The Doubter’s Companion: Aspen Institute

“Aspen Institute: A supermarket of conventional wisdom for middle-level executives. Corporate life, particularly for those not on the fast track, has all the bureaucratic pitfalls of directionless boredom. To distract these confused but loyal servants from what Thoreau called their ‘lives of quiet desperation,’ they are periodically shipped off to rest camps where, over the period of a few days, they are taught important things which can change their lives, their company, the world. Failing that, the experience may help them hold on a bit longer.”

Excerpted from: Saul, John Ralston. The Doubter’s Companion. New York: The Free Press, 1994.

Truce (n)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the noun truce. It means, of course, “a suspension of fighting, especially of considerable duration by agreement of opposing forces” as well as “a respite, especially from a disagreeable or painful state or action.” This document’s sentences are keyed to both meanings.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

John McCain on Hypocrisy

“If hypocrisy were gold, the Capitol would be Fort Knox.”

John McCain

Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Big Curmudgeon. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007.

Cultural Literacy: Sociopath

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the sociopath and a concept and figure. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two relatively simple sentence and two comprehension questions. Given the tone of our current election cycle as I publish, this is probably timely material.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

John Bartlett

“John Bartlett: (1820-1905) American bookseller, editor, and publisher. Self-taught, Bartlett worked in the University Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he impressed his customers with the breadth of his learning. While at that job, he completed his most famous book, Familiar Quotations (1855), which ran through nine editions in his lifetime and numerous subsequent editions after his death. He also published A New Method of Chess Notation (1857), A Shakespeare Phrase Book, (1881), and A New and Complete Concordance to Shakespeare (1894).

Excerpted from: Murphy, Bruce, ed. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition. New York: Harper Collins, 1996.

The Weekly Text, 26 April 2024: A Lesson Plan on the Latin Word Roots Scrib and Script

This lesson plan on the Latin word roots scrib and script stands for this week’s Text at Mark’s Text Terminal. These mean, as you might have already inferred, mean “write” and “to write.” You’ll find these two roots in such high-frequency English words describe, manuscript, prescribe, and scribble.

I open this lesson with this context clues worksheet on the verb compose. The context in this document supports a definition of the verb compose, used transitively, as meaning “to create by mental or artistic labor” and “to formulate and write.”

Finally, you’ll need this scaffolded worksheet, replete with cognates from the Romance languages, to execute this lesson.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Mock Drapery

“Mock Drapery: Wall decoration of painted curtains or draperies.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

Common English Verbs Followed by an Infinitive: Can’t Stand

OK, here is a worksheet on the verb phrase can’t stand when used with an infinitive or a gerund. I can’t stand to waste time on sketchy material.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Term of Art: Social Maladjustment

“social maladjustment: A vague term for a child’s chronic misconduct in the absence of emotional disturbance. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act specifically prohibits the classification of children as handicapped because of social maladjustment, although social maladjustment may occur together with legally defined handicaps.

In the past, it was a common practice for schools to place children into special education classes based on their misconduct rather than in the presence of a handicap. Many alleged that public school special education classes became ‘dumping grounds’ for the children whom no one wanted to teach, such as juvenile delinquents and those who defied authority.”

Excerpted from: Turkington, Carol, and Joseph R. Harris, PhD. The Encyclopedia of Learning Disabilities. New York: Facts on File, 2006.

Cultural Literacy: Othello

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Shakespeare’s play Othello. This is a full-page worksheet with a reading of four sentences and five comprehension questions. It is a relatively spare synopsis of the play, so I wonder how useful it might be. It could serve as a do-now–which is what most of the Cultural Literacy worksheet on this site are intended to do.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.