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MISD Thematic Units to Teach Michigan’s ELA GLCEs—Unit 8.4 Appendix RevisedDisposition: Reflective Inquiry

Theme: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

1a. Disposition, Theme, and Essential Question(s) [Lessons 1, 2]1b. Quick Write Procedure [Lesson 1]2a1-2. Genre: Informational Text and Student Bookmark [Lesson 2] 2b1-4. Linking Text: Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy [Lesson 2]2c. Getting the Most from Discussions and Presentations [Lesson 2]2d. Highlighted Reading Teacher Suggestions [Lesson 2] 2e1-2. Highlighted Reading for Closing the Innovation Gap [Lesson 2] 3a1-6. Close and Critical Reading Student, Teacher Model, and Rubric: Closing the

Innovation Gap [Lesson 3] 3b. Strategies That Work [Lesson 3]4a-d. Highlighted Reading Selections for Group Practice [Lesson 4]5a. Figures of Speech5b1-4. Figures of Speech Assessment5c. Ray Bradbury Biography [Lesson 5]5d1-4. “All Summer in a Day” [Lesson 5]5e. Think Aloud Procedure5f1-3. Focus Question #1, Focus Question Directions and Rubric 5g1-3. Science Fiction Definition, Genre Information, and Student Bookmark6a. Elements of Story6b. Vocabulary Strategy6c. Vocabulary Chart6d1-3. Chapter 1 Close and Critical Reading 7a. Focus Question #27b. Character Role Chart8a1-5. Grammar Research and Inquiry Grammar Lesson Plan and Ellipses8b1-5. ACT Prompt9a. Listening to Comprehend9b1-4. Listening Assessment10a1-2. Ellipses Use11a1-2. Who Moved My Cheese11b. Who Moved My Cheese Quick Write12a. Hyphens and Dashes12b. Monica Hughes Loves Ellipses, Hyphens, and Dashes13a1-5. Readers Theater: Chapter 813b. Enhancing or Detracting?14a1-3. On Death and Dying14b1-3. On Death and Dying: Close and Critical Reading 16-17a. Viewing Activity18a1-2. Culminating Project Scenario19a1-7. “The Beethoven Factor” and Comparison and Contrast Rubric19b1-2. “Overcoming Obstacles”

MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 1 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009

Themes and Essential Questions

Disposition: Reflective Inquiry

Theme: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

Grade 8 Essential Questions How do I learn to learn?

How do I discover new knowledge?

How do I pursue a problem to the solution?

How do I apply my learning?

How do I see all situations in a bigger context?

How do I respond to new situations or individuals different than myself?

Focus Question: In what ways are the following necessary for a person in order to survive and thrive in our global society?

analyzing investigating, finding clues strategic planning persisting, working hard using ingenuity, using knowledge collaborating

Appendix #1a

Quick Write Procedure


What is it?Quick writes are most often used to develop fluency. In quick writes, students write rapidly and without stopping in response to literature and for other types of impromptu writing. Quick writes, provide students with a means of quickly representing their thinking. Rather than being concerned with correct spelling, punctuation, and word usage, the student is more interested in simply responding to the prompt in a personal way. Students reflect on what they know about a topic, ramble on paper, generate words and ideas, and make connections among the ideas. Young children often do quick writes in which they draw pictures and add labels. Some students do a mixture of writing and drawing.

Students do quick writes for a variety of purposes: Learning logs:

Immediately following a particular lesson, engaging activity, or discussion, pause and allow students to reflect in their learning logs or journals. Share responses.

Constructed response to literature:--to activate prior knowledge--to reflect on a theme of a story and how it relates to them personally--to describe a favorite character

Reflections on new learning:--students write an explanation of what something means --to define or explain a word on the word wall

How to do a quick write1. The teacher selects a purpose for the students. This prompt should be tied to a content

area and elicit a personal response from the student.

2. After listening to the prompt, the student is instructed to write a response by jotting down whatever comes to mind. The time limit should be no longer than 5-10 minutes in length. When students are first doing quick writes, start with 2 minutes of writing and increase the time gradually. Students write until instructed to stop. They are allowed to only finish their thought when “time” is called.

3. Quick writes may be used several times in a day. They may provide a “nugget” for a more extended piece of writing.

4. When it is time to share, students read their writing to a small group of four or five students. Volunteers could also share with the whole group.

Appendix #1b


Genre: Informational Text

Informational text gives factual information on a specific topic or event.

Definition: Informational text is “..designed primarily to explain, argue or describe rather than to entertain.”

(Harris, et al. The Literacy Dictionary, IRA, 1995) “The main function of expository text is to present the reader information about theories, predictions,

persons, facts, dates, specifications, generalizations, limitations, and conclusions.” (Michael F. Graves and Wayne H. Slater. “Research on Expository Text: Implications for Teachers” in Children’s Comprehension of Text, K. Denise Muth, editor, IRA, 1989.)

Purpose: To acquire information To satisfy curiosity To understand our world more fully To understand new concepts and expand vocabulary To make connections to our lives and learning To write good nonfiction To have fun(from Stephanie Harvey. Nonfiction Matters, Stenhouse, 1998)

Form and Features:Informational text uses a number of forms of organization including:

Sequence of events Description by categories Process description Comparison/contrast Problem and solution Cause and effect

Informational text… gives information, gives necessary explanations to understand the information, shows what is and is not important, and often uses narrative(story) elements to make it interesting.

(from Barbara Reed and Elaine Weber. Expository Text: What Is A Teacher To Do? ABC Publishing, 1990.)

Informational text may have some or all of the following features: Table of contents and index Photographs and realistic, accurate illustrations Captions to describe photographs, illustrations, etc. Maps and diagrams Glossary (words with definitions) Footnotes Bibliographies

Appendix #2a1


Informational Text Bookmark Informational Text Bookmark Informational Text BookmarkGives facts or information on a specific topic or event Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event

Name: Name: Name:

Title: Title: Title:

List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre characteristics you find as you read.



Gives information/facts. Gives information/facts. Gives information/facts.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, position/support, etc.

Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, position/support, etc.

Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, position/support, etc.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions, maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc.

Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions, maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc.

Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions, maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.

Appendix #2a2


MISD Literature Unit 8.4—Reflective Inquiry—Linking TextTHEME: To thrive often requires creativity and innovation.

Closing the Innovation Gap:Reigniting the spark of creativity in a global economy

By Judy Estrin October/November 2008

Short-term thinking and fear of risk are jeopardizing America’s future, says the author of an important new book that offers solutions to revive national prosperity in the global economy

Say the word Pixar and what comes to mind? Kids of all ages think of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille. All of these films create magical worlds in which toys, bugs, monsters, fish, superheroes, and cars come to life, and a rat can become a gourmet chef. Even after my son was too old to want to go to the theater with me, I eagerly awaited the release of each new Pixar film—not only to watch what great story would unfold, but also to see how the company’s brilliant animators pushed technology to make their onscreen characters even more engaging. At Pixar, the technology inspires the art and the art challenges the technology. It’s a two-way street.

I remember my first visit to Pixar headquarters in Emeryville, California, when Disney was in the process of acquiring the company. The lobby opens into a giant atrium surrounded by conference rooms, gaming spaces, and a cafeteria, inviting employees to play, meet, eat, and create. Scooters and skateboards are used to zip around the building, encouraging people to get out of their offices and move around. The openness of the building immediately conveys the openness of the environment.

Behind Pixar’s incredible creative and financial success is leadership that has a deep understanding of the importance and process of innovation. Launched with $10 million by Ed Catmull and John Lasseter in 1986, the company was sold to Disney for over $7 billion in 2006. Catmull is now the president of Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.

The genesis of the company was an example of innovation at work. What is now Pixar began in 1979 when George Lucas, of Star Wars fame, set up a group to explore new techniques for digital printing and audio and video editing. He hired Catmull, a leading researcher in computer graphics, who has always had a passion for filmmaking. After several years, they agreed to set up the group as an independent company. Following months of discussions with venture capitalists and corporate partners that led nowhere, they finally negotiated a deal with Apple founder Steve Jobs, who was attracted by the talent of the team. Their passion was to make full-length computer-generated animated films. But recognizing that neither the technology nor the market was ready, they sold advanced imaging systems to medical-imaging firms, government agencies, and other movie studios, including Disney. Never giving up on their long-term vision, a small group led by Lasseter developed animated short films that helped drive the technolgists and incubated what would eventually become Pixar’s main business.

From 1986 to 1991, Pixar went through several variations of its business strategy. “We were grasping for a workable model. We sold the hardware business and started to sell software. Then we started making TV commercials,” Catmull recalls. “Throughout, we struggled. Steve stuck with us as we were losing money. Then Disney gave us the opportunity to do a feature film.”

Appendix #2b1


If the team had been less passionate and tenacious, there would be no Toy Story or Cars. If the company had been backed by typical venture capitalists instead of a visionary entrepreneur like Jobs, it would never have survived its various transitions. Although he is not usually thought of as a patient personality, Jobs provided patient capital for the company. He trusted the smart people on the team, recognizing that their attempts to create various business models were not fatal failures, but steps toward success. When Disney approached Pixar in 1991 to work together on a set of 3D computer-animated feature films, the company and its technology were ready.

How has the company managed to always stay out ahead of the competition, each film amazing audiences more than the one before? Part of the answer is that the technology organization is always working on three time horizons simultaneously. Pixar developers who are dedicated to the next film in the lineup work side by side with the directors, writers, and animators to apply and extend the current technology. Other developers work on the next generation of animation tools so that the characters and environments in future films are even more real—enabling water to flow, shiny cars to reflect light, and fur to look soft to the touch.

Pixar’s internal culture encourages creativity through questioning, openness, and a healthy attitude toward failure. Self assessment is ongoing—not only when there’s a problem, but also when things seem to be working well. Everyone is encouraged to comment on one another’s work.

THE BASIC INGREDIENTS

Sustainable innovation does not happen in a vacuum. It is not just a flash of brilliance from a lone scientist, nor is it simply the result of a group going offsite to brainstorm and play team-building games. People often overestimate the aha! factor in the invention process. That process starts with creating the right kind of environment. “The rare thing is not coming up with ideas. It is creating that soup where lots of people are coming up with ideas, and having a system that translates them into something effective,” says Danny Hillis, a former Disney imagineer and cofounder of Applied Minds, an R&D consulting firm that calls itself the “little Big Idea company.” The soup starts with some common ingredients, a set of human attitudes and beliefs that are so critical that I call them the five core values of innovation: questioning, risk taking, openness, patience and trust.

If pushed to an extreme, any one of these values can actually stifle innovation. Trust without questioning is blind. Too much patience can create an environment in which nothing happens. Risk-taking must be tempered by questioning so that it does not become reckless. Questioning without trust can become merely judgmental. When all five values are in balance, they work together to create the capacity for change that enables innovation to thrive.

Questioning

Innovators naturally ask why or how something works, or if something can be done in a new way. This curiosity is encouraged by giving them room to explore. “My folks would be at home working on technology whether I paid them or not,” says Miley Ainsworth, IT director for FedEx Labs. “They have a natural hunger for new stuff. Technology happens to be their job, but it’s also their hobby.”

In the early days of the ARPANET—the predecessor of the internet—the focus of development was on creating network that would allow computers in disparate geographical locations to communicate. But Bob Metcalfe, then at Xerox, became curious about the data being exchanged between computers in

Appendix #2b2


the same building, which had been nicknamed “incestuous traffic.” Out of this curiosity came the development of Ethernet, the foundation of local area networks that enable individuals to share information with their coworkers, friends, and family.

David Culler, a computer science professor at UC Berkeley, describes this kind of inquisitiveness as “stubbing my toe on the same spot often enough that I say, ‘What is this?’ Then I look down and find that what I’m tripping on is just the tip of a very big rock below the surface.”

The way that leaders ask questions affects motivation and behavior, setting the tone for the whole organization. Questions can be inquisitive or judgmentaL They can convey interest or impatience. Asking, “Why did you…?” conveys judgment, not trust. Similar information can be gleaned by asking, “Can you explain…?” The types of questions that are critical to managing an ongoing project—“When will this be done? What are the milestones to measure progress or success?”—can also suppress new ideas. Research projects often consist of a set of open-ended questions or hypotheses that are being investigated without a clear outcome or end date. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ask what the researchers are working on and how they plan to move forward. Leaders also need to be open to being questioned by others and themselves.

As we mature, we’re more prone to take situations as givens and forget to question the status quo or ourselves. With more to lose, we may be less willing to take risks. The same thing can happen as companies, industries and fields of science mature and innovation becomes more incremental. But just as midlife can be viewed as a time of positive change, mature companies, industries, and scientists should continue to question their assumptions and pursue bold, broad-ranging innovation. Change may be more difficult at that stage, but curiosity and assessment should not stop with age or growth.

Risk

Failure is an inherent part of innovation. “When you start a project, you don’t know enough about the competition or the customer needs. You haven’t developed the best ideas or the best technology,” says Curtis Carlson, CEO of SRI International, an independent nonprofit R&D organization. “So it’s the nature of the game that in the beginning, most of what you’re going to do is going to be a failure.”

Trust

People need to trust that they will not be labeled as career flops if they have done their jobs well and understand why their ideas or projects did not succeed. Failures should not be personalized unless they result from poor execution or lack of effort. Aim for accountability without finger-pointing and blame.

Openness

Innovation requires an open mind and an atmosphere that encourages people to imagine, think broadly, collaborate, capture serendipity and have the freedom to create. Curiosity needs to be coupled with the ability to critically evaluate data, accept input, and be ready to adapt to change. Lack of imagination kills many a project. At Zilog in the late 1970s, we developed a networked computer system that was years ahead of its time, nearly the equivalent of a PC running Microsoft Word. We demonstrated one of these machines to the management of Exxon, Zilog’s main investor. Exxon, however, had also poured millions of dollars into typewriter companies that were developing dedicated word processors.

Appendix #2b3


Our group had a vision of the future, but Exxon’s management couldn’t imagine why anyone would want a general-purpose personal computer. As my former boss, Joe Kennedy, recalls, “They had already invested in these typewriters that they were calling word processors and said, ‘Why do we need another one?’ If Exxon had taken the time to understand what we had, Zilog could have beaten both Microsoft and Apple to market.” Instead, Exxon passed, and many Zilog employees left to start their own companies.

There’s a natural tension between openness and focus in all areas of innovation, especially in the development of products or programs. It’s possible to be too open, always changing direction or specifIcations so that nothing gets done. But too much focus can overly constrain innovators. At the beginning of a project, when you are looking at needs, framing questions, and coming up with ideas, you want to encourage broad thinking and experimentation. Once a specifIc path has been agreed upon, it’s time to execute and not constantly reformulate the solution or add “just one more” feature.

Patience

Patience is a mandatory condition if innovation is to thrive, and it doesn’t have to be a passive process. Innovators need to be comfortable with abiding ambiguity for a time instead of jumping on the first idea or solution that comes along. They also require active patience: the tenacity to overcome technical obstacles and to champion their bold new ideas in the face of disbelief.

Because of the persistence of Genentech’s scientists, a drug called Avastin received FDA approval for treatment of colorectal cancer in 2004—15 years after the initial research began. You can have patience and still do business with a sense of urgency. If a new technology requires a major change in infrastructure, the time and money that will be needed for it to become pervasive are substantially increased. “The automobile remains a plaything until you have a highway system. The telephone system didn’t work unless we strung a million miles of wires,” says former HP Labs director Joel Birnbaum. In such cases, it is particularly important to spend the time up front on research and experimentation so that the infrastructure is built around solutions that are right for the long term.

Leaders and financial backers need to have the patience to let ideas ripen. If they sense impatience, employees either will not take the time to try something new or will take the quickest path rather than the best. Projects and companies that might have produced great products and profits can be shut down as a result of lack of patient capital As a company leader or financial backer, you must trust your people and the innovation process. Only with this foundation will employees and executives allow themselves to be vulnerable, take risks and have the freedom to create. When trust erodes, horizons get pulled in as innovative potential is sacrificed to meet demonstrable milestones. http://www.innovation-america.org/archive.php?articleID=466Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativy in a Global Economy, by Judy Estrin, is published by McGraw Hill. This excerpt has been published with the permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2009 by Judy Estrin. All rights reserved.

Appendix #2b4


http://www.innovation-america.org/archive.php?articleID=466

Getting the Most from Discussions and Presentations

Group Discussion Guidelines Be attentive and civil.

Gain the floor politely.

Pose appropriate questions.

Tolerate lack of consensus.

How to get the most out of listening…

Monitor message for clarity and understanding.

Ask relevant questions.

Provide verbal and nonverbal feedback.

Notice cues such as change of pace and emphasis that indicate a new point is about to be made.

Take notes to organize essential information.

How to be a good team member… Fulfill roles and responsibilities.

Pose relevant questions.

Give and follow instructions.

Acknowledge and build on ideas of others.

Offer dissent courteously.

What to do in discussions… Pose questions.

Listen to others.

Contribute ideas.

Reflect on and revise initial responses.

Appendix #2c


Highlighted Reading for Middle and High School by Elaine Weber

Purpose: Engage students in print.Develop fluent scanning.Highlight the most important information.Prepare the text for substantive conversation.

Materials:A copy of the textA highlighter pen

Planning:1. Select an article or piece of text that is accessible to all the students.2. Identify the vocabulary that needs to be taught in advance.3. Determine a context for the information that could frame it for the students’ prior

knowledge.4. Consider what kind of discussion you want to come out of the reading of the text.5. Select the appropriate information to be highlighted based on the goal for the

discussion.6. Map out the text paragraph by paragraph with prompts to highlight the

information.

Procedure: Build the context for the reading by activating prior knowledge. Have students find the vocabulary words in the text and highlight them. As you read the questions you prepared for each paragraph, have the students

scan through the text, highlighting the answers. (Like finding Waldo.) Have students go back to the text with partners to determine the meaning from

context or from their prior knowledge. Have students share their results. Use the definitions for your reference as students share their results.

Summary Activities: Three-sentence pyramid summary Determine Importance: (1) Circle the most important word or phrase in the text.

(2) Underline the most important things written about this word or phrase.(3) Write a summary statement. Write two to three supporting sentences.

One-syllable-word summary: Working in a group of three or four students, develop a one-syllable-word summary of the article.

Appendix #2d


Highlighted Reading—Teacher SuggestionsGuided Reading (Guided Read Alouds) with Highlighters

Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy, Chapter 1

Vocabulary: Genesis- The coming into being of something; the originSimultaneously- Happening, existing, or done at the same timeStifle- To interrupt or cut offTempered - Having a specified temper or disposition.Incestuous - resembling incest as by excessive intimacySerendipity - The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.Ambiguity - Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretationPervasive - Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate.

Highlight the following: Have students highlight with you. 1st paragraph

Two things jeopardizing America’s future

2nd paragraph Films released by Pixar The “two-way” street at Pixar

3rd paragraph Description of Pixar headquarters

4th paragraph The origins of Pixar’s success

5th paragraph The genesis of the company Who the Pixar Company attract to finance it and why? The two ventures that help Pixar stay alive until the market was ready

6th paragraph The variations of Pixar’s business strategy

7th paragraph The things that help the team/company survive and thrive What the visionary entrepreneur provided that helped Pixar succeed?

9th paragraph Four things Pixar’s internal culture encourages

10th paragraph What is in the “soup” or the right environment The five core values of innovation

Appendix #2e111th paragraph


What stifles innovation

12th paragraph What innovators naturally do

13th paragraph What development came from the curiosity about “incestuous traffic”

14th paragraph How David Culler described inquisitiveness.

15th paragraph The good and bad of questions

16th paragraph The negative of mature companies

17th paragraph What is an inherent part of innovation and why

18th paragraph The role of trust

19th paragraph What innovation requires What needs to be coupled with curiosity What kills many projects Why Exxon failed

20th paragraph The good and bad of openness and focus

21st paragraph Two qualities of innovation to thrive

22nd paragraph The role infrastructures play in innovations

23rd paragraph The role patient capital plays in innovations and why

Appendix #2e2

What is Close and Critical Reading?


Close and critical reading is the ability to comprehend information, analyze how it is presented, determine the purpose and perspective of the author, establish what it means, and apply it to your life.

Dr. Elaine Weber

The following four questions are used to move students from comprehending the information to the final application to their own lives. These four steps or modes of analysis are reflected in four types of reading and discussion:

What a text says—restatement What a text does—description What a text means—interpretation What does the text mean to me (So what?)—application

You can distinguish each mode of analysis by the subject matter of the discussion:

What a text says—restatement—talks about the same topic as the original (summary or restatement)

What a text does—description—discusses aspects of the discussion itself (choices of content, language, and structure)

What a text means—interpretation—analyzes the text and asserts a meaning for the text as a whole (putting the message in a larger context and determine theme)

So what does it mean to me—application of the text to my life (finding the relevance of the bigger meaning/theme to my life)

The Tools of Critical Reading: Analysis and Inference.

