WP 05 Language - myskillstutor.com14 Confusing Adjectives and Adverbs Students learn the definitions...

Language

Classroom Guide

SkillsTutor

Getting Started ............................................................................................................................................ 1

Basic Skills Lessons ............................................................................................................................ 2

Quizzes ..................................................................................................................................................2

Thinking Skills Lessons ........................................................................................................................2

Tests ......................................................................................................................................................3

Reproducible Worksheets ......................................................................................................................3

Basic Skills Lesson Summaries .................................................................................................................. 5

Capitalization ........................................................................................................................................7

Grammar and Usage ..............................................................................................................................8

Punctuation ............................................................................................................................................9

Spelling ................................................................................................................................................11

Thinking Skills Lesson Summaries............................................................................................................13

About Thinking Skills..........................................................................................................................13

Lesson Content ....................................................................................................................................13

Lesson Summaries ..............................................................................................................................14

Thinking Skills Worksheets........................................................................................................................17

Assignment Sheet...................................................................................................................................... 29

Table of Contents

© 2001 Achievement Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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This product is a comprehensive resource for diagnosing and remediating students’ basicLanguage skills.

The SkillsTutor management system (OTS) provides several important features:

• Tests students’ skills, providing both pretests and posttests to make initial assessments and

gauge student progress

• Makes assignments, based on students’ pretest results

• Monitors student scores and completion of activities

• Produces reports for individual students

• Provides online documentation

This guide outlines the content and activities of Language. Information on the management system (OTS) is provided under separate cover in the SkillsTutor User’s Guide.

Getting Started

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Basic Skills LessonsEach lesson begins with one or more screens that review a concept. Lessons continue with anumber of multiple-choice questions to reinforce the student’s understanding of the topic, asillustrated below.

These instructions will help the student take full advantage of the features of SkillsTutor lessons:

• Use the mouse to answer questions: click on the correct answer.

• Click Hint for help in answering a question.

• If a question is missed, the student will be told why the answer is wrong. The student

should read the response carefully, and try again. The student cannot move to the next ques-

tion until the current question is answered correctly, so reading and answering carefully will

save time.

• The student may review the instructional material at any time during the lesson by clicking

Review. After going through the review screens, the student returns to the question that was

being answered before the review. The student may return to the question before completing

the review by clicking Resume.

• There may be times when the student needs to exit the program before completing an activity.

To end an activity, close the activity window.

• When the student finishes answering all of the questions in an activity, a score is displayed.

The score, expressed as a percent, is the number of questions answered correctly out of all

the questions attempted.

QuizzesQuizzes operate similarly to lessons. However, quizzes have no introductory instructional mate-rial, and they do not require you to answer each question correctly before moving to the nextquestion. Detailed feedback is provided for all questions.

Thinking Skills LessonsEach Thinking Skills lesson begins with a scenario or story that presents a problem to solve.This is the theme that is carried through the entire lesson, and the problem is solved as the lesson progresses.

The opening scenario or story is followed by a discussion of the thinking skill needed to solve theproblem. Step-by-step instructions and examples for using the thinking skill are provided on screen.

The problem is solved through a series of questions which require the student to use the steps

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involved in the thinking skill. Some of the questions have only one right answer. Other questions have more than one correct answer.

For a question of this type, read carefully and select as many of the answers as seem appropri-ate. To select an answer, click the box next to it to place an X in the box. If a box is marked bymistake, click again to remove the X. Click the Hint button for help in answering a question.Click the Check button to see feedback for answers.

At the conclusion of the lesson, a summary screen highlights the thinking skill that was usedand the problem that was solved in the lesson. Then the score for the lesson is presented. Thescore is based on points accumulated, rather than the number of questions answered.

TestsSkillsTutor offers content-area pretests and posttests modeled on standardized tests. Pretests andposttests have no introductory instructional material. Like the questions for quizzes, the testquestions are presented in multiple-choice format to give students practice in answering standardized-test questions. After each test, students have the opportunity to review the ques-tions they missed. Feedback is provided for each missed question.

Reproducible WorksheetsSkillsTutor contains reproducible worksheets for each Thinking Skills lesson. The worksheetsmay be used to extend the computer activity or as a homework assignment. They are providedin this documentation and may be printed from the online version of the documentation, or pho-tocopied from the printed version.

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Basic SkillsLesson Summaries

Language contains 53 lessons, 9 quizzes, and 8 tests in a hierarchical arrangement designed tocontinually reinforce the concepts presented. On the following pages, there is a description andexample for each basic skills lesson. The lessons are arranged in the following content areas:

• Capitalization

• Grammar and Usage

• Punctuation

• Spelling

Language: Capitalization1 First Word in a Sentence Students learn to capitalize the first word in a

sentence.We are moving to Illinois.

2 First Word in a Quotation Students learn to capitalize the first word in a quotation.

�You know,� she added, �he used to live there.�

3 Greetings and Closings in Letters

Students learn to capitalize greetings and clos-ings in letters.

Dear Daniel,Sincerely yours,

4 Names and Initials of People and Pets

Students learn to capitalize the names and ini-tials of people and pets.

Do you know David P. Warner?

5 Names of Buildings, Monuments, Ships, etc.

Students learn to capitalize the names of awards, buildings, bridges, schools, etc.

Golden Gate BridgeBarston High SchoolStatue of Liberty

6 Titles of Books, Magazines, Movies, etc.

Students learn to capitalize the principal words in titles of books, magazines, newspapers, movies, and music.

I often look at Reader's Digest.

7 Titles of School Courses Students learn to capitalize the titles of courses and subjects.

Matt needs to register for Algebra II and a science class this summer.

8 Proper Adjectives Students learn to capitalize properadjectives.

We translated a Spanish novel.

9 The Pronoun I Students learn to capitalize the pronoun �I.� He and I are best friends.

10 A Title Preceding a Person's Name

Students learn to capitalize titles preceding a person's name.

