Mr. Moshé’s Critically Thinking . . . Are You?

What is the purpose of Minor Characters ?

All minor characters in a work of fiction are written into the story in order to illustrate some aspect of the main character. Some charcters help us to see internal traits. In the book Rebel, Amanda Jane Keeling, AKA Rebel is the main character.

Many times students just take their notes and write them into sentences to describe the minor characters – DO NOT DO THAT.

The assignment is for you to share how each of these characters affect who Rebel is, not to tell about the minor characters.

Remember, the purpose of all minor characters IN ANY STORY is to shed light on the major/main one.

Take notes about each character as you read the story. Please make sure the notes are only to help the you remember who the characters are and how they effect Rebel. You are not to use them to share the affects or at least not directly.

Does the character: (a) make her think?; (b) make her do something she wouldn’t normally do?; (c) make her angry?; (d) create problems?; (e) scare her or make her uncomfortable?; (f) encourage him?; (g) anything I haven’t listed here, etc.?

1. Gram
2. Viola
3. Moses
4. Pookie
5. Tiger
6. Mr. & Mrs. Dolzycki

On a separate sheet of paper, explain how the minor characters affect Rebel’s thoughts and actions. Then post your answers to the Blog.

You must address each of the characters listed. Please post separately for each character listed.

Do not ask if this is extra credit. It isn’t. This is an opportunity for you to have a hand in lesson plan and unit design.
Post to this discussion anything you would suggest to improve the unit for Freak The Mighty:

• In-class activities
• Out-of-class activities (field trips)
• Vocabulary words
• Blog Discussion Topics

Thanks for participating in the Freak The Mighty Discussion Series (for grades – hehe). If you participated, and you know who you are, you contributed to not only to your own growth, but to the growth of all those you interacted with.

Keep It Up!!

So, if you have any suggestions, post them here.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO POST COMMENTS TO THIS POST. IT WILL NOT WORK. FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO REBEL RESOURCES TO GET TO THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, VOCABULARY LISTS, ETC.

Many things are dealt with in the book Rebel by Willo Davis Roberts. In order for you to be sure you are prepared to answer any questions concerning concepts presented in the book, the vocabulary in the book, and other novel related issues, make sure you have checked out the REBEL Resources.

Use the following link to get to various pages that have been created to help you in a number of ways to prepare for the novel test on the book.

REBEL Resources

Follow this link to critical thinkers’ general tools of the trade.
If you’ve already visited this link please be advised that I am constantly updating the currency of the site. Revisit this page often.

Rebel by Willo Davis Roberts
Vocabulary List 1
Chapter 1 (pp 1-10)

Requirements for full credit:
I. Word & Part of Speech
II. Synonym &/or Other Language
III. Word Used in Sentence from Text
IV. Denotative Definition

Vocabulary Chapter 1 List

Rebel (n) (v)
Conformity
Flamboyant
Obstinate
Discretion
Unnerve
Abrade
Fanatical
Complacency
Surreptitiously
Eccentric
Unobtrusively
Caravan (v)
Apprehension

Click the following link to get to my Yahoo Group called Critical Thinking – Because We Can. YOU WILL HAVE TO JOIN THE GROUP INORDER TO USE THE RESOURCES THAT YOU’LL FIND THERE. So join the group, then . . .

When you get there, check the menu on the left for where it says “Files” – here you’ll find files you can download for use on my assignements.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO POST COMMENTS TO THIS POST. IT WILL NOT WORK.

FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO FREAK RESOURCES TO GET TO THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, VOCABULARY LISTS, ETC.

Many things are dealt with in the book Freak The Mighty.

In order for you to be sure you are prepared to answer any questions concerning concepts presented in the book, the vocabulary in the book, and other novel related issues, make sure you have checked out the Freak Resources.

Use the following link to get to various pages that have been prepared to help you in a number of ways to prepare for the novel test on the book.

Freak Resources

What if . . . Pick Kevin or Max.

The purpose of predicting is to illustrate that you know how to make inferences and use them to make reading more exciting.

What’s an inference when it comes to literature? As a reader you make inferences when you predict that something will happen based on details or facts from the text.

For this blog entry, you will make educated guesses about a main character’s choices based on knowledge that you have gleaned from reading the book. Your response to this blog will illustrate how well you understand the character you write about.

• Your response must take the form of a short paragraph – a paragraph is made up of a main idea sentence and supporting detail sentences. A good short paragraph would have 5 or more sentences.
• You must provide at least 3 specific examples from the novel that would convince me that your prediction is probable and possible.

——————————————————————————————
Here we go!!

Choose one (1, 2, 3 or 4) of the following suggested situations for your main character.
Write an essay completing the topic sentence with one of your choices.
Make sure that your choice is supported with specific details from the book, because you are making an inference that should be based on facts.

