Little Girls Wiser than Men

Read "Little Girls Wiser than Men" by Leo Tolstoy (individually or as a class)

1. Make Observations & Ask Questions
1. Think: Write what you observe or have questions about (use this form for ideas) (2 min).
2. Pair: Share a few of your responses with your team (2 min).
3. Share: As a team, choose 1-2 ideas to share with the class (2 min).
2. Define a Problem or Form a Hypothesis
1. Write a statement or question about one of the text's major messages or methods (2 min).
2. Consider using some of the following sentence frames:
1. The author ____________ in order to _______________.
2. *The author conveyed that _________________ by ____________________.
3. The author's message of ________________ was supported/undermined by ____.
4. Although the author attempts to _______________, __________________.
3. Develop a Plan
1. Identify general structures, messages, methods, and/or other elements to imitate (either based on teacher suggestions, team collaboration, or individual opinion) (2 min).
1. ex: write a story as a group focusing on plot and symbolism
2. Consider what structures, messages, methods, and/or other elements you’ll specifically change
1. ___(noun)____  ___(-er superlative)___ than __(noun)___
4. Conduct & Analyze an Experiment
1. Write your own imitation of the original text (if doing this as a class, wait for the teacher to model their own version of how to imitate the original text) (10-15 min).
2. Re-read the original and your version to consider what to change in yours by making it similar to or different from the original (3 min).
5. Communicate Results & Improve
1. Share the original text and your imitation with someone (2 min)
2. Have a conversation with them about what was good and what could be considered for change (see the chart below) (3 min).
3. Re-read your text and experiment with at least one of the considerations for change (3 min).

Pete the Cat

1. Make Observations & Ask Questions
1. Think: Write what you observe or have questions about in your notebook while you listen.
2. Pair: After the reading, share some of your observations/questions with a partner (2 min).
3. Share: Be ready to share 1-2 of your pair's observations with the class (3 min).
2. Define a Problem or Form a Hypothesis
1. Think: Write what you think the purpose or message of the story is in your notebook (2 min).
2. Pair: After writing, share your hypothesis about the meaning or purpose with a partner (2 min).
3. Share: Be ready to share your hypotheses with the class (5 min).
3. Develop a Plan
1. Think: What could some of the elements of this story symbolize? What could you change or add to the story to continue the use of symbolism to convey the message? (2 min)
2. Pair: Share the symbols you found or thought you could change with a partner (2 min).
3. Share: Be ready to share your symbols and changes with the class (5 min).
4. Conduct & Analyze an Experiment
1. Think: Write your own scene of the story to add to Pete's journey or to replace one of the existing parts, and have a deeper symbol in mind. (I'll write an example on the board.) (4 min)
5. Communicate Results & Improve
1. Pair: Share your scene with a partner and see if they can guess the symbolism. Partners should share at least 1 thing that was good and 1 thing that would make it "gooder." (3 min)
2. Share: Be ready to share what your new scene was and if your partner guessed the symbolism (5 min)
3. Improve: After listening to your partner's reaction and others' ideas, make at least 1 if not several meaningful changes to your version. (3 min)