels than boys-‐thus they are SMARTER! “A

female is 4 times more likely to be admitted into college over a male” says Ryan Johnson, senior

research analyst at the PEW research center. This demonstrates the superior knowledge of

the fairer sex because their academic standings (based on college acceptance rates) outshine

boys’ own academic inferiority. The facts don’t lie—it seems that in today’s society, it’s a

girls’ world.


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Just for fun, here’s what the basic MELCON looks like when it’s put in Stand-Alone MELCON form. (We just add transition sentences before the E’s.) M Girls are smarter than boys! Transition Sentence There are many reasons that

research is beginning to prove this fact. E According to recent studies “72% of teenage girls

out perform boys on tests of vocabulary and reading comprehension” (Reed 12). L This

proves that while not all girls are outsmarting boys in the academic arena, this research points

towards a trend in brain development—girls brains are getting bigger and better! Transition

Sentence Another way girls are smarter than boys is because their achieving higher test

scores. E Another article in Times Magazine, finds that “although some girls are lagging behind

in math and science, overall many teenage girls are beginning to gain higher scores than their

male counterparts on the ACT and other standardized tests” (Zechariah 12). L This is a great

example of how girls are beginning to show their brilliance; If they can achieve greatness on

their test scores, they must also be able to think at higher levels than boys-‐thus they are

SMARTER! ! Transition Sentence A third and final reason why girls are smarter than boys is

demonstrated by the fact that girls are being accepted into colleges at higher rates than their

male counterparts. E “A female is 4 times more likely to be admitted into college over a male”

says Ryan Johnson, senior research analyst at the PEW research center. L This demonstrates

the superior knowledge of the fairer sex because their academic standings (based on college

acceptance rates) outshine boys’ own academic inferiority. CON The facts don’t lie—it seems

that in today’s society, it’s a girls’ world.


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MELCON Coooold Labeling Activity

Name::_____________________________ You’ve learned the parts of a BASIC MELCON, you’ve practiced labeling a MELCON as a group, you’ve even WRITTEN some paragraphs in MELCON style. But can you prove that you know what MELCON is? Can you show me that you understand the various components of the writing formula? Well, I hope so, ‘cause you’re getting TWO chances. Chance 1: In a group (of your choosing!!!) label this paragraph below with the proper parts of MELCON.

• Underline the MAIN IDEA • Highlight EVIDENCE. • Put a squiggly line under the LINK

The American Beetle is one of giant proportions, both in size and in wonder. The American Beetle

has 20 legs, 4 eyes, and 15 different smelling modules on its 2 inch body (Scientific America 2). To

most people, the American Beetle looks rather small, but the science shows that compared to other

beetles it’s HUGE! Also, according to Science Magazine’s Arthur Penton, “The American Beetle can

see things that are invisible to the human eye as well find food in any dense undergrowth.” Its sight

and food finding abilities set it apart from other beetle types that rely on more tropical lands to rear

their young and find nutrient sources. Wire Front News claims, “The American Beetle could kill a

person if it were only 1 inch longer. Its ability to suck blood out of vessels would then be so great that

it could take down a grown man in one hour” (Kelly 13). This spectacular creature can suck human

blood, i.e. Edward and Bella and I must admit, a beetle that can kill is pretty scary, but it’s also pretty

amazing. One can see that the American Beetle is not only large in size, when compared to others of

its kind, but also “big” on resourcefulness and abilities.

*Ms. Parlee made up all of the previous information. She does not know if there are any blood-sucking beetles. Nor would she want to find out!


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Chance 2: Now that you’ve proven you can LABEL a MELCON. Why don’t you go ahead and write one too

Directions: Using the information below, write (and label) a MELCON paragraph in response to the prompt. You can write a BASIC or STAND-ALONE MELCON. Just make sure you tell me which one you’re choosing!

Prompt: Your parents are against getting your 72-year-old grandmother a small puppy. You claim that the puppy will have a positive effect on your grandmother and perhaps increase her quality of

life—not to mention her longevity. In a MELCON paragraph, persuade your parents that you SHOULD get your grandmother a puppy.