1. What to look for (analysis)—involves recognizing those aspects of a discussion that control the meaning

2. How to think about what you find (inference)—involves the processes of inference, the interpretation of data from within the text.

Appendix #3a1

Close and Critical Reading—Student CopyTheme: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.


What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the article “Closing the Innovation Gap” at the literal level.)

How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?)

What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)

So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others?Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives ofothers?

Appendix #3a2


Macomb Collaborative: Thematic Units to Teach Michigan’s ELA GLCEs8.4—Close and Critical Reading—Answers

Disposition: Reflective InquiryTheme: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the spark of creativity in a global economyBy Judy Estrin October/November 2008

See Appendix #2b1-4 for this article.Close and Critical Reading—Suggested Answers/Sample Answers/Possible Answers

What does the text say? (Briefly summarize Chapter I of “Closing the Innovation Gap” at the literal level.) The text starts by noting that America’s future is in danger due to “short-term thinking and fear of risk,” according to the author whose new book offers solutions to these problems. The author of the book, Judith Estrin, writes that the word “Pixar” brings to mind famous films such as A Bug’s Life. The author notes that she looked forward to Pixar films long after her son outgrew them. The author points out, “At Pixar, the technology inspires the art and the art challenges the technology.” The author recalls her first visit to Pixar headquarters located in Emeryville, California. At the time of the author’s visit, Disney was acquiring the company. The company had a large and open building, which encouraged an environment of openness. Pixar was created with $10 million in 1986 by Ed Catmull and John Lasseter. The company was sold to Disney in 2006 for over $7 billion. The origin of Pixar was Star Wars, George Lucas the director of Star Wars, hired Catmull to “explore new techniques for digital printing and audio and video editing.” Afterwards they spent several years searching for backers so they could set up an independent company. They negotiated a deal with Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. Though the company’s goal was to make a full-length computer-generated animated film, they recognize that the time was not right. So, the company sustained itself by selling advanced imaging systems to medical-imaging firms, government agencies, and other movie studios. Pixar moved on to TV commercials and Steve Jobs stuck with them though they were losing money and struggling. Finally, Disney offered Pixar the opportunity to do a feature film. Pixar never would have survived without Steve Jobs’ patience and trust and the team’s passion and tenacity. The author notes the “basic ingredients” of “sustainable innovation.” According to the author there are “five core values of innovation: questioning, risk taking, openness, patience and trust.” The author notes that when one of these values is dominant it can stifle innovation. The author then elaborates on each core value. The first value she explores is questioning. The author states that questioning is natural for an innovator. For example, the development of Ethernet was driven by the questioning of a man’s curiosity about “the data being exchanged between computers in the same building.” The next value the author explores is risk. She notes that risk involves failure, and failure is a crucial component of innovation. The CEO of SRI International notes that failure is the “nature of the game,” particularly in the beginning stages of innovation. The third value noted by the author is trust. People have to trust they will not be blamed if they fail sometimes. The fourth value is openness. There has to be an open atmosphere for innovation to occur. The author notes that the “lack of imagination kills many a project.” If Exxon had been more open, Zilog could have beaten Microsoft and Apple in the discovery of the personal computer. Finally, the last value is patience. Patience is mandatory. For example, the drug called Avastin took 15 years to be developed and receive FDA approval. The creators/employees are not the only ones who need patience. The leaders and financial backers/companies need patience as well. Innovation is difficult to create and easy to squash. How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?) The genre appears from this first chapter to be a book aimed at a business audience. The author is Judy Estrin. The title of the book review is the same title as the book, though the reader does not


Appendix #3a3


discover this fact until he/she reads the copyright information at the bottom. The title of the book review is “Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the spark of creativity in a global economy.” She leads off her article with a warning, “Short-term thinking and fear of risk are jeopardizing America’s future.” However, she quickly promises a solution in the same sentence when she notes that the book “…offers solutions to revive national prosperity in the global economy.” It is apparent that Judy Estrin is attempting to give readers a reason for purchasing her book. She then draws her reader in with a story of Pixar, a company that is the epitome of innovation. Through the story of Pixar, the author illustrates the attributes necessary for innovation. She gives a number of movie titles Pixar created: “Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, and Ratatouille.” This enables the reader to connect with the subject of the book at a personal level, as it evokes visual images in the reader’s mind of movies mentioned. The chapter is written in first person—e.g., “I remember my first visit to Pixar headquarters in Emeryville….” The author uses numbers throughout the article, first, to emphasize the financial success that can occur with innovation. She provides information about Pixar: “Launched with $10 million by Ed Catmull and John Lasseter in 1986, the company was sold to Disney for over $7 billion in 2006.” (As the previous sentence was, it contained a comma splice.) The author then uses numbers in the form of dates to emphasize time—e.g., “From 1986 to 1991, Pixar went through several variations of its business strategy.” Finally, the author uses the number five to emphasize the number of core values involved in innovation. The author further emphasizes the core values through headings that are in bold typescript. The author employs a question-and-answer format. For example, she raises a question and then answers it—e.g., “How has the company managed to always stay out ahead of the competition, each film amazing audiences more than the one before? Part of the answer is that the technology organization is always working on three time horizons simultaneously.” She uses dashes to separate parenthetical elements—e.g., “The types of questions that are critical to managing an ongoing project—“When will this be done? What are the milestones to measure progress or success?”—can also suppress new ideas.” The author employs a variety of literary devices. For example, she uses alliteration—e.g., “abiding ambiguity.” The author uses imagery as well as examples to emphasize the five core values of innovation. For example, openness (one of the five core values) is emphasized with the physical description of Pixar, e.g., “The lobby opens into a giant atrium surrounded by conference rooms, gaming spaces, and a cafeteria, inviting employees to play, meet, eat, and create. Scooters and skateboards are used to zip around the building, encouraging people to get out of their offices and move around. The openness of the building immediately conveys the openness of the environment.” The author’s writing is casual and instructional with her use of second person—e.g., “As we mature, we’re more prone to take situations as givens and forget to question the status quo or ourselves.” Yet, the author’s tone is one of optimism. The optimism is apparent through her word choice and example of Pixar e.g., “incredible creative and financial success.” The author also effectively emphasizes the core values of innovation by juxtaposing them with the pitfalls of an imbalance of the value discussed. For example, trust is juxtaposed with blame—e.g., “People need to trust that they will not be labeled as career flops if they have done their jobs well and understand why their ideas or projects did not succeed. Failures should not be personalized unless they result from poor execution or lack of effort. Aim for accountability without finger-pointing and blame.” Juxtaposing is used to illustrate the difference between innovative companies and companies that are not innovative. For example, the story of Exxon only serves to emphasize the exceptional qualities of Pixar. The author also uses metaphors to create images and emphasize her points—e.g., “…creating that soup where lots of people are coming up with ideas ….” The author also effectively uses white space, double spacing between paragraphs and double spacing above and below subheadings and headings.

Appendix #3a4


What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?) Innovation is not taught, but rather nurtured.

So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others?Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives ofothers?) I work for a school district that does not encourage innovation; I am thinking that many of our public schools do not nurture innovation. If they did, their success rates would be greater. The five core values of innovation: questioning, risk taking, openness, patience, and trust are not balanced within our schools. Too often fear of failure exists within the school structure. Yet, I believe that innovation can occur within smaller spheres. For example, I belong to a part of a community in which questioning, risk taking, openness, patience, and trust are key components. Consequently, I find myself being pushed to new discoveries and creations in the designing of language arts curriculum. I think belonging to such a community is as important as having clean air to breathe. It feeds my spirit. Yet, this community I belong to is not “grading” me for my effort or giving me a “citizenship grade.” The whole structure of education would have to change for it to become an innovative sphere.

Appendix #3a5


MISD ELA Unit Assessment: Close and Critical Reading Rubric (R.CS.07.01, W.PR.07.01-05) Questions 3 (meets assignment) 2 (partially meets) 1 (minimally meets) Score

What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the story.)R.CM.07.02

Answer is accurate, significant, and relevant with many details and examples.Details support point.Word choice and conventions support meaning.

Answer is accurate, significant, and relevant but has few details to support or explain the answer.Attempts at organization are partially successful.Word choice and errors in conventions do not distract from meaning.

Answer is inaccurate or a misinterpretation with little or no relevance to text or question. Ideas and content are not developed with details or appear random.Word choice and errors in conventions may distract from meaning.

__/3

How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?)R.NT.07.02, R.NT.07.04, R.IT.07.01, R.IT.07.02, R.IT.07.03

Answer is relevant with many details and examples.Details support point.Word choice and conventions support meaning.

Answer is relevant but has few details to support or explain the answer.Attempts at organization are partially successful.Word choice and errors in conventions do not distract from meaning.

Answer contains misinterpretation and has little or no relevance to text, question, or genre. Ideas and content are developed with few or no details.Word choice and errors in conventions may distract from meaning.

__/3

What does the text mean? (What theme/concept is the author trying to get across?) R.NT.07.04, R.IT.07.01, R.CM.07.03

Answer is relevant with many details and examples.Details support point.Word choice and conventions support meaning.


Answer contains misinterpretation and little or no relevance to text or question or is a retelling or summary. Ideas are not developed with details.Word choice and errors in conventions may distract from meaning.

__/3

So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives of others?) R.CM.07.01, R.CM.07.03

Answer is relevant and/or insightful with many details and examples.Details support point.Word choice and conventions support meaning.


Answer contains misinterpretation and has little or no relevance to text or question. Answer appears random or inappropriate. Ideas and content are not developed with details.Word choice and errors in conventions may distract from meaning.

__/3

Adapted from MISD Thematic Literature Units, 2007 Appendix #3a6

Total___/24Total___/24Total___/24Total___/24Total___/24Total___/24

Total__/12

Strategies That Work

Asking questions means stopping while reading to ask questions such as “What will happen next?” or “Why did that character do that?”

Visualizing means to make pictures in your mind about what’s going on in the story so you can understand the story better.

Determining importance is asking what is most important in a story as opposed to the details.

Synthesizing means combining new ideas from what I have read with what youalready know to learn something that will help you understand a story or your own life better.

Inferring means ‘reading between the lines’ or filling in ideas and meaning that the author leaves out. It is using what you know to figure out what the author does not come right out and tell you.

Making connections means putting things together from what you know, other stories you have read and/or what you have experienced and know about the world, to help you understand what you read better. You might say to yourself that you know Afghanistan was occupied by the Russians and then taken over by the Taliban.

Repairing comprehension means to use strategies to make sense when comprehension is interrupted. Expert readers use some or all of the following strategies when reading is not making sense:

slow down—adjust reading rate, stop and think—make connections to own knowledge and experience, to related

text(s) and/or to the larger world, reread—try to find the thread of meaning, continue reading—look for cues and/or use context clues, retell or summarize—think through or briefly write what has been discovered so

far in reading, reflect in writing—make comments about what reader feels about what he/she

has learned so far, visualize—see in one’s mind what is happening or described in the text, ask questions of the author—then predict answers and read to confirm, use text patterns or text resources, and/or consult another student or the teacher.

Appendix #3b

Student-Directed Highlighted Reading #1: The Biography of a Mouse1MICKEY MOUSE, Walt Disney's most famous character, made his screen debut on November 18, 1928, as star of the first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie. Since his debut, Mickey Mouse has become an international personality whose success laid the financial foundation upon which Walt Disney built his creative organization. Besides being the personification of everything Disney, Mickey Mouse has become one of the most universal symbols of the Twentieth Century.

2Mickey Mouse was born in Walt Disney's imagination early in 1928 on a train ride from New York to Los Angeles. Walt was returning with his wife from a business meeting at which his cartoon creation, Oswald the Rabbit, had been wrestled from him by his financial backers. Only 26 at the time and with an active cartoon studio in Hollywood, Walt had gone east to arrange for a new contract and more money to improve the quality of his Oswald pictures. The moneymen declined, and since the character was copyrighted under their name, they took control of it. " . . . So I was all alone and had nothing," Walt recalled later. " Mrs. Disney and I were coming back from New York on the train and I had to have something I could tell them. I've lost Oswald so, I had this mouse in the back of my head because a mouse is sort of a sympathetic character in spite of the fact that everybody's frightened of a mouse including myself" Walt spent the return train ride conjuring up a little mouse in red velvet pants and named him " Mortimer," but by the time the train screeched into the terminal station in Los Angeles, the new dream mouse had been rechristened. Walt's wife, Lillian, thought the name " Mortimer" was too pompous and suggested " Mickey." A star was born!

3Upon returning to his studio, Walt and his head animator, Ub Iwerks, immediately began work on the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Plane Crazy. The enthusiasm with which his small staff completed the project faded when no distributor wanted to buy the film. Refusing to give in, Walt forged into production on another silent Mickey Mouse cartoon, Gallopin'Gaucho. However, late in 1927, Warner Brothers ushered in the talkies with The Jazz Singer, staffing Al Jolson. This soon signaled the end of silent films so, in 1928, Walt dropped everything to begin a third Mickey Mouse cartoon, this one in sound: Steamboat Willie.

4To record the sound track, Walt had to take his film to New York, since no one on the West Coast was equipped to do it. Walt sank everything he had into the film. When finally completed, Walt screened it for the New York exhibitors. The manager at the Colony Theatre liked the eager young producer and decided to take a chance on his film. Steamboat Willie scored an overwhelming success, and Walt soon became the talk of the nation. Buoyed by the artistic and popular success of Steamboat Willie, Disney added sound to the first two cartoons and was able to offer exhibitors a package of three shorts. As with all of Mickey Mouse's pictures through World War II, Walt himself supplied the voice. Then in 1946, when Walt became too busy to continue, Jim Macdonald, veteran Disney sound and vocal effects man, tookover. ( Jim Macdonald continued to provide the voice of Mickey Mouse for nearly thirty years, until he retired in 1974. Following his retirement, Wayne Allwine was selected to perform the voice of Mickey Mouse. Wayne has provided Mickey Mouse's vocal characterizations in his most recent screen appearances ).

Appendix #4a1

5Mickey Mouse's skyrocket to fame didn't take long. His cartoons became so popular that people would

first ask ticket takers if they were " running a Mickey" before they would purchase admission. Soon, theaters were displaying posters that read " Mickey Mouse playing today!" It was not uncommon for patrons to sit through a feature twice to see him again. The thirties was Mickey Mouse's golden age 87 cartoon shorts starring the multi-talented mouse were produced by Walt Disney during that decade. He played everything from fireman to giant killer, cowboy to inventor, detective to plumber. Technically and artistically Mickey Mouse cartoons were far superior to other contemporary cartoons and gave life to an entire family of animated characters: Minnie Mouse, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, Peg-Leg Pete, and many others.

6The artistic success of the animators was honored in 1932 when an Oscar was presented to Walt Disney for the creation of Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse's popularity spawned a Mickey Mouse Club in 1929 which met every Saturday for an afternoon of cartoons and games in local theaters. The several million Mouse Clubbers had a secret handshake, special member greeting, code of behavior, and even a special club song, " Minnie's Yoo Hoo" . The peak of Mickey Mouse's golden decade was his starring role as the Sorcerer's Apprentice in the feature Fantasia (1940), a major artistic innovation. It interpreted music in colors, shapes, movement, and story. The animation techniques were years ahead of their time and have never been matched. Fantasia also introduced stereophonic sound to theaters, an element not employed by other studios until more than a decade later.

7With the advent of World War II, the Disney Studio suspended nearly all commercial activity and concentrated on aiding the war effort with training films, goodwill tours, and designing of posters and armed forces insignia. Mickey Mouse played his part by appearing on insignia and posters urging national security and the purchase of war bonds. And, incredibly, the password of the Allied forces on D-Day, June 6,1944, was " Mickey Mouse." Following the war, Mickey Mouse returned to making cartoons and appeared in his second feature, Fun and Fancv Free (1947), in which he co-starred with Goofy and Donald Duck in a new version of " Jack and the Beanstalk," titled appropriately " Mickey and the Beanstalk."

8Through the forties and early fifties, Mickey Mouse made fewer cartoons, giving ground to Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto, who were more flexible as characters. Mickey Mouse's evolution into a Disney symbol made it increasingly more difficult to create story situations for him. If he lost his temper or did anything sneaky, fans would write in insisting that Mickey Mouse just wouldn't do that. After the success of the Disneyland television show in 1954, Disney agreed the next year to create an afternoon program for ABC. He gave them The Mickey Mouse Club, which became the most successful children's show ever. In 1977, The New Mickey Mouse Club, featuring 12 new Mouseketeers, debuted on television, and a third generation of Mouseketeers hit the airwaves in 1989 when The Mickey Mouse Club debuted as a series on The Disney Channel with shows airing on weekday afternoons.

Appendix #4a2

9Mickey Mouse moved to Disneyland in 1955 to become chief host of the theme park, welcoming millions of visitors annually, shaking hands, posing for pictures, and leading the big parades on national holidays. In 1971, he helped open the Walt Disney World Resort in 1983 he donned a kimono

for the dedication of Tokyo Disneyland and in 1992, he sported a beret for the opening of what is now called Disneyland Paris. His other activities include public appearance tours around the world for The Walt Disney Company.

10Mickey Mouse has been saluted at three of the Disney theme parks by having " lands" created in his honor. Mickey's Birthdayland (now Mickey's Starland) opened on November 18, 1988, in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World to honor Mickey Mouse on his 60th birthday. Mickey's Toontown opened in 1993 in Disneyland, then in 1996 at Tokyo Disneyland and now serves as home to Mickey Mouse and all of his cartoon friends.

11After all these years, the cultists are beginning to understand why the Mickey Mouse of the thirties was so popular. He was a little guy born out of the depression who satirized people's foibles and taught them to laugh. Most importantly, he was a character who dreamed big, and his dreams were universal.

12One of the finest tributes to Mickey Mouse was given by Walt Disney himself when, on his first television show as he surveyed Disneyland, Walt said, " I hope we never lose sight of one fact... that this was all started by a Mouse."

This article is ©The Walt Disney Company, and the full text appears on Disney's Site at http://disney.go.com/inside/mickey75/about_mickey.html

This document maintained by [email protected]. Original Material Copyright © 1998 - 2007 Chris Gibson. Last updated 25-December-2005.

Appendix #4a3

Student-Directed Highlighted Reading #2A Modern-Day David and Goliath - Techno Teen Takes on Computer Giant - and Wins!

1

mailto:[email protected]

http://disney.go.com/inside/mickey75/about_mickey.html

"Those who say it can't be done need to get out of the way of those that are doing it." Unknown

2The entrepreneur of today's world can be compared to the legendary Don Quixote - chasing windmills in search of great fortune. The entrepreneurial journey I would like to share with you in this article might be a bit of a surprise. I find it remarkable yet I have barely seen it mentioned in the press over the years.

3Imagine the following scenario. The year is 1983. You are a college freshman at The University of Texas in Austin, sitting in your dorm room playing around on your computer.1983: pre-Internet, pre-computers-on-every-desk, in-every-room-of-the-house. These were the days of PONG, where very few people sat around playing with personal computers. (If you don't know what PONG is, ask someone a lot older than you.)

4Back to your dorm room. You are supposed to be in class. Instead, you are sitting there playing around on your computer and you have a bright idea - the proverbial "light bulb" goes off in your head. "I think I'll start a computer company and compete with IBM!" Since no one is around to hear you and tell you how ridiculous you sound, you continue.You have no employees. No manufacturing facility. No family in the computer business. You've never even worked for a computer company. Sure, you've been pulling computers apart and putting them back together since your were 15 but come on! Compete with IBM? Everyone around you thinks you have lost your mind. Yet, you believe you have a better way.

5You develop a passion for the idea of making better computers and selling them for less by going directly to the consumer. The story goes that mom and dad heard that sonny-boy was skipping a lot of classes so that he could play with his computers. Mom and Dad decided to pay a visit one day and caught him red-handed. After reading Michael the riot act, Michael's dad asked him what he wanted to do with his life. He told his dad that he wanted to compete with IBM. Imagine that conversation!

6And so it was that the 19 year old boy genius, techno-teen Michael Dell, armed with only $1000, abandoned his plans of becoming a doctor and dropped out of college after his freshman year to take on the big boys - IBM, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and others.He believed he could outsource everything - the manufacturing, distribution, sales and service. Remember now, this was pre-Internet. Pre-global-out-sourcing. He believed he could bypass the traditional expensive distribution channels and go straight to the consumers, giving them exactly what they wanted - better quality, lower cost computers made specifically for them. He knew what his consumer wanted because he was his own consumer - frustrated by poor customer service, crappy quality, non-existent customization and high prices. The rest is history. Modern American business history, that is. Appendix #4b1

7By the time Dell was 22 years old, his company had achieved annual sales of about $150 million. Starting with only $1000 and growing the company to a $1 billion (with a B!) public company in less than 10 years is a record few companies can match.

