HOT Practice Modules C, D, E
English Access Micro-Scholarship Program
HOT Practice
Developing Reading and Higher Order Thinking Skills for the English Bagrut Examination, Modules C, D, E
Compiled by:
Rina Akotonas
Participating Teachers:
Otra Khalila (Lakya), Raed Jubran (Tel Sheva Elbayan), Mohammed Marane (Rahat El Razi), Khaled Alhassanat (Tel Sheva Aleph), and Zidan Bacri (Kseyfe El Faruk)
Pedagogical Advisors:
Dr. Rachel Tal and Ahuva Dotan
January 2012
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Dear Teachers,
In response to ongoing requests for materials that will assist you in preparing your students for the Access to information (reading comprehension) tasks on the Bagrut examinations. This guide has been prepared specifically to assist in preparing students for Modules C,D and E.
Reading strategies are the key to answering questions after reading an article, an interview or a report, and consequently succeeding on the Bagrut Exam in which Reading and Comprehension makes upat least 60% of the final mark (60 or 70 points).
This guide was written based on the experience of the teachers participating in the English Access Microscholarship Program.
The questions asked on the Bagrut examinations have undergone significant change with respect to assessing higher thinking skills. There are fewer LOTS questions and more HOTS questions. For this reason, we decided to develop materialsto help the teachers and their students cope with the recent changes.
Themain reading materials are based on past Bagrut examinations(2007-2009). In addition, some articles were adapted from the archived articles of TIME magazine and questions were added by the teachers.
I would like to thank the Office of Public Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, for their ongoing support of the Access Program.
Good luck to you and your students on the four-point Bagrut examinations.
Rina Akotonas
Director, AmalEnglish Access Microscholarship Program
Contents
1. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN IDEA
MINDLESS EATING
WELCOME TO THE WONDERS OF MANUKA HONEY!
A GAME TO MAKE YOU DANCE
2. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN GENERAL STATEMENTS AND EXAMPLES
A STICKY PROBLEM
HELP OUR ROBOTS SAVE THE WORLD
WHERE EXHIBITS AND ENTERTAINMENT MEET
3. SEQUENCING
WELCOME TO THE WONDERS OF MANUKA HONEY!
CLICKERS ON CAMPUS
4. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN CAUSE AND EFFECT
MINDLESS EATING
MINDLESS EATING
DON’T CALL, JUST WHISTLE
5. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION
A STICKY PROBLEM
HELP OUR ROBOTS SAVE THE WORLD
DON’T CALL, JUST WHISTLE
6. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
DISTANCE LEARNING: ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, ANY PACE
HELP OUR ROBOTS SAVE THE WORLD
DIGGING FOR TREASURE
7. TRANSFERRING INFORMATION USING GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
THE HEALTHY WAY
ART TOURISM
ZODIAC TRAITS
8. FULL LENGTH PRACTICE READING PASSAGES
VOLUNTEER IN NEPAL - AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE
WHEN RUNNING UP MILEAGE, 10 PERCENT ISN’T THE CAP
A TREE THAT SHELTERS ANIMAL LIFE AND MAYBE EVEN A DEAD PARENT
KILIMANJARO –TREKKING THROUGH HISTORY
1. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN IDEA
The main idea is the point that the writer is trying to convey. Understanding the main idea helps the reader to remember important information.
Each of the following passages is followed by a sample question that requires the student to understand the main idea.
MINDLESS EATING
From English Bagrut, Winter 2008,Module C:
Psychologist Brian Wansink has spent years studying people's eating habits. In his recent research he was surprised to find out that people overeat for reasons which are not connected to hunger. Instead, there are external factors in our environment which lead to what Wansink calls "mindless eating" — eating without being aware of what and how much we eat.
Complete the sentence:
Wansink was surprised to find out that there is no connection between
overeating and ______.
WELCOME TO THE WONDERS OF MANUKA HONEY!