Did you call Sergeant Lewis?

11 A Title Used in Place of a Person's Name

Students learn to capitalize titles used in place of a person's name.

Is Mother home yet?

12 Titles That Are Not Capitalized Students learn NOT to capitalize titles following possessives.

He gave Ted's father a ride.

13 Names of Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Groups

Students learn to capitalize the names of orga-nizations, businesses, unions, etc.

The Irish won the first race, and theNorwegians won the second.

14 Names of Civic, Social, and Fraternal Groups

Students learn to capitalize the names of civic, social, and fraternal groups.

The Jaycees sponsor a parade in our town.

15 Names of Organizations,Businesses, etc.

Students learn to capitalize the names of racial, ethnic, and religious groups, etc.

His father works for National Business Corporation.

16 Names of Geographic and Political Divisions

Students learn to capitalize the names of geo-graphic and political divisions. They also learn NOT to capitalize directions, points on a com-pass, and nouns such as �earth,� �sun,� and �moon.�

A famous street in Chicago is Michigan Avenue.The sun is very bright today.

17 Names of Natural Features Students learn to capitalize the names of natu-ral features.

The Ohio River is very wide.

18 Names of Calendar Items Students learn to capitalize the names of calen-dar items. They also learn NOT to capitalize seasons in most cases.

We will begin on Monday.In the winter, we like to go ice skating.

Lesson #

LessonTitle Lesson Description Example

Language: Grammar and Usage1 Identifying Verbs Students learn that a verb is a word or words

that show action or state of being.Action verbs:I dropped the egg.Keith grows tomatoes.State-of-being verbs:Beth is my sister.The onions smell.

2 Identifying Subjects Students learn that a subject is the word, phrase, or clause that is doing something or being discussed in a sentence.

Patrick learned to drive.Who ate the cake?

3 Complete and IncompleteSentences

Students learn that a complete sentence has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Complete Sentence:Linda is an actress.Run-On Sentence:Linda is an actress she has been in five plays.Incomplete Sentence:It looks like.

4 Difficult Verbs Students learn the definitions of confusing verbs.

lay = to put or placelie = to rest or recline

5 Difficult Nouns Students learn the definitions of words that are frequently confused with each other.

council = (n) a group that consultscounsel = (v) to give advice

6 Verb Agreement with Subject in Number

Students learn to use a verb that agrees with its subject in number.

Correct: The boys are meeting now.Incorrect: The boys is meeting now.

7 Verb Agreement with Tense of Sentence

Students learn to use a verb that is consistent with the present, past, or future tense implied by the rest of the sentence.

Correct: They are leaving now.Incorrect: They were leaving now.

8 Irregular Verbs Students learn that the past tense and past par-ticiple of irregular verbs are not formed by add-ing �ed� or �d� endings to the present tense.

Present:He flies to Florida every year.Past:He flew to Florida last week.Past Participle:He has flown to Florida six times.

9 Double Negatives Students learn not to use more than one nega-tive in a clause.

Correct: He didn't do anything.Incorrect: He didn't do nothing.

10 Connective Words Students learn to use a connective word to relate one idea to another. Connective words are used to add one idea to another, contrast two ideas, state a choice between ideas, and state a result of an idea.

I love to play baseball, but I like football even better.

11 Adjectives and Adverbs Students learn that an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun, and an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb.

It was an exciting movie.Adjective: excitingNoun: movie

12 Adjectives After State-of-Being and Sense Verbs

Students learn to use an adjective after a state-of-being verb and after a verb that tells some-thing about the condition of the subject.

State-of-being verb: He is old.Sense verb: It looks fine.

Lesson #


13 Comparatives and Superlatives Students learn to use a comparative adjective or adverb to compare two people, things, or actions. They also learn to use a superlative adjective or adverb to compare three or more people, things, or actions.

Comparatives:easier, less eager, more carefulSuperlatives:easiest, least eager, most careful

14 Confusing Adjectives andAdverbs

Students learn the definitions of frequently con-fused adjectives and adverbs.

�Good� is ALWAYS an adjective.Correct: The apples look good.Incorrect: Bob writes good.

�Well� is typically used as an adverb:She sings well, but dances poorly.�Well� may be used as an adjective referring to health:Dad doesn't feel well today.

15 Pronouns as Subjects Students learn to use the subject form of the pronoun when the pronoun is the subject of a verb.

We shall see.They are silly.Who said that?

16 Pronouns as Objects Students learn to use the object form of the pro-noun when the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition.

Bob asked her to go with us.Give this to whomever you wish.

17 Possessive Forms of Pronouns Students learn to use the possessive form of the pronoun when the pronoun is needed to show possession.

The hat is mine.Where is yours?

18 Reflexive Forms of Pronouns Students learn to use a reflexive pronoun to reflect action back onto the subject.

Mark made himself a sandwich.I hurt myself when I fell.

19 Pronoun and AntecedentAgreement

Students learn to use a pronoun that agrees with its antecedent in (1) number, (2) gender, and (3) person.

The boys carried their coats.The boy carried his coat.I carried my coat.

Language: Punctuation1 Periods After Sentences Students learn to place periods at the end of

sentences.Michael bought a new compact disc.

2 Periods After Abbreviations Students learn to place periods after abbreviations.

Mrs. Mon. Jan.Dr. Fri. Dec.

3 Question Marks Students learn to place question marks at the ends of sentences that ask questions.

Where are you going?

4 Exclamation Points Students learn to place exclamation points at the end of sentences that express strong feel-ing.

The concert was fantastic!

5 Commas to Separate Items in Lists

Students learn to use commas to separate items in a list of three or more.

She chose pink, yellow, and green wallpaper.

6 Commas to Separate Quotations

Students learn to use commas to separate the text of a quotation from the phrase that identi-fies the speaker. They also learn when to place end punctuation inside a quotation mark.

