Literature Unit: Section 1
Pages 1-29

Discussion Director (Click here for examples)

Your job as the discussion director is to come up with five thinking questions, the answers to the questions, and then note the page(s) and paragraph(s) where the answers were found.  You are trying to make sure everyone in your group comprehends the reading.  Make sure as a teacher that if your students don't know the answers to the questions that they go back to the reading to find them.  Be sure to ask questions that really make the students think!  I have provided and example of each type of question that you can ask your students.

One EOG
One Cause/Effect
One Characterization
One Problem/Solution
 

Passage Picker (Click here for examples)

Your job is to pick out 4 passages you would like to share with your group.  You need to make sure that you write down the page, paragraph, and the first two words of your passage so that it will make it easier for your group to find when it's discussed. Write down what kind of passage you chose and explain why it that type of passage.  Think of a good thinking question about the passage and write it along with the answer to this question.  Answer one of the these questions in a complete sentence(s):  Why did the author include this passage in the story?  What does this passage add to the story?  You need to ask the following types of questions:

One Informative Passage
One Cause/Effect
One Descriptive
One Funny/Entertaining

Word Wizard (Click here for examples)

Your job is to write down five words including the page and paragraph where the word is used.  Copy the sentence from the book in which the word appears.  Re-read the sentence in which the word appears.  Think about the word, the sentence, and the story. Write down what part of speech you think the word is and then write down what you think the word means.  Then, look up the word in the dictionary.  Using the dictionary definition and everything you know about the definition, write your definition of the word.  Next, write down an explanation telling how this word adds meaning to the story.  Think about the characters, plot, and setting, theme, etc.  Finally, make a word wizard card.  Be sure to include in LARGE PRINT your word and the page and paragraph number.  On the other side of the card you should draw a picture to represent your word, the word, and the definition of the word.  In my example I only did two word wizard cards, but the student would need to do all five.

Expensive (p. 10 par. 3)
Wizzled (p. 16 par. 2)
Demanded (p. 17 par. 7)
Frolic (p. 19 par. 1)

Character Sketcher (Click here for examples)

Your job is to identify a character's actions (traits) and explain or prove these traits, identify the character's goal (which is what the character wants to do or accomplish), identify the problem and solution in the reading, and complete a sketch or illustration of the character.  You need to be aware that the character traits you will choose will be implied character traits.  In other words, they are not directly stated in the passage.  You really want to use descriptive words for your character traits.  You do not want to use words like good, bad, nice, and mean.  Sometimes the solution to your character's problem will not be in the section of the section of the book that you are reading.  In this case, you will need to come up with a possible solution for your character's problem.  When you begin sketching or illustrating your character, try to use any physical descriptions from the text to help you.

Your job is to sketch Marvin Redpost.

Activity Activator  (Click here for examples)

Your job is to create an activity that represents information learned and ideas experienced from reading the book.  Every member of the group must be involved in this activity.

Have everyone in the group write down something that they are afraid of.  Everyone in the group can go around and tell a story or why they are afraid of the word or sentence that they wrote down.  Each member must explain why they are afraid.
 

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