In "The Healing Power of Animals," which appeared in the March 2005 issue of Natural Health, the author identifies the following benefits of pets:

• Research has shown that pet owners enjoy lower blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, and stress; require fewer trips to the doctor; and suffer less from depression.,

• Infants raised with household pets suffer less from all types of allergies, not just pet allergies.

• Some evidence suggests that dogs can predict seizures. • A recent study shows dogs can motivate overweight individuals to lose weight.

Dogs take to the exercise habit much more readily than people do.Once a dog and its owner begin an exercise routine, the dog will "encourage" the owner to keep it up.

According to veterinarian H. Ellen White, writing in the Saturday Evening Post (Jan.-Feb. 1984),

• People who bond with animals early on bond well with other animals, including humans, throughout their lives.

• Pets relieve loneliness, offering companionship and unconditional love. • Through pets, children learn about birth, life, death, and grieving. • Pets teach children about responsibility and build children's confidence in their

ability to care for another creature.


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Weekly Reader 2: The New Segregation Debate (Honors Regular Prep) Can educating girls and boys separately fix our public schools, or does it reinforce outmoded gender stereotypes?

Assignment Directions 1. Use the ANNOTATION BACKBONE to guide your annotations throughout the article. 2. Complete the activity on the Supporting Details page.

by Jesse Ellison June 22, 2010 If you thought charter schools and ending teacher tenure were controversial fixes for the American school system, see what happens you bring up the idea of educating boys and girls separately. With male academic achievement declining by almost every measure, and their scores possibly dragging down national averages, administrators are taking a fresh look at same-sex classrooms and the concept that boys and girls might do better when they’re apart. Why is it such a hot-button topic? Well, because it goes against 30 years of thinking, and smacks of “separate but equal” education.

The advocates of the single-sex approach are surprising, as are the foes. Among many liberal thinkers, gender segregation sounds like regressing to a time when girls were educated in finishing schools and had access to neither the number, nor caliber of schools available to boys. Plus, the notion that boys and girls learn differently—touted by some as the primary rational for gender separation—goes against one of feminism’s (at least the 1970s version) main messages. To say that there is something inherently different between boys and girls is, for many, tantamount to saying that women are the weaker sex.

For these reasons, Democratic politicians spent decades fighting vehemently against loosening legislation to allow public schools to offer same-sex classes. But in 2001, Sen. Hillary Clinton linked the issue to class—citing an unfairness in the fact that single-sex education is available as a choice only to those who can afford private-school tuition. Clinton, a graduate of all-women’s Wellesley College, joined forces with Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to successfully bring about legislative change. Since then, the number of public schools offering same-sex classes has grown from 11 to 540—still a relatively small figure in the big picture, but a jump of more than 4,000 percent nonetheless.

This number would be even bigger were it not for the ACLU, which has successfully convinced dozens of districts not to adopt single-gender classrooms. “Our concern is that once you separate boys and girls you are telling them that there is some inherent difference such that they need to be educated separately,” says Lenora Lapidus, head of the women’s-rights arm, which is spearheading the investigation.

But what are parents choosing exactly? In some cases they’re getting not just separate rooms for girls and boys, they’re getting a modified curriculum and even classroom structure based on what proponents see as gender differences in learning. And that’s where things get thorny. According to Sax, some of the most successful all-boys classrooms have been


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those in which boys are allowed to move around. He cites one classroom that uses desks that can be raised or lowered, so boys can lie on the floor, sit, or stand up while they work. Girls’ classrooms, meanwhile can encourage quiet study, which some say is intrinsic to female behavior and caters to girls’ strengths. The question is whether this is catering to strengths or encouraging old-school stereotypes.