Jack yelled, �Watch out!�

7 Commas to Separate Independent Clauses

Students learn to separate two independent clauses that are joined with these words: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet.

I hurried, but I missed the bus.

Lesson #


8 Commas to Separate Introductory Words

Students learn to use a comma after an intro-ductory word, phrase, or adverb clause. They also learn to use a comma after a direct address.

While he was sleeping, he snored like a lion.I�m sorry, Mary, I haven�t seen him today.

9 Commas to Separate a City and State

Students learn to use a comma to separate a city from a state. They also learn that a comma should follow the state when it is in the middle of a sentence.

Dallas, Texas, is my home.

10 Commas in Dates Students learn to use a comma to separate a month and day from the year. They also learn that a comma should follow the year when it is in the middle of a sentence.

August 8, 1996, was the day we moved to Kansas.

11 Commas to Enclose Interrupting Phrases

Students learn to use commas to enclose inter-rupting phrases (parenthetical expressions, appositives, direct addresses).

Aunt Vera, my dad�s sister, is coming to visit us.

12 Apostrophes in Contractions Students learn to use an apostrophe to show that letters have been left out of a contraction.

let us -- let�sthey are -- they�redoes not -- doesn�t

13 Apostrophes to Show Possession

Students learn to add an apostrophe and s to a singular noun, an apostrophe and s to a plural noun that does not end in s, and an apostrophe only to a plural noun ending in s.

Sue�s birthday is next Friday.The men�s voices were loud.The dancers� moves are lovely.

14 Quotation Marks to Enclose a Speaker�s Words

Students learn to use quotation marks to enclose a speaker�s words. They also learn the comma rules for divided quotations.

�Yes,� she whispered, �the baby is sound asleep.�

15 Quotation Marks to Enclose Titles

Students learn to use quotation marks to enclose the titles of poems, songs, and news-paper or magazine articles.

Grandpa sang �Moon River� for us.

16 Commas in Greetings and Closings of Letters

Students learn to use a comma after the greet-ing in a personal letter and after the closing in all letters.

Dear Marvin,Sincerely,

17 Colons After Greetings in Business Letters

Students learn to use a colon after the greeting in a business letter.

Dear Chairman Sims:

18 Semicolons to Connect Independent Clauses

Students learn to use a semicolon to connect independent clauses with or without transitional words.

I�d like to try skiing; it looks like fun!Let me help you; otherwise, it will take too long to finish.

19 Semicolons to Reduce Confusion in Sentences

Students learn to use semicolons to reduce confusion in sentences where many commas are used.

She traveled to Columbus,Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore, Maryland; and Phoenix, Arizona.

20 Colons BetweenIndependent Clauses and Series

Students learn to use a colon to separate a series of items from an independent clause.

The team received these awards: a trophy, a plaque, and a ribbon.

21 Colons to Separate Hours and Minutes

Students learn to use a colon to separate hours from minutes.

3:158:30

Lesson #


Language: Spelling1 Plurals Formed by Adding S Students learn to form the plural of most singu-

lar nouns by adding s to the end of the word.house -- housesbook -- books

2 Plurals of Nouns Ending in S, X, CH, or SH

Students learn to form the plural of most singu-lar nouns ending in s, x, ch, or sh by adding es to the end of the word.

gas -- gasesbox -- boxes

3 Plurals of NounsEnding in Consonants and Y

Students learn to form the plural of most singu-lar nouns ending in a consonant and y by changing the y to an i and adding es.

lady -- ladieshobby -- hobbies

4 Plurals of NounsEnding in Vowels and Y

Students learn to form the plural of nouns that end in a vowel and y by adding s.

ray -- raysbuoy -- buoys

5 Plurals of NounsEnding in Consonants and O

Students learn to form the plural of most nouns ending in a consonant and o by adding s.

ego -- egospiano -- pianos

6 Plurals of NounsEnding in F or FE

Students learn to form the plural of most nouns ending in f or fe by adding s, and some nouns ending in f or fe by changing the f or fe to v and adding es.

roof -- roofsgiraffe -- giraffeshalf -- halvesknife -- knives

7 Irregular Plurals Students learn that some nouns have irregular plural forms that need to be memorized.

child -- childrenmouse -- mice

8 Suffixes After Two Consonants Students learn to add only the suffix if a word ends in two consonants.

toss -- tossedback -- backing

9 Suffixes After Two Vowels and aConsonant

Students learn to add only the suffix if a one-syllable word ends with two vowels and a con-sonant.

cool -- coolestbeat -- beating

10 Vowel Suffixes After a Vowel and a Consonant

Students learn that if a word ends in a vowel and a consonant, they should double the final consonant before adding a vowel suffix.

spot -- spottedpat -- patted

11 Consonant Suffixes After Silent E

Students learn that if a word ends in silent e and the suffix begins with a consonant, they should keep the e and add the suffix.

care -- carefullive -- lively

12 Vowel Suffixes After Silent E Students learn that if a word ends in a silent e and the suffix begins with a vowel, they should drop the e and add the suffix.

make -- makinghave -- having

13 Suffixes After aConsonant and Y

Students learn that for most words that end in a consonant and y, they should change the y to an i before adding the suffix.

pretty -- prettiestweary -- weariness

14 Suffixes After a Vowel and Y Students learn that if a word ends in a vowel and y, they should leave the y unchanged when adding a suffix.

say -- sayingpray -- praying

15 Words Ending in CEDE, SEDE, and CEED

Students learn that to avoid errors, they must memorize the spellings of words that end in cede, sede, and ceed.

accedesupersedeexceed

16 Words Ending in ENT, ENCE, ANT, and ANCE

Students learn that to avoid errors, they must memorize the spellings of words that end in ent, ence, ant, and ance.

confidentoccurrenceperformancedominant

Lesson #


17 Words Ending in ABLE and IBLE

Students learn that to avoid errors, they must memorize the spellings of words that end in able and ible.

