Differentiation Strategies Use the following daily activities to engage students in critical and creative thinking exercises that explore and solve problems related to this week's lesson focus, women at work.
Students will begin their investigation using the Guide Questions below.
Independent Investigative Work and Critical Thinking Skills
GUIDE QUESTION What challenges did the first female pilots encounter? How were their challenges the same as and different from those of male pilots?
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT Have students review their selection and take notes on the challenges faced by the first female pilots. Then tell them to use online or print resources to find information
about challenges encountered by other pioneers in
aviation—both male and female. Arrange for students
to hold small group discussions about their findings.
Critical Thinking Skills and Independent Investigative Work
GUIDE QUESTION What questions do you have about aviation or space flight in today's world?
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT Have students generate questions about modern-day aviation or space flight and list them in the first column of a T-chart. Then have students highlight the questions they would
most like to learn about. Use online or print resources to find answers. Tell students to list answers to their questions in the second column of the T-chart.
GUIDE QUESTION Why do you think authors write biographies?
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT Have partners review the biographies they have read and discuss why the authors might have decided to write them. Remind students that authors often have more than one reason for writing, and that four common reasons are to persuade, to inform, to entertain,
and to express ideas or feelings. Tell partners to choose one selection and write an author's statement, a first person explanation from the author of why he or she wrote the biography.
Creative Thinking Skills and Independent Investigative Work
GUIDE QUESTION Would you rather read a biography about someone who is reckless or adventurous? What is the difference in meaning between these two adjectives?
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT Have students use a dictionary to find the definitions of the words reckless and adventurous. Then tell them to use a thesaurus to identify a number of synonyms for each word. Which words have positive or negative
connotations? Have students create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting these two terms. Students can then share their ideas about which type of person they would rather read about and why.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
GUIDE QUESTION Which person or character in your selection could be described as an effective problem solver? Which qualities and skills should a problem solver have?
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT Tell students to think about the people or characters in their selection. What problems did they face? How did they handle them? Have students identify one person or
character as an effective problem solver and brainstorm which qualities or skills he or she exhibited. Tell students to write a list of five or more tips on how to be an effective problem solver.
Trade Books for Advanced Learners
Suggested Activities for Trade Books
Students can
- keep a reader response journal.
- evaluate the content of the selection and write a review.
- create a dramatic reading of the selection.
- discuss the selection in a book talk.
- design and create a product of their own.
Trade Books
Suggest the following titles to provide additional reading
materials related to this week’s lesson focus.
Lost Star: The Story of Amelia Earhart by Patricia Lauber
Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman
by Nikki Grimes
Sally Ride: A Space Biography by Barbara Kramer