8Today Dell, Inc. is a $57 billion company with the leading market share in the United States with over 46,000 employees, including more than 16,000 in Central Texas. Dell is listed as the 8th wealthiest person in the United States according to Forbes magazine (August 2007). Dell first made the Forbes 400 Wealthiest People in the United States at the ripe old age of 26. He is said to have been worth over $20 billion by the age of 40.Dell has been named "Entrepreneur of the Year" from Inc. magazine; "Man of the Year" from PC Magazine; "Top CEO in American Business" from Worth Magazine; "CEO of the Year" from Financial World and Industry Week magazines.

9Not bad for a college dropout. Michael Dell. At age 19, he realized he could build a better mousetrap and sell it for less. Simple formula. Brilliant execution. The first time I heard this story, I frankly didn't believe it. A college freshman takes on IBM, and wins?! No way, said my logical left brain. There has to be more to this story! No, this one goes in the "truth is stranger than fiction" category.

10Michael Dell was just a bright boy with a bright idea. Fueled by passion. Too young, too foolish, and certainly too focused to listen to the naysayers who said it couldn't be done.According to Dell, "No one told me that we couldn't do it, and if they did, I wasn't listening." It's a good thing he wasn't listening. In addition to revolutionizing the personal computer industry, Dell has donated more than $1 billion in stock to the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which is now one of the country's largest foundations. The foundation focuses on children's health and education initiatives.

11Even though today's story is about a mega-millionaire with a gazillion dollar company, never forget that once upon a time, Michael Dell was a lot like you and me. Just a kid with a dream that wouldn't die.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gina_Carr

Appendix #4b2

Student-Directed Highlighted Reading #3: “Vulcans Never, Ever Smile” by Leonard Mlodinow

1It was one of those Hollywood parties where if you are a normal-looking person you feel ugly. I'd been invited by a young actor friend who wasn't a big deal, but whose father had been. So it was a good mix. T shirts, silk blouses. Cheap jeans, fancy jeans. The fancy ones were the ones that were ripped. I gravitated to a woman who looked a notch below the others, too thin, but it turned out she was a very successful model. An attorney whose outfit would have been a fair trade for my car stepped over to talk to us, but really to her. Turned out she was a Trekkie--and so was he. Soon he was quoting from Klingon history, something about a treaty negotiated in the 78 years between the era of Kirk and Spock and the time of the then-current series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." I stood there with a blank look, obviously over my head. Too much detail for my taste, but I wasn't the one he was trying to impress. I was, however, in awe that he remembered all that arcane stuff. Then, somewhere in the middle of his Vulcan dissertation, I realized something: I had written it.

2So here I was in the odd position of wanting to raise my hand and say, "Yeah, yeah, now I remember that, too! And by the way, I write for 'Next Generation'." Of course, the "Star Trek" franchise has become famous for its obsessive fans, including reputedly sophisticated people such as Apple cofounder Stephen Wozniak, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Chabon and physicist (and my sometime coauthor) Stephen Hawking, whom I have otherwise known to watch only Marilyn Monroe movies and the BBC news. But now that I was up close and personal with that devotion, I started to wonder: why? Why all the "Star Trek" movies (the 11th is set to open next week, with the first 10 having grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office)? Why the six TV series comprising 726 episodes, the videogames and the "Star Trek Cookbook" with its recipes for Yigrish cream pie, Klingon skull soup with tripe and Captain Picard's breakfast croissant? Why the indispensable volume "The Ethics of Star Trek," which, among other things, promises to examine "Star Trek" from the point of view of "the decidedly capitalistic values of Hobbes' social contract theory?" (I had thought the only social contract in "Star Trek" came at the receiving end of a photon torpedo). Even non-Trekkies recognize there's something special and unusual about "Star Trek." What is it?

3If someone in the industry was going to use the word "special" in conjunction with "Star Trek" when it first began in September 1966, it would have been followed by the word "loser." The launch was about as successful as a North Korean rocket, despite the many nights when my brothers and I chose to watch the series instead of doing homework. "Star Trek" was such a grand failure that after it folded Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, became a pariah. "I was perceived as the guy who made the show that was an expensive flop, and I couldn't get work," he said. "Thank God college kids discovered the show because I made enough money lecturing to pay the mortgage."

It took a decade before "Star Trek" blasted off. Hard-core Trekkies created enough demand that in 1979, Paramount developed it into a film, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." It received an awful response from the critics but did well enough at the box office to spawn more. Soon there were three sequels, earning better reviews and an even healthier box office. The series I wrote for debuted in 1987 (after having 44 candidate titles, none of which was "Star Trek: The Next Generation"). Given "Star Trek's" history, it's no surprise that the television networks were skeptical of the idea. "Next Generation" was launched directly into syndication because all four, including the then fledgling, take- a-chance network Fox, turned down Paramount's offers to have them air it. Paramount was "betting

they can catch lightning in a bottle again," said Leonard Nimoy at the time. He didn't think that would Appendix #4c1

work, basically because he--and his costars--weren't in it (they'd become too expensive). "The chemistry of that group of characters was unique,'' Nimoy said. 4Today, another 20 years have passed, and it is clear Nimoy was wrong. The cast wasn't the key to "Star Trek's" success. Nor were the characters, since the original "Star Trek," "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (the one with Patrick Stewart) and the later series all employed different heroes and villains. Yet again and again Paramount did capture the lightning. If it wasn't Nimoy and his fellow stars, or even the characters they played, how do we account for the more than 40-year run of "Star Trek"? I would like to think it was the work of a few of us talented scribes, marching in lockstep with the genius series creator. Since "Star Trek," unlike James Bond, "Star Wars" and most other megafranchises, is the child of television, its vision is really the vision of its writers. Films are more image- and director-driven. So it is certainly plausible to wonder if all that success meant that Roddenberry was a Hollywood Steve Jobs, a person who ran the show with an iron fist and whose vision resulted in product after product that commanded the love of his followers. But as I told Olivia, my 8-year-old daughter, when she said, "Just tell that policeman you're sorry that you were driving so fast," life isn't that simple.

5While Roddenberry was the dominant force behind the original series, he had relatively little influence on the films beyond the first, after which the studio demoted him to a "consultant" role. And though he was again deeply involved in creating "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the show floundered in its first year, and by the time I joined the staff in year two, I was told that he had handed off most of the day-to-day operation. We saw Gene only occasionally. We were told that when we did see him, we had to take whatever advice he gave us, whatever we thought of it. Gene liked to speak in great detail about life in the 24th century, the era in which our series took place. He spoke with more certainty about the future than I had about the present, a certainty that I suppose comes from knowing that all over the world attorneys and models and kids like I used to be have studied your every word. Sometimes he would remind us of simple things, like the fact that Vulcans don't smile. Other times he'd explain how human nature will have evolved, that personal acrimony will have been conquered, so there could be no conflict among the crew. Some writers tried to sneak in a little conflict anyway, so you didn't have to depend on heavily armed two-headed aliens. As for me, I was pretty sure that unless lobotomies had become routine neonatal procedures, people would be as nasty to each other in the 24th century as they are today. I would have bet Gene on that, except I was pretty sure I wouldn't be around to collect. By the time the next "Star Trek" series, "Deep Space Nine," was created, neither was he. Roddenberry died in 1991.

6In Hollywood, as in life, the real power rests with the moneymen: the studio, or whoever is financing the enterprise (small "e"), and the network, or whoever is putting it on the screen. That's why one writer-producer I worked with on "Star Trek" always carried a wad of thousands of dollars in his pocket, which he fondled when things got frustrating. "To remind me of why I'm here," he said. That producer, who'd been hired during the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," told me that writers were fired at such a swift pace that year that at one point the studio almost closed down the show because it couldn't find new ones fast enough. Another writer-producer with waning influence kept getting "demoted" into smaller offices, until he finally just worked at home. Then one day,

without telling him, the producers fired his secretary. In the end, the series had 155 writers (including freelancers) for 198 episodes over its seven-year run. We writers have been temporary passengers on a voyage that has continued for decades. So the "great auteur" theory doesn't pan out. Appendix #4c27Before I joined "Star Trek," I had a different explanation for what made the show work. As it happens, I'm a physicist. How I became a writer is a long story, but let's just say I got into Hollywood like anyone else, except my day job was being on the faculty at Caltech. Naturally--at least while I was an outsider--I believed that the key to "Star Trek's" success resided in its science. I also felt its science could be improved. I was told that my then-writing partner, Scott Rubenstein, and I had been hired because the studio liked an episode of another one of its shows, "MacGyver," that we had written. But I took the job believing that we had also been hired in part to put real science in the science fiction. There is a long tradition of that in literature, going back at least to Johannes Kepler, who, in the 17th century, both discovered the laws of planetary motion and wrote a very scientific fictional work about a voyage to the moon. I hear it's still a good read, if you know Latin.

8One of the first staff meetings I attended concerned a script that had come in from the outside, and was considered insufficiently exciting. The consensus was that it needed a good injection of crew jeopardy so that it wouldn't drag. That could be difficult because it had to make sense in the context of the existing story, and, to keep from sending the episode over budget, it had to be cheap to film even though special effects are generally costly. I had what I thought was an idea that fit those constraints and, even more exciting (for me), an idea rooted in real astrophysics. I took about half a minute to pitch it, and for the first time everyone's attention was focused on me, the new guy. When it was over I turned to my boss, a producer who was a gruff middle-aged former NYPD homicide detective. He stared at me for a moment, his face totally unreadable. Then he said, with great force, "Shut up, you f--king egghead!"

9That producer and I eventually became close enough that when he later sensed he was going to be axed, he gave me advice on what to do in the unlikely event that I survived. (No. 1: never mention the "old days." No. 2: when you do see the inevitable pink slip coming, turn down the heat on your swimming pool.) One thing I learned from him is that I had had it backward. The fun in "Star Trek" didn't come from copying science, but from having science copy it. My job wasn't to put real science into "Star Trek," but to imagine new ideas that hadn't yet been thought of.

10If that sounds farfetched, then consider this article that appeared in a recent issue of the academic journal Science: "Quantum Teleportation Between Distant Matter Qubits." OK, the teleportation distance was only a meter, it concerned only a single atom and it was only 90 percent successful. Yes, you're still better off walking. And yet, it is the same concept from the show, an example of science and technology following art. And it is only one of many. Rob Haitani, product design architect for PalmOne Inc., says that his first sketches for the user interface of the popular handheld personal computers were influenced by the design of the Enterprise bridge panels. During his Apple design days, Wozniak would leave work and go to his apartment to watch "Star Trek" reruns, then head back, inspired to toil late into the night. And Stephen Hawking, who has a photo of his appearance on an episode of "Star Trek" hanging on the wall in his office, told me that in his opinion a matter/antimatter engine--another "Star Trek" staple--might be the eventual key to interstellar travel. (How did a brainiac

like Hawking end up on a silly sci-fi drama? He was on a visit to Paramount to promote a film based on "A Brief History of Time" when he mentioned he had always wanted to visit the Enterprise and asked if he could be taken from his wheelchair and placed in the captain's chair. The writers went a step further and added a scene with him in it.)

Appendix #4c3

11Having spawned or inspired these ideas is not what made "Star Trek" a success, but it does give a clue to what the franchise has done right. In the years after World War II, American industry produced a stream of revolutionary innovations, such as the transistor and laser, prompting many to ask the same question about the success of American industry that I am asking about "Star Trek." Many, such as Geoffrey West, president of the famed Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, believe the spurt of invention happened because places like Bell Labs fostered "a culture of free thinking without which it's hard to imagine how these ideas could have come about." The vision of teleportation, warp drive, tricorders, holodecks, a huge assortment of strange aliens and cultures, and cocoa beans aged 400 years for use in Thalian chocolate mousse are all products of my favorite part of working on "Star Trek," the franchise's own atmosphere of free thinking. What sets "Star Trek" apart is the imagination put into every detail, from the set and prop design, to the issues raised in the episodes, to the backstory of the various cultures depicted. Only on "Star Trek" could you have been encouraged one week to examine whether an android could be a sentient being and fantasize on another about intelligent aliens that, like bees or ants, seem to act with a collective consciousness. And only on "Star Trek" could my writing partner and I have been free to explore the details of the mating rituals of aliens, as in the following exchange in which the Klingon warrior Worf talks about love to the human teenager Wesley Crusher:

WORF: Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects. And claw at you. WESLEY: What does the man do? WORF: He reads love poetry. He ducks a lot.

12Some people invent a machine. Others create a machine for invention. To me, the success of the "Star Trek" franchise is based not on an irresistible world or set of characters, but upon its "corporate culture," a culture of imagination. Bell Labs was not the only precedent. Think of Walt Disney, who didn't just pioneer a few cartoon characters, but built an empire based on an environment that valued and nourished creativity--it is no accident that the company has an arm called Imagineering. Or think of Google, a company created on the very idea of searching. Google seems to invent the future, and ways to see into it, every day, taking us under the oceans, above the Earth and, of course, into the worldwide web of knowledge. Similarly, Gene Roddenberry's real creation is a franchise culture dedicated, like his fictional characters, to "boldly go where no man has gone before." That makes "Star Trek" more enduring than any set of characters or episodes Gene himself created, and bigger than any one of its products or the people who pass through it.

13It has been four years since the last "Star Trek" television series, and seven since the last film. Has the new team absorbed and applied the "Star Trek" culture of imagination? That's hard to say, but it seems that Paramount has. It has imagined that its new film is already a hit, and on March 30 announced that it is hiring people to imagine the sequel. "There's obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn't even come out yet," said one of the new writers. True. As for me, I'm just waiting to see whether these 21st-century 24th-century Vulcans behave as usual, or surprise us and crack a smile.

Source Citation:Mlodinow, Leonard. " Vulcans Never, Ever Smile”.(Entertainment; MOVIES)(history and popularity of Star Trek television programs and movies)(Essay)." Newsweek 153.18 (May 4, 2009): 56. General OneFile. Gale. Library of Michigan. 22 June 2009 <http://0-find.galegroup.com.elibrary.mel.org/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.

Appendix #4c4

Student-Directed Highlighted Reading #4: “Overcoming Obstacles,” Don Yaeger, June 29, 2009

1It was just back pain. That’s what Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester kept telling himself. When you throw 25-year-old left-hander does, muscles get what he did, the pain wouldn’t go away. Lester went to see doctors and heard words he never expected: He had cancer. It wasn’t just any form of the disease, but the extraordinarily rare blood cancer known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma. To beat back the cancer’s spread, Lester would require intensive chemotherapy. “I didn’t once ask why. Instead, I asked how we get rid of this. I wanted to think positively and look forward.”

2With that approach, Jon Lester became a hero to many. From that diagnosis in August 2006, Lester went through treatment, worked his way back into the major leagues, pitched—and won—a World Series game and then, in May 2008, became only the 18th pitcher in the history of the storied Red Sox organization to throw a perfect game. And Jon Lester is cancer-free. “I don’t think I had any idea what it would mean to others when I made it back,” Lester says. “I was just trying to win each day, to make sure I was doing whatever it took to be as disciplined and successful in treatment as I was in baseball.”

3By doing so, Lester earned a legion of new fans, many of them cancer survivors. Web sites were loaded with letters of thanks, with words of encouragement. Many of those writing wanted Lester to know his top-flight accomplishment gave them reason to believe. “I was surprised, honestly,” he says. “There were so many things said that were wonderful, but all I was trying to do was make my way back.”

4Lester is one of many athletes who have handled adversity on a grand stage and have used the same strengths that made them champions to get them through tough times. The stories of those athletes and their successes have long proven inspirational.

5And as proof that athletes often find inspiration from each other, Jon Lester, after working his way back into the major leagues, regularly mentioned another pitcher, Jim Abbott, when he described where he looked for inspiration. Abbott didn’t suffer disease, but what he did amazed millions. “I’ve learned that it’s not the disability that defines you,” Abbott explains. “It’s how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with.”

6Abbott is no stranger to challenges. The 10-season major league pitcher was born without a right hand. Never one to let a perceived disability stand in the way of his goals, he pursued athletics with his heart and soul, as a high-school quarterback leading his football team to a Michigan state championship and developing a distinct pitching and fielding style that made him a highly sought-after baseball recruit.

Appendix #4d1

7Despite being drafted out of high school, however, Abbott decided instead to attend the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines’ baseball program to two Big Ten championships and became the first pitcher to earn the James E. Sullivan Award for the best amateur athlete in the country. In 1988, he earned a gold medal, pitching the final game at the Seoul Olympics. From there, he was drafted, eighth overall, by the Angels. In 1993, playing for the Yankees, he pitched a 4-0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. Abbott’s story quickly became one of the most inspiring in professional athletics, encouraging children to look past their limitations and keep their eyes on their dreams.

8Natalie du Toit would have been a perfect candidate for Abbott’s mentoring. Already an internationally ranked swimmer in her native South Africa by the age of 14, du Toit seemed to be a rising star in international athletics. But, just three years later, in 2001, she was struck by a car on her way back to school from swim practice, and lost her left leg at the knee. The very next year, she took to the pool at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and won not only two events for athletes with physical challenges, but also became the first physically challenged athlete to qualify for the final of a regular event when she swam the 800-meter freestyle. In 2003, again swimming the 800-meter freestyle, she won gold at the All-Africa Games.

9She continued to wow the swimming world, winning or placing in nearly every international competition she entered, including winning five golds and one silver in the Paralympics, and winning two golds again in the 2006 Commonwealth Games—and all without the aid of a prosthetic leg. When she qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, du Toit was honored in another way: She became the first physically challenged athlete to carry a country’s flag in the opening ceremony. Her 16th-place finish in the 10-kilometer open-water swim was not as strong a finish as she had hoped, but in a field of 23 other athletes, all able-bodied, it was a triumph indeed. “Be everything you want to be,” du Toit regularly reminds her fans during interviews. Clearly, she is a tremendous reminder that no obstacle is too great that it cannot be challenged— and overcome.

Appendix #4d2

Author’s Craft: Figures of Speech

Poetry analysis is the process of investigating a poem's form, content, and history in an informed way, with the aim of heightening one's own and others' understanding and appreciation of the work.

Figure of speech A verbal expression in which words or sounds are arranged in a particular way to achieve a particular effect. Figures of speech are organized into different categories, such as antithesis, hyperbole, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, simile, and synecdoche.

Simile A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as." An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem Harlem: "What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?"

Metaphor A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected. Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles.

Personification A figure of speech in which nonhuman things or abstract ideas are given human attributes: the sky is crying, dead leaves danced in the wind, blind justice.

From http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Poetry_analysis

Appendix #5a

http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Poetry_analysis

http://www.infoplease.com/id/A0838524




http://www.infoplease.com/cgi-bin/id/A0847499.html








http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0818666.html

http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Poetry_analysis

Lesson 5 Formative Assessment: “All Summer in a Day”—Figures of Speech

1. The sentence “The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun” contains several examples ofA. Metaphor. B. conflict.C. personification.D. simile.

2. The class had spent the entire previous day A. playing outside.B. studying poetry.C. reading and writing about the sun.D. reading and writing about Venus.

3. The line from Margot’s poem “I think the sun is a flower,/ That blooms for just one hour,” is a good example ofA. metaphor.B. personification.C. plot.D. characterization.

4. The simile in the passage “they turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes” implies thatA. they are riding in a vehicle.B. they are moving quickly.C. they are fighting.D. they are in gym class.

5. Margot stands out in this group of children because A. she is more outgoing.B. she is the “teacher’s pet.”C. she has read more then they have.D. she has memories of the sun.

6. The children hate Margot becauseA. she is the “teacher’s pet.”B. she is more outgoing.C. she may return to Earth.D. she is the best writer in the class.

7. The passage “They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus…” reveals to the readerA. that the author did not research his topic.B. that the genre is science fiction.C. a lack of descriptive language.D. a creative use of metaphor.

Appendix #5b18. In the passage “It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed…” the author

makes excellent use ofA. metaphor. B. plot.C. personification.D. theme.

9. When one of the girls discovers “a single raindrop” in her open palm, it signalsA. the end of childhood.B. the end of Margot’s imprisonment.C. the end of their hours in the sun.D. the end of their school day.

10. The simile that best describes the children’s time in the sun isA. like sun lamps.B. like animals escaped from their caves.C. like film from the projector.D. like a penny.

Appendix #5b2

Lesson 5 Formative Assessment (Teacher copy-- answer key)

1. The sentence “The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun” contains several examples ofA. metaphor.B. conflict.C. personification.D. simile.*

2. The class had spent the entire previous dayA. playing outside.B. studying poetry.C. reading and writing about the sun.*D. reading and writing about Venus.

3. Margot’s poem, “I think the sun is a flower,/ That blooms for just one hour,” is a good example ofA. metaphor.*B. personification.C. plot.D. characterization.