Whether or not it works is a contentious issue—those in favor cite research supporting it, those opposed dismiss that evidence as junk science. But Sax and others cite some compelling statistics: in one three-year pilot project in Florida, boys in a coed class scored 37 percent on the state standardized test, while those in a boys-only class scored 85 percent. The girls’ scores jumped too: from 59 percent to 75 percent. And teachers, by and large, seem to love it. They say they spend less time on discipline, and are better able to engage their students. Lapidus argues that such studies can be attributed to other factors, like smaller classrooms and better teacher training, and that teachers who advocate for gender-segregation are just “parroting back” what they’ve learned from Sax and others.

Regardless of the mixed research, the interest in single-sex classrooms shows just how desperate teachers and administrators are to find a cure to the oft-lamented "problem with boys." By just about every metric, boys are, and have been for perhaps a decade, lagging tremendously behind girls in terms of academic achievement. They consistently score lower GPAs, college-admissions rates, and fare worse in reading and writing. And it’s not just a problem for them; their scores aren’t helping the country’s plummeting academic ranking as compared to the rest of the developed world.

Here lies a problem for which there may be no quick fix.


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Name: Period:

Survey of Literature Identifying Supporting Details Passage Title: The New Segregation Debate Remember: Supporting details are not merely true statements or words that are present in the reading; they provide support for an argument (main idea) to persuade the reader. Assignment:

A. As you read the passage, you will be searching for details that support the following thesis

Same-‐sex classrooms are one option in the fight to push boys toward higher academic standings.

B. Your assignment is to identify 5 of the MOST IMPORTANT (no more, no less) supporting details that persuade a reader to agree with the above thesis. Please write each specific supporting detail below and bring this list to class with you for a discussion. Also, please complete the discussion questions.

1. _______________________________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________________________

4._______________________________________________________________________________________

5._______________________________________________________________________________________

Discussion Questions: (Regular and Prep) Answer on a separate sheet of paper. 1. What is “separate but equal” education (you have to know this in order to understand the

article)? Why is it such a controversial topic and what does it “allude” (or refer back) to? 2. What does the author mean when she says that allowing boys to move around and making girls

be quiet might be catering to stereotypes? 3. (Opinion) Do you agree with the author of this article? Why or why not?

Discussion Questions: (HONORS) Answer on a separate sheet of paper. 1. What is “separate but equal” education (you have to know this in order to understand the

article)? Why is it such a controversial topic and what does it “allude” (or refer back) to? 2. Why might the educators that allow boys to move around while girls stay “quiet” be catering to

age-‐old stereotypes? Do you agree with the educators that do this? Why or why not? 3. (Opinion) Is this type of environment more or less conducive to your learning style? Explain.


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Newspaper Analysis ______________________ can identify and support the main idea of a non-‐fiction text. He/She can also make judgments about format and organization of said article. What: Newspaper Analysis! Why: Well, for a couple of reasons.

1. We’re headed to writing our own MELCON, so it’s important to understand the parts of MELCON in everyday use.

2. This is one of those “Cultural Currency” pieces. You’ll be more aware of your own world when we’re done.

3. Reading the newspaper is a great exercise in noticing main ideas and evaluating supporting details

How:

• Grab a section of the newspaper! • Spend 10 minutes perusing it—make sure you share your section with your group if

they want it! • Choose ONE article—it can be from any section but must be a full article and not an

advertisement. • Cut your article out and paste it to the sheet of paper your teacher has supplied you.

(Hopefully there will be some space below it. Leave this empty. We’re trying to make these pretty so don’t be sloppy)

• Read the article and annotate it: o Remember, look for Questions, Comments, Clarifications, Words to Know, etc. o I should see AT LEAST 5 annotations.

• Try and see if you can find the MAIN IDEA article and underline 4 supporting details for that main idea. (These will be your EVIDENCES and make sure you also label the LINKS that showcase how they support the main idea.)

• Label the conclusion.

On a separate sheet of paper respond to the questions below (we’ll eventually glue these to the back of your newspaper analysis):

1. Newspaper articles are supposed to answer Who, What, When, Where and Why. Does your article do this? If it left something out, what information should it have included?

2. What grade-‐level do you think this writing is written at? (Meaning, could a 3rd grader understand it? 6th?) Why do you think it’s written as this level?

