TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

April 23, 2004

 

In this week’s issue:

Networking

  (1)”Thanks”, Cal Haliburton

Elementary/Secondary TACTics
 
(2) Yani’s Goal: Practice Session Sample: Logic Branch,

       Cheryl A. Edwards

Editors’ Notes    

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

 

NETWORKING

(1)               THANKS

From Cal Haliburton, USA

 

Please place a thank you note in the next Tactics for the many orders for Yani’s Goal.  And encourage people to spread the word to their neighbors, friends and schools.                            

(Thinking Skills for Children also known as Yani's Goal can now be purchased on-line at www.halliburtonassociates.com/catalog.)


ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY TACTICS

(2)             Yani’s Goal , Practice Session Sample: Logic Branch

By Cheryl Edwards, USA


As educators, we know that it is important to provide students with opportunities to learn, to practice what they have learned, and then time to apply what they have learned to authentic situations. The story of Yani’s Goal is based on the teach/practice/apply methodology.

There are three parts in each chapter of Yani’s Goal.  In the first part, Yani learns how to use a TOC tool. In the second part, he is given several opportunities to practice what he has learned, and in the third part, he uses what he has learned in an authentic situation.

The following lesson is an example of what a student might find in the practice sessions.
A slight difference-the practice sessions in Yani’s Goal are interactive. TACTics is not. So, won’t you have some fun and work through the lesson before checking to see the possible answers?

 

The Lion and the Mouse, an Aesop Fable, retold

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him.  This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw on him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.  “Pardon, O King,” cried the little Mouse. “Forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?”  The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him that he lifted up his paw and let him go.  Some time after the Lion was caught in a rope trap.  Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon chewed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts.  “Was I not right?” said the little Mouse.

 

Let’s use the IF /THEN tree to help us discover the moral to this fable (lesson learned).

(For our TACTics readers: On a separate sheet of paper you might want to start with a box at the bottom of the page numbered ‘1’.  Fill in box 1 with the answer to the first question.  Then draw an arrow from box 1 to the next box and label it ‘2’.  Fill in the answer to the next question in box 2.  Continue this process until all questions have been answered.)

1.  What happened first?

The Mouse awakened the Lion by running up and down him.

Write this in Box 1.

 

2.  IF the Mouse awakened the Lion THEN what happened?

Write your answer in Box 2.

 

3.  IF the Lion got ready to eat the Mouse THEN what happened?

Write your answer in Box 3.

 

4.  IF the Mouse asked to be saved THEN what happened?

Write your answer in BOX 4.

 

5.  IF the amused Lion let him go THEN what happened?

Write your answer in Box 5.

 

6.  IF the mouse saw the Lion caught in a trap THEN what happened?

Write your answer in BOX 6.

7.  IF the Mouse wanted to help him THEN what happened?

     Write your answer in BOX 7.

 

8.  IF the Mouse chewed away at the ropes THEN what happened?

Write your answer in BOX 8.

 

9.  Think about the cause and effect information you have just identified.  What lesson did the Lion learn when the little Mouse was able to help him?  Write your answer(s) in Box 9.

 

Some possible answers:

Box 1- provided

Box 2- The Lion put his paw on the Mouse and got ready to eat him.

Box 3- The Mouse asked to be saved and suggested he would do a good deed in turn.

Box 4- The Lion, amused that the Mouse thought he might be able to help, let him go.

Box 5- The Mouse was able to see that the Lion got caught in a trap.

Box 6- The Mouse wanted to return the favor and help the lion.

Box 7- The Mouse helped by chewing away at the ropes.

Box 8- The ropes broke and the Lion was set free.

Box 9- Some Lessons Learned-

Little friends may prove great friends.

Don’t judge a person by his size.

Everyone can help in some way.

 

If you have not done so already, you may want to check out www.tocforschools.com , where you will be able to "Take a Tour" of Yani’s Goal as well get more information on the other components of the program.

Be sure not to miss the "Learning Objectives" listed for each chapter.

 

Also check out the following issues of TACTics to see other examples of TOC practice lessons based on Yani’s Goal  Practice lessons-

·        January 3,2003 – Cloud  (The Frog Prince) fiction

·        January 17, 2003- Ambitious Target (The Three Little Pigs) fiction

·        January 31, 2003- Logic Branch (Moose in Danger) Non fiction

·    November 14, 2003- Cloud (Wild Cats) Non fiction

 

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

Won’t you share your experiences with us?  If you use this Logic Branch lesson or any of the others provided in TACTics please drop us a short message and tell us about it.  We are very eager to hear from you.  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 kayseal@comcast.net.

 

Please note that the pdf version of TACTics is attached.  You must have Acrobat Reader to open the file.  It is freely available for download from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.  If you have the Reader installed but still can't open the file, drag it from this e-mail to your desktop, launch the Reader, and open from the FILE menu.

 

You may also view TACTics in its intended formatting, by visiting our web site at www.tocforeducation.com.  Click on “What’s New.”