4. The simile in the passage “they turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes” impliesA. they are riding in a vehicle.B. they are moving quickly.*C. they are fighting.D. they are in gym class.

5. Margot stands out in this group of children becauseA. she is more outgoing.B. she is the “teacher’s pet.”C. she has read more then they have.D. she has memories of the sun.*

6. The children hate Margot becauseA. she is the “teacher’s pet.”B. she is more outgoing.C. she may return to Earth.*D. she is the best writer in the class.

7. The passage “They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus…” reveals to the readerA. that the author did not research his topic.B. that the genre is science fiction.*C. a lack of descriptive language.D. a creative use of metaphor.

Appendix #5b3

8. In the passage “It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed…” the author makes excellent use ofA. metaphor.*B. plot.C. personification.D. theme.

9. When one of the girls discovers “a single raindrop” in her open palm, it signalsA. the end of childhood.B. the end of Margot’s imprisonment.C. the end of their hours in the sun.*D. the end of their school day.

10. The simile that best describes the children’s time in the sun isA. like sun lamps.B. like animals escaped from their caves. *C. like film from the projector.D. like a penny.

Appendix #5b4

Biography—Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet, was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938. Although his formal education ended there, he became a "student of life," selling newspapers on L.A. street corners from 1938 to 1942, spending his nights in the public library and his days at the typewriter. He became a full-time writer in 1943, and contributed numerous short stories to periodicals before publishing a collection of them, Dark Carnival, in 1947.

His reputation as a writer of courage and vision was established with the publication of The Martian Chronicles in 1950, which describes the first attempts of Earth people to conquer and colonize Mars, and the unintended consequences. Next came The Illustrated Man and then, in 1953, Fahrenheit 451, which many consider to be Bradbury's masterpiece, a scathing indictment of censorship set in a future world where the written word is forbidden. In an attempt to salvage their history and culture, a group of rebels memorize entire works of literature and philosophy as their books are burned by the totalitarian state. Other works include The October Country, Dandelion Wine, A Medicine for Melancholy, Something Wicked This Way Comes, I Sing the Body Electric!, Quicker Than the Eye, and Driving Blind. In all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books, close to 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, and plays. His short stories have appeared in more than 1,000 school curriculum "recommended reading" anthologies.

Ray Bradbury's work has been included in four Best American Short Story collections. He has been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. In November 2000, the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters was conferred upon Mr. Bradbury at the 2000 National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City.

Ray Bradbury has never confined his vision to the purely literary. He has been nominated for an Academy Award (for his animated film Icarus Montgolfier Wright), and has won an Emmy Award (for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree). He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's Ray Bradbury Theater. He was the creative consultant on the United States Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1982 he created the interior metaphors for the Spaceship Earth display at Epcot Center, Disney World, and later contributed to the conception of the Orbitron space ride at Euro-Disney, France.

On the occasion of his 80th birthday in August 2000, Bradbury said, "The great fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was twelve. In any event, here I am, eighty years old, feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and glad for the long life that has been allowed me. I have good plans for the next ten or twenty years, and I hope you'll come along."

The following biography comes from: http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html

Appendix #5c

http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html

All Summer in a Day Ray Bradbury

"Ready ?" "Ready." "Now ?" "Soon." "Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it?" "Look, look; see for yourself!" The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It rained. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives. "It’s stopping, it’s stopping !" "Yes, yes !" Margot stood apart from them, from these children who could ever remember a time when there wasn’t rain and rain and rain. They were all nine years old, and if there had been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could not recall. Sometimes, at night, she heard them stir, in remembrance, and she knew they were dreaming and remembering gold or a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. She knew they thought they remembered a warmness, like a blushing in the face, in the body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands. But then they always awoke to the tatting drum, the endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests, and their dreams were gone. All day yesterday they had read in class about the sun. About how like a lemon it was, and how hot. And they had written small stories or essays or poems about it:

I think the sun is a flower,That blooms for just one hour.

That was Margot’s poem, read in a quiet voice in the still classroom while the rain was falling outside. "Aw, you didn’t write that!" protested one of the boys. "I did," said Margot. "I did." "William!" said the teacher. But that was yesterday. Now the rain was slackening, and the children were crushed in the great thick windows. Where’s teacher ?" "She’ll be back." "She’d better hurry, we’ll miss it !" They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes. Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the loud wet world beyond the huge glass. Appendix #5d1

"What’re you looking at ?" said William. Margot said nothing. "Speak when you’re spoken to." He gave her a shove. But she did not move; rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else. They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows. And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she was four in Ohio. And they, they had been on Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out and had long since forgotten the color and heat of it and the way it really was. But Margot remembered. "It’s like a penny," she said once, eyes closed. "No it’s not!" the children cried. "It’s like a fire," she said, "in the stove." "You’re lying, you don’t remember !" cried the children. But she remembered and stood quietly apart from all of them and watched the patterning windows. And once, a month ago, she had refused to shower in the school shower rooms, had clutched her hands to her ears and over her head, screaming the water mustn’t touch her head. So after that, dimly, dimly, she sensed it, she was different and they knew her difference and kept away. There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future. "Get away !" The boy gave her another push. "What’re you waiting for?" Then, for the first time, she turned and looked at him. And what she was waiting for was in her eyes.

"Well, don’t wait around here !" cried the boy savagely. "You won’t see nothing!" Her lips moved. "Nothing !" he cried. "It was all a joke, wasn’t it?" He turned to the other children. "Nothing’s happening today. Is it ?" They all blinked at him and then, understanding, laughed and shook their heads. "Nothing, nothing !" "Oh, but," Margot whispered, her eyes helpless. "But this is the day, the scientists predict, they say, they know, the sun…" "All a joke !" said the boy, and seized her roughly. "Hey, everyone, let’s put her in a closet before the teacher comes !" "No," said Margot, falling back. They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door. They stood looking at the door and saw it tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it. They heard her muffled cries. Then, smiling, the turned and went out and back down the tunnel, just as the teacher arrived. "Ready, children ?" She glanced at her watch. "Yes !" said everyone. "Are we all here ?" "Yes !"

Appendix #5d2

The rain slacked still more. They crowded to the huge door. The rain stopped. It was as if, in the midst of a film concerning an avalanche, a tornado, a hurricane, a volcanic eruption, something had, first, gone wrong with the sound apparatus, thus muffling and finally cutting off all noise, all of the blasts and repercussions and thunders, and then, second, ripped the film from the projector and inserted in its place a beautiful tropical slide which did not move or tremor. The world ground to a standstill. The silence was so immense and unbelievable that you felt your ears had been stuffed or you had lost your hearing altogether. The children put their hands to their ears. They stood apart. The door slid back and the smell of the silent, waiting world came in to them. The sun came out. It was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. And the sky around it was a blazing blue tile color. And the jungle burned with sunlight as the children, released from their spell, rushed out, yelling into the springtime. "Now, don’t go too far," called the teacher after them. "You’ve only two hours, you know. You wouldn’t want to get caught out !" But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron; they were taking off their jackets and letting the sun burn their arms. "Oh, it’s better than the sun lamps, isn’t it ?" "Much, much better !" They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you watched it. It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of fleshlike weed, wavering, flowering in this brief spring. It was the color of rubber and ash, this jungle, from the many years without sun. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and ink, and it was the color of the moon. The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them resilient and alive. They ran among the trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they played hide-and-seek and tag, but most of all they squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their faces; they put their hands up to that yellowness and that amazing blueness and they breathed of the fresh, fresh air and listened and listened to the silence which suspended them in a blessed sea of no sound and no motion. They looked at everything and savored everything. Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles. They ran for an hour and did not stop running. And then - In the midst of their running one of the girls wailed. Everyone stopped. The girl, standing in the open, held out her hand. "Oh, look, look," she said, trembling. They came slowly to look at her opened palm. In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a single raindrop. She began to cry, looking at it. They glanced quietly at the sun. "Oh. Oh." A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind blew cold around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the underground house, their hands at their sides, their smiles vanishing away. A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each other and ran. Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile, a half mile. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash. Appendix #5d3

They stood in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Then they closed the door and heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere and forever. "Will it be seven more years ?" "Yes. Seven." Then one of them gave a little cry. "Margot !" "What ?" "She’s still in the closet where we locked her." "Margot." They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down. "Margot." One of the girls said, "Well… ?" No one moved. "Go on," whispered the girl. They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of cold rain. They turned through the doorway to the room in the sound of the storm and thunder, lightning on their faces, blue and terrible. They walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it. Behind the closet door was only silence. They unlocked the door, even more slowly, and let Margot out.

Appendix #5d4

Think Aloud ProcedureMaking Thinking Public

The Literacy Dictionary (Harris and Hodges, 1995, IRA) defines a think aloud as “1. oral verbalization, 2. in literacy instruction—a metacognitive technique or strategy in which the teacher verbalizes aloud while reading a selection orally, thus modeling the process of comprehension (Davey, 1983).”

Put another way, a think aloud is making thinking public. A teacher models what an expert would be thinking as s/he were reading; visualizing; listening; or preparing to write, speak, or visually represent. The goal of thinking aloud is to show students graphically what they might do to understand what they are reading, viewing, or listening to, as well as to help them plan for writing or speaking.

Following is an example of a think aloud for figuring out the meaning of an unfamiliar word in context:

“It’s important while we read to be able to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. When I come to a word I don’t know the meaning of, I read the words and sentences around that word to try to figure out what the word might mean.

The other day I was reading this great mystery, The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. I read the following paragraph with lots of challenging words:

‘Sam Westing was not murdered, but one of his heirs was guilty—guilty of some offense against a relentless man. And that heir was in danger. From his grave Westing would stalk his enemy and through his heirs he would wreak his revenge.’

It was a paragraph about Sam Westing, who had just died and left a challenge behind to find his killer(s). I knew most of the words. I knew ‘relentless’ meant that Sam Westing never gave up until he got what he wanted. I knew that ‘stalk his enemy’ meant that even after death, Sam Westing would somehow go after and find his enemy. But I wasn’t sure what ‘wreak his revenge’ meant. I knew that revenge meant Sam Westing would get even with his enemy, so I figured that “wreak” must be a stronger way to say, ‘get his revenge.’

I’ve heard the word ‘wreak’ before, and now I’ll keep it in my mind and may be able to use it in writing sometime. I will know it when I see it in print.”

Appendix #5e

Focus Question #1In making a comparison between science fiction written over 50 years ago and contemporary (modern) science fiction, what would you expect to be significantly different? Why? How would you expect them to be similar? Why? Defend your responses.

Answer Plan:1. Look over your notes and access your prior knowledge for an understanding of science

fiction. 2. Recall elements of story (setting, character, conflict, etc.) as the parts of science fiction.3. Consider your current knowledge of science (for example, think about what you have read,

studied, or seen in the movies about space exploration).4. Consider the science fiction elements from the “old” science fiction short story “All

Summer in a Day.”5. Note how science has and has not affected science fiction story elements.6. Identify and state at least one difference between “old” and contemporary science fiction.

Remember to restate the question in your response.7. Clarify your reasoning (support your answer from step #6 above by using facts, examples,

statistics, and/or anecdotes).8. Identify and state at least one similarity between “old” and contemporary science fiction.

Remember to restate the question in your response.9. Clarify your reasoning (support your answer from step #8 above by using facts, examples,

statistics, and/or anecdotes).10. Reread your response for revising and editing purposes (clear ideas in writing that follows

the rules of standard written English).

Possible Answer:The major difference between science fiction written 50 years ago and contemporary science

fiction is our understanding of science. New understandings in science formed from exploration and research have caused us to clear up some of our mental images of the universe and throw out others. As science fiction is based on what might be, story elements—particularly setting and conflict—of older science fiction will often be proved incorrect. For example, “All Summer in a Day”, a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury written over 50 years ago, has a rain-drenched Venus colonized by humans as its setting. The science of the time saw continuous clouds obscuring any view of a surface, so it was natural for Bradbury to compare it to Earth’s weather. We now know that there isn’t a “surface” to the planet, and that the clouds rain an acid that would melt cars.

So why would anyone bother reading older science fiction? It’s the same thing that keeps people reading today, the elements of science fiction story that do not change. There is still a character (human or close enough to human) who must deal with a conflict. This is what drives story and makes it timeless. So what if Bradbury’s visions of Venus were off? I still get upset that a little girl (main character) misses something beautiful because of the actions of a jealous mob (society) in the story. Besides, our new understandings in science allow us to believe that humans may some day inhabit other solar systems. My imagination can make Bradbury’s Venus realistic with a mere change of the planet’s galactic address.

Appendix #5f1

Focus Question Directions Students need to be explicitly taught to answer response to literature (open-ended,

constructed response) questions. Explicit teaching involves modeling (To: showing),

practice (With: guiding), and independence (By: independence). The following are

suggestions for moving students from guided practice to independence:

Teacher uses the answer plan and the possible answer to model answering focus

questions. (For 1 or 2 focus questions on the basis of student understanding.)

Students work with partners using the Answer Plan, write a shared answer, and

then consult the Possible Answer and revise the answer to the Focus Question.

(For 4+ Focus Questions.)

Students work with partners building an Answer Plan, write a shared answer,

consult the Possible Answer, and revise. (For 2+ Focus Questions.)

Students work individually to build an Answer Plan and answer the question.

(Option: Students could consult the Answer Plan and the Possible Answer to

score their own or others’ papers.)

Have students answer Focus Questions in discussion form. After students have

had a brief discussion, have them individually answer Focus Questions using the

Answer Plan.

Appendix #5f2

Macomb ELA Genre Units: Focus Question Rubric

3 (complete) 2 (partial) 1 (minimal)Traits:Content

Answers question Uses relevant details from

text to support answer Stays on topic

Develops a relevant answer with many details and examples.

Develops a relevant answer but has few details to support or explain the answer.

Answers question with misinterpretation.

Shows little or no relevance to text or question.

Shows no development or connection of ideas and content.

Organization Includes

restatement (beginning). details in support (middle). conclusion (end).

Restates the question in his/her own words.

Provides details that support point.

Writes response in a logical sequence that makes connections.

Restates the question in the answer.

Retells events in a somewhat disconnected structure.

Answers either “yes,” “no,” or “I agree” without reference to the question.

Creates writing that lacks sequence.

Style/Voice Uses quotes to support. Concludes with prediction

based on characters’ feelings, opinions, etc.

Chooses precise words. Uses quotes effectively. Engages the reader with the

conclusion.

Uses a basic vocabulary. May use quotations, but with

unclear reference. Develops a partially successful

conclusion.

Uses a limited vocabulary. Does not use quotations. Develops an ineffective

conclusion or does not develop a conclusion.

Conventions/Presentation Writes neatly. Uses proper conventions

Presents inviting writing. Shows control over

conventions.

Presents readable writing. Includes only errors in

conventions that do not distract from meaning.

Presents writing that may not be legible.

Includes errors in conventions that distract from meaning.

©Macomb Intermediate School District 2005Appendix #5f3

Definition of Science Fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of science—these stories involve partially true-partially fictitious laws or theories of science. It should not be completely unbelievable, because it then ventures into the fantasy genre.

The plot creates situations different from those of both the present day and the known past. Science fiction texts also include a human element, explaining what effect new discoveries, happenings and scientific developments will have on us in the future. Science fiction texts are often set in the future, in space, on a different world, or in a different universe or dimension. Early pioneers of the genre of science fiction are H. G. Wells (The War of the Worlds) and Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea).

Some well-known 20th century science fiction texts include 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Alduous Huxley, and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. In addition, the four most-popular and well-recognized 20th century authors are Isaac Asimov, author of the Foundation trilogy and his robot series, Arthur C. Clarke famous for 2001, a Space Odyssey; Ray Bradbury, known for his Martian Chronicles, and Robert Heinlein, author of Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson927/SciFiDefinition.pdf

Additional notes when considering science fiction:-We still remain human, even if there are robots, aliens, space travel, etc. Science fiction explores these ideas:

There will still be human conflict.There will still be human needs (to survive) and desires (to thrive).

-Science and technology will continue to evolve, changing the science within the story, but the human element will remain the same. Therefore, even “old” science fiction remains valuable to us as readers because of what it attempts to teach us about human nature.

Appendix #5g1

http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson927/SciFiDefinition.pdf

Genre: Science FictionScience fiction, like other narrative forms, has the same elements: characters in settings with problems, attempts to solve problems or events, resolution, and lessons or themes. Science fiction is a form of realistic fiction and has many of the same features. Science fiction comes from the author’s imagination, but it must seem to be true based on what scientists know or predict might be true in the future.

Definition: Imaginary writing based on current or projected scientific and technological developments

(from Harris, et al. The Literacy Dictionary, IRA, 1995) A form of fiction that makes use of scientific knowledge or conjecture (Margaret Mooney. Text

Forms and Features, Richard C. Owen, 2001)Purpose:

To encourage the reader to view the world from a different perspective To develop imagination

Form and Features: Make all of them sentences, since some are? The opening introduces characters in a setting, conflict, and problem or goal. The middle of science fiction develops the plot including the story’s events, the character’

reactions to these events, and the roadblocks the characters encounter. The plot builds to a climax (the point at which the conflict reaches its greatest height and the crisis or turning point occurs).

Science fiction stories end with a resolution to the conflict or problem or a conclusion. The plot is the sequence of events usually set in motion by a problem that begins the action or

causes the conflict (from Cornett, C. Integrating Literature and the Arts Through the Curriculum, Simon and Schuster, 1999).

Conflict, the tension that exists between the forces in the character’s life, is important in science fiction and can be in four forms:

- Person against self - Person against person - Person against nature - Person against society Science fiction is realistic fiction, so the characters must seem like real people, the actions of

the characters must seem real, and the setting must also be realistic. Science fiction also has the following features: No boldface?

- Settings, plots, themes, and characters are based on scientific speculation (guessing or predictions).

- The writer constructs a futuristic world.- The reader is put into a “what if” mode of thinking.- Common elements are humans on another planet, a creature from another planet visiting

Earth, life on Earth after a disaster, a human in a group of aliens.- Science fiction often causes reader to think of enduring human qualities and responsibilities

Appendix #5g2

Science Fiction Bookmark Science Fiction Bookmark Science Fiction BookmarkStories from author’s imagination, but based on what

scientists predict might be true in the futureStories from author’s imagination, but based on what

scientists predict might be true in the futureStories from author’s imagination, but based on what

scientists predict might be true in the futureName: Name: Name:

Title: Title: Title:




Based on scientific speculation (guessing/predictions) Based on scientific speculation (guessing/predictions) Based on scientific speculation (guessing/predictions)

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

“What if” mode of thinking – give examples “What if” mode of thinking – give examples “What if” mode of thinking – give examples

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.Common features: humans on another planet, aliens visiting Earth, or life on Earth after a disaster

Common features: humans on another planet, aliens visiting Earth, or life on Earth after a disaster

Common features: humans on another planet, aliens visiting Earth, or life on Earth after a disaster

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

p. p. p.

Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.

Appendix #5g3

Story Elements: Invitation to the Game

Characters: Who is in the novel? a first person narrator (Lisse) (p. 1) domestic robots (p. 1) Benta (Lisse’s best friend; to work on family’s farm) (pp. 2 and 4) Scylla (bright hair), (p. 3) Karen (quirky smile) (pp. 3 and ) Trent (frown) (pp. 3) Rich (to become a psychiatrist) (pp. 10-11) Alden (chemist) (p. 4) Katie (geologist) (p. 4) Brad (matter-of-fact voice) (pp. 11 and 12) Paul (p. 11)

Setting: When and where does the story take place? 2154’s in a “Designated Area – DA” in a city of the future with robots

(p. 1), Thought Police (p.14), and government and gang rules (pp. 17-18).

Plot/Conflict: the struggle that grows out of the interplay of two opposing forces in the plot

person against self: (pp. 3-5) person against society: the friends vs. society (Thought Police and

gangs (pp. 17-18) person against person: Benta and Lisse vs. Rich (pp. 8-9) and Alden,

Trent, and Paul vs. each other and the rest) (p. 28) person against nature: (to be determined later in the novel)

Resolution: How is the conflict resolved? (to be determined later in the novel)

Theme: To thrive often requires creativity and innovation.

Appendix #6a

Vocabulary in Context Strategy

Learning vocabulary in context is much more powerful and effective than traditional methods. Students understand the words better, will remember them, and will more often recognize the word and its meaning when next encountered. This is a simple vocabulary strategy that only involves dictionary work as a last resort.

Procedures:

Assign or let students choose partners. Display the vocabulary words with page numbers. Tell students in partners to:

1. find each listed word,2. read the sentences (context) around the word, then try to figure

out what the word means,3. check their definitions with the dictionary (if necessary), and4. jot down their “working definition” in their own words, and5. also write down why this word is important to the selection.

