Good Thinking 6-pack Author: Various ISBN: 9780176357979 Lesson Plan Grade Level: 7 Theme/Topic: Animals, Birds, and Insects, Life Science Classification: Fiction, Nonfiction

Key Reading Strategy: Making Judgments

The lesson plans in this issue of High Wire Magazine highlight the reading strategy Making Judgments.  Opportunities to use this strategy are indicated by the symbol.  For more information on this strategy, see page 10.  Assessment Master 10 in the Program and Assessment Guide can be used for this strategy.

Curriculum Link: social studies

Introducing the Magazine

Setting the Scene

Tell the students the title of this issue of High Wire Magazine is “Good Thinking!” and the theme is intelligence.  The selections in the magazine are all about people who are either extraordinarily talented or geniuses.  Originally the word “genius” meant guiding spirit, but the meaning has changed to mean someone who is so intelligent that the person sees and understands things differently from the average person.  This issue of
High Wire Magazine examines the difference between genius and talent, and gives the students plenty of opportunity to make judgments of their own on the topic.

Making Connections

Tell the students that as they work their way through this magazine, they will need to keep in mind what genius means to them.  Establish a list of ideas to help them make a personal definition.  Ask the students questions such as the following:

• What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “genius”?
• What other words mean the same thing as genius?
• Brainstorm the attributes of a genius. What makes a genius different from other talented people?
• Who would you label a genius? What makes this person a genius?

The selections in this issue of High Wire Magazine include a variety of genres, although most of them are nonfiction.  Spend some time previewing a variety of nonfiction forms of writing before you start reading the selections.

For more information please see our Lesson Plan