TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

May 16, 2003

In this week’s issue:

Elementary/Secondary TACTics

(1) Annotated Book List: Ambitious Target, Cheryl A. Edwards

Connections

(2) 7th International TOCFE Conference

Editors’ Notes

(3) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards

ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY TACTics

(1) Annotated Book List: Ambitious Target

By Cheryl A. Edwards

My main objective as I develop lessons using any of the TOC Thinking Tools

is to guide students towards a deeper understanding of text—to go beyond

the literal, to engage them in critical thinking.

As I researched for appropriate literature, fiction and nonfiction, I have

found that we can use the Ambitious Target tool when we encounter a

character or group of characters, past or present, who have an important

goal that they want to achieve. Depending on the application used, I have

found the Ambitious Target can be used to guide students to:

· Learn about the obstacles characters encounter that prevent them from

achieving their goals,

· Identify specific actions taken to overcome these obstacles,

· Determine why the actions taken were successful/unsuccessful in

overcoming obstacles,

· Gain an understanding of why a goal was not achieved by uncovering

missed obstacles or ineffective actions that prevented success,

· Synthesize all the information to determine the necessary ingredients

for achieving ambitious targets and

· Bring relevancy of their new knowledge to their own lives and the world

around them.

Guided Questions: Understanding Obstacles, Actions, and Common Goals

Before Reading/Setting a Purpose for Reading

Ö What is the important goal that the character(s) is trying to achieve?

Ö What obstacles do you think the character will encounter?

During Reading

Ö Read to confirm your list of obstacles and discover others the

characters encountered.

Ö Read to find what actions the character(s) took to overcome the

obstacles.

After Reading

Ö Which actions caused the character(s) to successfully achieve their

goal?

Ö Why do you think these actions were effective in overcoming the

obstacles?

AND/OR

Ö Which actions were not successful in overcoming obstacles?

Ö Why do you think these actions were not effective?

Ö Which obstacles (if any) were overlooked and prevented the

characters from achieving their goal?

Ö Why did overlooking these obstacles prevent achievement of the goal?

Ö What would you have done differently to overcome the obstacles?

Ö Why do you think it would have been more successful?

Making Connections: Finding Relevance

Ö Think of a person (or group of people) who recently tried to

accomplish an important goal. Discuss using the appropriate questions

from the above list.

Ö Think of a time when you tried to achieve an important goal, etc.

Ö Share

Other Applications: Involving students in thinking that goes beyond

surface level knowledge

“Bad People” or “Bad Actions”?

Often we judge people (or animals) based on the actions they have

taken. Using an example from text guide students in understanding

the thinking (logical or flawed) behind the actions people have taken

to overcome their obstacles.

Discuss:

· the implications of the actions on others,

· the possibility of different actions that could have been taken to

assure overcoming their obstacles while not hurting anyone,

· the perceptions we get of someone when they take an action that

benefits them but is harmful to others,

· the implications of not thinking through how the actions we take

will affect others and

· the importance of taking responsibility for our own actions.

Different Perceptions

If there is any disagreement, misunderstanding or a lack of clarity in

the stated goal, then, understandably, it becomes difficult to achieve.

Using a specific example from text, guide students, through

questioning, to an understanding of why it is critical for everyone

involved in achieving a common goal to have a clear understanding and

agreement of that goal.

Annotated Book List:

· Clean Your Room Harvey Moon , by Pat Cummings

Macmillan Books for Young Readers

Before Harvey can watch any of his TV programs, he must clean his room.

Anyone ever face this situation?

· Chessie the Traveling Man, by Randy Houk

Reader’s Digest Young Families, Inc.

Chessie, an adventuresome Manatee, must successfully navigate the

dangerous waters to get back to his summer home. What obstacles will

he encounter?

· Don’t Talk to Strangers, Pooh, by Kathleen W. Zoehfeld

Based on the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne -Disney Press

Christopher Robin is walking to his Grandmother’s house alone for the

first time. How can he be safe? Great bridge for discussing safety

issues with young children.

· Protecting Themselves, by Ann Coleridge

1989 Modern Curriculum Press

Animals face danger everyday. How do they overcome these obstacles?

· Winking Blinking, Wiggling, and Waggling by Brian Moses

2000 D K Publishing

Early elementary book about animals overcoming their obstacles.

· Build Our Nation, How Does Cooperating Make Work Easier?

Houghton Mifflin, p. 192 and 193

Farmers team up to overcome some of the obstacles they encounter in

making a successful living on a farm.

· Little House Farm Days, adapted from Little House Books by Laura

Ingalls Wilder, HarperCollins Children’s Books

Pioneers face all kinds of obstacles and Laura’s family is no different.

Find out what actions they took to overcome these obstacles and reach

their goals.

 

 

CONNECTIONS

(2) 7th International TOCFE Conference

Today is the first day of the 7th International TOCFE Conference, which will

be in session until May 19 at the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort in Fort Walton

Beach, Florida, USA. For one glorious weekend, participants will enjoy the

collegiality of TOCFE practitioners from around the world within the

context of beautiful weather and the sandy beach of the Emerald Coast.

Feedback on the various workshops and guest speakers will be published in

upcoming issues of TACTics. For a view of our colleagues’ accommodations,

go this website: http://www.ramadafwb.com.

EDITOR’S NOTES

(3) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards

TACTics readers would love to hear about any books or applications for the

Ambitious Target, Logic Branch or Cloud you have discovered to help

students better think about and understand text. So, feel free to share

with us. Send your responses, applications of the thinking processes,

lessons, announcements, and etc. by mail to: Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill

Island Rd., Cedarville, Michigan 49719, USA. Or send hyperlink to

cedwards@cedarville.net or bucknek@earthlink.net.