MISD MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix

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 1b 2a1-2 2b1-4 2c 2d 2e1-2 3a1-6 3b 4a-d 5a 5b1-4 5c 5d1-4 5e 5f1-3 5g1-3 6a 6b 6c 6d1-3 7a 7b 8a1-5 8b1-5 9a 9b1-4 10a1-2 11a1-2 11b 12a 12b 13a1-5 13b 14a1-3 14b1-3 16-17a 18a1-2 19a1-7 19b1-2 Disposition, Theme, and Essential Question(s) [Lessons 1, 2] Quick Write Procedure [Lesson 1] Genre: Informational Text and Student Bookmark [Lesson 2] Linking Text: Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy [Lesson 2] Getting the Most from Discussions and Presentations [Lesson 2] Highlighted Reading Teacher Suggestions [Lesson 2] Highlighted Reading for Closing the Innovation Gap [Lesson 2] Close and Critical Reading Student, Teacher Model, and Rubric: Closing the Innovation Gap [Lesson 3] Strategies That Work [Lesson 3] Highlighted Reading Selections for Group Practice [Lesson 4] Figures of Speech Figures of Speech Assessment Ray Bradbury Biography [Lesson 5] “All Summer in a Day” [Lesson 5] Think Aloud Procedure Focus Question #1, Focus Question Directions and Rubric Science Fiction Definition, Genre Information, and Student Bookmark Elements of Story Vocabulary Strategy Vocabulary Chart Chapter Close and Critical Reading Focus Question #2 Character Role Chart Grammar Research and Inquiry Grammar Lesson Plan and Ellipses ACT Prompt Listening to Comprehend Listening Assessment Ellipses Use Who Moved My Cheese Who Moved My Cheese Quick Write Hyphens and Dashes Monica Hughes Loves Ellipses, Hyphens, and Dashes Readers Theater: Chapter Enhancing or Detracting? On Death and Dying On Death and Dying: Close and Critical Reading Viewing Activity Culminating Project Scenario “The Beethoven Factor” and Comparison and Contrast Rubric “Overcoming Obstacles” MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Themes and Essential Questions Disposition: Reflective Inquiry Theme: Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving Grade Essential Questions  How I learn to learn?  How I discover new knowledge?  How I pursue a problem to the solution?  How I apply my learning?  How I see all situations in a bigger context?  How 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 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 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 quick writes in which they draw pictures and add labels Some students a mixture of writing and drawing Students 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 a quick write 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 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 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 Quick writes may be used several times in a day They may provide a “nugget” for a more extended piece of writing 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 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 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 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #2a1 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Informational Text Bookmark Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event Informational Text Bookmark Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event Informational Text Bookmark Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event Name: Name: Name: Title: Title: Title: 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 Gives information/facts Gives information/facts Gives information/facts p p p p p p p p p p Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, position/support, etc p Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, position/support, etc p Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, position/support, etc p p p p p p p Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions, maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc p Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions, maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc p Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions, maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc p p p p p p p p p p p p Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved Appendix #2a2 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved 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 the release 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-way street 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 were losing money Then Disney gave us the opportunity to a feature film.” Appendix #2b1 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 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, it would 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 computeranimated 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 Risktaking 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 Questioning Innovators naturally ask why or how something works, or if something can be done in a new way This curiosity 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 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 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—“When will 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 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 of these 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 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 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 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 technical obstacles 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 patience and still 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 get pulled 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 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 10 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 author creates a metaphor for the Grief Cycle: “…into the calm of this relative paradise, a bombshell bursts….” The bombshell is the “bad news.” The relative paradise is life before the news The excerpt is in third person and is informational The tone is instructional The author incorporates definitions of vocabulary noted with underlines that are hyperlinks For example, the word repress is underlined Yet, the definition is included in the same sentence in which it is introduced