dependablevisible

18 Using I Before E Students learn to use i before e (except after c) when the i and e form a long e sound. Excep-tions to the rule are also taught in the lesson.

piecebeliefancient

19 Using E Before I Students learn that when the letter e and i are together and they form a long a sound, the e comes before the i.

weightneighbor

20 Silent Letters Students learn that some English words contain consonants and vowels that are no longer pro-nounced. These letters can be found at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a word.

insteadknow

21 Same-Sound Consonants Students learn that in the English language, a sound can be represented by different conso-nants or sets of consonants.

kn in �know� has an n soundg in �rigid� has a j sound

22 Same-Sound Vowels Students learn that different combinations of consonants and vowels can represent the same sound.

bed, headteen, mean

Lesson #


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Thinking SkillsLesson Summaries

About Thinking SkillsTo complement the efforts of teachers and programs focused on incorporating thinking skills (orskills labeled as “higher order thinking,” “critical thinking,” “creative thinking,” “reasoning,” or“problem-solving”), Language includes thinking skills lessons as an integral part of its instruc-tion. Each Thinking Skills lesson provides students with direct instruction in a specific thinkingskill. Several different thinking skills are addressed and are repeated across different contentareas. The lessons instruct students in a step-by-step thinking process they can use each timethey are faced with a problem that requires them to use that thinking skill. We have chosen togroup the Writing thinking skills in two broad categories:

1. Extending KnowledgeAnalogiesClassificationSequencing

2. Drawing ConclusionsAbstractingInductionDeductionDecision Making

Lesson ContentEach lesson begins by placing one of the thinking skills in the context of a problem or scenariothat ties the lesson together. After instruction in the thinking skill, students answer questionsrelated to the opening scenario that combine the targeted thinking skill as well as basic skillslearned in previous lessons. By the end of each lesson, students have practiced basic skills con-tent and a thinking skill while solving a “real life” problem.

As you introduce your students to these lessons, you might find it helpful to point out the fol-lowing features:

1. After the title screen, a problem or scenario is presented. This is the theme of the entire les-

son and is solved as the lesson progresses.

2. The opening problem is followed by direct instruction in a specific thinking skill. A step-by-

step process is presented to help students focus on the thinking skill that will be used to

respond to the opening problem. If students wish to reread any part of the scenario or steps,

they can return to these screens from any of the questions by selecting Review.

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3. A set of questions walks the students through the steps of the thinking process introduced in

the instruction. Through this sequence of questions, students apply their basic skills knowl-

edge to solve the opening problem. Unlike the rest of the SkillsTutor lessons, many of the

questions in these lessons have more than one correct response to a multiple-choice ques-

tion. Students should read carefully and mark as many of the boxes as seem appropriate to

answer each question.

4. At the conclusion of the questions, a summary screen highlights again the thinking skill that

was used and the problem that was solved in the lesson. Students then see their score for the

lesson, based on points accumulated rather than just the number of questions answered. This

scoring procedure tallies a point for each correct response given to a single question.

Lesson SummariesOn the following pages you will find a lesson summary and strategy or example for each of theLanguage Thinking Skills lessons. For teachers who want to focus on a particular thinking skillwith one or more students, this chart makes it easy to locate related lessons. Group discussion isalways encouraged as a means of improving metacognition, or getting students to think abouttheir thinking processes.

You will find a reproducible worksheet for each Thinking Skills lesson. The worksheet may beused by students at the completion of the computer lesson or as a homework assignment. Eachworksheet concludes with a “Write Idea” which is a suggested writing activity that should helpstudents think through the process learned in the lesson and apply it to a new situation. Answerkeys are not provided for the worksheets since many of the activities are open-ended and do notlend themselves to single “correct” answers. Encourage students to verbalize the thinkingprocesses they use on these worksheet questions. You might also have students discuss theirworksheet answers in small groups and correct each other’s papers.

Topic Lesson Title Lesson Summary Example/StrategyAnalogies Students compare relationships between pairs of terms.

Grammar andUsage

Completing a Rhyme Students use analogies to identify themissing words in a rhyme. The analogiesuse pronouns.

Students solve incompleteanalogies focusing on pronouns.

you : yours :: she : hers

Classification Students determine the attributes of items and then group them into categories according to theseattributes.

Capitalization Tutoring GroupsWithin a Class

Students use classification to put childrenin study groups based on the children’sknowledge of capitalization rules.

Students construct a chart togroup children based on the typesof capitalization errors they havemade.

Grammar andUsage

Substituting for theTutor

Students use classification to assignstudents to study groups. They classifystudents by their writing samples,identifying grammatical errors anddetermining which rules need to bereviewed.

Students construct a chartclassifying students into studygroups based on theirgrammatical errors.

Spelling Helping Carlos withSpelling

Students help Carlos classify nouns intouseful categories to help him remembertheir spellings.

Students construct a chart toclassify words according to therules for forming plurals andadding suffixes.

Abstracting Students determine the general pattern underlying some information and then apply that pattern to a newsituation.

Spelling Teaching a FriendSpelling Rules

Students apply the process of abstractingto the spelling rules that they are teachinga Honduran friend.

Students identify spelling errorsand apply abstracting to extendspelling rules to new words.

Induction Students examine the patterns in specific facts and then draw appropriate conclusions or generalizations.

Capitalization Helping a TalentedWriter Improve

Students look for patterns in capitalizationerrors and draw conclusions about how tohelp a writer improve her capitalizationskills.

Students are guided to drawconclusions based oncapitalization patterns theyidentify in writing samples.

Grammar andUsage

A Television WriterImproves

Students identify specific grammar andusage errors in a writing passage. Theylook for patterns in the errors and drawconclusions about how to help a televisionwriter improve.

Students must recognize completeand incomplete sentences, run-onsentences, and the definitions ofsome frequently confused wordsto identify errors in a writingsample.

Punctuation Editing a Reporter’sStory

Students identify specific errors in a newsarticle to determine which punctuationrules a writer does and does not know.