Encourage students to begin to keep a personal dictionary of new words that they might use in conversation and in writing.

Appendix #6b

Vocabulary ChartRecord words from each chapter which are new to you. Ignore words that are made up for the story (such as character names or imaginary locations). By the end of the novel, you should have at least 30 words recorded.Word (Include page number.)

Guess at meaning from context Definition that best applies

Appendix #6c

MISD Literature Unit 8.4—Reflective Inquiry—Close and Critical Reading—StudentInvitation to the Game—THEME: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

What does the text say? (Briefly summarize excerpt from Chapter 1 at the literal level.)

How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features. Etc.?)


So what?(What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and /or in the lives of others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or the lives of others?)

Appendix #6d1

MISD Literature Unit 8.4-Reflective Inquiry-Close and Critical ReadingInvitation to the Game—Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

What does the text say? (Briefly summarize this excerpt from Chapter 1 at the literal level) It is the last day of school and graduation day. Lisse runs up stairs to the dormitory because she has left her journal under her pillow. She snatches her journal from the claws of a domestic robot cleaning the room. Lisse has lived at the Government School for ten years. The school, built in the nineteenth-century, was once a house. Lisse looks out the window and sees the electric buses lined up at the school’s entrance. Lisse’s best girlfriend Benta tells her to hurry up or they will be late for “Last Rites.” Benta pulls Lisse to the Assembly Room. The student body is in the room to see the “awarding of diplomas.” They sit with Scylla, Karen and Trent. Benta whispers to Lisse that in an hour she, Benta will be on her way home. The robot-principal asks the room to stand for the Chairman of the Trustees. The Chairman gives them the same speech he gave last year. But this year they are the ones graduating. The Chairman tells them that their education has prepared them for the challenges of the twenty-second century. Currently the school has a ten percent success rate in job placement. Benta will return to her farm, and Rich will join his father’s psychiatric practice. The names of one hundred and forty-eight students are called, and each receives his/her diploma and a white envelope. Lisse opens her white envelope. Her highest grade is English and her lowest is history. Then she reads her career opportunities based on her grades. All the opportunities are filled by robots. The last message on the sheet states, “Enjoy your leisure years.” Lisse listens to the principal-robot tell her and others that their basic needs will be taken care of by the government and they will be bused to a living zone.

How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features. Etc.?) The excerpt from Chapter One is in first person. The narrator is Lisse. The reader sees the story through her eyes: “I rescued my journal from the robot’s claw and stood with it tight against my chest, staring out of the window, trying to control my shivers.” The author effectively establishes the physical setting of the school with description: “From the dormitory window I could see softly rolling hills, the morning mist caught in their folds, and a small grove through which ran the road connecting the school with the main highway, out of sight somewhere beyond the trees and the mist.” The author also uses a religious reference with the term “Last Rites,” which emphasizes a motif of death with Lisse’s graduation. The author’s word choice emphasizes the pomp and circumstance of the day: “procession,” and “electrifying silence fell.” The author develops characterization with the dialogue and actions of the characters. For example, Lisse running back for her journal reveals the importance of her reflective writing to her. Or, Benta’s returning for Lisse reveals a depth of feeling for her friend, as she could well end up being late because of her friend. The genre is science fiction given the “domestic robots” and the mention of “the challenges of the twenty-second century.” The author creates a mood of anxiety with her word choice, “At the sight of them panic gripped me.” There is a foreshadowing of death and/or a barren existence given the closing paragraph: “For those of you have failed to obtain work, welcome to the ranks of the unemployed. There is no cause for alarm. Your basic needs will be provided through the generosity of your Government. You will be bused to the area assigned as your future living zone, and you will be provided with credits sufficient for meals and shelter.” The author uses literary devices such as similes, “You’re white as a sheet.” The author uses italics to give emphasis to certain words: “I pressed my head against the cold glass and longed to be someone else, somewhere else, sometime else….” The author also incorporates other genre within this chapter. For example, a report card, a list, a message, and a speech. The author makes effective use of white space to emphasize the report card and the list and uses all capitals to emphasize the message at the end:Appendix #6d2

CONGRATULATIONS ON GRADUATING WITH HONORS!

ENJOY YOUR LEISURE YEARS!

USE THEM CREATIVELY.

What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?) Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

So what?(What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and /or in the lives of others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or the lives of others?) Answers will vary but may resemble some of the Following:

I am reminded of the automation of the factory assembly lines. When jobs are lost to robots we have to create new niches. If we stay the same, there is no place for us in the world. Consequently, we have to continue to use our innovation and creativity if we are to thrive in the new world that we have made and inherited. When I was young, my family in Flint, Michigan, all worked for G.M. It did not just involve one generation; it was generational. G.M. no longer employs workers in Flint, and the young have to find new avenues to pursue. G.M. is just one example; we lose thousands of jobs to other countries. However, what makes America amazing is our ability to invent, and I have confidence that we will invent/create ourselves a better tomorrow.

Appendix #6d3

Focus Question #2 What does the group learn about night life in their DA and about The Game?

Answer Plan:1. Begin by restating the question.2. Tell about their first trip out at night3. Tell about their second trip out at night and about the adjustments they

made to their routines as a result.4. Tell about their third trip out at night and about what they learned about

“The Game.”5. Conclude by predicting what they will do next.

Possible Answer:[1] On their first two trips out at night, the group learns interesting but dangerous information about their DA. [2] On their first trip out at night, the group ventured into what they thought was a café and ordered coffee but were served “home brew” and charged more money than it would cost to feed them for a week. The patrons of the bar were colorful but acting weirdly. The Game was mentioned, but they got very little information. [3] Brad suggested that they would never find out about their world if they did not take risks, so they went to a small coffee shop called the Purple Orange. They ordered tea and it came with cigarettes, which they refused, and then they left. After Brad was man-handled by a waiter, the group stepped up their karate workouts. [4] After a few weeks they ventured out again to learn more about The Game. At the Coffee Bush they asked Charlie, the owner, about The Game. Charlie was more interested in Alden’s knowledge of chemistry, but on the second night at the Coffee Bush, Charlie told them that is was “some kind of treasure hunt. You go to a special place and get clues to help you look for something. Once you’ve found it, you move on to another level and. . . .You have to get to it by train.” Charlie warned them that they would be disappointed and that Alden should take Charlie’s offer instead. [5] The group members are very curious about The Game and will probably accept the invitation to The Game.

Appendix #7a

Character Role ChartAs you read, record evidence of the roles the characters play, enhancing or impeding progress in the Game. Give text support (quotes) and page numbers. You may pick up additional chart copies as necessary.

Character Enhances goals Impedes goalsLisse

Benta

Scylla

Karen

Trent

Rich

Alden

Katie

Brad

Paul

Appendix #7b

Notes on Grammar Instruction

Writing Next: What does not work… (Graham, Steve, and Dolores Perin. Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York: Carnegie Corporation. 2007.)“Grammar instruction in the studies reviewed involved the explicit and systematic teaching of the parts of speech and the structure of sentences. The meta-analysis found an effect for this type of instruction for students across a full range of ability, but surprisingly, this effect was negative….Such findings raise serious questions about some educators’ enthusiasm for traditional grammar instruction as a focus of writing instruction for adolescents (p. 21).”

Writing Next: What does work…“. . . a recent study (Fearn and Farnam 2005) found that teaching students to focus on function and practical application of grammar within the context of writing (versus teaching grammar as an independent activity) produced strong and positive effects on students’ writing. Overall, the findings on grammar instruction suggest that, although teaching grammar is important, alternative procedures, such as sentence combining, are more effective than traditional approaches for improving the quality of students’ writing (p. 21).”

Jeff Anderson, Inquiry Grammar: http://www.writeguy.net/teachers.htmEditing instruction became an editing process. Just as writing process brought joy and clarity to my students’ writing, I knew an editing process had begun. All I had to see was all the good writing we shared in literature ripple through their words. When students encountered more and more beautiful text, this joy, this beauty ended up in their writing. And I knew. My students were writing under the influence—of literature, of powerful, effective, beautiful writing. Editing instruction starts with students observing how powerful texts work. What are the writers doing? What can we learn from their effectiveness-and, more often than not, their correctness? This way of editing is inquiry based, open-ended, and bound by meaning. Basic Inquiry Questions:

What do you notice?What else?How does it sound when we read it?What would change if we removed this or that?Which do you prefer? Why?

After studying brain research and learning theory, here are some basic tenets that build effective instruction. (Caine et. Al. 2004, Vygotsky 1986, Piaget and Inhelder 2000, Johnston 2004)

Pay attention to the affective dimension of learning. Provide opportunities for social interaction. Post, examine, and celebrate powerful models and visuals. Focus on patterns that connect rather than rules that correct.

Start instruction by examining sentences (chunks of meaning).But how do we find true sentences, sentences worthy of such focus? Read attentively, looking for sentences that address patterns or concepts you want students to walk away with. Choose literature that:

connects to students’ worlds—their interests, humor or problems. shows a clear pattern that is easy to observe, imitate, or break down. models writers’ craft and effective writing – powerful verbs, sensory detail or voice. you feel passionate about and enjoy, your enthusiasm is contagious.

Appendix #8a1

An Inquiry Grammar Lesson Plan

http://www.writeguy.net/teachers.htm

Find a short piece of mentor text that illustrates the concept you wish to teach. A phrase, a sentence, a paragraph will do.

Have students discuss what they notice about the mentor text—e.g., “There sure are a lot of clauses in this sentence.” NOTICING-CALKINS

See if they can give the observed phenomenon a name. If not, supply it. This is your teachable moment. NAMING-CALKINS

Ask the question, “What does this structure do for the piece?” Makes it clearer, more interesting etc. CREATING THEORIES- CALKINS

With the teacher, look at several other examples from the text at hand.

Have the students find their own example from the text.

Have the students write their own original phrase, sentence, paragraph utilizing the structure from the lesson.

Make sure the student writes a sentence phrase or paragraph from the text into their writer’s notebook. Also have them put their original demonstration of the structure in their writer’s notebook.

Appendix #8a2

Today's topic is ellipsis.

Too many people to name have written in asking me about ellipses—those little dot-dot-dots that you see a lot in e-mail messages. Here's an example:

Mitra from Michigan asked, “When is it appropriate to use '...' in writing? People use it all the time, and it seems like a way to make your writing more informal and conversational, as if you were pausing. Can you also use [the dot-dot-dot] for formal writing?”The answer is that you can use ellipses in formal writing in other ways, and you can use them as Mitra described in his e-mail, but you shouldn't overdo it.

The Omission EllipsisThe most common and formal use of ellipses is to indicate an omission. If you're quoting someone and you want to shorten the quote, you use ellipses to show where you've dropped words or sentences.

Here's a quote from the book Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens: “I cannot help it; reason has nothing to do with it; I love her against reason.”

Now far be it from me to edit Dickens, but if I were a journalist under a tight word limit looking at that quote, I'd be tempted to shorten it to this: “I cannot help it . . . I love her against reason.” That middle part—“reason has nothing to do with it”—seems redundant, and taking it out doesn't change the meaning. Dot-dot-dot and it's gone, which saves me seven words. Clearly, literature and journalism are not the same thing.

Integrity is essential when using ellipses in this way. It's fine to use an ellipsis to tighten up a long quote by omitting unnecessary words, but it's important that you don't change the meaning. It's wrong to omit words to misrepresent what someone has said. For example, here's a quote I grabbed from a Bloomberg story about the movie sequels Pirates of the Caribbean, Spider-Man 3, and Shrek the Third.

“You're certainly seeing these three sequels opening big and then dropping big,'' Pandya said. ``The movies are not as good as the previous ones, so people are not liking them as much, and then there's the competition.'' Apparently, Pandya doesn't think the movies are doing very well, but it would be easy to use ellipses and omissions to make the quote sound as if he loved these movies. Here's the revised quote:

“You're certainly seeing these three sequels opening big,'' Pandya said. ``The movies are . . . good . . . people are . . . liking them.'' (I paused where I put in an ellipsis.) See? Chop off the qualifier at the end of the first sentence about sales dropping after the first week, use ellipses to turn “not good” into “good,” and you've got a completely different quote. Of course, that is an obvious and egregious example; you would never do that, but be careful not to introduce more subtle changes in meaning when you use ellipses (and when you are editing quotes in general).

The E-mail EllipsisNow, on to the other use of ellipses--the use that you frequently see in e-mail where the ellipsis is used to indicate a pause or a break in the writer's train of thought. I read a lot of complaints in e-mail groups and a lot of speculation about what these ellipses mean. However, speculation isn't necessary because a number of style guides note that ellipses can be used to indicate a pause or falter in dialog, the passage of time, an unfinished list, or that a speaker has trailed off in the middle of a sentence or left something

Appendix #8a3

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=ageGe.tRmXOM&refer=canada

unsaid (1, 2, 3, 4). For example, The Chicago Manual of Style states, “Ellipsis points suggest faltering or fragmented speech accompanied by confusion, insecurity, distress, or uncertainty.” The manual contrasts ellipses and dashes, which it states should be reserved for more confident and decisive pauses.

So, it is allowable to use ellipses to indicate pauses or breaks in the writer's train of thought as you see so frequently done in e-mail, especially where a break is meant to feel uncertain. Nevertheless (and this is a BIG nevertheless) most people who use ellipses in e-mail overdo it—a lot.

You should not replace all normal punctuation with ellipses. You should not allow the sweet lure of ellipses to muddle your ability to write a complete sentence. To quote the book Grammar for Dummies, “Using ellipses in this way can get annoying really fast.” As regular listeners will know, I like the book Punctuate it Right, and the author has this to say about writers who use ellipses to imply that they have more to say: “It is doubtful that they have anything in mind, and the device seems a rather cheap one.” So, use ellipses in these ways if you must, but use them sparingly, and know that although it's grammatically correct, it's considered by some to be annoying and cheap.

Finally, there are some other special circumstances where ellipses seem to be allowed.

The Comic Strip EllipsisI wouldn't consider this formal writing, but comic strip writers have been known to use ellipses instead of periods. I'm speculating here, but it seems as if the ellipses are being used as a way to draw you into the next frame—as if they are saying, “Keep going; there's more to come.” For example, Charles Schulz always used ellipses instead of periods at the end of sentences in Peanuts.

The Gossip and Show Business Column EllipsisNext, I was surprised to see that The Associated Press Stylebook allows the use of ellipses for what they call “special effects”: The stylebook states, “Ellipses also may be used to separate individual items within a paragraph of show business gossip or similar material.”

Some famous newspaper writers have used ellipses instead of periods to separate their rambling thoughts. Larry King heartily used ellipses in his USA Today column, as did Herb Caen in his San Francisco Chronicle column. In fact, Herb Caen is reported to have coined the phrase “three-dot journalism” to describe such writing, and he was so beloved in San Francisco that when he died the city named a street after him—and included an ellipsis in the name: Herb Caen Way . . . (5). There's a picture of the sign at the Grammar Girl web site.

I found myself wondering which came first, the columnists using ellipses or the AP rule allowing the style. I haven't found the answer, but I suspect the rule is a response to the columnists--essentially AP saying, “Fine, do it your way, but only in gossip or show business columns.” I hope some journalism professor or AP editor out there will know the answer. If so, please post a comment on the blog.

Formatting EllipsesSo, now that you know how to use ellipses, you need to know how to make them. An ellipsis consists of exactly three dots called ellipsis points—never two dots, never four dots—just three dots. Most style guides call for a space between the dots. Typesetters and page designers use something called a thin space or a non-breaking space that prevents the ellipsis points from getting spread over

Appendix #8a4

two lines in a document (6). Also, many fonts have an ellipsis symbol that you can insert, but for everyday purposes, it's fine to use regular spaces between the ellipsis points. Type period-space-period-space-period (7).

Also, there should always be a space on each side of an ellipsis. the ellipsis is usually standing in for a word or sentence, so just imagine that it's a word itself, and then it's easy to remember to put a space on each side.

If you're omitting something that comes after a complete sentence, meaning that your ellipsis has to follow a period, put the period at the end of the sentence just like you normally would, then type a space, and then type or insert your ellipsis. Again, you're treating the ellipsis as if it were a word. This will result in four dots in a row with spaces in between each dot, but this is not a four-dot ellipsis—there's no such thing. It is a period followed by a regular three-dot ellipsis.

Oddly, you don't treat an ellipsis as a word if it comes at the end of a sentence that requires terminal punctuation like a period, question mark, or exclamation point. In that case you still put a space on each side of the ellipsis (8). For example, if your original sentence is “Aardvark is coming home on Thursday!” and you wanted to make it shorter, you would write it like this: “Aardvark is coming home . . . !”

Fortunately, most style guides don't call for an ellipsis when you omit something at the end of a quote, so you don't have to deal with it too often. (Putting an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote is also usually not necessary, but again it is a matter of style.)

That's all.

References1. Shaw, H. Punctuate It Right. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1993, p. 105.2. The Chicago Manual of Style. Fourteenth Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993, p. 368.3. Goldstein, N. ed. The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Reading: Perseus Books, 1998, p. 272.4. Woods, G. English Grammar for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, 2001, p. 331.

From http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx

Appendix #8a5

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx

ACT PROMPT

Some educators believe primarily in group work. They reason that group work prepares students for their future jobs. They believe that students learn more when they work collaboratively. They argue that group work will enable students to generate more possibilities, and that group work encourages creativity.

Some educators believe primarily in individual work. They reason that individual work encourages competition. They believe that competition encourages thinking with no constraints. They argue that individual work is not constrained by time or place. In addition, it is free of group dynamics. Write an essay taking a position on this issue. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Appendix #8b1

ACT SCORING GUIDELINES

Score = 6Essays within this score range demonstrate effective skill in responding to the task. The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a critical context for discussion. The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to counter-arguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most ideas are fully elaborated. A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. The organization of the essay is clear; the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the writer’s purpose. Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer’s logic and are usually integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed. The essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader.

Score = 5Essays within this score range demonstrate competent skill in responding to the task.The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a broad context for discussion. The essay shows recognition of complexity by partially evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by responding to counterarguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is specific and logical. Most ideas are elaborated, with clear movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. The organization of the essay is clear, although it may be predictable. Ideas are logically sequenced, although simple and obvious transitions may be used. The introduction and conclusion are clear and generally well developed. Language is competent. Sentences are somewhat varied and word choice is sometimes varied and precise. There may be a few errors, but they are rarely distracting.

Score = 4Essays within this score range demonstrate adequate skill in responding to the task.The essay shows an understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer some context for discussion. The essay may show some recognition of complexity by providing some response to counter-arguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is adequate, with some movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained throughout most of the essay. The organization of the essay is apparent but predictable. Some evidence of logical sequencing of ideas is apparent, although most transitions are simple and obvious. The introduction and conclusion are clear and somewhat developed. Language is adequate, with some sentence variety and appropriate word choice. There may be some distracting errors, but they do not impede understanding.

Appendix #8b2

Score = 3Essays within this score range demonstrate some developing skill in responding to the task.The essay shows some understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue but does not offer a context for discussion. The essay may acknowledge a counter-argument to the writer’s position, but its development is brief or unclear. Development of ideas is limited and may be repetitious, with little, if any, movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. The organization of the essay is simple. Ideas are logically grouped within parts of the essay, but there is little or no evidence of logical sequencing of ideas. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious. An introduction and conclusion are clearly discernible but underdeveloped. Language shows a basic control. Sentences show a little variety and word choice is appropriate. Errors may be distracting and may occasionally impede understanding.

Score = 2Essays within this score range demonstrate inconsistent or weak skill in responding to the task.The essay shows a weak understanding of the task. The essay may not take a position on the issue, or the essay may take a position but fail to convey reasons to support that position, or the essay may take a position but fail to maintain a stance. There is little or no recognition of a counter-argument to the writer’s position. The essay is thinly developed. If examples are given, they are general and may not be clearly relevant. The essay may include extensive repetition of the writer’s ideas or of ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. There is some indication of an organizational structure, and some logical grouping of ideas within parts of the essay is apparent. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious, and they may be inappropriate or misleading. An introduction and conclusion are discernible but minimal. Sentence structure and word choice are usually simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may sometimes impede understanding.

Score = 1Essays within this score range show little or no skill in responding to the task.The essay shows little or no understanding of the task. If the essay takes a position, it fails to convey reasons to support that position. The essay is minimally developed. The essay may include excessive repetition of the writer’s ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is usually maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. There is little or no evidence of an organizational structure or of the logical grouping of ideas. Transitions are rarely used. If present, an introduction and conclusion are minimal. Sentence structure and word choice are simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may significantly impede understanding.No ScoreBlank, Off-Topic, Illegible, Not in English or Void@ 2006 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved

Appendix #8b3

ACT Persuasive Rubric – Analytic Traits 6 5 4 3 2 1

Position andUnderstanding

of Task

The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a critical context for discussion.