to the reader, “bottling it up inside.” The author also uses parentheses to provide expanded definitions or commentary Given the two opposing cycles in the excerpt, the author uses compare and contrast as the organizational structure of this excerpt In fact, note the author’s use of “negative” and “positive.” The author also uses the vernacular phrase “honeymoon period” to refer to a short time of bliss, “rosetinted glasses” to refer to blind optimism, and “reality starts to bite,” to refer to the pain of reality Appendix #14b2 The excerpt ends with optimism: “The person is probably happier than they were before the change started and, with their realistic vision, have the potential to reach giddier heights of happiness as they achieve more of their potential.” The excerpt ends with the name of the book, publisher, and copyright What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?) Perception of change influences the impact/consequence of change 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 the lives of others?) Answers will vary but may include some of the following  When I graduated from MSU with a BA in English and a teaching degree, there were no English jobs to be had in the State of Michigan Though I was discouraged, I was still optimistic that I would find a job that would enable me to teach English and stay in Michigan with my family I started graduate school and received my MA in special education a year later I was able to find a job immediately in my home town I taught special education for ten years before I transferred to the high school to teach English Teaching special education was a wonderful experience and provided me with tools that I have utilized throughout my teaching career In addition, my students excelled in reading and writing, as they were the subjects I loved My small classes of ten students won poetry contests at the state level and were district champions in the Book Bowl MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 96 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #14b3 Book Report Viewing Activity View the book report for Invitation to the Game at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRAAxhV_Ypo Focus Questions for Viewing:  Is it possible to identify the main ideas strictly from this video report? If so, what ideas are there; if not, what ideas need to be there?  What has the creator of this video actually done to clarify main ideas up to this point?  Evaluate content, methodology, and creativity in this portion of the video Viewing Activity—Quick Write The book report does not adequately address the theme “Tenacity, innovation, and creativity move us beyond surviving to thriving,” as it merely summarizes parts of the text If you were charged with turning this video book report into a video book review, what changes would you make? MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 97 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #16-17a Culminating Project Scenario: Students have just graduated from high school A research university, in an effort to test the importance of group cooperation, innovation, and creativity to develop thriving communities and individuals, has chosen them based on their high school performance (That can be read in a number of ways ) Students will be relocated for three years to a long-abandoned mining town in the Upper Peninsula At the end of three years, they will be awarded a BA in business management for their efforts Here are the facts they will need to keep in mind  They are hundreds of miles away from any civilization  There are old buildings, including houses, but nothing is furnished  There are abundant natural resources in the UP, including springs and lakes (Use them!)  In imagining this, think “ghost town.”  Because you are isolated from others, you may create your own laws as needed  There are no utilities (electricity, gas, etc.) in the area  They will only have the clothes on their backs (No technology allowed!)  If anyone leaves the group, the whole group loses, with no compensation or college credit earned  To earn the degree, members must create a thriving community  A written record will serve as the group’s thesis (final paper) for graduation They will keep a quarterly report (12 entries, minimum of one page each) An oral dissertation (summary and Q&A session) by the group will also be required for the degree Directions for students: Use the following website to assign UP regions to the student groups http://hunts-upguide.com/iron_river iron_mountain _the_menominee_range_detail.html Choices for regions in the UP from Hunt’s UP Guide (based on the natural resources available and the limited population): •1 Keweenaw Peninsula •3 Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon •4 Ironwood & the Gogebic Range •5 Watersmeet area •6 Iron River, Iron Mountain & the Menominee Range •7 Escanaba, Menominee & the Green Bay Shore •8 Manistique and the Garden Peninsula •9 Marquette Range MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 98 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 •10 Pictured Rocks/Munising/Au Train •11 Tahquamenon & Seney, Grand Marais & Whitefish Point Roles necessary for completing the assignment: a Recorder/ journalist b “Rules committee” chairperson (lawmaking body) c “Research committee” chair d “resource manager” (food and housing) e “Artistic and creative” manager/ social director f Timekeeper/time manager g Law enforcement representative h Shelter manager i Judge j Cartographer (maps territory) Appendix #18a1 Group meeting times after (if running from the beginning of the reading) Chapter (importance of mapping)  Chapter (resource use—copper)  Chapter (identifying food sources)  Chapter (tools)  Chapter (fire)  Chapter (artistry—thriving: beyond just surviving) “And we began decorating them (the pots), even though it wasn’t in least necessary.” p 145  Chapter (community roles) “What possible skill had I to offer the group?” p.169  Chapter 10 (recording) MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 99 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #18a2 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 100 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 The