Students construct a chart torecord observations aboutpunctuation errors in a newsreporter’s article.

The Case of theMissing Keys

Students identify specific errors in a typedmemo to determine the punctuation errorsa writer has made, and then determinewhich computer keys are malfunctioning.

Students construct a chart torecord observations aboutpunctuation errors in a memo.

Spelling Hunt for the HiddenTime Capsule

Students read a letter and three anonymousmessages. Based on the spelling patternsof each document, students determinewhich message was written by the personwho wrote the letter.

Students answer puzzles as theyembark on a treasure hunt.

What rules describe these clues?

Clue 1:12 – 9 = 3 and 9 + 3 = 12

Clue 2:7 + 8 = 15 and 15 – 7 = 8

Topic Lesson Title Lesson Summary Example/StrategyDeduction Students analyze logical arguments or syllogisms. From generalizations, they infer unstated conditions

or consequences.

Punctuation Beat the Computer As they play “Beat the Computer,”students analyze the parts of a logicalargument to determine which treasurechest has the prize.

Students analyze arguments topractice their deduction skills.

Premise 1: If the sentence ispunctuated correctly, then thepopcorn coupon is in chest #1.

Premise 2: The sentence is notpunctuated correctly.

Conclusion: There is not enoughinformation to decide if thecoupon is in chest #1.

Decision Making Students identify the choices related to an unresolved issue. They evaluate their choices and reach anappropriate decision.

Capitalization Hiring a Secretary Students evaluate the skills of threecandidates for a secretarial position anddecide which candidate should get the job.

Students create a table to scorethe candidates on weightedcriteria including use ofcapitalization rules.

Portions of this product are based on materials copyrighted by Mattel, Inc. Capitalization Lessons 1-7

Name: Date:

Capitalization: Thinking Skills Lesson 1 Student Activity

Induction: Helping a Talented Writer Improve

In the lesson, you examined the following writing sample:

You used the steps in the inductive thinking process. You concluded that Anne, the writer, needed to study the rule on capitalizing the first word in a quotation.

In the book, The Quotable woman, the famous actress Helen Hayes said, “my mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you.” Ms. Hayes’s mother went on to say, “success is being praised by others, and that’s nice, too, but not as important or satisfying.” She continued, “always aim for achievement and forget about success.”

Directions: Examine this writing sample from another writer. Note any patterns you see in this writing sample. Make a general statement about the writer’s errors. Provide observations to support your statement. You advised Anne to study the rule to capitalize the first word in a quotation. Would you give this writer the same advice? State reasons to support your decision.

Someone once wrote some witty thoughts about punctuation marks. The writer said, “each of them has afascinating personality.” He started with, “think of commas as knives or daggers. They cut a sentence into parts for emphasis or for clarity.”

Write Idea: Pick something interesting to observe, such as today’s weather or a person’s activities outside your window. Write down all of your observations for at least five minutes. Write a report describing your observations, any patterns you identified, and any general statements you can make based on your observations.

STEPS: 1. Examine the available information.2. Look for patterns in the information you have

examined.3. Make a general statement or conclusion that

explains patterns you observed.4. Make more observations to see if your conclusion

holds up.


Name: Date:


Classification: Tutoring Groups Within a Class

In this lesson, you formed study groups by classifying students according to their capitalization errors. Here's the chart that appeared in the lesson:

Directions: Correct the capitalization errors in the following sentences. Fill in the chart below. Then classify students into study groups based on the kinds of errors they made.

Evan: When Tanya had the german measles, all she wanted to do was sip russian tea and eat aunt Edna's cookies.

Jamal: My siamese cat chased Mr. Pugh's persian cat all the way to my Sister-in-Law's house.

Denny: Whenever I eat dinner with my aunt and Uncle, I always learn a new joke.

Zack: The Judge told the waiter that he preferred spanish rice with his polish sausage.

Study Groups Jenn Kari Noah José Brad

1. Capitalizing Proper Adjectives X

2. Capitalizing Titles X X X

Study Groups Evan Jamal Denny Zack

1. Capitalizing Proper Adjectives

2. Capitalizing Titles

Write Idea: Imagine you are the owner of a video rental store. You have many different kinds of videos. How would you classify your collection of videotapes? What categories would you use? How would you display your videos? Explain the reasons behind your choices.

STEPS: 1. Identify the items you want to classify.2. List the important traits that will define your

groups.3. Identify which items have the important traits.4. Label and group items with similar traits.


Name: Date:


Decision Making: Hiring a Secretary

Here is the problem that appeared in the lesson:In the lesson, you had to hire a secretary for the travel agency where you work. It's important that the agency have a first-class image. You decided that Anne and Beth were the two most qualified applicants for a job as secretary.

Directions: Letters of application from Tavonne and Gail were lost in the mail room. You want to give these applicants a fair chance to be interviewed. Read their letters to determine what scores you would give them in each of the three standards. Add their scores to your decision-making chart. Of the five applicants for the job, which two applicants would you interview? Remember, a rating of 1 means an applicant has two or more errors. A rating of 2 means one error. A rating of 3 means no errors.

Anne Josh Beth Tavonne Gail

Letter writing (3) 1 x 3 = 3 1 x 3 = 3 3 x 3 = 9Typing speed (2) 3 x 2 = 6 1 x 2 = 2 2 x 2 = 4Phone experience (1) 1 x 1 = 1 2 x 1 = 2 3 x 1 = 3

TOTALS 10 7 16

Write Idea: One common complex decision that many people face is what type of car to buy. Imagine that you are faced with this decision. Create a decision-making chart. Choose three models or types of cars as your choices. What standards do you consider important to making this decision? Don't forget to rate these standards for their importance in your decision.

