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S T U D E N T G U I D E

The Warrior Women of Dynastic China

How did women warriors contribute to historical developments in dynastic China?

View this lesson at ThinkCERCA

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Table of Contents

Skills Focus

  • Build Your Vocabulary: Map a Word
  • Cornell Notes: Understanding a Topic Through Multiple Texts

Overview and Connect

  • Find Your Purpose for Learning
  • Share Your Personal Connection

Read and Check

  • Share Your Reflections
  • Test Prep Strategy: Prediction (Optional)

Analyze / Engage with the Text

  • Highlight and Annotate

Summarize

  • Write a Summary

Develop / Build Your Argument

  • Share Your Argument Builder

Draft and Review / Create your CERCA

  • Peer Editing Activity
  • Reflect on Your Writing

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Extension Activities

  • Research Activity: Women in War Commemorative Speech
  • Inquiry to Research: Asking Questions of the Texts

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Build Your Vocabulary: �Map a Word — Dynasty �

Synonym (similar or like word)

Antonym (opposite word)

Picture of Vocabulary Word

Vocabulary Word and Definition

Part of Speech

Root Word or Origin

Sentence Using Vocabulary Word

Instructions: Analyzing key vocabulary words will help you better understand the texts you are reading. Word mapping can also help the words "stick" in your memory. Complete the map below with the vocabulary word provided in the title. Use a dictionary if necessary. Fill as many boxes as you can.

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Cornell Notes: Understanding a Topic Through Multiple Texts

What is a central, or main, idea?

A central, or main, idea is…

How do readers find information from more than one text?

Readers find information…

How can readers compare and contrast multiple texts to understand information?

Readers can compare and contrast…

Instructions: Take notes on the Direct Instruction lesson using the organizer below. Then summarize and reflect on the next page.

Complete the Direct Instruction lesson online at learn.thinkcerca.com

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Cornell Notes: Understanding a Topic Through Multiple Texts

Summarize and Reflect

In your own words and in complete sentences, write a 3–4 sentence summary of this Direct Instruction lesson. An accurate summary will cover the lesson's central ideas and include important details to support those ideas.

Record your summary here:

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O V E R V I E W A N D C O N N E C T

Find Your Purpose for Learning

Instructions: When you have finished reading the Overview for this lesson, answer the following questions in the space below:

What more would you like to learn about how stories or legends are used to promote political or social ideas? What would you like to know about how changes in leadership can affect the people of a given country?

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Read the Overview provided at learn.thinkcerca.com

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O V E R V I E W A N D C O N N E C T

Share Your Personal Connection

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Complete the Connect section for this selection at learn.thinkcerca.com

Instructions:�

  1. Think: On your own, think about your experiences related to the topic.
  2. Pair & Share: With a partner, group, or a trusted listener, share the parts of your response that you feel comfortable sharing.
  3. Reflect: If time permits, reflect on your experience. What ideas did others share that you hadn't considered? How were your ideas alike?

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R E A D

Share Your Reflections

Instructions: During or after you have finished reading, find the questions in the text marked Pause and Reflect. These questions may help you understand the text, or they may help you connect the text to yourself, to other texts, or to the world around you.

Use the space on the left below to answer the reflection questions. Then discuss your answers, noting how they were similar or different.

Record “Pause and Reflect” answers here:

Record discussion reflections here:

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Refer to the Pause and Reflect questions within the Read section of the lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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C H E C K

Test Prep Strategy: Prediction

One way to prepare for assessments is to practice looking for the answers in the text before looking at the answer choices. Use prediction strategies as an opportunity to read a text more carefully.

Read each multiple choice question. In your own words, record your prediction of the correct response in the chart below.

Question on ThinkCERCA

What is the question asking you to do?

Example: Which of the following statements best explains how the passage is structured?

Look for details on the order of ideas in the passage, like order of importance, or cause and effect.

Refer to the multiple choice questions for this lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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A N A L Y Z E / E N G A G E W I T H T H E T E X T

Highlight and Annotate

In this step, you will analyze the text closely, then discuss your findings to begin developing reasoning for your argument.

  1. Read the text again, highlighting and annotating important details. ��Follow the prompts provided. The highlighting prompts will help you with the final writing task. ��You will find evidence to support your own argument or informational piece, as well as models of excellence that will help you better understand a writer’s craft in narratives and poetry. The evidence you highlight will be available when you begin building your draft in the next step.

  1. If time permits, pair and share your highlights and annotations with a classmate. Pay close attention to this conversation! Your thinking is important reasoning that you may include in your final draft.

Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Analyze / Engage with the Text.

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S U M M A R I Z E

Write a Summary

Summaries help you process your thinking about a text and are often a great way to start off an argumentative or informational essay. A good summary shows you have knowledge about a topic.

Practicing summarizing also helps you prepare for the main idea questions posed on many standardized assessments. In addition, summarizing is a helpful skill for working with others, such as when you need to confirm your understanding of what someone else has said. That's a useful skill for all parts of life.

  1. Use the sentence stems provided in the online lesson to summarize the text. Your summary should:
  2. Be brief
  3. Include the main idea and key details
  4. Represent these ideas fairly and accurately �
  5. If time permits, pair and share with a classmate. Read each other’s summary, and discuss how they are similar or different. What did you say were the main idea and key details? Were your summaries fair and accurate? Why?

Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Summarize.

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D E V E L O P / B U I L D Y O U R A R G U M E N T

Share your Argument Builder

When you’ve completed the argument building step, share your results with others, and listen to how they responded to the same question. Ask questions, and give feedback to help strengthen your partners’ reasons and evidence.

How did women warriors contribute to historical developments in dynastic China?

Share Your Argument

Listen and Record Others

1.

2.

3.

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D R A F T A N D R E V I E W / C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Peer Editing Activity

  1. Do a self-assessment of your CERCA. Use the online rubric for the lesson on learn.thinkcerca.com, checking each box where you find evidence that you have achieved the criteria.�
  2. Next, collaborate with a classmate to read each other’s drafts. Again, use the rubric to evaluate each other’s work.�
  3. Share insights into what might make your pieces stronger. Find two positive attributes and one area of growth for each draft you review.�
  4. Revise your piece using what you learned from your self-assessment and the feedback from your peers.

Complete your Draft at learn.thinkcerca.com

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D R A F T A N D R E V I E W / C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Reflect on Your Writing

Before you submit your final CERCA, write a brief reflection describing your experience.

An area for growth for me on this piece or in my writing in general is…

The strongest areas of this piece of writing are…

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Through self-assessment and/or peer editing, I learned…

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Extension Activities

The following activities can be used as extensions to this lesson.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E S E A R C H A C T I V I T Y

Women in War Commemorative Speech

Background

Throughout history, women have played an important role in times of conflict. In some civilizations, women advised military leaders and fought alongside male soldiers. In others, women were not allowed to join the military, so they disguised themselves as men and enlisted in the armed forces, joined the workforce to provide food and materials for their countries’ war efforts, or acted as spies to collect and report valuable information.

In this exercise, you will take on the role of a public official. After having spent time working with historians, you have decided to host a commemorative event to celebrate the contributions of women during times of conflict. The woman or women whom you learned about in this module will be the subject of the speech.

Materials Needed

  • Access to a school-approved search engine or school library resources (with adult permission)
  • Word-processor (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Word Perfect, Apple Pages, etc.)
    • You may also use pen or pencil and lined Paper
  • Graphic Organizer
  • Commemoration Speech Example Links

Research

  • Using the links on Page 2, study an existing commemorative speeches for inspiration.
  • Complete the organizer on Page 2 to support your analysis.

Draft, Write, and Practice

  • Use the graphic organizer on Page 3 to organize your thoughts.
  • Use the word processor or pen/pencil to write your speech.

Present Your Speech

If you feel comfortable speaking in front of your class, make your speech to commemorate a woman or group of women’s contributions to a war or military effort.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E S E A R C H A C T I V I T Y

Women in War Commemorative Speech: Example Analysis

Directions:

Speech 1

How does the speaker describe the person/people whom he is honoring?

Who are some key people/what are some key events?

Speech 2

How does the speaker describe the person/people whom he is honoring?

Who are some key people/what are some key events?

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E S E A R C H A C T I V I T Y

Women in War Commemorative Speech: Organize Your Thoughts

Directions:

  • Think about the woman or women whom you learned about in this module.
  • Use the graphic organizer below to organize your thoughts about who they are, what they did, and what obstacles, issues, or controversies they faced.

Introduction

  • In 2-3 sentences, greet your audience and describe why you have gathered everyone together.

Conclusion

In 2-3 sentences, remind everyone why you are honoring your subject and how they should be remembered.

Body Paragraph #2

In 3-5 sentences, address obstacles, issues, or controversies:

  • What kind of challenges did she/they face in their attempt to serve their country?
  • What, if any, issues might complicate her/their story?

Body Paragraph #1

In 3-5 sentences, describe your subject.

  • Who is she/are they?
  • What did they do during a time of war?

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E S E A R C H A C T I V I T Y

Women in War Commemorative Speech

Directions:

  • Using a word-processor (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Word Perfect, Apple Pages, etc.) or pen or pencil and lined Paper write your speech based on your work from the organizer.
  • Practice your speech in front of a small audience
    • Suggestion: Work with two partners, so that you have an audience of two people.
  • If you feel comfortable after speaking in front of your partners, present your speech to the class.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Ask Questions of the Texts

As you engage with texts in any subject, you can actively ask questions about the author’s purpose, intended audience, and occasion to understand the message. The table below provides examples.

Approaches

Example

Questions about the author

Is the author an authority on this topic? What was the author’s motivation in writing this piece?

Questions about the audience, purpose, and occasion of the text

Why was this article written? Why was it published at this time?

Questions about civics, economics, geography, and history

How are stories or legends used to promote political or social ideas?

Questions about concepts and ideas

Why might some leaders value the input or ideas of the people around them, while others choose to act alone?

Questions about self and community reflections

How do changes in leadership affect the people of a given country?

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Ask Questions of the Texts (continued)

Use the table below to record questions about the text you read.

Approaches

Questions

Questions about the author

Questions about the audience, purpose, and occasion of the text

Questions about civics, economics, geography, and history

Questions about concepts and ideas

Self and Community Reflections

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