3. Many times News articles are written like an inverted pyramid—with the important stuff first. Is your article written this way? Why do you think many articles ARE written like an inverted pyramid? (What’s the point?)

4. What’s the author’s primary purpose here (to persuade, entertain, inform, or express feelings)?

5. What did you learn from the article? What did you learn from this article about MELCON?


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Name: Period:

Survey of Literature Identifying Supporting Details Passage Title: NEWSPAPER MELCON Main Idea: What is a main idea? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_

Assignment:

A. As you read the newspaper, you will be searching for a MAIN IDEA. Put what you believe the author is trying to prove in the box below. Then, find 4 supporting details that support this main idea.

B. Your assignment is to identify 4 of the MOST IMPORTANT (no more, no less) supporting details that persuade a reader to agree with the above thesis. Please write each specific supporting detail below and bring this list to class with you for a discussion. Also, please complete the discussion questions.

1. _______________________________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________________________

4._______________________________________________________________________________________


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Name:___________________________________________________ Directions: As you read this essay, pause and answer the questions. Also annotate the essay BY USING THE ANNOTATION BACKBONE OR ANOTHER NOTE TAKING STRATEGY THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

Elie Wiesel, “Why I Write: Making No Become Yes” (excerpted and modified by Ms. Parlee)

Why do I write? Perhaps in order not to go mad. Or, on the contrary,

to touch the bottom of madness. Like Samuel Beckett, the survivor expresses himself “en désepoir de cause”—out of desperation.

Speaking of the solitude of the survivor, the great Yiddish and Hebrew poet and thinker Aaron Zeitlin addresses those—his father, his brother, his friends—who have died and left him: “You have abandoned me,” he says to them. “You are together, without me. I am here. Alone. And I make words.”

So do I, just like him. I also say words, write words, reluctantly.

There are easier occupations, far more pleasant ones. But for the survivor, writing is not a profession, but an occupation, a duty. Camus calls it “an honor.” As he puts it: “I entered literature through worship.” Other writers have said they did so through anger, through love. Speaking for myself, I would say—through silence.

It was by seeking, by probing silence that I began to discover the perils and power of the word. I never intended to be a philosopher, or a theologian. The only role I sought was that of witness. I believed that, having survived by chance, I was duty-‐bound to give meaning to my survival, to justify each moment of my life. I knew the story had to be told. Not to transmit an experience is to betray it. This is what Jewish tradition teaches us. But how to do this? “When Israel is in exile, so is the word,” says the Zohar. The word has deserted the meaning it was intended to convey—impossible to make them coincide. The displacement, the shift, is irrevocable. 1, 2

This was never more true than right after the upheaval. We all knew that we could never, never say what had to be said, that we could never express in words, coherent, intelligible words, our experience of madness on an absolute scale. The walk through flaming night, the silence before and after the selection, the monotonous praying of the condemned, the Kaddish of the dying, the fear and hunger of the sick, the shame and suffering, the haunted eyes, the demented stares. I thought that I would never be able to speak of them. All words seemed inadequate, worn, foolish, lifeless, whereas I wanted them to be searing. 3

1. Do you know anything about

Elie Wiesel? If you don’t, you do now…after reading the first portion of this text. What does he claim to be? Why does he write?

2. Now, ask your teacher, who is

Elie Wiesel. After she explains, jot down a few notes about his life. Does this change how you interpret the beginning of this essay on writing? It should. How does it change your interpretation?

3. What is Wiesel referring to

when he says “the upheaval” and why does he, in the italicized section, not just come out and say what he’s


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Where was I to discover a fresh vocabulary, a primeval language? The language of night was not human, it was primitive, almost animal—hoarse shouting, screams, muffled moaning, savage howling, the sound of beating. A brute strikes out wildly, a body falls. An officer raises his arm and a whole community walks toward a common grave. A solider shrugs his shoulders, and a thousand families are torn apart, to be reunited only by death. This was the concentration camp language. It negated all other language and took its place. Rather than a link, it became a wall. Could it be surmounted? Could the reader be brought to the other side? I knew the answer was negative, and yet I knew that “no” had to become “yes.” It was the last wish of the dead. 4

The fear of forgetting remains the main obsession of all those who have passed through the universe of the damned. The enemy counted on people’s incredulity and forgetfulness. How could one foil this plot? And if memory grew hollow, empty of substance, what would happen to all we had accumulated along the way? Remember, said the father to his son, and the son to his friend. Gather the names, the faces, the tears. We had all taken an oath: “If, by some miracle, I emerge alive, I will devote my life to testifying on behalf of those whose shadow will fall on mine forever and ever.”

