1. BOOKIN’ IT TOWARD EXCELLENCE
Improving Our Critical Thinking Skills

2. Response Strategy
In this unit we will be responding to a variety of questions about our reading and our thinking.
You will need to support each answer with evidence from the text.
Use this strategy:
I know that _______________, because _________ and therefore ________________________.

3. E.Q.: How can I use compare and contrast strategies to understand the elements of a story?
Likes & Differences
Compare and Contrast yourself and a friend.
Look for similarities and differences in the way you think, look, and act.
You may begin with a Venn Diagram or a Double Bubble Map.
Write a paragraph or two to explain how you are like your friend and how you are different.

4. “Dragon, Dragon” – pp. 83-92 by John Gardner
As you read today, pay attention to what each character thinks and does, ways they are the same, and ways they are different.

5. What Makes a Hero
What ideas does this tale offer about what makes a hero – or does not make a hero?
Explain your answer, using information from the story and from you own ideas and experience reading other stories.

6. E.Q.: How can I use my own prior knowledge to help my understanding of an informational text?
Storm Trouble
What do you know about bad storms?
Do you have some knowledge of tornadoes or hurricanes?
Think about what you already know.
Make a list of facts that you know about these kinds of storms.

7. “Hurricane Heroes” – pp
“Hurricane Heroes” – pp by Thomas Fields-Meyer, Steve Helling, and Lori Rozsa
As you read today, make a list of new information you are learning about hurricanes.
Think about facts you did not know or realize before reading this selection.

8. Main Message
What do you think is the article’s main message about heroes in times of disaster?
Do you agree?
Explain.

9. E.Q.: How can I identify and interpret cause-and-effect relationships in my reading?
Emergency Response
Have you ever responded to a weather emergency, such as a warning about a flood, tornado, or hurricane?
How did you prepare for the emergency?
Explain how you knew what to do.

10. “The Dog of Pompeii” – pp. 30-40 by Louis Untermeter
As you read today, notice the ways in which the dog, Bimbo, helps his friend, Tito, during an emergency in Pompeii.
Identify examples of cause and effect relationships.
Cause:
Effect:
Cause:
Effect:

11. Heroic Character?
What do Bimbo’s actions throughout the story suggest about him?
Judging by his actions and the character traits they suggest, do you think that Bimbo is a hero?
Explain.

12. E.Q.: How can I use visual clues about people and situations to interpret meaning and understanding?
Feeling Unsure
Think about a time when you felt unsure about what might happen next.
Write about this experience in your journal.
What were your emotions?
What did you learn from the experience?

13. “Street Magic” – pp. 104-111 by Will Eisner
As you read today, ask yourself, how do the cousins avoid trouble with the other young men in their neighborhood?

14. What Makes a Hero?
What does the dialogue among the bullies reveal about their personalities?
How do the visual clues convey important information in the story?
In what ways do you think Mersh is a hero?

15. E.Q.: How can I dissect a story to determine the main ideas and supporting details?
Who is My Hero?
Think about someone you would call a hero.
Write an explanation about why this person is a hero.
Include qualities and/or actions that you think make someone heroic.

16. “What Exactly Is a Hero?” – pp. 48-50 by T. A. Barron
Supporting Details
Main Idea
As you read this essay, ask yourself, what does the author say a hero is – and is not?
Chart the main ideas and supporting details, using charts like this:

17. What Have You Learned?
What have you learned from this essay about what a hero really is?
Use your main idea and supporting details chart to write a multi-paragraph response to this question.