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008,Module D:
PharmaGold is proud to introduce HoneyAid, an exciting new antibiotic cream made from 100% pure Manuka honey. HoneyAid heals all types of wounds and burns, even those that do not respond to other medications.
What is the main subject of the passage?
(i) The history of the medical use of honey.
(ii) The advantages of Manuka honey.
(iii) The latest research on penicillin.
(iv) The modern medical uses of honey
A GAME TO MAKE YOU DANCE
From English Bagrut, Summer 2008, Module E:
Invented in Japan, DDR requires players to dance to electronic music in increasingly difficult patterns. As a song plays, arrows pointing in four different directions —forward, backward, left or right — appear on the TV screen in various combinations. Players "dance" in the directions shown on the screen by stepping on another set of arrows drawn on the floor mats.”
What is explained in this passage?
ANSWER: ______
______
______.
2.DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN GENERALSTATEMENTS AND EXAMPLES
If a statement refers to a group of people or things, or covers more than one situation, we call it a generalization.
A generalization applies to many things and many occasions.
An example is a specific statement. It concerns one particular thing.
For example:
Generalization – Most Americans like Sports.
Example – Our school’s soccer team is the best in the state.
Each of the following passages is followed by a sample question that requires the student to differentiate between statements and specific examples.
A STICKY PROBLEM
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008, Moed B, Module C
Chewing gum is harmful to the environment and recently it has become a serious pollution problem. A large percentage of gum is carelessly thrown away and ends up on city streets and sidewalks. In many cases, gum that sticks on sidewalks can remain there for 20 years because removing it is difficult and costly. In New York City, for example, special steam machines are used to clean gum off sidewalks. It costs about three dollars to remove one piece of gum!
It is expensive to clean gum off New York's sidewalks.
Give ONE fact that shows this.
ANSWER: ______
______.
HELP OUR ROBOTS SAVE THE WORLD
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008, Moed B Module D
Remember the time when robots existed only in science-fiction movies, looked like human beings, and helped with everyday tasks? Here at the Institute for Environmental Robotics (INSTER), we've almost forgotten those days. We are too busy creating real robots, which have a much more important mission: helping to protect the environment.
Robots in movies are mentioned to show that:
(i) INSTER's robots are influenced by movies
(ii) robots used to be more helpful
(iii)robots today are different
(iv) INSTER also makes robots for movies
WHERE EXHIBITS AND ENTERTAINMENT MEET
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008,Moed B Module E
"Take a deep breath," says the voice of movie star Tom Hanks. "All the oxygen you just breathed in came from deep inside a star." Hanks' words, part of the opening show at the American Museum of Natural History, are a typical example of the new concept of "edutainment." A combination of education and entertainment, edutainment is revolutionizing museum exhibitions around the world.
The example in the first paragraph is used to show that museums today:
(i)attract famous entertainers
(ii) understand the importance of education
(iii) provide information on new subjects
(iv) are using new methods
3. SEQUENCING
Sequencing is the organization of events, instructions, or other items, in the correct order, i.e., the order in which they take place.
For example:
First boil the water, next add the soup powder, then mix.
Each of the following passages is followed by a sample question that requires the student to order a sequence of events.
WELCOME TO THE WONDERS OF MANUKA HONEY!
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008 ,Module D
In fact, it is a powerful antibiotic, much stronger than other types of honey. Since then, Molan and others have collected substantial evidence showing that Manuka honey is better than many conventional medicines for treating wounds and burns. Studies have also found that it is highly effective in preventing infection.
The findings were so convincing that PharmaGold decided to develop a product which would take advantage of the astonishing qualities of Manuka honey. The result was HoneyAid. Tests in hospitals around the world proved HoneyAid's effectiveness and led to its approval for use in Britain, Australia and Canada. Last month HoneyAid was also approved by the US Department of Health. Now you too can enjoy the benefits of this great "new" antibiotic.
What sequence of events is presented in this passage? Fill in the missing information below.
(1) Scientists discovered the qualities of Manuka honey.
(2) ______.