Beethoven Factor The people who thrive in the face of extreme adversity may surprise you In 1801, at age 31, Ludwig van Beethoven had become suicidal He lived in poverty, was losing his hearing, and wallowed in the depths of withdrawn despair and hopelessness Twenty-three years later, utterly deaf, no longer suicidal, and, instead, energetically creative, he immortalized Schiller’s lifeaffirming “Ode to Joy” in the lyrical chords of his Ninth Symphony His transposing of Schiller’s inspiring words, “Be embraced all ye millions with a kiss for all the world,” reflected his remarkable ability to triumph over the tragedy of his hearing loss He had triumphed over his tragedy to be able to construe the world in ways that can forever help all of us feel the joy he experienced by hearing his miraculous music Beethoven can be seen as one of the superstars of thriving He did not suddenly transform himself from someone living in helpless despair to a person living in constant joy and elation Like all ordinary thrivers, he continued to suffer through many terrible times and remained prone to dark moods throughout most of his life In an 1801 letter to his friend Karl Ameda, he wrote, “Your Beethoven is having a miserable life, at odds with nature and its Creator, abusing the latter for leaving his creatures vulnerable to the slightest accident My greatest faculty, my hearing, is greatly deteriorated.” For years, Beethoven heard mostly humming and buzzing until, for the last and very productive years of his life, he became totally deaf Through it all, however, his ability to creatively construe his situation allowed him to develop an increasingly more encompassing and adaptive explanatory style In another letter Beethoven wrote to a friend five months after the letter to Ameda, he said, “You must think of me as being as happy as it is possible to be on this earth—not unhappy No! I cannot endure it I will seize Fate by the throat It will not wholly conquer me Oh, how beautiful it is to live—and live a thousand times over!” His words capture the essence of how a deaf man learned to listen by continuing to lead a life as magnificently enriched as it was difficult A Thriving Life I refer to thriving as the “Beethoven Factor” not only because of the gifted composer’s magnificent victory over adversity but because his invincibility also reflects the life-span view of thriving When I speak of thriving as rising to the occasion, life itself is the occasion to which I refer Beethoven himself was far from being an enlightened guru, and though he thrived through his problems, he remained an ordinary man with ordinary vulnerabilities and liabilities He never summoned the courage to tell others of his deafness, writing in one of his letters that he was “unable to say to people, ‘Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.’” He often tried to deny his problem and deluded himself by visits to all sorts of charlatans and quacks who claimed they could cure his deafness As ineffective as these visits were, they also may have offered Beethoven brief spurts of hope and even moments of healthy self-delusion that bought him time to keep composing Quantum leaps of thriving sometimes happen However, most thrivers rarely recognize their invincibility in a short period of magnificent epiphany Like Beethoven, they have periods of dismal lows and unrealistic highs Through it all, thrivers maintain the key characteristic of thriving My interviews with thrivers indicate that they tend to have very strong immune systems Even at the worst of times, they seem aware on some level of the rules by which it functions MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 101 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #19a1 The “Let It Go” Rule: Thrivers seem to know or have learned to let their emotions flow naturally rather than cling to them They know that it’s not being afraid, depressed, or anxious that destroys their lives; it’s allowing themselves to get stuck in these emotional states Beethoven’s statement that he would not “endure” his pain but that he would not allow it to “wholly conquer” and dominate his life reflects his unconscious awareness of this rule The “Have Faith, Calm Down, and Don’t Despair” Rule: Thrivers have faith that no feeling will last forever and that there is always an equally strong opposing emotion for every emotion we experience Like most thrivers, Beethoven seemed to adopt an increasingly more inclusive and adaptive view of what constituted happiness Even as he struggled with his loss of what for him was his most important sense, he still wrote that he was “as happy as it is possible to be on this earth.” The “Suffer Wisely and Cheer Up” Rule: Thrivers sense that suffering is essential for a truly authentic life They seem to know that even when things seem at their worst, they are much stronger than they think and will be stronger on some level because of their pain Beethoven’s statement, “I can defy this fate even though there will be times when I shall be the unhappiest of God’s creatures,” exemplifies his grasp of how the innate psychoimmunity operates and that he seemed to understand the dynamic nature of emotions The next time you hear music composed by Beethoven, I suggest you what my grandmother recommended and listen to how it reflects the ebb and flow of his emotions and his evolving joyful view of life and nature Listen for how the changes in volume and complex intonations and movements seem to be an ode to thriving, a reflection of his lifelong effort to become creative through his suffering Listen for how music created by a deaf man might help you strengthen your own psychoimmunity Four Psychological Immunity Reactions Our psychological immune system is not separate from our physiological immune system They work together as one protective and life-enhancing unit They operate as a complex interactive loop between the brain, body, and mind Here are four of the ways in which our psychological immune system works in parallel function with our physiological immunity to allow us to experience the Beethoven Factor Psychological Immunization: By going through several life traumas, a person can become to some extent emotionally less sensitive to