The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a broad context for discussion.

The essay shows an understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer some context for discussion.

The essay shows some understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue but does not offer a context for discussion.

The essay shows a weak understanding of the task. The essay may not take a position on the issue, or the essay may take a position but fail to convey reasons to support that position, or the essay may take a position but fail to maintain a stance.

The essay shows little or no understanding of the task. If the essay takes a position, it fails to convey reasons to support that position.

Complexity The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to counter-arguments to the writer's position.

The essay shows recognition of complexity by partially evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by responding to counter-arguments to the writer's position.

The essay may show some recognition of complexity by providing some response to counter-arguments to the writer's position.

The essay may acknowledge a counter-argument to the writer's position, but its development is brief or unclear.

There is little or no recognition of a counter-argument to the writer's position.

Focus andDevelopment

of Ideas

Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most ideas are fully elaborated. A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained.

Development of ideas is specific and logical. Most ideas are elaborated, with clear movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained.

Development of ideas is adequate, with some movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained throughout most of the essay.

Development of ideas is limited and may be repetitious, with little, if any, movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained.

The essay is thinly developed. If examples are given, they are general and may not be clearly relevant. The essay may include extensive repetition of the writer's ideas or of ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained.

The essay is minimally developed. The essay may include excessive repetition of the writer's ideas or of ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is usually maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained.

Appendix #8b4

Organization The organization of the essay is clear: the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the writer's purpose. Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer's logic and are usually integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed.

The organization of the essay is clear, although it may be predictable. Ideas are logically sequenced, although simple and obvious transitions may be used. The introduction and conclusion are clear and generally well developed.

The organization of the essay is apparent but predictable. Some evidence of logical sequencing of ideas is apparent, although most transitions are simple and obvious. The introduction and conclusion are clear and somewhat developed.

The organization of the essay is simple. Ideas are logically grouped within parts of the essay, but there is little or no evidence of logical sequencing of ideas. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious. An introduction and conclusion are clearly discernible but underdeveloped.

There is some indication of an organizational structure, and some logical grouping of ideas within parts of the essay is apparent. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious, and they may be inappropriate or misleading. An introduction and conclusion are discernible but minimal.

There is little or no evidence of an organizational structure or of the logical grouping of ideas. Transitions are rarely used. If present, an introduction and conclusion are minimal.

Language The essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader.

Language is competent. Sentences are somewhat varied and word choice is sometimes varied and precise. There may be a few errors, but they are rarely distracting.

Language is adequate, with some sentence variety and appropriate word choice. There may be some distracting errors, but they do not impede understanding.

Language shows a basic control. Sentences show a little variety and word choice is appropriate. Errors may be distracting and may occasionally impede understanding.

Sentence structure and word choice are usually simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may sometimes impede understanding.

Sentence structure and word choice are simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may significantly impede understanding.

No Score: Blank, Off-Topic, Illegible, Not in English, or Void

Appendix #8b5

Listening to Comprehend

How to Listen for Information

Find major ideas.What are the most important points? Listen for clue words, such as major, main, most important, or similar words.

Identify support.What dates, names, or facts does the speaker use to support main ideas? Listen for the words for example or for instance.

Distinguish between facts and opinion.A fact is a statement that can be proved true. (Earth is the third planet from the sun.) An opinion is a belief or judgment about something. It cannot be proved true. (Soccer is more fun than basketball.)

Note comparisons and contrasts.Are some details compared and contrasted with others?

Understand cause and effect.Does the speaker say or hint that some events cause others to occur or that some events are the result of others?

Predict outcomes and draw conclusions.What reasonable conclusions or predictions can you make from the facts and evidence in the speech?

LQ2RThe LQ2R study method helps you listen for information.

L Listen carefully to information as it is being presented.

Q Question yourself as you listen. Make a list, mentally or in your notes, of questions as they occur to you. When you listen for information, you need to listen for details that answer the basic 5W-How? questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?

R Recite mentally the answers to your questions as you discover them, or jot down notes as you listen.

R Re-listen as the speaker concludes the presentation. Major points may be summed up or listed again.

From Elements of Language-- Second Course. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 2001

Appendix #9a

Listening Comprehension Assessment—StudentListen to the following report and take active listening notes. You will use the notes to answer questions after the broadcast.

1. In the context of this story, the expression, “Man plans, and God laughs” is best described asa. God does not think much of Man.b. Man does not succeed on plans alone.c. Man needs God to succeed.d. Man does not need God to succeed.

2. When she hears children outside, Tsivia tells us she considered teaching becausea. she likes children.b. she likes power.c. she is interested in the money.d. her family includes teachers.

3. Tsivia thought her choice for a career was a good one becausea. government jobs seemed safe.b. it paid well.c. it provided medical care.d. her boyfriend worked there.

4. She was able to afford living in New York becausea. a relative offered to help pay.b. she worked as a waitress.c. she had a home and a part-time job.d. her boyfriend lived there.

5. Tsivia created a deadline for staying in New York based ona. a six-month limit.b. when she ran out of money.c. when she was offered a job elsewhere.d. when she married her boyfriend.

6. She showed her greatest sense of pride overa. her artistic ability.b. her ability to make friends.c. her refusal to request money from family.d. her boyfriend.

7. At the moment her greatest concern isa. her lack of health insurance.b. missing friends and family.c. she might have chosen the wrong profession.d. paying back her college loans.

Appendix #9b1

8. The issue she is avoiding in discussions with her parents isa. homesickness.b. medical insurance.c. her boyfriend.d. paying back her college loans.

9. Her grandparents’ stories about the Great Depression make her feela. depressed.b. sympathetic.c. like her situation is the same as theirs was.d. like her situation is better than theirs was.

10. Tsivia thinks that the proof that everything has worked out will be if shea. stays in New York.b. pays back her loans.c. has grandchildren of her own.d. marries her boyfriend.

Appendix #9b2

Listening Notes Assessment—TeacherListen to the following report and take active listening notes. You will use the notes to answer questions after the broadcast.

1. In the context of this story, the expression, “Man plans, and God laughs” is best described asA. God does not think much of Man.B. Man does not succeed on plans alone.*C. Man needs God to succeed.D. Man does not need God to succeed.

2. When she hears children outside, Tsivia tells us she considered teaching becauseA. she likes children.B. she likes power.C. she is interested in the money.D. her family includes teachers.*

3. Tsivia thought her choice for a career was a good one becauseA. government jobs seemed safe.*B. it paid well.C. it provided medical care.D. her boyfriend worked there.

4. She was able to afford living in New York becauseA. a relative offered to help pay.B. she worked as a waitress.C. she had a home and a part-time job.*D. her boyfriend lived there.

5. Tsivia created a deadline for staying in New York based onA. a six-month limit.B. when she ran out of money.*C. when she was offered a job elsewhere.D. when she married her boyfriend.

6. She showed her greatest sense of pride overA. her artistic ability.B. her ability to make friends.C. her refusal to request money from family.*D. her boyfriend.

7. At the moment her greatest concern isA. her lack of health insurance.*B. missing friends and family.C. she might have chosen the wrong profession.D. paying back her college loans.

Appendix #9b3

8. The issue she is avoiding in discussions with her parents isA. homesickness.B. medical insurance.*C. her boyfriend.D. paying back her college loans.

9. Her grandparents’ stories about the Great Depression make her feelA. depressed.B. sympathetic.C. like her situation is the same as theirs was.D. like her situation is better than theirs was.*

10. Tsivia thinks that the proof that everything has worked out will be if sheA. stays in New York.B. pays back her loans.C. has grandchildren of her own.*D. marries her boyfriend.

Appendix #9b4

Name__________________________________________________________ Date_______Hour___Score____Grade____

Ellipsis Use—Student This is a test of your ability to determine and record or retain important information while listening. Give the one best answer to each multiple-choice question. You may use your notes.

1. In informal writing like email, the ellipsis tends to bea. underused.b. overused.c. misused.d. used correctly.

2. In formal essays quoting from other sources, ellipses are best used to a. tighten up a long quote.b. change the meaning of the original work.c. get the quote to say what you need it to say.d. All of the above

3. It is wrong toa. change the meaning of the original work.b. omit qualifying words like “not” in “not good”.c. create an incomplete sentence by using ellipses.d. All of the above

4. Using an ellipsis in place of normal punctuation is considereda. all right when used sparingly.b. annoying and cheap.c. incorrect.d. an acceptable style of writing.

5. In comic strips like Peanuts, the ellipsisa. often takes the place of periods.b. seems to draw the reader to the next page.c. actually works well.d. All of the above

6. In a gossip column or similar material, separating stories with an ellipsis isa. always acceptable.b. never acceptable.c. annoying and cheap.d. acceptable only to indicate passage of time.

7. The term “three-dot journalism” indicatesa. a poor writing style.b. a style now widely accepted in journalistic circles.c. a style now considered unacceptable in journalistic circles.d. None of the above

8. When typing the ellipsis, you should remembera. to have a space on each side.b. to use three dots, not two.c. that there is no such thing as a four-dot ellipsis.d. All of the above

Appendix10a1

Ellipsis Use—Teacher

This is a test of your ability to determine and record or retain important information while listening. Give the one best answer to each multiple-choice question. You may use your notes.

1. In informal writing like email, the ellipsis tends to bea. underused.b. overused.*c. misused.d. used correctly.

2. In formal essays quoting from other sources, ellipses are best used to a. tighten up a long quote.*b. change the meaning of the original work.c. get the quote to say what you need it to say.d. All of the above

3. It is wrong toa. change the meaning of the original work.b. omit qualifying words like “not” in “not good.”c. create an incomplete sentence by using ellipses.d. All of the above *

4. Using an ellipsis in place of normal punctuation is considereda. all right when used sparingly.*b. annoying and cheap.c. incorrect.d. an acceptable style of writing.

5. In comic strips like Peanuts, the ellipsisa. often takes the place of periods.b. seems to draw the reader to the next page.c. actually works well.d. All of the above*

6. In a gossip column or similar material, separating stories with an ellipsis isa. always acceptable.*b. never acceptable.c. annoying and cheap.d. acceptable only to indicate passage of time.

7. The term “three-dot journalism” indicatesa. a poor writing style.b. a style now widely accepted in journalistic circles.*c. a style now considered unacceptable in journalistic circles.d. None of the above

8. When typing the ellipsis, you should remembera. to have a space on each side.b. to use three dots, not two.c. that there is no such thing as a four-dot ellipsis. d. All of the above*

Appendix #10a2

The “Who Moved My Cheese” Phenomena!From Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese 1998

1The story of Who Moved My Cheese was created by Dr. Spencer Johnson to help him deal with a difficult change in his life. It showed him how to take his changing situation seriously but not take himself so seriously. When his friends noticed how much better life had become for him, and asked why, he revealed his “cheese” story.

2Who Moved My Cheese is a story about change that takes place in a Maze where four amusing characters look for “Cheese”—cheese being a metaphor for what we want in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace or even an activity like jogging or golf.

3Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is, and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or it is taken away, it can be traumatic.

4The “Maze” in the story represents time where you spend time looking for what you want. It could be the organization you work in, the community you work in, or the relationships you have in your life.

5I tell the cheese story that you are about to read in my talks around the world, and often read later about what a difference it has made to them. Believe it or not, this little story has been credited with improving careers, marriages and lives!

6 - Excerpt from the story:Haw quickly said his hellos and soon took bites of every one of his favorite Cheeses. He pulled

off his shoes, tied the laces together, and hung them around his neck in case he needed them again.Sniff and Scurry laughed. They nodded their heads in admiration. Then Haw jumped into the

New Cheese. When he had eaten his fill, he lifted a piece of fresh Cheese and made a toast. “Hurray for change!”

As Haw enjoyed the new Cheese, he reflected on what he had learned. He realized that when he had been afraid to change, he had been holding on to the illusion of

Old Cheese that was no longer there.So what was it that made him change? Was it the fear of starving to death? Haw smiled as he

thought it certainly helped.Then he laughed and realized he had started to change as soon as he had learned to laugh at

himself and at what he had been doing wrong. He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly- then you can let go and quickly move on.

He knew he had learned something useful about moving on from his mice friends, Sniff and Scurry. They kept life simple. They didn’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things. When the situation changed and the Cheese had been moved, they changed and moved with the Cheese. He would remember that.

Haw had also used his wonderful brain to do what Littlepeople do better than mice. He envisioned himself- in realistic detail- finding something better- much better.He reflected on the mistakes he had made in the past and used them to plan for his future. He knew that you could learn to deal with change. Appendix #11a1

You could be more aware of the need to keep things simple, be flexible, and move quickly.You did not need to over complicate matters or confuse yourself with fearful beliefs.You could notice when the little changes began so that you would be better prepared for the big

change that might be coming.He knew he needed to adapt faster, for if you do not adapt in time, you might as well not adapt

at all.He had to admit that the biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, and that nothing gets

better until you change.Perhaps most importantly, he realized that there is always New Cheese out there whether you

recognize it at the time, or not. And that you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.

He knew some fear should be respected, as it can keep you out of real danger. But he realized most of his fears were irrational and had kept him from changing when he needed to.

He didn’t like it at the time, but he knew that the change had turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led him to find better Cheese.

He had even found a better part of himself.As Haw recalled what he had learned, he thought about his friend Hem. He wondered if Hem

had read any of the sayings Haw had written on the wall at Cheese Station C and throughout the Maze.Had Hem ever decided to let go and move on? Had he ever entered the Maze and discovered

what could make his life better?Or was Hem still hemmed in because he would not change?Haw though about going back again to Cheese Station C to see if he could find Hem- assuming

that Haw could find his way back there. If he found Hem, he thought he might be able to show him how to get out of his predicament. But Haw realized that he had already tried to get his friends to change.

Hem had to find his own way, beyond his comforts and past his fears. No one else could do it for him or talk him into it. He somehow had to see the advantage of changing himself.

Haw knew he had left a trail for him, and that he could find his way, if he could just read The Handwriting On The Wall.

He went over and wrote down a summary of what he had learned on the largest wall of Cheese Station N. He drew a large piece of cheese around all the insights he had become aware of, and smiled as he looked at what he had learned:

CHANGE HAPPENS: they keep moving the cheeseANTICIPATE CHANGE: get ready for the cheese to moveMONITOR CHANGE: smell the cheese often so when you know

when it is getting oldADAPT TO CHANGE QUICKLY: the quicker you let go of old

cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheeseCHANGE: move with the cheeseENJOY CHANGE: savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of

new cheese!BE READY TO CHANGE QUICKLY AND ENJOY IT AGAINAND AGAIN: they keep moving the cheese

7 One final thoughtEveryone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. But in a world that is constantly changing, it is to our advantage to learn how to adapt and enjoy something better. Remember: move with the cheese!Appendix #11a2

Name___________________________________________________Date___________Hour____Score______Grade_____

Quick Write

Does adjusting to the “moved cheese” always allow an individual to thrive, or are there situations in which that individual merely survives? Using what you have read and your personal experience to defend your argument.

Appendix #11b

Hyphens and DashesHyphens and dashes have their places in a sentence. Often times, they are used interchangeably and they are not intended to be used that way. They each have a specific purpose. Most people use hyphens and dashes quite often in writing, and they can be somewhat confusing. Most writers are very familiar with using hyphens. The hyphen symbol is smaller than the dash and can be found on the keyboard on the top row next to “0.” If you’re using Word, you can find the dash symbol under the “Insert” tab under “Special Characters,” but it seems to be acceptable to use two hyphens together to represent a dash.

Hyphens

Hyphens are used in compound words and for dividing words. They are also used to separate numbers such as phone numbers and social security numbers. See the following examples:

1-800-123-4567 (phone number)123-45-6789 (SSN)“The way I spell that is F-E-R-G-U-S-O-N.”He lives in a middle-class neighborhoodShe has a three-year-old boy

(Please note that there are several different rules for compound words and whether or not to use the hyphen.)

Dashes

Dashes have several different uses. Most frequently, they are used to amplify or set apart aspects of a sentence.

“She walked away—or rather, ran away—from the laughing crowd.“Is he—will he—accept the position?” (You could also use ellipses here.)

The dash can also be used to indicate sudden breaks in dialogue.

“I’m sorry; I tried to—”“Trick me?” she demanded.

http://www.firstediting.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/hyphens-en-dashes-and-em-dashes/

Appendix #12a

http://www.firstediting.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/hyphens-en-dashes-and-em-dashes/

Name_____________________________________Date________Hour___Score_____Grade_______

Monica Hughes Loves Ellipses, Hyphens, and Dashes

You just finished reading chapter seven from Invitation to the Game. Did you notice the use of ellipses, hyphens, and dashes? With a partner, find a minimum of five examples of usage of each. List the page and paragraph number for each.

Page/paragraph Type used Sentence in textExample:115/paragraph 4 ellipsis We’re inside…something.Example:115/paragraph 5 Dash Barton Oaks—the ones we were still lying on Example:115/paragraph5 Hyphen Semi-transparent

Appendix #12b

8.4 Reader’s Theater: Chapter 8 (pages 137-151)

Roles (11 readers): Narrator, Rich, Scylla, Benta, Alden, Karen, Paul, Brad, Trent, Lisse, Katie

Rich: Before we start going off in all directions, I’d like to discuss the basic idea behind The Game. Scylla: Do go ahead.Rich: Thank you. Perhaps because I arrived later than the rest of you-Benta: Except for me.Rich: Yes, of course. Except for Benta. They say the the newcomer sees most of the game…in this case THE GAME, ha ha, and it seems clear to me that our experience here is an example of aversion therapy.Alden: What on earth are you talking about?Rich: Bear with me, Alden. First of all there is the build-up to make you want to play THE GAME. There is the secrecy and then the sense of being chosen. Afterward you experience a series of paradise-like events, during which you may travel freely, make new discoveries, all the things that are impossible back home. Yet at the same time you are protected against sordid reality- falling off a mesa, eating poisonous berries, and so on- by the management of Barton Oaks, whom you equate with the Government.Alden: Rich, isn’t this all rather pointless?Rich: I’m not finished. Suddenly the scenario changes. Your escape from reality is no longer attractive. You are wet, cold, hungry. You are ill. You begin to long for the amenities of the city from which, just a short time ago, you were happy to escape. Aversion therapy. Come on, all of you, admit it…you’d be thankful to find yourself back there, wouldn’t you? In spite of the dirt, the crowding, the lack of freedom? Wouldn’t one of Scylla’s potato and turnip stews taste wonderful? And what price a night’s sleep on a good mattress? Alden: Are you saying that The Game keeps the unemployed under control by making them grateful for what they’ve got? On the principal of anything being better than this?Karen: But it does hold together. It’s a bit more subtle than I would have expected of a Government kept in power by the thought police, but-Benta: It’s bunk! There’s a hole in your theory you could drop a cow through, Rich. You and me. Why should we have been subjected to this aversion therapy? I was totally happy helping Dad on the farm. It’s all I ever wanted to do. And I supposed you were as contented in you father’s practice? Well, then.Rich: If you’re so clever, Benta, why don’t you explain what is going on?Benta: I’m not clever, Rich. I’ve just got common sense, and it tells me your idea isn’t logical. Either we’ve been given a vacation somewhere as a prize for whatever we did right in the game, or…we’ve emigrated.Rich: Emigrated? I see. Yes, to cut down on the unemployment population in the big centers. That makes some sense, though it still doesn’t account for Rich and Benta. And where are we? I didn’t think there was anywhere left on earth to emigrate to. Paul: The middle of Australia, or Tibet. Brad: Does it matter? All this talk. The important thing is that we’re here and we’ve got to make the best of it. Get rid of the chinks in the lean-to. Find something better to eat than fish and roots. A better fireplace. It’s crazy to have to stay up nights to tend it. And we need more clothes and some bedding-Scylla: I’ve been thinking about that. Now that the rain’s finally stopped, I think we should build a loom, find fibers from grasses or trees, or animals, if there are any, and start to weave fabric.Rich: Weave fabric? That’s ridiculous. We’ll only be here for a week or two at the most…

Appendix #13a1

Trent: We’re not here at all. It’s all in our minds-Benta: Well, I think we should…Scylla: Let’s act on the assumption that we have been transplanted to another country to make a new beginning. What’s the harm in it? Even if we’re proved wrong, we will have spent our days constructively.Lisse: It may even be part of The Game, to test us in crisis.Brad: What are you going to do then?Trent: Just wait for them to zap us back to Barton Oaks. It’s going to happen, you know. And you’re all going to look pretty stupid with your plans for looms and houses.Benta: There are bound to be small creatures around. I can’t think why we haven’t seen them. We should look for traces and then make traps.Unison: Traces?Benta: Droppings. Pathways through the undergrowth. Bushes that have been grazed on.Brad: I expect they come out in the evening. We’ve heard sounds then, haven’t we? Only we’re always in bed by dark.Lisse: How can we possibly catch them at night? Oh, if only they’d let us bring a flashlight!Benta: The battery would wear out, and where would we get another one? It’s easy, actually. We’ll use snares, the way we did on the farm.Lisse: I thought farmers used poison.Benta: Some do. Dad and I used snares, and we had rabbit in the pot every night.Lissa: Benta, do you know how to skin them and…take out their insides and all that?Benta: Of course. But only with a good knife.Brad: It’s time I started working on those flints Katie found. If any of you want to try, go ahead.Rich: It shouldn’t be that difficult. After all, early man could do it, and he had a much smaller brain capacity.Brad: Then you should just about qualify.

