CYCLE 7 - DAY 5 - SEM 1: Changing our minds/Knowing our terms

We began today with a quick non-counting quiz wherein I asked you to write definitions to the following: modal auxiliary, direct object, predicate nominative, attributive adjective and linking verb. Most of you felt uncomfortable with this, and upon discussion, you admitted that while you might recognize these things in a sentence or follow a diagramming pattern in which they are used, you might not be able to explain how these parts of speech work.

Well, that's a problem, and it all goes back to DAY 2 of the blog: BLOOM'S TAXONOMY. If all you are able to do is recognize but not explain a pattern, you are not going beyond the first two levels of thinking: knowledge and comprehension. To keep moving ahead with sentence diagramming, you'll need to be able to apply your comprehension in new situations, analyze sentences for their individual parts, synthesize your understanding to make predictions about how new elements might work, and evaluate where you went wrong in your logic. In short, YOU NEED TO REALLY KNOW WHAT THESE TERMS MEAN!

So go back and re-read the explanations for these units and make sure you understand what they say!

Then, on a spectrum, I asked you to determine where you would place one of the characters you wrote about in your paragraph for today.
Good--------------------------------------Bad
Where does Hazel belong? Bigwig? Fiver?

We then charted your reasons, creating 2 columns (+/-). After you reviewed the columns and argued a bit, you then reassessed your opinion. So long as you keep an open mind and allow yourselves to change your opinions, the class is working well and you are being true scholars. Check yourself from time to time--if you're getting stubborn in your ideas, figure out what's shutting off your mind.

Finally, you had a few minutes to read. I will not be checking the study guide for tomorrow's assignment, but I encourage you to use it to guide your thinking, and to employ the reading and review strategies. I will expect you to be ready for the discussion questions we have tomorrow. Can't remember them? Here they are (and the study guide is on the wiki!):

THREE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CLASS TOMORROW:
1. Why doesn’t Hazel listen to Fiver?
2. What advice would you give to Hazel right now? Why advise that course of action?
3. What are some of the key differences between the two groups of rabbits (their customs, forms of organization, priorities, etc.), and what are the sources of these differences?

REVIEW ACTIVITIES:
1. Review the opening quotes to each chapter and the chapter titles. How do they apply?
2. Add to your character list
3. Summarize the clues Adams presents to us about what makes Cowslip’s warren and his residents odd.