STEPS: 1. Identify what you are trying to decide.2. Identify your choices.3. Identify the standards important to the decision you are making.4. Rate each standard according to its importance in making your

decision.5. Score your choices according to how they meet each standard.6. Multiply the scores of your choices by the rating for each

standard.7. Add each choice's points for each standard. Then make your

decision based on the choice with the greatest number of points.

Tavonne:

I am an excellent candidate for this position. I type 93 words a minute. I have been operating the phone system at Travers Real Estate for 5 years. In addition, I have traveled all over North america.

Gail:

My supervisors at universal shipping, inc. would recom-mend me for the position. I type 67 words a minute. I answer phones on a volunteer basis for the salvation army.

Portions of this product are based on materials copyrighted by Mattel, Inc. Grammar and Usage Lessons 1-5

Name: Date:

Grammar and Usage: Thinking Skills Lesson 1 Student Activity

Induction: A Television Writer Improves

Here is Jon's writing sample from the lesson:

Horatio Alger Jr. was a popular author in the late 1800s. His principle characters rose from poverty to riches, they succeeded by honesty, hard work, and patience. Often the principle heroes met kind, rich men, these men adopted the heroes or became their guardians. Alger's stories often lead young readers to big cities, they believed they could make their fortunes the same way.

Even today we use the term “Horatio Alger story” to describe the rise of a person from “rags to riches.”

Using induction, you found that Jon needed to study the words “principle” and “principal,” and run-on sentences.

Directions: Here is another story idea that Jon gave to you.

Matthew Henson was an arctic explorer. He was the first African-American to explore the North Pole, he was on the trip led by Robert Peary. Peary learned Henson all that he knew about exploring. Henson adapted well, he was Peary's principle assistant for 20 years.

Does this sample support your earlier conclusions? Do you see any more patterns in errors? Can you draw any new conclusions about the rules that Jon needs to study?

Write Idea: Watch four or five TV ads. Listen to ads on the radio. Note techniques and words used in the ads. What patterns are there in the words used in these ads? Write a general statement about the common words used in ads.




holds up.


Name: Date:


Classification: Substituting for the Tutor

In the lesson, you created the following chart to show the types of writing errors made by six students:

Directions: Four more students have come to you for help. Here are their writing samples. How would you organize these students into study groups? Complete the chart below.

LaMar: My brother sang good at the concert on Saturday.

Ian: I read morer books this year than anyone in my family.

Dan: Last summer, I growed tomatoes in my garden.

Gina: Jenn broke our school’s high-jump record.

Study Groups Tim Amy Max Lyn Dee Joe

Verbs X X

Adjectives/Adverbs X X X

Study Groups LaMar Ian Dan Gina

Verbs

Adjectives/Adverbs

Write Idea: Think of a collection you or someone you know owns. It could be CDs, stamps, dolls, baseball cards, etc. How would you classify the items in this collection? Describe the different groups and the process you would use to classify them.

STEPS: 1. Identify the items you want to classify.2. List the important traits that will define your

groups.3. Identify which items have the important traits.4. Label and group items with similar traits.


Name: Date:


Analogies: Completing a Rhyme

Here is the rhyme that you completed in the lesson:

Pronouns. Pronouns. Which should you choose?Is it who or is it whose? Oh, whichever should you use?If her or hers has you in a stew, just do what I do.Look for likeness, or maybe similarity.Try a comparison, or maybe an analogy.Ask yourself, “How is this pronoun just like another?”To check your answer, show it to me, your helpful brother.

Directions: Your brother has written another rhyme as a clue to help you find your missing baseball glove. Fill in the blanks by completing the analogies.

Write Idea: Holidays, like New Year's Day and the Fourth of July, are a way of celebrating the seasons. While each holiday is different, holidays are also alike. Make a list of the things you enjoy about four holidays including the food, the decorations, and the parties. How are the items on the list alike? Create analogies comparing holidays from the items on your list.

STEPS: 1. Read the analogy out loud using the words "is to" and "just as."

2. Determine the relationship in the complete pair of words.

3. Apply the relationship from the first pair of words to the second pair.

4. Pick the word that completes the relationship for the second pair.

If [ 1 ] want [ 2 ] mitt, just look for it. Don't ask Mom. [ 3 ] couldn't say.The same for Dad. [ 4 ] is busy today.Look for [ 5 ] by the mound or by the plate.[ 6 ] will have a game, so don't be late.

1. _____ : yours :: she : hers2. you : _____ :: I : my3. them : _____ :: us : I4. hers : she :: his : ______5. myself : _____ :: themselves : them6. he : they :: I : _____

Portions of this product are based on materials copyrighted by Mattel, Inc. Punctuation Lessons 1-8

Name: Date:

Punctuation: Thinking Skills Lesson 1 Student Activity

Induction: Editing a Reporter’s Story




holds up.

Here is the problem that appeared in the lesson:You are the editor of a newspaper. One of your reporters has written a terrific story, but it has several punctuation errors. Using the process of induction, you create a chart of her errors. That way you can decide if she is merely careless or if she doesn’t know the rules of punctuation.

Directions: Examine this new portion of the article Ms. Wyeth submitted. Use the chart to record your observations as you did in the lesson. Put a mark next to the punctuation rules Ms. Wyeth gets right or wrong. Do you see a pattern in Ms. Wyeth’s use of punctuation rules? Do your observations support your previous conclusion about Ms. Wyeth’s use of commas? Can you draw any new conclusions?

Col Buzz Bitmap, of AeroTrack Inc, said that he did not see anything on radar at the time of the alleged sighting. “I think Cy needs glasses” Buzz told me. However, Mr J D Powers, Dr Trudy Ruyle, and Sgt Dan Cross confirmed Mr Hardy’s observations. “Something landed in the marshes” claimed Dr. Ruyle. Mrs Tara Firma, spokesperson for Astral Projections, Inc, was also in the vicinity of the alleged landing. “It was not a rocket or a missile” she claimed. “I know that for certain.”