1) The main character ____________, will probably die:
a) in a car accident
b) of a strange disease
c) of a broken heart
d) by lethal injection
e) choose another method: ___________________________________

2) If the main character, ________________, could choose a vacation location, he would prefer:
a) sunbathing in Hawaii
b) camping in the Rocky Mountains
c) fishing in Wisconsin
d) skiing in Europe

e) choose another vacation location: __________________________

3) For his birthday, the main charcter ___________________, would like the following gift:
a) a motorcycle
b) a $200 dollar gift certificate to a clothing store
c) a computer
d) a case of something to drink
e) choose another gift: _______________________________________

4) The main character, _____________________, wins a One Million Dollar Lottery and must decide what to do with the money. His choice is to:
a) give some or all of it to a charity or cause
b) take a trip around the world
c) go into hiding in the mountains
d) buy lots of materialistic things
e) choose another spending choice: ___________________________________________

You must choose one from the above choices, and write a paragraph that explains your choice using facts from the novel. Happy writing!!

Vocabulary Section 2 – Chapters 9-14 (pp48-92)
Requirements for full credit:
Word, Synonym or Other Language, Used in Sentence, Definition
Vocabulary Section 2 List
Self-Centered
Analyze
Synthesize
Reflection
Transcend
Assumption
—————
Dungarees
Avarice
Divulge
Bionics
Metabolic
Cardiac

Address each of the following questions:
1. Why is Max convinced he does not have a brain?
2. Is his assessment of himself as a “butthead” correct?

THIS is where the critical thinking starts. Address each of the following questions:
3. Do our opinions of ourselves affect what others think of us? (Explain, and give examples.)
4. Do others’ opinions of us affect how we feel about ourselves? (Explain, and give examples.)

Please post to this Blog for HW credit.

You have a lot of time to take care of this.

Remember the rules:

• Post your own comment.

• Then respond to your classmates comments.

• Remain openminded to others’ views.

• Don’t judge one another.

Although all of the Character Trait terms are detailed in this blog, please limit your FIRST comment to your own term. Responses can be prompted by and directed toward any classmate and/or any term.

Broward County Core Character Traits – not exactly an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination: Responsibility, Citizenship, Kindness, Respect, Honesty, Self-Control, Tolerance, Cooperation.

Responsibility (N) – (born 1787) Reliability or dependability;The state or fact of being responsible.

Responsible (A) – (born 1642) Answerable, accountable (to another for something); liable to be called to account.

Citizenship (N) – (born 1611) The state of being vested with the rights, privileges, and duties of a citizen; the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations, and functions of a citizen: an award for good citizenship.

Citizen (N) – (born 1314) An inhabitant of a city or (often) of a town; esp. one possessing civic rights and privileges, a burgess or freeman of a city.

Kindness (N) – (born c. 1483 – and other forms of the word by other definitions can be found as far back as 1290) The quality or state of being kind;

Kind (N) – (born 1399) of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person.

Kind (V) – (born c. 1000) Belonging to one by right of birth, descent, or inheritance; lawful, rightful; Kindly.

Kind (V) – (born c. 1100) To treat kindly.

Respect (N) – (born c. 1330) esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

Respect (V) – (born 1542) To regard, consider, take into account; to heed, pay attention to; to observe carefully;

Honesty (N) – (born 1340) the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness; truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness; freedom from deceit or fraud.

Self-Control (N) – (born 1711) control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions, feelings, etc; Control of one’s emotions, desires, or actions by one’s own will; Control of oneself, one’s desires, etc.

Tolerance (N) – (born 1412) a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry; interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one’s own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

Tolerance (V) – (born 1950, died 1973) To specify a tolerance for (a machine part, etc.). tolerancing, toleranced - obsolete/not in use

Cooperation (N) – (born 1398) an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action; more or less active assistance from a person, organization, etc.

Cooperate (V) – (born 1616) To work together, act in conjunction (with another person or thing, to an end or purpose, or in a work): a. of persons.

Cooperate (A) – (born 1868) Caused to co-operate; brought into co-operation.

Can you think of other traits a person can have (or lack)?

Post a comment on a trait not listed: define it; create a word web for it; provide an etymology (what’s an etymology?); use it in its various forms; tell us what people have to say about it.

Now, take out your sheet of paper from class. You should have a word web on it. You should have a quote, and for that quote you should have written down your idea of what is meant by it. You should have an idea of how that quote could apply to you.

1. Post your Quote with an explanation for why you picked it. Why do you like it?

2. Post what you think it means.

3. Post how you think it applies to you.

4. Then explain the role your term plays in society. You might like to take these questions one at a time – place your word in the blank. Some of the questions may not work for your term- you may need to use another form of the word in the blank, and/or you may need to change a preposition or two in the quesiton:

How does __(your term here)__ effect the creation of laws? Do those laws apply to you?

In what way does _________________ effect individual’s rights? What if there were no (one) _________________ of/for you or yours? (remember what that expression means?)

How does _________________ affect freedom for all, safety for all? What if _________________ were taken away for/from you?

What role does _________________ play as far as making certain students have opportunities to grow?