Narrator: A shout from Katie brings the group to the high bank above the water meadows. A strange creature is sunning itself on the rock next to her.

Katie: It’s a lizard, I think, but nothing like any I’ve read about. Look at the way the legs are attached. It’s all wrong.

Narrator: Benta picks it up.

Lisse: Oh, let it go!Benta: It’s protein, Lisse. We can skin it and use the bones as tools, if they’re not too brittle. And there’s a lot of meat on it, far more than on a rabbit.Lisse: Ugh, I don’t think I could.Benta: People eat snakes and lizards all over the world. Once it’s cooked, you’ll never know.

Narrator: Benta skins and skewers the lizard, then begins to cook it.

Rich: I hope you took out all the innards.Benta: Thanks, Rich. I think I managed.

Appendix #13a2

Rich: All right. All right. Just make sure no one eats the liver. If there are any poisons, they’re likely to be located there. And here are a couple of flint knives. I knew I could do it.

Narrator: Because they had no cooking container, they could not boil water. Everything they ate had to be either roasted in the ashes or broiled above the flames.

Scylla: That’s the next thing in our survival plan. Containers.Benta: What of, Scylla?Scylla: Tree bark, I suppose.Benta: Yes, we could soften it in the river and stitch it with fine roots.Karen: But that still won’t do for cooking.Katie: Remember that time I discovered the bed of kaolin upstream? When we called it Milk River and Lisse asked why it was white?Karen: So?Katie: Pots. We can make pots.Karen: If we can find the place again. So much seems different this time…

Narrator: The bed of clay was there, and the group hauled the clay back to the camp and experimented. They polished the almost-dry pots with a smooth piece of skin or a very round stone which made them sturdy and fireproof. They decorated them too, even though it wasn’t the least bit necessary. And now there were animals to put in the pots. The first ones caught were like short-eared rabbits with strangely bluish fur.

Alden: Maybe they’re mutating from ultraviolet radiation or pollution. Rich: These are all alike, not randomly changing. It’s a new species.Lisse: Oh, let’s not kill them! Suppose they fetch us back to Barton Oaks in a week, couldn’t we manage without all this killing?Scylla: And suppose they don’t? You’re still as pale as milk, and the rest of us are not as fit as when we arrived. We need iron and first-class protein, and we’re going to get it. Here, Benta, and try to keep the skins as whole as possible, will you?Lisse: Oh, Scylla, how could you be so hard? I thought you were strong, but it’s not strength, it’s cruelty.Benta: Lisse, shut up.Lisse: So you’re against me too?

Narrator: All is forgiven, and in spite of Lisse’s protests, they made the stew, cooked in their new pots, and it was delicious. Now the focus changed again…

Lisse: We desperately need a change of clothing.Katie: We can get fiber from plants, as well as covering from animal skins, but it’ll take ages to collect enough fur to be useful.Scylla: So let’s go on a fiber-hunting expedition and build a loom like I suggested before. I’ll teach you all to weave.Alden: Scylla, you’re crazy. We’ll only be here a few more days. You’ll see. Scylla: What makes you think that? We’ve been here over three weeks already. Count the notches on the tree. One for every day. Why would they bring us back now?

Appendix #13a3

Alden: Why not?Rich: You trust the Government to bring us back? You’re the one who’s crazy.Alden: But Rich, you don’t believe in this place. Aren’t we lying in that room in Barton Oaks right now?Rich: I believe they’re just playing with us. That’s all your game is- the Government playing games. But I’ve seen through it. You can’t fool me.Lisse: Don’t, Rich. Please. Oh, if we only knew…Benta: That’s a luxury we don’t have, Lisse. Knowing. But did we really have it before, back home? I thought my life was settled. Then one day- pow- it’s all over and I’m on a bus heading for the city. We can’t ever know. We have to take it…Lisse: …One day at a time. I know, Benta, I know.Brad: Come on! One day at a time is just surviving. I’m going to live as if we’re to be here forever. And I’m going to work my butt off to make this as good a place as possible to live in. And we’ll start by building your loom, Scylla, and then we’ll try a log cabin. That lean-to’s getting pretty rickety.Rich: A log cabin? Brad, you’re as nutty as Scylla.Brad: You won’t say that when winter comes and you don’t have a decent house to keep out the wind and weather, or warm clothes to go hunting in.Rich: Winter!Karen: Brad’s right. It’s June already. Soon it’ll be midsummer. After a while, it’s going to get a lot cooler, how cold we don’t know. But we should be prepared.Lisse: So you don’t believe this is a dream or a vacation. You believe we are here for life, don’t you?Karen: Yes, Lisse, I think I do. I’ve been fighting it, but it’s the only thing that really makes sense. And I don’t mind a bit! But it would have been nice to have been consulted instead of just being zapped here. And I’m curious. Where are we? In all the time we’ve been here, we haven’t seen a single trace of human habitation, not even an airplane contrail.Paul: We’ve no way of guessing our longitude without clocks, but we ought to be able to make a fair guess at our latitude, if you’re curious.Brad: Of course! By the position of the constellations. If we can remember enough of Astronomy. How about it, Paul? How’s your memory of the star charts?Paul: Good enough for an educated guess. Do you want to stay up tonight and see where we are?

Narrator: They all agree to stay up. For the first time since they arrived, they discovered that the sky was cloudless.

Brad: That’s Cassiopeia, isn’t it?Paul: No, I …I don’t recognize it.Brad: If we’re still in the northern hemisphere, we should see Ursa Major, shouldn’t we?Rich: Or Orion?Paul: Not in summer. Not in northern latitudes.Brad: Maybe we’re in the southern hemisphere. South America. Australia. Paul: Then we should see the Southern Cross. You can’t miss it if it’s up there.

Narrator: They tilted their heads back and stared. The stars pulsed, enormous, hanging like lanterns in the unpolluted air. But there were not as many as they expected. There were large patches of blackness, empty except for minute smudges of light.

Appendix #13a4

Paul: (voice trembling) Other galaxies…Brad: But where’s the Milky Way? You can see at least part of it from anywhere on earth, can’t you? Well, can’t you Paul?

Narrator: Paul didn’t reply. He was staring toward the east, where a finger of light poked above the horizon.

Paul: What is it? Like a searchlight.Rich: People. A city!Brad: Paul, what is it?Paul: I think it’s the Milky Way galaxy.Brad: But it never looked like this before.Paul: We’ve never seen it from here before.Lisse: Here? What do you mean? Paul, don’t scare us!Paul: (voice wobbling) I’d guess that we’re somewhere at the very extremity of one of the trailing arms. Looking right into the heart of our galaxy.Lisse: What are you talking about? Even I remember that earth is somewhere in the middle of the Orion arm…You mean…this isn’t Earth?Paul: Of course it isn’t! It’s obvious, isn’t it? Don’t you see? We’re on another planet!

Appendix #13a5

Individuals enhancing and/or detracting from the goal of thriving in the “Game”

Think in terms of the individual’s ability to move beyond surviving to thriving. What is allowing characters in this section to move forward? What is holding them back? Consider the following quotations first, and then continue the search for evidence on your own anywhere in the story so far. Then decide which characters are advancing the group’s efforts to thrive, and which characters are holding the group back.

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if all they did was wait, but they didn’t. What actually happened was that the three dissidents hung around, getting in everyone else’s way, and criticizing.” (p. 140)

“Come on! One day at a time is just surviving. I’m going to live as if we are to be here forever. And I’m going to work my butt off to make this as good a place as possible to live in.” (p. 147)

Rich

Scylla

Benta

Alden

Karen

Paul

Brad

Trent

Lisse

Katie

Appendix #13b

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, from On Death and Dying

The Grief Cycle

1For many years, people with terminal illnesses were an embarrassment for doctors. Someone who could not be cured was evidence of the doctors' fallibility, and as a result the doctors regularly shunned the dying with the excuse that there was nothing more that could be done (and that there was plenty of other demand on the doctors' time). Elizabeth Kübler-Ross was a doctor in Switzerland who railed against this unkindness and spent a lot of time with dying people, both comforting and studying them. She wrote a book, called 'On Death and Dying' which included a cycle of emotional states that is often referred to (but not exclusively called) the Grief Cycle.

2In the ensuing years, it was noticed that this emotional cycle was not exclusive just to the terminally ill, but also other people who were affected by bad news, such as losing their jobs or otherwise being negatively affected by change. The important factor is not that the change is good or bad, but that they perceive it as a significantly negative event.

3The Grief Cycle can be shown as in the chart below, indicating the roller-coaster ride of activity and passivity as the person wriggles and turns in their desperate efforts to avoid the change.

4The initial state before the cycle is received is stable, at least in terms of the subsequent reaction on hearing the bad news. Compared with the ups and downs to come, even if there is some variation, this is indeed a stable state.

And then, into the calm of this relative paradise, a bombshell bursts...

Shock stage : Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news. Denial stage : Trying to avoid the inevitable. Anger stage : Frustrated outpouring of bottled-up emotion. Bargaining stage : Seeking in vain for a way out. Depression stage : Final realization of the inevitable. Testing stage : Seeking realistic solutions.

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/testing_stage.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/depression_stage.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/bargaining_stage.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/anger_stage.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/denial_stage.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/shock_stage.htm

Acceptance stage : Finally finding the way forward.

Appendix #14a1

5A common problem with the above cycle is that people get stuck in one phase. Thus a person may become stuck in denial, never moving on from the position of not accepting the inevitable future. When it happens, they still keep on denying it, such as the person who has lost their job still going into the city only to sit on a park bench all day. Getting stuck in denial is common in 'cool' cultures (such as in Britain, particularly Southern England) where expressing anger is not acceptable. The person may feel that anger, but may then repress it, bottling it up inside. Likewise, a person may be stuck in permanent anger (which is itself a form of flight from reality) or repeated bargaining. It is more difficult to get stuck in active states than in passivity, and getting stuck in depression is perhaps a more common ailment.

6Another trap is that when a person moves on to the next phase, they have not completed an earlier phase and so move backwards in cyclic loops that repeat previous emotion and actions. Thus, for example, a person that finds bargaining not to be working, may go back into anger or denial.

Cycling is itself a form of avoidance of the inevitable, and going backwards in time may seem to be a way of extending the time before the perceived bad thing happens.

The Positive Change Cycle 7

Just as there is a negative cycle of emotions experienced when the change is not to the liking of the person in question, so also is there a positive cycle. Not all people experience change as a bad thing: some will benefit from the change, whilst others just find change in itself intriguing and exciting.

8

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/kubler_ross.htm

http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/coping/avoidance.htm

http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/coping/repression.htm

http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/culture.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/acceptance_stage.htm

In the first stage of positive change, the person is excited and intrigued by the change. They look forward to it with eager anticipation, building a very positive and often over-optimistic view, for example that it will be much easier for them and resolve all of their current issues. And for a time after the change (sometimes sadly short), there is a 'honeymoon period', during which they are positively happy with the change.

Appendix #14a2

9The honeymoon period does not last forever and the rose-tinted glasses start to fade as the untidiness of reality starts to bite. The person finds that things have not all fallen into place, that other people have not magically become as cooperative as they expected, and that things are just not as easy as they had expected. This pushes them over into a period of gloom when they realize that perfection, after all, is not that easy to attain. This may evidence itself in mutterings and grumblings, but still does not reach the depths of the depression stage of negative change perception (unless the person flips into a delayed negative cycle).

10Before long, however, their original optimism starts to reassert itself, now tinted by a resignation to the reality of the situation. After all, things are not that bad, and a positive sense of potential begins to creep back. As they look around them and talk to other people, they make realistic plans and move forward with an informed sense of optimism.

11Eventually, things reach a relatively steady platform of realistic and workable action. The person is probably happier than they were before the change started and, with their realistic vision, have the potential to reach giddier heights of happiness as they achieve more of their potential.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying, Macmillan, NY, 1969

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/depression_stage.htm

http://changingminds.org/explanations/emotions/happiness.htm

Appendix #14a3

MISD Literature Unit 8.4——Close and Critical Reading—Student DISPOSITION: Reflective Inquiry

THEME: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the excerpt from On Death and Dying at the literal level)

How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features. Etc.?)


So what?(What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and /or in the lives of others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or the lives of others?)

Appendix #14b1.MISD Literature Unit 8.4-Reflective Inquiry-Close and Critical Reading

Invitation to the Game—Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the excerpt from On Death and Dying at the literal level). For years doctors were embarrassed by dying patients. A Swiss doctor, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, spent time studying dying patients and wrote a book that examined the “Grief Cycle.” As years went by, it was recognized that the grief cycle extended beyond the terminally ill. The grief cycle also applied to people who “perceived” events occurring to them as negative—e.g., loss of jobs. The grief cycle is full of ups and downs that cannot be avoided. There are six stages in the Grief Cycle: Shock, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Testing, and Acceptance. People often become stuck in one of the stages. In addition, sometimes people move on to the next stage but have not finished the prior stage. They just repeat the cycle over and over again. However, it is not always a negative cycle. Sometimes, there is a positive cycle where people find change exciting and experience benefits from change. The honeymoon period does not last forever, but usually never reaches the depths of despair as is evidenced in a negative cycle. These people usually return to optimism with a dose of reality and return to a “steady platform” from which to go on with their lives. The people who experience a positive cycle are usually happier than they were before the change occurred. This is due to their achieving more of their potential than they originally thought possible.

How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, Etc.?) This excerpt from a book appears to be a chapter or section of a chapter. However, the two-paragraph introduction appears to be written by someone else, as it mentions the author Kubler-Ross in third person: “Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a doctor in Switzerland who railed against this unkindness and spent a lot of time with dying people, both comforting and studying them. She wrote a book, called On Death and Dying which included a cycle of emotional states that is often referred to (but not exclusively called) the Grief Cycle.” The first two paragraphs introduce the author Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her work with dying patients. In addition, it uses the organizational structure of contrast to emphasize the importance of Kubler-Ross’s work. The excerpt is divided into two sections. The first section has the heading “The Grief Cycle.” The second section has the heading “The Positive Change Cycle.” The excerpt incorporates two graphs/charts. There is a graph/chart in each section providing the reader visual images of the cycles. The author uses italics to emphasize words: “The important factor is not that the change is good or bad, but that they perceive it as a significantly negative event.” The first chart emphasizes the “roller-coaster ride” of the grief cycle with its ups and downs on the chart. The chart also introduces the reader to the stages of the grief cycle and elaborates upon them in the next paragraph with a bulleted list and definitions: “Shock stage: Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news.” The stages are underlined, and the underlining indicates a hyperlink to an elaborated definition. The

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/shock_stage.htm

author creates a metaphor for the Grief Cycle: “…into the calm of this relative paradise, a bombshell bursts….” The bombshell is the “bad news.” The relative paradise is life before the news. The excerpt is in third person and is informational. The tone is instructional. The author incorporates definitions of vocabulary noted with underlines that are hyperlinks. For example, the word repress is underlined. Yet, the definition is included in the same sentence in which it is introduced to the reader, “bottling it up inside.” The author also uses parentheses to provide expanded definitions or commentary. Given the two opposing cycles in the excerpt, the author uses compare and contrast as the organizational structure of this excerpt. In fact, note the author’s use of “negative” and “positive.” The author also uses the vernacular phrase “honeymoon period” to refer to a short time of bliss, “rose-tinted glasses” to refer to blind optimism, and “reality starts to bite,” to refer to the pain of reality.Appendix #14b2 The excerpt ends with optimism: “The person is probably happier than they were before the change started and, with their realistic vision, have the potential to reach giddier heights of happiness as they achieve more of their potential.” The excerpt ends with the name of the book, publisher, and copyright.

What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?) Perception of change influences the impact/consequence of change.

So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and /or in the lives of others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or the lives of others?) Answers will vary but may include some of the following.

When I graduated from MSU with a BA in English and a teaching degree, there were no English jobs to be had in the State of Michigan. Though I was discouraged, I was still optimistic that I would find a job that would enable me to teach English and stay in Michigan with my family. I started graduate school and received my MA in special education a year later. I was able to find a job immediately in my home town. I taught special education for ten years before I transferred to the high school to teach English. Teaching special education was a wonderful experience and provided me with tools that I have utilized throughout my teaching career. In addition, my students excelled in reading and writing, as they were the subjects I loved. My small classes of ten students won poetry contests at the state level and were district champions in the Book Bowl.

Appendix #14b3

Book Report Viewing Activity

View the book report for Invitation to the Game at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRAAxhV_Ypo

Focus Questions for Viewing:

Is it possible to identify the main ideas strictly from this video report? If so, what ideas are there; if not, what ideas need to be there?

What has the creator of this video actually done to clarify main ideas up to this point?

Evaluate content, methodology, and creativity in this portion of the video.

Viewing Activity—Quick Write

The book report does not adequately address the theme “Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving,” as it merely summarizes parts of the text. If you were charged with turning this video book report into a video book review, what changes would you make?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRAAxhV_Ypo

Appendix #16-17a

Culminating ProjectScenario:Students have just graduated from high school. A research university, in an effort to test the importance of group cooperation, innovation, and creativity to develop thriving communities and individuals, has chosen them based on their high school performance. (That can be read in a number of ways...) Students will be relocated for three years to a long-abandoned mining town in the Upper Peninsula. At the end of three years, they will be awarded a BA in business management for their efforts. Here are the facts they will need to keep in mind.

They are hundreds of miles away from any civilization. There are old buildings, including houses, but nothing is furnished. There are abundant natural resources in the UP, including springs and lakes (Use them!) In imagining this, think “ghost town.” Because you are isolated from others, you may create your own laws as needed. There are no utilities (electricity, gas, etc.) in the area. They will only have the clothes on their backs. (No technology allowed!) If anyone leaves the group, the whole group loses, with no compensation or college

credit earned. To earn the degree, members must create a thriving community. A written record will serve as the group’s thesis (final paper) for graduation. They will

keep a quarterly report (12 entries, minimum of one page each). An oral dissertation (summary and Q&A session) by the group will also be required for the degree.

Directions for students:1. Use the following website to assign UP regions to the student groups. http://hunts-upguide.com/iron_river__iron_mountain___the_menominee_range_detail.htmlChoices for regions in the UP from Hunt’s UP Guide (based on the natural resources available and the limited population):

•1. Keweenaw Peninsula•3. Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon•4. Ironwood & the Gogebic Range•5. Watersmeet area•6. Iron River, Iron Mountain & the Menominee Range•7. Escanaba, Menominee & the Green Bay Shore•8. Manistique and the Garden Peninsula•9. Marquette Range•10. Pictured Rocks/Munising/Au Train•11. Tahquamenon & Seney, Grand Marais & Whitefish Point

http://hunts-upguide.com/tahquamenon___seney__grand_marais___whitefish_point.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/pictured_rocks_munising_au_train.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/marquette_range.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/manistique_and_the_garden_peninsula.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/escanaba__menominee___the_green_bay_shore.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/iron_river__iron_mountain___the_menominee_range.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/watersmeet_area.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/ironwood___the_gogebic_range.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/porcupine_mountains_and_ontonagon.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/keweenaw_peninsula.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/iron_river__iron_mountain___the_menominee_range_detail.html

2. Roles necessary for completing the assignment:a. Recorder/ journalistb. “Rules committee” chairperson (lawmaking body)c. “Research committee” chaird. “resource manager” (food and housing)e. “Artistic and creative” manager/ social directorf. Timekeeper/time managerg. Law enforcement representativeh. Shelter manageri. Judgej. Cartographer (maps territory)

Appendix #18a13. Group meeting times after (if running from the beginning of the reading)-

Chapter 3 (importance of mapping)

Chapter 4 (resource use—copper)

Chapter 5 (identifying food sources)

Chapter 6 (tools)

Chapter 7 (fire)

Chapter 8 (artistry—thriving: beyond just surviving) “And we began decorating them (the pots), even though it wasn’t in least necessary.” p. 145

Chapter 9 (community roles) “What possible skill had I to offer the group?” p.169

Chapter 10 (recording)

Appendix #18a2

The Beethoven Factor

The people who thrive in the face of extreme adversity may surprise you ...

