AMERICAN REVOLUTION VOCABULARY ASSIGNMENT
READ DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!!
Group Task:
Compile a list of 20 good
vocabulary words. Pick some words that
you have heard before but that you aren't sure of, and some that sound new to
you. They should be challenging but not
artifacts of another era (for example, when Mr. Carson was in school).
Work on this AS A GROUP during
the first week of the project. Of
course you don't have to agree on every single word, but work together. Share the workload and include everyone.
The final copy must be typed.
Provide the page number with T, M, or B.
Arrange the words on the page so that they are easy to use and study from. Number them and skip lines between them.
Finish this assignment by the last session of week #1. You must put one copy in
your group's binder, and you must provide six copies for another group.
Type the following directions for the other group at the top of the
page:
"These are the words that have been chosen for you by
our excellent group. We have provided
the words and definitions. Find the
word in the book and circle it. On the
list write the clause (a clause has a subject and a verb) that contains the
word in the novel. Next, give the part
of speech and define the word in your own words. Now write a sentence which
shows you understand how to use the word.
Do this work by the first session of week #2. Have fun!"
American Revolution Reading Group LAUNCH DAY
*Reading Groups are great! Many people, including some of your teachers, are involved in
reading groups. These groups pick books
and then get together to discuss the books and enjoy each other's questions and
comments on the books. The discussion
groups help provide the reader with additional perspectives and help the group
members enrich their reading experiences.
Reading a good book and then just shoving it back on the shelf should be
a real disappointment.
*Acquire one binder for your group to use for this project.
Consider from the beginning how to organize this binder. At the least, the
binder must have the following: the plan for reading assignments, a daily log
of the group's activity (including assignments, notes of discussions, and roles
assigned to different members of the group), homework, vocabulary assignments,
all hand-outs, and copies of any other work done by the group.
*You will be working with other students who have chosen to read the
same book. You will experience the joys
(and sometimes frustrations) of a shared reading experience. If your group is terrible and doesn't get
anything done, it is your own fault.
You have the power to make this work.
It is up to you.
*We remind you of effective Group Work Rules:
1) Include
everyone.
2) Participate
enthusiastically, but do not monopolize.
3) Be honest
about agreements and disagreements, but be gentle about them.
4) Do your share
of the work.
5) Remember, no one of you is as smart as all
of you. ("Group" is a collective noun -- usually singular --- because
it operates as a unit.)
*Your first task is to make a reading schedule. Your group will have a total of nine
meetings before we leave for vacation, but you need to plan to finish the novel
by session #8.
*During each meeting, structure the discussion so that you
accomplish goals that you set up ahead of time. Rotate leadership of the discussions. Leave time at the end to set goals for the next meeting and
decide who will facilitate the work of the next session.
*Keep track of words that you think will be good vocabulary
words. You will have to compile a
vocabulary list.
American Revolution Reading Group LAUNCH DAY
GUIDING
QUESTIONS
On the first day, each group
should go over the questions below. At each ensuing session, each group should
review the guiding questions and make note of new insights and discoveries.
Consider adding questions of your own as well. These questions should guide you
through your reading of the entire novel, and you should feel ready to respond
to all of them by the end of this reading experience.
CONTENT
1. What is the basic plot?
What is the climactic scene in the novel?
2. What is the setting?
3. What are the major and minor conflicts in the novel?
4. How is the conflict resolved?
5. Who are the main characters and how are they developed. (What do
they do? What do they say? What do other characters or the author say
about them?) How are they related to the conflict?
6. What are the major themes and how are they developed?
7. What does this novel teach about the American Revolution?
8. Does this novel give a biased (look it up if you don't know what
it means) account of the American Revolution?
STYLE
1. How would you characterize the author's writing style?
2. Does the language give you a sense of the time period?
How?
3. How does the writing style contribute to the mood of the
novel?
4. How does the writing style contribute to the setting, characters,
conflicts, and themes of the novel?
5. What key passages are characteristic of the writer's style? What passages do you find interesting and
thought provoking?