further trauma As Beethoven did, people who have gone through terrible stress can develop a psychological immune system characterized by a much less intense reaction to future stressors than people who have not been “inoculated” against emotional “antigens.” Beethoven went through several psychological traumas and various manifestations of his hearing loss He repeatedly encountered the stress of dealing with various phases of going deaf and trying to disguise his diminishing hearing What many saw as his natural reserve or creative preoccupation and absentmindedness were often ways he kept trying to deal with the trauma that had struck him at his prime Because of his constant struggle of trying to deal with his problem, his psychoimmunity seemed to become stronger Psychoimmunological Rapid Rebound: When we encounter severe trauma and manage to thrive by making our own meaning out of what happened to us, not only are we immunized against the next adversity, we also become better able to recover more quickly from it MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 102 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #19a2 Beethoven had a history of being emotionally knocked down hard and often He was often offered false hope of curing his deafness by those he would later call “cheaters and quacks.” It seems he became a little more adept each time at picking himself up and returning to his creative work, despite what must have been repeated heartbreaking disappointment Psychoimmunological Hardiness: The third psychoimmune response relates to rising to an even higher level of psychoimmunity following an adverse event In the aftermath of becoming totally deaf, Beethoven faced other crises in his life and work He questioned his faith and the meaning of his life, writing that he increasingly felt “at odds with nature and its Creator” and “abused by the latter” for making him suffer so From these depths of doubt and despair, Beethoven rose to even higher levels of thriving After totally losing his hearing, he expressed himself with the enhanced emotional strength of those who have had their psychoimmunity boosted by severe hardship His words stating that he was “as happy as it is possible to be on this earth” reflect that strength Lowered Expectations: Perhaps one of the most surprising findings from my interviews of thrivers was not that they seemed to develop stronger psychological immune systems that reacted less intensely to stress over time, that they recovered faster after a crisis, or that they somehow became even more psychoimmune and stronger due to their suffering It was that part of their creative construing was their development of lowered expectations of both themselves and of life I had thought that thriving and a feeling of invincibility would be accompanied by raised expectations, and that was certainly often the case However, most thrivers’ psychological trajectory wavered, often dipping up and down even as its overall course was upward They not only could find more to enjoy about life, but were much happier with much less They lowered the threshold for being thrilled and forgave themselves for their shortcomings and the world for its random harshness As one thriver joked, “It’s a lot easier to feel great when you don’t go around expecting life to be fantastic The old joke is pretty true Keep your expectations low and you won’t be disappointed Semi-great is good enough for me now.” Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget referred to the process of making adaptive changes in our thinking to deal with life events as “accommodation.” Accommodation not only takes the form of mental upshifting and increased expectations, it can also involve mental downshifting when necessary to a less demanding view of the world and ourselves It incorporates external circumstances and makes changes in our consciousness not only to fit them in but also to modify and strengthen the adaptability of our thinking Although we live in a modern world that encourages ever higher expectations, thrivers have a highly flexible accommodative style Their explanatory systems allow them to not only increase but also sometimes significantly lower their expectations Creativity and high-level adaptability can come from this kind of downshifting of goals just as it does from rededicated upshifting In a culture that keeps encouraging us to get more, more, and say yes, thrivers seem to be able to “have less, less, and say no” when their thriving depends on it One thriver I interviewed was a 16year-old boy who football coaches felt was destined to be a star The night before he was to sign his letter accepting a full football scholarship to a Big Ten School, he was paralyzed for life by a drunk driver He told me, “All the other guys in rehab are talking about their commitment to walking again Not me I’m learning how to accept the fact that I won’t and figuring out ways I can have a great or MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 103 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #19a3 maybe even a better life because I’m in a chair.” It seemed clear that this courageous young man had lowered his aspirations but realistically raised his inspiration Beyond Pollyanna Thrivers are not Pollyannas They are not blindly optimistic and are far from showing the often irritating feigned cheerfulness that can result from trying to comply with popular psychology’s version of positive thinking Their invincibility derives not just from their discovery of what they are able to about their problems, but also from their acceptance of what they may never be able to Any joy that thrivers gain through their suffering derives not from newfound super-strength, but from establishing a better and more comfortable mental match between the possible and the impossible One of the thrivers I interviewed paraphrased a well-known positive thinking phrase, “The possible we immediately The impossible takes a little longer.” After failing for years to regain her ability to walk after being struck by a car, this thriver said, “We have to learn what’s possible, but impossible we have to learn to ignore Like the other patients, I tried to be Ms Positive Thinking at first People sort of