MISD MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix

But Bob Metcalfe, then at Xerox, became curious about the data being exchanged between computers in Appendix #2b2 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 8 © Macomb Intermediate School Di

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MISD Thematic Units to Teach Michigan’s ELA GLCEs—Unit 8.4 Appendix Revised

Disposition: 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]

5b1-4 Figures of Speech Assessment

5d1-4 “All Summer in a Day” [Lesson 5]

5f1-3 Focus Question #1, Focus Question Directions and Rubric

5g1-3 Science Fiction Definition, Genre Information, and Student Bookmark

6d1-3 Chapter 1 Close and Critical Reading

7b Character Role Chart

8a1-5 Grammar Research and Inquiry Grammar Lesson Plan and Ellipses

9b1-4 Listening Assessment

10a1-2 Ellipses Use

11a1-2 Who Moved My Cheese

11b Who Moved My Cheese Quick Write

12b Monica Hughes Loves Ellipses, Hyphens, and Dashes

13a1-5 Readers Theater: Chapter 8

13b Enhancing or Detracting?

14a1-3 On Death and Dying

14b1-3 On Death and Dying: Close and Critical Reading

16-17a Viewing Activity

18a1-2 Culminating Project Scenario

19a1-7 “The Beethoven Factor” and Comparison and Contrast Rubric

19b1-2 “Overcoming Obstacles”

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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

MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 2 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009

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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 write

1 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

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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

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Appendix #2a1

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Informational Text Bookmark Informational Text Bookmark Informational Text Bookmark

Gives 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:

List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre

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

Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect,

compare/contrast, position/support, etc.

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

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.

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MISD Literature Unit 8.4—Reflective Inquiry—Linking Text

THEME: 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 therelease 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-waystreet

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 werelosing money Then Disney gave us the opportunity to do a feature film.”

Appendix #2b1

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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, itwould 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 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

Risk-Questioning

Innovators naturally ask why or how something works, or if something can be done in a new way Thiscuriosity 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

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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—“Whenwill 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 ofthese 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

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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 technicalobstacles 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 patienceand 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 getpulled in as innovative potential is sacrificed to meet demonstrable milestones

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

Closing 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

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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

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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 text

A 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

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Highlighted Reading—Teacher Suggestions

Guided 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 origin

Simultaneously- Happening, existing, or done at the same time

Stifle- To interrupt or cut off

Tempered - Having a specified temper or disposition

Incestuous - resembling incest as by excessive intimacy

Serendipity - The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident

Ambiguity - Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation

Pervasive - 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

2 nd paragraph

 Films released by Pixar

 The “two-way” street at Pixar

 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

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 What innovation requires

 What needs to be coupled with curiosity

 What kills many projects

 Why Exxon failed

 The role patient capital plays in innovations and why

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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.

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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 of others?

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Appendix #3a2

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Macomb Collaborative: Thematic Units to Teach Michigan’s ELA GLCEs

8.4—Close and Critical Reading—Answers Disposition: Reflective Inquiry Theme: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving.

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

By 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 SteveJobs, 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 inthe 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

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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 poorexecution 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

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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 of others?) 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 fivecore 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

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MISD ELA Unit Assessment: Close and Critical Reading Rubric (R.CS.07.01, W.PR.07.01-05)

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,

Answer is relevant but has few details to support or explain the answer.

Answer contains misinterpretation and has little or no relevance to text, question, or genre

Ideas and content are developed with few or no details.

Answer contains misinterpretation and little or no relevance to text or question or is a retelling or summary

Ideas are not developed with details.

/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.

Answer contains misinterpretation and has little or no relevance to text

or question Answer appears random

/3

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

MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 22 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Total

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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

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Student-Directed Highlighted Reading #1: The Biography of a Mouse

1

MICKEY 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

2

Mickey 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!

3

Upon 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

4

To 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 soonbecame 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 effectsman, 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

5

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

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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

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

7

With 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."

8

Through 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

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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

10

Mickey 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

11

After 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

12

One 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 webmaster@mickey-mouse.com

Appendix #4a3

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Student-Directed Highlighted Reading #2

A Modern-Day David and Goliath - Techno Teen Takes on Computer Giant - and Wins!

1

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

2

The 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

3

Imagine 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 fewpeople sat around playing with personal computers (If you don't know what PONG is, ask someone a lot older than you.)

4

Back 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

5

You 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!6

And 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

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By 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

8

Today 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 FinancialWorld and Industry Week magazines

9

Not 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

11

Even 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

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

2

So 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 onlysocial 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?

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

Trang 31

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

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

5

While 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 aboutlife 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 theyare 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

6

In 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 #4c2

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Before 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 avoyage to the moon I hear it's still a good read, if you know Latin

9

That 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

10

If 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 andtechnology 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 brainiaclike 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

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11

Having 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 inventionhappened 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

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

13

It 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

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

1

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 tosee 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.”

2

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.”

3

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.”

4

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

6

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

Appendix #4d1

Trang 35

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

8

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

9

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 #4d2

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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

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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 of

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

A 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 because

A 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 reader

A 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 #5b1

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8 In the passage “It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed…” the author

makes excellent use of

A metaphor

B plot

C personification

D theme

9 When one of the girls discovers “a single raindrop” in her open palm, it signals

A 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 is

A like sun lamps

B like animals escaped from their caves

C like film from the projector

D like a penny

Appendix #5b2

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Lesson 5 Formative Assessment (Teacher copy answer key)