Punctuation Right Wrong

Periods after sentences

Periods after abbreviations

Question marks

Commas in a list

Commas & quotations

Commas to separate independent clauses

Commas after introductory phrases

Write Idea: How else could you explain the punctuation errors the writer has made? Perhaps someone else typed it for her. Could she be having a problem with her keyboard? What other possible “reasons” can you find for the errors you noted?


Name: Date:


Induction: The Case of the Missing Keys

Here is the chart that you created to help you think inductively in this lesson:

Directions: Here is another memo Shelly sent to you. She typed this one using a different keyboard. Correct the punctuation errors in this memo and identify the malfunctioning computer key(s). Constructing a chart like the one above may help you identify a pattern in the errors.

Dr. LaVerne Johnsons plane will arrive at the airport at 9:00 p.m. Shell be wearing a yellow scarf so youll be able to recognize her.

When you have picked her up, take her to the White Swan Inn. Shell be staying there for at least three days.

Youll also have to take her back to the airport on November 17. Her plane departs at 3:00 p.m. Shell be flying to Atlanta, Georgia, to speak at Emory University. Her lecture would interest you. Its titled, "Adventures of Ideas: The World of Evelyn and Alfred Whitehead."

Punctuation Mark Correct Left Out Replaced Mark Used

Periods 11 0 0Apostrophes 5 0 0Quotation Marks 0 0 6 apostropheCommas 0 10 0

Write Idea: The assistant in the school's computer lab, Ms. Glass, heard how you solved The Case of the Missing Keys. Some of the keyboards in the lab also seem to be broken. Ms. Glass would like you to help her find out which keys on which keyboards need repair. There are ten computers. Write a plan for Ms. Glass to follow. Use the steps of induction. Include a model of a chart that might help her organize her information.




holds up.


Name: Date:


Deduction: Beat the Computer

Here is the problem that appeared in the lesson:You were a contestant on a game show called “Beat the Computer.” A coupon for a year's supply of popcorn was hidden in one of five treasure chests. You used “if/then” thinking to determine which treasure chest had the popcorn coupon.

Directions: Below are six statements. Use them to create at least two arguments that are logically correct. Create two more arguments in which the conclusions look reasonable but are not correct, based on the premises.

If the electricity is on, then the light works. If the light works, then the electricity is on. The light works. The electricity is on. The light is not on. The electricity is not on.

Write Idea: Find an example of “if/then” thinking. You may find one in a newspaper advertisement or in a warranty for your VCR, TV, telephone, or a household appliance. Write a paragraph explaining the following:

1. the conditions in the “if” clause, 2. what follows if the conditions are met, and 3. what follows if the conditions are not met.

STEPS: 1. Identify the "if/then" premise of the argument.

2. Identify whether the "if" condition is true, and form the second premise of the argument.

3. State the conclusion of the argument.

Portions of this product are based on materials copyrighted by Mattel, Inc. Spelling Lessons 1-12

Name: Date:

Spelling: Thinking Skills Lesson 1 Student Activity

Classification: Helping Carlos with Spelling

STEPS: 1. Identify the items you want to classify.2. Look for common elements and group items

that are alike.3. State the rule that determines membership in

the group.4. Place items in the group. If necessary, repeat

steps 2 and 3 to form new groups until all itemsare classified.

To help memorize the spelling of plural words, Carlos is creating a chart. The chart will identify rules for forming plurals and examples of words that follow each rule. Here is the beginning of the chart:

Directions: Help Carlos group the following words into categories. In the chart above, write 3 more rules for forming plurals, based on the categories you see. Then place each word under the rule it matches.

squash match

logo piano

church box

tax auto

photo wax

Rule: Some nouns have irregular plural forms.

Rule: Rule: Rule:

goose - geesemouse - micechild - children

Write Idea: Make a list of your favorite singers or musical groups. Place the singers and groups into cat-egories based on their similarities. Describe the similarities and why you enjoy listening to their music.


Name: Date:


Induction: Hunt for the Hidden Time Capsule



explains patterns you observed.4. Make more observations to see if your

conclusion holds up.

In the lesson, you determined that Message 3 was written by Carlotta. Here are the two messages that were written by her brothers.

Message 1I don't mind [saying] how [confident] I feel. Today, in the year Jimmy Carter was elected the 39th President, I [buryed] a time capsule.Travel to the city where three rivers meet. [Procede] to the two trees. The capsule rests under one.Beware of [forgerys]. I hope you [succede]. My capsule contains [memorys] as [valuable] as those from the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.

Message 2Greetings! I have [enjoied] [abundent] fortune, and so shall you. Today, in this year of the Bicentennial, I [buried] a time capsule.Travel to the Crescent City. [Proceed] to the dock of the Creole Queen. Do not be [hesitent]. The capsule is mired under mud and rock.My [confidance] must not be [betraid]. There are many [forgeries]. Unlike others, I am as [dependible] as Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Directions: In the time capsule, Carlotta placed one note from each of her brothers. Below are those notes along with the name of the brother who wrote each one. Use the process of induction and the pattern of her brother's misspellings, to match each brother to the message he wrote giving false directions to the time capsule.

Marco's NoteI have [enjoyed] teasing my sister about this time capsule. I can't believe she is really [buriing] this in the mud. She is the [bossyest] person I know. She thinks she can [succede] at everything.

José's NoteMy sister is [burying] this time capsule in the mud. She keeps [trying] to get me to help her. She has [confidance] that I know where to hide it. At first I was [hesitent], but now I think I'll help.

Write Idea: You find Carlotta's time capsule in Philadelphia. Inside the capsule are the following items: a movie poster from “King Kong”; sheet music for the song “Silly Love Songs”; a playbill from “A Chorus Line”; and the signature of Linda Carter, TV’s “Wonderwoman.” Use the process of induction that you learned in the lesson to draw a conclusion about Carlotta's interests. What would be the information to examine? What pattern do you see in this information? How could you test your conclusion?