(3) HoneyAid was found to be very effective.
(4) ______.
(5) HoneyAid is being sold to the public.
CLICKERS ON CAMPUS
From English Bagrut,Summer 2007 ,Module E
“It’s very gratifying when I see that most students have understood the lesson," says biology professor Peter Holt of Wisconsin University. "Of course, when the results show otherwise, I'm disappointed. But at least I know whether to go back over material I've already covered, or to move on. And the students know immediately if they got a question right or wrong."
How does the new technology affect Holt's teaching?
Complete the following sequence of cause and effect according to the passage.
4. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN CAUSE AND EFFECT
Cause and effect statements identify the reasons for and results of actions and circumstances, explaining the connection between the two.
With the help of connectors of Reason and Result, we can show cause and effect.
For example:
Reason: The road was slippery.
Result: He had an accident.
The road was slippery and, as a result, he had an accident.
Each of the following passages is followed by a sample question related to a cause and effect relationship.
MINDLESS EATING
From English Bagrut,Winter2008,Module C
An additional factor that causes overeating is the way food is packaged. In one of his experiments, Wansink gave the audience in a movie theater two sizes of popcornbuckets: a big size and a giant size. Both buckets contained the same amount of popcorn, which was more than most people could eat. Wansink found that the group that got giant buckets ate an average of 53% more than those with the big buckets! "This shows that the size of the container determines how much people eat," says Wansink. "The reason for this is that bigger containers make portions look smaller, so people eat more."
According to Wansink, why does the size of a container influencethe amount we eat? ______.
MINDLESS EATING
From English Bagrut, Winter 2008,Module D
One of the factors that determine the amount we eat is simply seeing the food. If a snack is on the kitchen table, we might grab it without thinking. "However, if that snack is in a cupboard, we probably won't even think of eating it," says Wansink.
Wansink mentions several factors that cause overeating and suggestsways to avoid them.
Give ONE factor that causes overeating, and the way to avoid it.
(i) The factor: ______
(ii) Way to avoid it: ______
DON’T CALL, JUST WHISTLE
From English Bagrut, Summer 2005,Module E
Until the end of the 1950s there were few roads in Gomera, and even fewer telephones."As kids we learned El Silbo in the streets," says 58-year-old Pedro Darias. "If you didn't want to do a lot of climbing up and down to find people, you had to use it." But in the1960s, as roads were built and phones became common household items, the need for ElSilbo rapidly declined.
In 1982, the local government decided to rescue the tradition by teaching El Silbo in theschools. Within three years, most children on the island were using the language. "It takesa lot of practice," explains Darias, who is one of the teachers. "When you've only got sixsounds, a lot of words seem almost the same. So you really need the context of the wholemessage to tell you what you're hearing."
Between the 1960s and the present, changes occurred in Gomera concerning El Silbo.
List the changes in the order in which they occurred by completing the sentences below.
(1) In the 1950s, the islanders used El Silbo.
(2) Later, ______.
(3) As a result, El Silbo was used less.
(4) Then, ______.
(5) As a result, ______.
5.DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION
A fact is something that is true and has been proven.
An opinion is something that we thing or believe about something.
For example:
Fact – The sun rises in the east.
Opinion – As I see it, the situation is getting worse.
Each of the following passages is followed by a sample question that requires the student to distinguish between facts and opinion.
A STICKY PROBLEM
From English Bagrut, Summer 2008, Moed B, Module C
However, chewing gum is harmful to the environment and recently it has become a serious pollution problem. A large percentage of gum is carelessly thrown away and ends up on city streets and sidewalks. In many cases, gum that sticks on sidewalks can remain there for 20 years because removing it is difficult and costly. In New York City, for example, special steam machines are used to clean gum off sidewalks. It costs about three dollars to remove one piece of gum!
CIRCLE THE NUMBER OF THE CORRECT ANSWER.
What information is given about removing gum from the streets of New York?
(i) How successful the cleaning is.
(ii)How the streets are cleaned.