expect you to put on your game face and tell them that you will walk again, but I knew I wouldn’t People with my kind of injury just don’t I didn’t want to waste my life like all the heroes around me by going after an impossible goal I wanted to live my life now, not be on a mission that I knew would not succeed no matter how many people applauded me I wanted to get back a normal life by figuring out as quickly as possible what was and was not possible for me in my case As soon as I finally figured out what was going to be possible and how much I was willing to give to get to that point, I started to deal with my crisis in my own way.” We not thrive because we finally accomplish the impossible or overcome tremendous obstacles We thrive because we mentally remain engaged with our problem long enough to find meaning that helps us accommodate to whatever happens to us We not make miracles just by rising to new heights We live a wonderful life by searching for the miraculous in whatever life has made for us The young woman in the wheelchair said, “I hate it, but the whole thing about not feeling anything below my chest is sort of really a kind of ugly mystery to me Somehow, I’ve got to figure out how I’m going to fit this into my life and not let it run my life.” A Consciousness Catalyst For thrivers, traumas in their lives seem to provide a mentally motivating mismatch between their currently operative life theory and life’s reality This causes what psychologist Jean Piaget called “disequilibration,” or a dissonance between what our life theory predicts should happen and what actually does For thrivers, this dissonance is a consciousness catalyst that causes them to rethink their current theories and beliefs about the world and their place in it The conscious acts of creation that constitute thriving require an accommodating mind, one that is constantly changing and made wiser by the events that challenge it Thrivers seem to know when their current explanatory style is too limited to handle their current crisis They adjust it to create a consciousness of lowered expectations if they must and higher hopes when they realistically can A consciousness of adjustable levels of expectations can be one of the most important parts of thriving MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 104 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #19a4 Don’t expect a personality transplant due to your thriving If you are a generally joyful, happy person, you’ll be much the same way no matter what crisis you face If you’re a perpetual grump and general annoyance to those you live with, you will probably still be that way after you thrive through your problems The Beethoven Factor does not refer to a total personal makeover, only to the capacity to think things over and come out stronger and more adaptable from the process A Lesson from China To summarize the elements of the lifelong thriving orientation of the Beethoven Factor, I offer the wisdom of another thriving superstar He was born in and spent most of his life in China He had lived most of his life in poverty and oppression He had been imprisoned in China for his democratic views and protest in Tiananmen Square He had witnessed most of his friends being massacred or disappearing forever He had somehow managed to talk his way out of prison and come to America to learn English in weeks, earn two academic degrees within a few short years, and become a highly successful businessman He had come to me for help in dealing with the loss of his wife to breast cancer, and, within days of that loss, his own diagnosis of cancer Reading his application for treatment, I expected to see someone who looked and acted as if he had been through the psychological mill, but he appeared upbeat, jovial, and energetic Even when he cried, he still conveyed a strength of spirit that caused wonder and awe in the medical staff One night after a particularly difficult and painful chemotherapy treatment, I sat with him in his hospital room The Chinese man had tubes in his arms and his hair was gone I held a plastic bowl near his mouth as he repeatedly gagged and vomited Even in this awkward situation, he said in his typical joking style, “I’m sorry to put you through this with me, but I know you’ve been through this yourself As you can know, what doesn’t kill you only hurts like hell.” He spoke of his love for his wife and how he felt she was with him now more than ever and that she was somehow looking after him He said his pain seemed to bring him closer to her because he was feeling what she must have felt with her cancer In his weakened voice, he said, “You know, the Chinese character for crisis is made up of a combination of the one for danger and the one for opportunity I am in more danger now, but like all the other dangerous times, it seems to be yet another opportunity in my life My wife’s death stretched my spirit, but it did not tear it It made me stronger to face this cancer My own cancer has brought my wife closer to my soul I might be with her in not too long, or again maybe she will have to wait a little longer Who knows? I’m not getting rid of the false hope my doctors say I have, because for me hope is hope You don’t have to worry about facing reality, because sooner or later it will find you But you can make a little of your own reality I feel weak but in a way I know this is what life is supposed to be for my wife and me You called it the Beethoven Factor in your lecture and now I know why He composed such beauty from the troubles in his life.” After another bout of very severe nausea and pain, he took a deep breath and continued “Don’t think I’m not scared to death I hate this cancer, I’ve cried until I have no more tears, and I’m embarrassed to tell you that I have sworn in Chinese at the doctors and nurses I not consider myself a fighter and I’m often more than ready to give up, but I’m still here so I guess I’m not supposed to go yet I’m spending my time writing long letters to my wife, and she answers them at night in my dreams I think MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 105 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #19a5 I hear her sometimes, maybe as Beethoven heard I don’t think