RUNStrategiesSS15

1. Complete the ** chart below ** comparing the narratives of the three stories. (How does the story start?) || Gus and his class are instructed to stop talking when the teacher turns the lights on and off. || There is a brief overview of the elephant sanctuary and why it is there. || It starts by giving backround information on the role of elephants in our lives. || (What has changed?) || In the begining, Gus doesn't know what he is most thankful for, but at the end, he realizes what he is thankful for. || In the begining, Tara and Bella were friends who did everything together. In the end, Their friendship and trust has grown even stronger, and Tara became protective of Bella. || The closing situation shows what people are doing to restore the human to elephant relationship. ||
 * || **Happy Thanksgiving Gus ...** || **Assignment America ...** || **Elephants Under Pressure ...** ||
 * What is the opening situation?
 * What is the problem of challenge that is posed? || Gus has to find what he is most thankful for and take a picture of it. || Bella has a spinal chord injury and can't walk, meaning she can't see Tara, her elephant bestfried or companion. || Elephants are dying and not getting along with humans because of deforestation, and other scenarios. ||
 * How is the challenge resolved, if it is? || Mr. T stops Billy from making them go into the muddy hay. Gus is thankful for Mr. T now and takes a picture with him to show to the class. || Tara stayed in the corner of where Bella was inside and Bella's keeper took her out to see Tara. They did this everyday until Bella could walk again. || The challenge isn't resolved, but people are working towards it by moving elephants, reminding farmers, and creating sanctuaries. ||
 * How is the closing situation different to the opening situation?
 * Do you see the story from one character's point of view? How is this achieved? || Yes, I see the story from Gus's point of view. Even though the story is 3rd person, Gus is the main character because of all of the dialogue, and story line affiliated with him. || I see it from the narrator's point of view because the story is 3rd person, but also because I feel the same affection as the narrator. || I see the story from the elephants' point of view on how they are being truamatized by humans. ||

2. Think about the author of the book **Elephants Under Pressure**:
 * 1) What was the subject? What was being compared? The subject was the troubles elephants face today. The lives of elephants today and in the past are being compared.
 * 2) What symbols did the author use? The author used pictures to represent the book.
 * 3) What words stand out? Why? Words like relationship or intelligent stand out or stuff that relates to main ideas in the story stand out because they are interesting words that play a huge role.
 * 4) How do some words get you to look at characters or events in a particular way? They get me to look at them in a particular way because they give an in-depth look at the attributes and details of these.
 * 5) Are there any words that have more than one meaning? Yes. Almost every word has 2 or even three meanings. The meanings all depend on their part of speech and they are portrayed in the text.
 * 6) Was the voice formal or informal? The voice was formal. The narrator was serious about the elephants and their relationships with humans.
 * 7) Was the voice correct for the content? Yes. The problem shown in the story reflects perfectly on the narrator's voice.
 * 8) What is the most important sentence or word in the book? The most important sentence in the book is, "Throughout history elephants have performed many roles for humans." This is the most important sentence because it gives a thesis on what the book is about.

3. Think about the producer and writer of the video clip **Assignment America**:
 * 1) What was the subject? What was being compared? The subject is about the friendship of Tara the elephant and Bella the dog. Their physical attributes are being compared, but their emotions are the same.
 * 2) What symbols did they use? They used videos and pics of the two while being friends.
 * 3) What words stand out? Why? Words like sanctuary and together becuase they are used frequently and have lots of meaning to the story.
 * 4) How do some words get you to look at characters or events in a particular way? They do because they give relatable meaning about them.
 * 5) Are there any words that have more than one meaning? Yes, lots of words do. Almost every word does. It depends how the narrator says them.
 * 6) Was the voice formal or informal? The voice was informal because it was a fun topic and some grammar wasn't on fleek and there were word slurs, and even slang.
 * 7) Was the voice correct for the content? Yes, it was a cool topic and the narrator portrayed it good.
 * 8) What is the most important sentence or phrase in the video? The most important sentence is, "if they can do it, what's our excuse?" This portrays the story's theme.
 * 9) How did reading **Elephants Under Pressure** give you a better understanding of the story in **Assignment America**? It gave me a better understanding because elephants and humans don't have the best relationship. Also all of the facts helped me.

4. Answer the following questions using examples from this assignment.
 * What are similar reading strategies that can be applied to different subject areas and to different media? Compare and Contrast, used in both stories, can be used.
 * How can visual clues help to decode the meaning of the story? They give examples, like pictures and video footage used in both stories.
 * How does the sound track (audio clues) add to your understanding of the story? It sets a mood for the story. In "Assignment America" the mood was happy, so happy music was played.