In 1801, at age 31, Ludwig van Beethoven had become suicidal. He lived in poverty, was losing his hearing, and wallowed in the depths of withdrawn despair and hopelessness. Twenty-three years later, utterly deaf, no longer suicidal, and, instead, energetically creative, he immortalized Schiller’s life-affirming “Ode to Joy” in the lyrical chords of his Ninth Symphony. His transposing of Schiller’s inspiring words, “Be embraced all ye millions with a kiss for all the world,” reflected his remarkable ability to triumph over the tragedy of his hearing loss. He had triumphed over his tragedy to be able to construe the world in ways that can forever help all of us feel the joy he experienced by hearing his miraculous music.

Beethoven can be seen as one of the superstars of thriving. He did not suddenly transform himself from someone living in helpless despair to a person living in constant joy and elation. Like all ordinary thrivers, he continued to suffer through many terrible times and remained prone to dark moods throughout most of his life. In an 1801 letter to his friend Karl Ameda, he wrote, “Your Beethoven is having a miserable life, at odds with nature and its Creator, abusing the latter for leaving his creatures vulnerable to the slightest accident. . . . My greatest faculty, my hearing, is greatly deteriorated.”

For years, Beethoven heard mostly humming and buzzing until, for the last and very productive years of his life, he became totally deaf. Through it all, however, his ability to creatively construe his situation allowed him to develop an increasingly more encompassing and adaptive explanatory style.

In another letter Beethoven wrote to a friend five months after the letter to Ameda, he said, “You must think of me as being as happy as it is possible to be on this earth—not unhappy. No! I cannot endure it. I will seize Fate by the throat. It will not wholly conquer me. Oh, how beautiful it is to live—and live a thousand times over!” His words capture the essence of how a deaf man learned to listen by continuing to lead a life as magnificently enriched as it was difficult.

A Thriving LifeI refer to thriving as the “Beethoven Factor” not only because of the gifted composer’s magnificent victory over adversity but because his invincibility also reflects the life-span view of thriving. When I speak of thriving as rising to the occasion, life itself is the occasion to which I refer.

Beethoven himself was far from being an enlightened guru, and though he thrived through his problems, he remained an ordinary man with ordinary vulnerabilities and liabilities. He never summoned the courage to tell others of his deafness, writing in one of his letters that he was “unable to say to people, ‘Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.’” He often tried to deny his problem and deluded himself by visits to all sorts of charlatans and quacks who claimed they could cure his deafness. As ineffective as these visits were, they also may have offered Beethoven brief spurts of hope and even moments of healthy self-delusion that bought him time to keep composing.

Quantum leaps of thriving sometimes happen. However, most thrivers rarely recognize their invincibility in a short period of magnificent epiphany. Like Beethoven, they have periods of dismal lows and unrealistic highs. Through it all, thrivers maintain the key characteristic of thriving. My interviews with thrivers indicate that they tend to have very strong immune systems. Even at the worst of times, they seem aware on some level of the rules by which it functions.

Appendix #19a1The “Let It Go” Rule: Thrivers seem to know or have learned to let their emotions flow naturally rather than cling to them. They know that it’s not being afraid, depressed, or anxious that destroys their lives; it’s allowing themselves to get stuck in these emotional states. Beethoven’s statement that he would not “endure” his pain but that he would not allow it to “wholly conquer” and dominate his life reflects his unconscious awareness of this rule.

The “Have Faith, Calm Down, and Don’t Despair” Rule: Thrivers have faith that no feeling will last forever and that there is always an equally strong opposing emotion for every emotion we experience. Like most thrivers, Beethoven seemed to adopt an increasingly more inclusive and adaptive view of what constituted happiness. Even as he struggled with his loss of what for him was his most important sense, he still wrote that he was “as happy as it is possible to be on this earth.”

The “Suffer Wisely and Cheer Up” Rule: Thrivers sense that suffering is essential for a truly authentic life. They seem to know that even when things seem at their worst, they are much stronger than they think and will be stronger on some level because of their pain. Beethoven’s statement, “I can defy this fate even though there will be times when I shall be the unhappiest of God’s creatures,” exemplifies his grasp of how the innate psychoimmunity operates and that he seemed to understand the dynamic nature of emotions.

The next time you hear music composed by Beethoven, I suggest you do what my grandmother recommended and listen to how it reflects the ebb and flow of his emotions and his evolving joyful view of life and nature. Listen for how the changes in volume and complex intonations and movements seem to be an ode to thriving, a reflection of his lifelong effort to become creative through his suffering. Listen for how music created by a deaf man might help you strengthen your own psycho-immunity.

Four Psychological Immunity ReactionsOur psychological immune system is not separate from our physiological immune system. They work together as one protective and life-enhancing unit. They operate as a complex interactive loop between the brain, body, and mind. Here are four of the ways in which our psychological immune system works in parallel function with our physiological immunity to allow us to experience the Beethoven Factor.

Psychological Immunization: By going through several life traumas, a person can become to some extent emotionally less sensitive to further trauma. As Beethoven did, people who have gone through terrible stress can develop a psychological immune system characterized by a much less intense reaction to future stressors than people who have not been “inoculated” against emotional “antigens.”

Beethoven went through several psychological traumas and various manifestations of his hearing loss. He repeatedly encountered the stress of dealing with various phases of going deaf and trying to disguise his diminishing hearing. What many saw as his natural reserve or creative preoccupation and absentmindedness were often ways he kept trying to deal with the trauma that had struck him at his prime. Because of his constant struggle of trying to deal with his problem, his psychoimmunity seemed to become stronger.

Psychoimmunological Rapid Rebound: When we encounter severe trauma and manage to thrive by making our own meaning out of what happened to us, not only are we immunized against the next adversity, we also become better able to recover more quickly from it.

Appendix #19a2

Beethoven had a history of being emotionally knocked down hard and often. He was often offered false hope of curing his deafness by those he would later call “cheaters and quacks.” It seems he became a little more adept each time at picking himself up and returning to his creative work, despite what must have been repeated heartbreaking disappointment.

Psychoimmunological Hardiness: The third psychoimmune response relates to rising to an even higher level of psychoimmunity following an adverse event. In the aftermath of becoming totally deaf, Beethoven faced other crises in his life and work. He questioned his faith and the meaning of his life, writing that he increasingly felt “at odds with nature and its Creator” and “abused by the latter” for making him suffer so. From these depths of doubt and despair, Beethoven rose to even higher levels of thriving. After totally losing his hearing, he expressed himself with the enhanced emotional strength of those who have had their psychoimmunity boosted by severe hardship. His words stating that he was “as happy as it is possible to be on this earth” reflect that strength.

Lowered Expectations: Perhaps one of the most surprising findings from my interviews of thrivers was not that they seemed to develop stronger psychological immune systems that reacted less intensely to stress over time, that they recovered faster after a crisis, or that they somehow became even more psychoimmune and stronger due to their suffering. It was that part of their creative construing was their development of lowered expectations of both themselves and of life.

I had thought that thriving and a feeling of invincibility would be accompanied by raised expectations, and that was certainly often the case. However, most thrivers’ psychological trajectory wavered, often dipping up and down even as its overall course was upward. They not only could find more to enjoy about life, but were much happier with much less. They lowered the threshold for being thrilled and forgave themselves for their shortcomings and the world for its random harshness. As one thriver joked, “It’s a lot easier to feel great when you don’t go around expecting life to be fantastic. The old joke is pretty true. Keep your expectations low and you won’t be disappointed. Semi-great is good enough for me now.”

Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget referred to the process of making adaptive changes in our thinking to deal with life events as “accommodation.” Accommodation not only takes the form of mental upshifting and increased expectations, it can also involve mental downshifting when necessary to a less demanding view of the world and ourselves. It incorporates external circumstances and makes changes in our consciousness not only to fit them in but also to modify and strengthen the adaptability of our thinking.

Although we live in a modern world that encourages ever higher expectations, thrivers have a highly flexible accommodative style. Their explanatory systems allow them to not only increase but also sometimes significantly lower their expectations. Creativity and high-level adaptability can come from this kind of downshifting of goals just as it does from rededicated upshifting.

In a culture that keeps encouraging us to get more, do more, and say yes, thrivers seem to be able to “have less, do less, and say no” when their thriving depends on it. One thriver I interviewed was a 16-year-old boy who football coaches felt was destined to be a star. The night before he was to sign his letter accepting a full football scholarship to a Big Ten School, he was paralyzed for life by a drunk driver. He told me, “All the other guys in rehab are talking about their commitment to walking again. Not me. I’m learning how to accept the fact that I won’t and figuring out ways I can have a great or

Appendix #19a3

maybe even a better life because I’m in a chair.” It seemed clear that this courageous young man had lowered his aspirations but realistically raised his inspiration.

Beyond Pollyanna

Thrivers are not Pollyannas. They are not blindly optimistic and are far from showing the often irritating feigned cheerfulness that can result from trying to comply with popular psychology’s version of positive thinking. Their invincibility derives not just from their discovery of what they are able to do about their problems, but also from their acceptance of what they may never be able to do.

Any joy that thrivers gain through their suffering derives not from newfound super-strength, but from establishing a better and more comfortable mental match between the possible and the impossible. One of the thrivers I interviewed paraphrased a well-known positive thinking phrase, “The possible we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.”

After failing for years to regain her ability to walk after being struck by a car, this thriver said, “We have to learn what’s possible, but impossible we have to learn to ignore. Like the other patients, I tried to be Ms. Positive Thinking at first. People sort of expect you to put on your game face and tell them that you will walk again, but I knew I wouldn’t. People with my kind of injury just don’t. I didn’t want to waste my life like all the heroes around me by going after an impossible goal. I wanted to live my life now, not be on a mission that I knew would not succeed no matter how many people applauded me. I wanted to get back a normal life by figuring out as quickly as possible what was and was not possible for me in my case. As soon as I finally figured out what was going to be possible and how much I was willing to give to get to that point, I started to deal with my crisis in my own way.”

We do not thrive because we finally accomplish the impossible or overcome tremendous obstacles. We thrive because we mentally remain engaged with our problem long enough to find meaning that helps us accommodate to whatever happens to us. We do not make miracles just by rising to new heights. We live a wonderful life by searching for the miraculous in whatever life has made for us. The young woman in the wheelchair said, “I hate it, but the whole thing about not feeling anything below my chest is sort of really a kind of ugly mystery to me. Somehow, I’ve got to figure out how I’m going to fit this into my life and not let it run my life.”

A Consciousness Catalyst

For thrivers, traumas in their lives seem to provide a mentally motivating mismatch between their currently operative life theory and life’s reality. This causes what psychologist Jean Piaget called “disequilibration,” or a dissonance between what our life theory predicts should happen and what actually does. For thrivers, this dissonance is a consciousness catalyst that causes them to rethink their current theories and beliefs about the world and their place in it. The conscious acts of creation that constitute thriving require an accommodating mind, one that is constantly changing and made wiser by the events that challenge it.

Thrivers seem to know when their current explanatory style is too limited to handle their current crisis. They adjust it to create a consciousness of lowered expectations if they must and higher hopes when they realistically can. A consciousness of adjustable levels of expectations can be one of the most important parts of thriving.

Appendix #19a4

Don’t expect a personality transplant due to your thriving. If you are a generally joyful, happy person, you’ll be much the same way no matter what crisis you face. If you’re a perpetual grump and general annoyance to those you live with, you will probably still be that way after you thrive through your problems. The Beethoven Factor does not refer to a total personal makeover, only to the capacity to think things over and come out stronger and more adaptable from the process.

A Lesson from China

To summarize the elements of the lifelong thriving orientation of the Beethoven Factor, I offer the wisdom of another thriving superstar. He was born in and spent most of his life in China. He had lived most of his life in poverty and oppression. He had been imprisoned in China for his democratic views and protest in Tiananmen Square. He had witnessed most of his friends being massacred or disappearing forever. He had somehow managed to talk his way out of prison and come to America to learn English in weeks, earn two academic degrees within a few short years, and become a highly successful businessman.

He had come to me for help in dealing with the loss of his wife to breast cancer, and, within days of that loss, his own diagnosis of cancer. Reading his application for treatment, I expected to see someone who looked and acted as if he had been through the psychological mill, but he appeared upbeat, jovial, and energetic. Even when he cried, he still conveyed a strength of spirit that caused wonder and awe in the medical staff.

One night after a particularly difficult and painful chemotherapy treatment, I sat with him in his hospital room. The Chinese man had tubes in his arms and his hair was gone. I held a plastic bowl near his mouth as he repeatedly gagged and vomited. Even in this awkward situation, he said in his typical joking style, “I’m sorry to put you through this with me, but I know you’ve been through this yourself. As you can know, what doesn’t kill you . . . only hurts like hell.” He spoke of his love for his wife and how he felt she was with him now more than ever and that she was somehow looking after him. He said his pain seemed to bring him closer to her because he was feeling what she must have felt with her cancer.

In his weakened voice, he said, “You know, the Chinese character for crisis is made up of a combination of the one for danger and the one for opportunity. I am in more danger now, but like all the other dangerous times, it seems to be yet another opportunity in my life. My wife’s death stretched my spirit, but it did not tear it. It made me stronger to face this cancer. My own cancer has brought my wife closer to my soul. I might be with her in not too long, or again maybe she will have to wait a little longer. Who knows? I’m not getting rid of the false hope my doctors say I have, because for me hope is hope. You don’t have to worry about facing reality, because sooner or later it will find you. But you can make a little of your own reality. I feel weak but in a way I know this is what life is supposed to be for my wife and me. You called it the Beethoven Factor in your lecture and now I know why. He composed such beauty from the troubles in his life.”

After another bout of very severe nausea and pain, he took a deep breath and continued. “Don’t think I’m not scared to death. I hate this cancer, I’ve cried until I have no more tears, and I’m embarrassed to tell you that I have sworn in Chinese at the doctors and nurses. I do not consider myself a fighter and I’m often more than ready to give up, but I’m still here so I guess I’m not supposed to go yet. I’m spending my time writing long letters to my wife, and she answers them at night in my dreams. I think

Appendix #19a5

I hear her sometimes, maybe as Beethoven heard. I don’t think I could have listened this way without facing what I’m facing now.”

My patient showed all the characteristics of a thriver you have read about. His hardiness in the face of terrible pain, his humor in confronting the seemingly unending series of crises in his life, his patient hope despite his physicians’ time-based insistence that he must “face reality,” and his ability to construe or imagine ways of looking at his situation were always present when we met. And by the way, not only his healing but also his cure was complete. He recovered from his cancer, something one of his doctors called “unreal.”

This Chinese thriver continues as of this writing to be one of the most successful financial advisors in New York and often acts as an intermediary for American businesses trying to get a start in China. When I interviewed him again for this book, he said he would send me a quote someday that he felt summarized how he views, and he hopes others will view, the Beethoven Factor. By a coincidence of a magnitude that only a thriver will accept as true, it arrived as I was completing my writing of this chapter. It was a statement by Anwar Sadat that said, “He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality.”

Like Beethoven, thrivers know how to weave and keep reweaving the fabric of their lives even when forces keep tearing at it. By constantly recreating their own consciousness, they are able to do what Beethoven did. They remain the creative composers of their own consciousness.

Excerpt from The Beethoven Factor: The New Positive Psychology of Hardiness, Happiness, Healing, and Hope by Paul Pearsall

Appendix #19a6

Comparison and Contrast Rubric

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1Purpose and Supporting Details

The response clearly compares and contrasts ideas from both texts. The response supports both comparison and contrast with examples that are specific and relevant.

The response clearly compares and contrasts ideas from both texts. The response supports both comparison and contrast with a mix of general and specific relevant examples.

The response compares and contrasts ideas from both texts clearly, but support is general and/or incomplete. The response may include irrelevant information.

The response compares or contrasts ideas from both texts, but does not do both. There is no support, or the attempt to support is unclear.

Organization and Structure

The response breaks the information into comparison and contrast. Ideas are consistently in logical order. The response progresses smoothly from one idea to the next and shows strong relationships and connections among ideas.

The response breaks the information into comparison and contrast, but ideas may not be presented in a consistently logical order. The response progresses from one idea to the next, showing some relationship among ideas.

The response breaks the information into comparison and contrast, but ideas may be presented in the wrong section, or in such an illogical or unexpected order that the reader is distracted.

There is little sense that the writing is organized. Many ideas are presented in an illogical or unexpected order.

Language Use Varied transition words support the natural flow of the response and the relationships between ideas. The response uses a variety of sentence structures and word choice.

Transition words may be artificial or simple, but generally support the relationships between ideas. There is some variety of sentence structure and word choice.

Transition words are artificial or simple, and may not clearly connect ideas. There is little variety of sentence structure or word choice.

Transitions, if any, are simple and do not support the connections between ideas. Sentence structure and word choice may be repetitious, simple, and limited

Grammar and Spelling (Conventions)

There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader.

There may be errors, but they generally do not distract the reader from the content.

Errors may distract the reader from the content.

Multiple errors may make the content difficult to understand.

Adapted from http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson275/compcon_rubric.pdf

Appendix #19a7

http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson275/compcon_rubric.pdf

Overcoming Obstacles By Don Yaeger, June 29, 2009

It was just back pain. That’s what Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester kept telling himself. When you throw 25-year-old left-hander does, muscles get what he did, the pain wouldn’t go away. Lester went to see doctors and heard words he never expected: He had cancer. It wasn’t just any form of the disease, but the extraordinarily rare blood cancer known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma. To beat back the cancer’s spread, Lester would require intensive chemotherapy. “I didn’t once ask why. Instead, I asked how we get rid of this. I wanted to think positively and look forward.”

With that approach, Jon Lester became a hero to many. From that diagnosis in August 2006, Lester went through treatment, worked his way back into the major leagues, pitched—and won—a World Series game and then, in May 2008, became only the 18th pitcher in the history of the storied Red Sox organization to throw a perfect game. And Jon Lester is cancer-free. “I don’t think I had any idea what it would mean to others when I made it back,” Lester says. “I was just trying to win each day, to make sure I was doing whatever it took to be as disciplined and successful in treatment as I was in baseball.”

By doing so, Lester earned a legion of new fans, many of them cancer survivors. Web sites were loaded with letters of thanks, with words of encouragement. Many of those writing wanted Lester to know his top-flight accomplishment gave them reason to believe. “I was surprised, honestly,” he says. “There were so many things said that were wonderful, but all I was trying to do was make my way back.”

Lester is one of many athletes who have handled adversity on a grand stage and have used the same strengths that made them champions to get them through tough times. The stories of those athletes and their successes have long proven inspirational.

And as proof that athletes often find inspiration from each other, Jon Lester, after working his way back into the major leagues, regularly mentioned another pitcher, Jim Abbott, when he described where he looked for inspiration. Abbott didn’t suffer disease, but what he did amazed millions. “I’ve learned that it’s not the disability that defines you,” Abbott explains. “It’s how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with.”

Abbott is no stranger to challenges. The 10-season major league pitcher was born without a right hand. Never one to let a perceived disability stand in the way of his goals, he pursued athletics with his heart and soul, as a high-school quarterback leading his football team to a Michigan state championship and developing a distinct pitching and fielding style that made him a highly sought-after baseball recruit.

Despite being drafted out of high school, however, Abbott decided instead to attend the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines’ baseball program to two Big Ten championships and became the first pitcher to earn the James E. Sullivan Award for the best amateur athlete in the country. In 1988, he earned a gold medal, pitching the final game at the Seoul Olympics. From there, he was drafted, eighth overall, by the Angels. In 1993, playing for the Yankees, he pitched a 4-0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. Abbott’s story quickly became one of the most inspiring in professional athletics, encouraging children to look past their limitations and keep their eyes on their dreams.

Appendix #19b1

Natalie du Toit would have been a perfect candidate for Abbott’s mentoring. Already an internationally ranked swimmer in her native South Africa by the age of 14, du Toit seemed to be a rising star in international athletics. But, just three years later, in 2001, she was struck by a car on her way back to school from swim practice, and lost her left leg at the knee. The very next year, she took to the pool at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and won not only two events for athletes with physical challenges, but also became the first physically challenged athlete to qualify for the final of a regular event when she swam the 800-meter freestyle. In 2003, again swimming the 800-meter freestyle, she won gold at the All-Africa Games.

She continued to wow the swimming world, winning or placing in nearly every international competition she entered, including winning five golds and one silver in the Paralympics, and winning two golds again in the 2006 Commonwealth Games—and all without the aid of a prosthetic leg. When she qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, du Toit was honored in another way: She became the first physically challenged athlete to carry a country’s flag in the opening ceremony. Her 16th-place finish in the 10-kilometer open-water swim was not as strong a finish as she had hoped, but in a field of 23 other athletes, all able-bodied, it was a triumph indeed. “Be everything you want to be,” du Toit regularly reminds her fans during interviews. Clearly, she is a tremendous reminder that no obstacle is too great that it cannot be challenged— and overcome.

Appendix #19b2

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