That is why I write certain things rather than others—to remain faithful.

Of course, there are times of doubt for the survivor, times when one gives in to weakness, or longs for comfort. I hear a voice within me telling me to stop mourning the past. I too want to sing of love and of its magic. I too want to celebrate the sun, and the dawn that heralds the sun. I would like to shout, and shout loudly: “Listen, listen well! I too am capable of victory, do you hear? I too am open to laughter and joy! I want to stride, head high, my face unguarded, without having to point to the ashes over there on the horizon, without having to tampers with facts to hide their tragic ugliness. For a man born blind, God himself is blind, but look, I see, I am not blind.” One feels like shouting this, but the shout changes to a murmur. One must make a choice; one must remain faithful. A big word, I know. Nevertheless, I use it, it suits me. Having written the things I have written, I feel I can afford no longer to play with words. If I say that the writer in me wants to remain loyal, it is because it is true. This sentiment moves all survivors; they owe nothing to anyone; but everything to the dead.

I owe them my roots and my memory. I am duty-‐

talking about? What does this “do” for the reader?

4. Here Wiesel has his title,

“Making No Become Yes.” What does he mean by this?


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bound to serve as their emissary, transmitting the history of their disappearance, even if it disturbs, even if it brings pain. Not to do so would be to betray them, and thus myself. And since I am incapable of communicating their cry by shouting, I simply look at them. I see them and I write. 5

While writing, I question them as I question myself. I believe I have said it before, elsewhere. I write to understand as much as to be understood. Will I succeed one day? Wherever one starts, one reaches darkness. God? He remains the God of darkness. Man? The source of darkness. The killers’ derision, their victims’ tears, the onlookers’’ indifference, their complicity and complacency—the divine role in all that I do not understand. A million children massacred—I shall never understand.

Jewish children—they haunt my writings. I see them again and again. I shall always see them. Hounded, humiliated, bent like the old men who surround them as though to protect them, unable to do so. They are thirsty, the children, and there is no one to give them water. They are hungry, but there is no one to give them a crust of bread. They are afraid, and there is no one to reassure them.

All these children, these old people, I see them. I never stop seeing them. I belong to them.

It is for them that I write, and yet the survivor may experience remorse. He has tried to bear witness; it was all in vain.

After the liberation, we had illusions. We were convinced that a new world would be built upon the ruins of Europe. A new civilization would see the light. No more wars, no more hate, no more intolerance, no fanaticism. And all this because the witnesses would speak. And speak they did, to no avail.

The will continue, for they cannot do otherwise. When man, in his grief, falls silent, Goethe says, then God gives him the strength to sing his sorrows. From that moment on, he may no longer choose not to sing, whether his song is heard or not. What matters is to struggle against silence with words, or through another form of silence. What matters is to gather a smile here and there, a tear here and there, a word here and there, and thus justify the faith placed in you, a long time ago, by so many victims.

Why do I write? To wrench those victims from oblivion. To help the dead vanquish death.

Translated from the French by Rosette C. Lamont.