I could have listened this way without facing what I’m facing now.” My patient showed all the characteristics of a thriver you have read about His hardiness in the face of terrible pain, his humor in confronting the seemingly unending series of crises in his life, his patient hope despite his physicians’ time-based insistence that he must “face reality,” and his ability to construe or imagine ways of looking at his situation were always present when we met And by the way, not only his healing but also his cure was complete He recovered from his cancer, something one of his doctors called “unreal.” This Chinese thriver continues as of this writing to be one of the most successful financial advisors in New York and often acts as an intermediary for American businesses trying to get a start in China When I interviewed him again for this book, he said he would send me a quote someday that he felt summarized how he views, and he hopes others will view, the Beethoven Factor By a coincidence of a magnitude that only a thriver will accept as true, it arrived as I was completing my writing of this chapter It was a statement by Anwar Sadat that said, “He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality.” Like Beethoven, thrivers know how to weave and keep reweaving the fabric of their lives even when forces keep tearing at it By constantly recreating their own consciousness, they are able to what Beethoven did They remain the creative composers of their own consciousness Excerpt from The Beethoven Factor: The New Positive Psychology of Hardiness, Happiness, Healing, and Hope by Paul Pearsall MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 106 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #19a6 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 107 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Comparison and Contrast Rubric CATEGORY Purpose and Supporting Details The response clearly compares and contrasts ideas from both texts The response supports both comparison and contrast with examples that are specific and relevant The response clearly compares and contrasts ideas from both texts The response supports both comparison and contrast with a mix of general and specific relevant examples The response compares and contrasts ideas from both texts clearly, but support is general and/or incomplete The response may include irrelevant information The response compares or contrasts ideas from both texts, but does not both There is no support, or the attempt to support is unclear Organization and Structure The response breaks the information into comparison and contrast Ideas are consistently in logical order The response progresses smoothly from one idea to the next and shows strong relationships and connections among ideas The response breaks the information into comparison and contrast, but ideas may not be presented in a consistently logical order The response progresses from one idea to the next, showing some relationship among ideas The response breaks the information into comparison and contrast, but ideas may be presented in the wrong section, or in such an illogical or unexpected order that the reader is distracted There is little sense that the writing is organized Many ideas are presented in an illogical or unexpected order Language Use Varied transition words support the natural flow of the response and the relationships between ideas The response uses a variety of sentence structures and word choice Transition words may be artificial or simple, but generally support the relationships between ideas There is some variety of sentence structure and word choice Transition words are artificial or simple, and may not clearly connect ideas There is little variety of sentence structure or word choice Transitions, if any, are simple and not support the connections between ideas Sentence structure and word choice may be repetitious, simple, and limited Grammar and Spelling (Conventions) There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader There may be errors, but they generally not distract the reader from the content Errors may distract the reader from the content Multiple errors may make the content difficult to understand Adapted from http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson275/compcon_rubric.pdf Appendix #19a7 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 108 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Overcoming Obstacles By Don Yaeger, June 29, 2009 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 to see 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.” 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.” 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 was make my way back.” 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 And as proof that athletes often find inspiration from each other, Jon Lester, after working his way back into the major leagues, regularly mentioned another pitcher, Jim Abbott, when he described where he looked for inspiration Abbott didn’t suffer disease, but what he did amazed millions “I’ve learned that it’s not the disability that defines you,” Abbott explains “It’s how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with.” 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 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 Appendix #19b1 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 109 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 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 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 #19b2 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 110 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 ... Invitation to the Game Appendix 16 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 Appendix #3a2 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 17 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 MS 8.4 Invitation to the. .. 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 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 19 © Macomb... here ?" "Yes !" Appendix #5d2 MS 8.4 Invitation to the Game Appendix 43 © Macomb Intermediate School District 2009 The rain slacked still more They crowded to the huge door The rain stopped It was