(iii) How often the streets are cleaned.
(iv) How people feel about it.
It is expensive to clean gum off New York's sidewalks. Give ONE fact from lines 4-9 that shows this.
ANSWER: ______
HELP OUR ROBOTS SAVE THE WORLD
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008, Moed B, Module D
Think, for example, of animals that live in remote, hard-to-reach areas. Since itis almost impossible for scientists to collect information in these areas, INSTERdeveloped robotic cameras to do it for them. We made some that look like eggs and dropped them into the nests of eagles. Others were placed deep in the jungles where mountain gorillas live. The clever little robots constantly take pictures and send them to computers in research labs. Biologists then use this information to develop more effective programs for saving the animals, which are in danger of extinction.
What do we learn about the mountain gorillas in the above passage?
Give TWO answers.
(1) ______
(2) ______
DON’T CALL, JUST WHISTLE
From English Bagrut, Summer 2005,Module E
Like most kids on the tiny island of Gomera, 11-year-old Maria Garcia has her own cell phone. But another form of communication – one that doesn't require batteries –is just as common among the children of the mountainous island. It is known as El Silbo, the Gomera whistle. El Silbo is actually a simple kind of language. By shaping a finger like the letter U and putting it in one side of the mouth, the islanders are able to produce a set of six whistle sounds. Using those sounds to form words and sentences, they can communicate with people as far as 2.5 km away.
What do we learn about "most kids on the tiny island of Gomera" (lines 1-3)?
Give TWO facts according to the passage.
(1) ______
(2) ______
6. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
Comparison and contrast help the reader to identify the similarities and differences between two or more things, and draw conclusions based on those findings.
For example:
Statement: John is an honest man, while his friend Bill is a criminal.
Conclusion: Bill is not worthy of John’s friendship.
Each of the following passages is followed by a sample question that requires the student to compare or contrast information from within the text.
DISTANCE LEARNING: ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, ANY PACE
From English Bagrut, Summer 2007, Module C
Susan Clark is an 11th grade student in Florida. She wanted to learn Japanese but her high school didn't offer this course. So in addition to going to a regular school, Susan studies Japanese at the Florida Distance Learning School (FDLS). FDLS is a virtual school, which means that all courses are on the Internet and students study on their computers at home. They receive reading materials and homework, and "talk" to their teachers and other students — all by email. Many high schools now allow their students to take a limited number of courses at FDLS.
How is FDLS different from a regular school? Give ONE answer from the passage.
ANSWER: ______
HELP OUR ROBOTS SAVE THE WORLD
From English Bagrut,Summer 2008, Moed B, Module D
Think, for example, of animals that live in remote, hard-to-reach areas. Since itis almost impossible for scientists to collect information in these areas, INSTERdeveloped robotic cameras to do it for them. We made some that look like eggs and dropped them into the nests of eagles. Others were placed in the jungles where mountain gorillas live. The clever little robots constantly take pictures and send themto computers in research labs. Biologists then use this information to develop moreeffective programs for saving the animals, which are in danger of extinction.
We've also got robotic dogs that measure chemical pollution in the ground. Built in ourlab with the help of high-school students, the dogs are programmed to work togetherby communicating with each other and comparing signals. As soon as they discover acertain level of pollution, they bark out a popular tune. The project not only helps fightpollution, but also gets youngsters interested in environmental problems.
What do all the robots described in lines 9-20 have in common?
(i) They all use cameras.
(ii) They are used to develop new technology.
(iii) They all look alike.
(iv) They help collect information.
DIGGING FOR TREASURE
From English Bagrut, Summer 2006,Moed B, Module E
1
HOT Practice Modules C, D, E
This is good news for archeologists. Richard Gray, director of the US Archeological Research Center, explains, "In an ideal world we would never use untrained people to sift dirt and map the location of ancient civilizations. However, archeologists are always short of funds, so we welcome whatever manpower we can get. Besides, amateurs make up in enthusiasm for what they lack in knowledge."