5. Do you think writing is a happy thing for Wiesel? Why or why not. Why does he continue to write?

6. Why do YOU write? (List several reasons here.)


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Police sweep arrests parents for kids' skipping school Source: Greg Hardesty/The Orange County Register May 10, 2011 In what prosecutors and police describe as the first sweep of its kind, bench warrants were issued for the arrests of six fathers and mothers in Orange, Stanton and San Juan Capistrano (California) for allegedly contributing to the delinquency of a minor. By morning's end, five parents had been handcuffed, arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana before being released on their own recognizance for what police say is ignoring repeated requests to make sure their kids go to school. "This has gone to the extreme," Orange Police Officer Clara Ramirez said of the divorced parents of a 14-year-old girl who has racked up an atrocious attendance record at Yorba Middle School in Orange, with nearly 30 tardies and 10 unexcused absences this year. In past sweeps aimed at keeping kids in school and out of gangs and other trouble, authorities have warned parents about possible prosecution – but haven't arrested them. Tuesday's sweep, which involved four families, was different, with authorities eager to send the message that parents can be jailed for up to a year and fined $2,500 for ignoring the law. As he sat handcuffed in the back of an Orange patrol car, waiting to be booked, Porfirio Sanchez said he understood that the police were just doing their job. "Sometimes I have to leave to go to work at 5 a.m., and I just assume she goes to school," Sanchez, 42, said of his daughter, the chronic truant at Yorba Middle School. "When I get home and ask her how was school, she'll say, "I didn't go. I felt sick." Sanchez is divorced. His daughter has been living with him since the start of the school year, when she moved out of her mother's house in Placentia. There, she had fallen in with the wrong crowd, he and his ex-wife said. An aunt is supposed to drive Sanchez's daughter to school when he can't, he said. Tuesday morning, Sanchez wasn't home when police pounded on his door. When they were able to contact him, he drove from his roofing job in Whittier to turn himself in. Sanchez, like the other parents who were arrested Tuesday, repeatedly has ignored offers of counseling, tutoring and other resources available to help keep their children in the classroom, according to officials. Shortly after he was arrested, Sanchez's wife also turned herself in to police. Natividad Arteaga-Perez, 33, of Placentia, said in a brief interview that her daughter starting acting up about a year ago. She said her daughter now lives with her father, who should make sure she gets to school. "I know (going to school) is very important,'' a handcuffed Arteaga-Perez said.

Name:_______________________ Period:___________ Directions: 1. Use the ANNOTATION BACKBONE to guide your annotations throughout the article. 2. Complete the discussion questions found on the MAIN IDEA page.


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Sgt. Dave Vullo, who handles child abuse and school-related issues as head of the Orange PD's Youth Services Bureau, oversaw the arrests of Sanchez and Arteaga-Perez, as well as the attempted arrest of a single father who is raising six children on his own. Five of the man's children have multiple truancies and absences, Vullo said. "He needs help, but he's not accepting it," Vullo said of the father, who works two jobs but was not at home when Vullo paid a visit Tuesday. "We're letting these parents know that we mean business," Vullo said. "Arresting parents for this is not something we like to do, or want to do – but to get the word out, we will do it." Some parents just don't get the message, Vullo said. "They are undermining their children's entire future," he said of parents of chronic truants. "They're accountable to make sure their kids are in school and for their general welfare." Tuesday's sweep was part of a multi-agency effort led by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Since fall 2007, the DA's office has focused on gang prevention through the Gang Reduction and Intervention Program, or GRIP. Cracking down on truants is one of many programs under GRIP, which in addition to police agencies, the DA's office, the Orange County Probation Department and Community Service Programs Inc. involves dozens of businesses and churches. "What we're trying to do is fill in the hole when parents are not being parents," said Tracy Rinauro, a senior deputy district attorney who runs the GRIP program for the DA's office. "These parents have ignored the law." The truancy sweeps have resulted in a dramatic increase in attendance and decreased suspension and expulsions, as well as increased test scores at the targeted schools, according to Rinauro. The GRIP program now is active in Anaheim, Stanton, Orange, Buena Park, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and north unincorporated Orange County, Rinauro said. Parents of chronic truants are offered free family counseling, programs such as Big Brother Big Sister, sports activities – anything to get the kids motivated to stay in school. Some parents, however, aren't listening, authorities say – like the parents arrested Tuesday. All were processed through the jail rapidly to make sure they would be home when their children returned from school. All were given dates to appear in court and likely will be put on probation until things change, Rinauro said. Sanchez, who shares custody of his 14-year-old daughter with his ex-wife, said being arrested may be just the thing his family needs. Asked if his arrest will upset his daughter, he said: "Yes, I think so. She's told me that she never wants to see me go to jail because of her." Sanchez's daughter also told him she would like to be a nurse someday. "I continually tell her that in order to do that," Sanchez said, "she needs to stay in school."