Name: Date:


Abstracting: Teaching a Friend Spelling Rules

Here is the problem that appeared in the lesson:You sit next to a student, Georgio, who has just moved to the United States from Honduras. Georgio speaks English very well, but he is having trouble mastering spelling rules. You review the following rules and their exceptions with Georgio:

• i before e• i and e after c• i and e with the long a sound• words with i and e that once had the long a sound• silent consonants and vowels• combinations of different vowels and consonants that represent the same sound

Directions: Georgio writes a brief paragraph about Honduras. He leaves blanks for words using the rules named above. See if you can fill in the blanks.

In Honduras, my next door ________ was named Mañuel. _______ of us had any brothers or sisters, so Mañuel and I became good _______. Every day Mañuel and I would play baseball in the large _____ behind our homes. Baseball was our favorite ____. We also liked making _____ airplanes. I would like to ____ what Mañuel is doing now. I ______ that it's been ten months since I have ____ him.

Write Idea: Write to a friend who is planting a garden for the first time. Assume you have never planted a garden. You do have houseplants, however. Using abstracting, write down what you have learned about houseplants. Then pass the advice to your friend.

STEPS: 1. Identify a situation and see what information is important in the situation.

2. Write a general statement to describe the basic information.

3. Apply the general information to a new situation.

6 29 6

Assignment Sheet

This appendix contains an assignment sheet for all the activities in Language. The assignmentsheet lists the available lessons and tests. The SkillsTutor management system will track the les-sons and tests your students complete. However, it may be helpful to photocopy an assignmentsheet to help you plan lesson assignments or to help your students keep track of the lessons andtests they complete.

A c t i v i t y Date A s s i g n e d Date Completed S c o re / P ro g re s s

Assignment Sheets: Language Series

Capitalization

• Pretest on Capitalization

1 First Word in a Sentence

2 First Word in a Quotation

3 Greetings and Closings in Letters

4 Names and Initials of People and Pets

5 Names of Buildings, Monuments, Ships, etc.

6 Titles of Books, Magazines, Movies, etc.

7 Titles of School Courses

Q1 Quiz on Lessons 1 through 7

TS Induction: Helping a Talented Writer Improve

8 Proper Adjectives

9 The Pronoun I

10 A Title Preceding a Person’s Name

11 A Title Used in Place of a Person’s Name

12 Titles That Are Not Capitalized


TS Classification: Tutoring Groups Within a Class

13 Names of Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Groups

14 Names of Civic, Social, and Fraternal Groups

15 Names of Organizations, Businesses, etc.

16 Names of Geographic and Political Divisions

17 Names of Natural Features

18 Names of Calendar Items


TS Decision Making: Hiring a Secretary

• Posttest on Capitalization



Grammar and Usage

• Pretest on Grammar and Usage

1 Identifying Verbs

2 Identifying Subjects

3 Complete and Incomplete Sentences

4 Difficult Verbs

5 Difficult Nouns


TS Induction: A Television Writer Improves

6 Verb Agreement with Subject in Number

7 Verb Agreement with Tense of Sentence

8 Irregular Verbs

9 Double Negatives

10 Connective Words

11 Adjectives and Adverbs

12 Adjectives After State-of-Being and Sense Verbs

13 Comparatives and Superlatives

14 Confusing Adjectives and Adverbs


TS Classification: Substituting for the Tutor

15 Pronouns as Subjects

16 Pronouns as Objects

17 Possessive Forms of Pronouns

18 Reflexive Forms of Pronouns

19 Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement


TS Analogies: Completing a Rhyme

• Posttest on Grammar and Usage



Punctuation

• Pretest on Punctuation

1 Periods After Sentences

2 Periods After Abbreviations

3 Question Marks

4 Exclamation Points

5 Commas to Separate items in Lists

6 Commas to Separate Quotations

7 Commas to Separate Independent Clauses

8 Commas to Separate Introductory Words


TS Induction: Editing a Reporter’s Story

9 Commas to Separate a City and State

10 Commas in Dates

11 Commas to Enclose Interrupting Phrases

12 Apostrophes in Contractions

13 Apostrophes to Show Possession

14 Quotation Marks to Enclose a Speaker’s Words

15 Quotation Marks to Enclose Titles


TS Induction: The Case of the Missing Keys

16 Commas in Greetings and Closings of Letters

17 Colons After Greetings in Business Letters

18 Semicolons to Connect Independent Clauses

19 Semicolons to Reduces Confusion in Sentences

20 Colons Between Independent Clauses and Series

21 Colons to Separate Hours and Minutes


TS Deduction: Beat the Computer

• Posttest on Punctuation



Spelling

• Pretest on Spelling

1 Plurals Formed by Adding S

2 Plurals of Nouns Ending in S, X, CH, or SH

3 Plurals of Nouns Ending in Consonants and Y

4 Plurals of Nouns Ending in Vowels and Y

5 Plurals of Nouns in Consonants and O

6 Plurals of Nouns Ending in F or FE

7 Irregular Plurals

8 Suffixes After Two Consonants

9 Suffixes After Two Vowels and a Consonant

10 Vowel Suffixes After a Vowel and a Consonant

11 Consonant Suffixes After Silent E

12 Vowel Suffixes After Silent E


TS Classification: Helping Carlos with Spelling

13 Suffixes After a Consonant and Y

14 Suffixes After a Vowel and Y

15 Words Ending in CEDE, SEDE, and CEED

16 Words Ending in ENT, ENCE, ANT, and ANCE

17 Words Ending in ABLE and IBLE


TS Introduction: Hunt for the Hidden Time Capsule

18 Using I Before E

19 Using E Before I

20 Silent Letters

21 Same-Sound Consonants

22 Same-Sound Vowels


TS Abstracting: Teaching a Friend Spelling Rules

• Spelling Posttest

WP 05 Language - myskillstutor.com14 Confusing Adjectives and Adverbs Students learn the definitions...

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