Theme 2: Perseverance

Planning Document
Chapters to be covered
Accountable Talk
Discussion Questions

Academic Vocabulary

Journal Prompts

3, 5, 7-9, 11, 19-20

Ben Carson was not always at the top
of his class. What were his early
challenges? What did he do to
overcome those challenges?
(Connecting back with family) What role
did Ben Carsons mother play in his
success?
When Carson entered college, he
realized he lacked study skills because
he was always able to skirt by without
much effort. What strategies should he
utilize in order to ensure his collegiate
success? What advice do you have for
him?
Being a world-class neurosurgeon
doesnt mean Carson is free from error.
What mistakes did he make early on?
How did he recover? What
characteristics does he display that
made him able to move on after certain
failures?
Individuals do not become successful
overnight. Carsons world-famous
surgery separating the twins came after
decades of hard work and
determination. How did he and others
that you identified in our introductory
lesson overcome their environmental
and personal challenges to become
successful?
Sympathetically, sophisticated,
unconventional, genuinely, ostracized, pivotal,
unprecedented, cultivated, indifference,
emulate, perceptive, nebulous, arrogantly,
discordant, prestigious, audacious,
aspirations, trepidation, adversity,
compulsion, intuitively, feasible
What are your goals for this year? What
actions are required of you in order to
reach those goals? What actions did
Ben Carson put in place to ensure his
success? Do you feel like any of these
strategies are useful? Why or why not?
How do you feel about being in a highachieving class rotation? Do you feel
like youve worked towards this class or
that you have a natural ability that
earned you a place? Do you think this

Assessments

rotation is helpful for your future? Why

or why not?
Do you think the traditional education
you are receiving is relevant for you
and your goals? What other programs
could schools provide for students like
you?
When have you persevered to
overcome a challenge? What do you
attribute to your success in that
scenario? Are there any words of advice
you could take from Gifted Hands? Do
you have any advice for young Ben
Carson as he navigates through the
world?
Academic vocabulary quizzes
Cause and effect quizzes, for chapters
3, 5, and 7-9.
Speaking and listening formative
observations
Connections Unit Test: students use the
book to complete a unit test, making
connections among chapters and using
characterization and text evidence to
support thinking