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NAME:

Police Sweep Arrests Parents… Question #1: Main Idea


1. Which of the following statements best reflects what the author a. Arresting parents is the only way to decrease the truancy of their children. b. Truancy is both a parent and child’s problem and many need to accept the help offered in

order to avoid confrontations with the law. c. Cracking down on truancy of school-‐age children, via arresting their parents, is one solution

to the problem of kids skipping school, and it’s working. d. Truancy is a problem that many students in California face.

Explain why you chose this answer. What is present in the reading to lead you to this choice? Was your answer correct? Yes-‐you are awesome! ________ No? You are not as awesome as that kid who got it right, but I think you are still pretty cool._________ Thinking about your thinking (metacognition): What makes the following incorrect answer (distracter) incorrect?


_______Switch


_______ Extreme

The MUST KNOWS discussion: (Please answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper and in complete sentences.)

1. How does the author grab your attention? What type of an ACTS is this? 2. Do you notice MELCON anywhere in this article? If so, label the article with the parts of MELCON

(you should be able to find 1 MELCON, though it might be out of order.) 3. Do you agree with the policy for arresting parents of truant students? Why or why not? 4. What are some of the other initiatives that schools and the police force could have been involved in

prior to arresting parents?


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APPENDIX:

Stuff to put in your notes FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR! Keep these

documents!


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ANNOTATION BACKBONE – Any time you are asked to annotate, you must use all 6 annotation strategies.*created by Wilson

1. Underline main ideas a. Can’t find them? Ask yourself: WHAT, SO WHAT, NOW WHAT?

i. WHAT’S the topic? ii. SO WHAT’S the author’s opinion of that topic? iii. NOW WHAT does the author want me to do with this info?

2. Bullet points for brief summaries or comments in the margin next to each paragraph.

•

3. Put a checkmark next to supporting details.

4. Circle unknown words.

5. Put a question mark by statements you don’t understand.

6. Put an exclamation point by new or interesting stuff.


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Types of Distracters Distracters are answer choices that intellectually distract you from picking the correct answer. This means that distracters are designed to be thinking challenges. If you can learn to overcome the challenges you become a better thinker. There are four types of distracters on the READING section of the ACT. See below for a description of each one. 1. Distortion When the answer choice is untrue, either

completely or only partially. It cannot be verified by the passage.

2. Switch When the answer choice is true, but it is not the answer to the question you are trying to answer.

3. Unsupported Positive

When the answer choice is untrue, but it seems like a very pleasant choice. It often plays on your biases. Ex: America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Citizens should be grateful for what they have!

4. Extreme When the answer choice includes a word(s) that makes it impossible to be correct. Ex: The government never denies assistance to immigrants.


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Binders: 9th Grade Survey Lit Your binder is very important tool that encourages academic success at Westinghouse High School. There will be periodic binder checks that impact your grade, but overall a binder will keep you organized, keep your graded work in one place, and keep you on top of your homework and class work. Here is how your binder should be set up for Freshman Survey Literature. Front:

_________ Syllabus

_________Notebook or loose-‐leaf paper

Tab 1:

________ Bell Ringers: The Word Within the Word

Tab 2:

________ Unit Packet (This will change based on the unit we are currently studying.)

Tab 3:

________ WREN and Grammar Instruction

Tab 4:

________ Graded Work (This will consist of written graded work that has a rubric accompanying

it. This is a great way to look back at your written work and see how far you’ve progressed in

your mastery of writing!)

Tab 5:

________ Handouts/Notes (You may also keep notes in your notebook if you have one.)

_______TEACHER CHOICE

Total points for each binder check:________/70

Extra credit for excellent organization:________

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