How We Learn: Research-Based Writing Projects - Grade 12
In this unit, “Secrets of a Mind-Gamer”—a text from Joshua Foer’s bestselling book Moonwalking with Einstein—provides a model and launch pad for a student excursion into the world of acquiring difficult skills. Foer arrived at the finals of the USA Memory Championship as a reporter. A year later, he returned as a participant to become the U.S. record holder in speed cards. His account of his experience serves a double purpose: It introduces students to the notion of acquiring a difficult skill and it stands as an example of investigative report writing that students can study and emulate.
Table of Contents
Text Audio
Secrets of a Mind-Gamer: How I Trained My Brain and Became a World-Class Memory Athlete by Joshua Foer
Writing Tasks
Title: S-4: The First Assignment Retelling “Secrets of a Mind-Gamer”
Session 4
Title: S-5: The Second Assignment Writing About Foer’s Message
Session 5
Title: S-6: The Third Assignment Writing About Foer’s Method
Session 6
Title: S-14: Sub-Assignment #1 Identifying a Skill to Learn
Session 14
Title: S-15: Sub-Assignment #2 Examining Your Assumptions
Session 15
Title: S-23: A “Before You Begin Writing” Task Wrapping Up the Research
Session 23
Title: S-24: Sub-Assignment #3 What Did You Learn From Your Interviews?
Session 24
Title: S-25: Sub-Assignment #4 What Did You Learn From the Books and Articles You Read?
Session 25
Title: S-26: Sub-Assignment #5 Writing the Report
Session 26
Title: S-28: A Brief Revision Task Imitating Sentences
Session 28
Charts for Discussion
Title: S-4: The First Assignment Retelling “Secrets of a Mind-Gamer”
Session 4
Title: S-4: Questions About “Secrets of a Mind-Gamer”
Session 4
Title: S-5: What Foer Tells Us About Learning
Session 5
Title: S-8: Structure of “Secrets of a Mind-Gamer”
Session 8
Title: S-10: Sentences: Writing from Interviews or Conversations
Session 10
Title: S-10: Sentences: Writing from Observation, Experience, or Memory
Session 10
Title: S-10: Sentences: Writing from Books, Articles, or Other Print Materials
Session 10
Title: S-10: Sentences: Writing to Convey Thoughts and Feelings
Session 10
Title: S-13: Revisiting Foer’s Methods
Session 13
Title: S-16: Short Assignments for The Learning Project
Session 16
Title: S-A: Basic Rules for Interviewing
Session A
Title: S-A: Short Assignments for Research Project
Session A
Title: S-B: Six Things to Do At the Interview
Session B
Title: S-C: Things to Do After the Interview
Session C
Title: S-C: Ways to Incorporate Interviews into a Report
Session C
Forms and Graphic Organizers
Title: S-7: Criteria for a Good Discussion
Title: S-33: Presenting Your Research