Gig: Americans Talk about their Work
This book is made up of over 100 interviews with workers across America. Some of the workers are well-known celebrities, but the majority are average folks talking about what they do and how they feel about it. This book is a fantastic introduction to the variety of experiences and circumstances that make up America.
Strategic reading means reading with purpose and reading actively. What are some ways to be a strategic reader with this book?
Active reading strategies:
1. Annotate: circle, underline, highlight, write in the margins. Although this may take a little longer, your comprehension will improve, saving you time in the long run.
2. Start with the basics: Quiz yourself as you read. Answer the Wh- questions. Who is this about? What does he/she do? Where does/he she live? When did he/she start this job? (How long has he/she held this job?) How did he/she get this job?
Remember that this book is made up of interviews, but if you look at the book, there are not interview questions included; the authors have omitted, or removed, the questions. After you read a chunk of information, try to guess what question the interviewer asked to elicit this response. (If I say, "I have lived in New York for 10 years," you can make a smart guess that someone asked me "How long have you lived in New York?" or perhaps "Where have you lived for the past 10 years?"
3. "Have a conversation with the text." As you read, imagine you are "talking" with the book. "Hmmm, that's interesting." "Really? That surprises me." "Why do you think that?" "I disagree."
4. Dig deeper. After you answer the basics, reread for deeper understanding. "How does he/she feel about the job?" "How did he/she end up doing this job? Was it his/her dream? Did "life happen" and he/she found the job by accident?" "What interesting life lesson can you learn?" "If this person likes/dislikes the job, is it because of the job, or the individual?" The questions are endless, but do your best to dig!
5. Make a connection. Research shows that when we connect with new information, it improves our learning. Slow down, pause between chunks of information, and search your memory bank for meaningful connections; sometimes they will be obvious, but sometimes they will be more obscure. These connections that are not so obvious are often deeper and more meaningful. They are also sometimes more interesting.
Welcome
Wal-Mart Greeter
1. Who is being interviewed?
2. Where does he work?
3. What does a "greeter" do?
4. How long has he had this job?
5. Are "people skills" a "hard" or "soft" skill?
6. What is his former job?
7. What level of education does he have?
8. Why does he like 5th and 6th grade kids?
9. What does he imply about older kids?
10. Does he like his job at Wal-Mart? Give several reasons to support your answer.
11. Why did he cut his hours?
12. Jim said, "when I first thought of being a greeter, I thought, I don't know if I can handle that." What is he talking about?
13. Why is discipline important for his job?
14. Jim said, "I'd say 90 percent of us are good people." Do you agree?
15. How long did he work in education?
16. How does Jim feel about retirement? Explain. Are you surprised by this? How does this opinion relate to someone you know?
17. Jim said, "I don't think there should be a set age for retirement." Do you agree?
18. What is Jim's favorite thing about his job?
Strategic reading means reading with purpose and reading actively. What are some ways to be a strategic reader with this book?
Active reading strategies:
1. Annotate: circle, underline, highlight, write in the margins. Although this may take a little longer, your comprehension will improve, saving you time in the long run.
2. Start with the basics: Quiz yourself as you read. Answer the Wh- questions. Who is this about? What does he/she do? Where does/he she live? When did he/she start this job? (How long has he/she held this job?) How did he/she get this job?
Remember that this book is made up of interviews, but if you look at the book, there are not interview questions included; the authors have omitted, or removed, the questions. After you read a chunk of information, try to guess what question the interviewer asked to elicit this response. (If I say, "I have lived in New York for 10 years," you can make a smart guess that someone asked me "How long have you lived in New York?" or perhaps "Where have you lived for the past 10 years?"
3. "Have a conversation with the text." As you read, imagine you are "talking" with the book. "Hmmm, that's interesting." "Really? That surprises me." "Why do you think that?" "I disagree."
4. Dig deeper. After you answer the basics, reread for deeper understanding. "How does he/she feel about the job?" "How did he/she end up doing this job? Was it his/her dream? Did "life happen" and he/she found the job by accident?" "What interesting life lesson can you learn?" "If this person likes/dislikes the job, is it because of the job, or the individual?" The questions are endless, but do your best to dig!
5. Make a connection. Research shows that when we connect with new information, it improves our learning. Slow down, pause between chunks of information, and search your memory bank for meaningful connections; sometimes they will be obvious, but sometimes they will be more obscure. These connections that are not so obvious are often deeper and more meaningful. They are also sometimes more interesting.
Welcome
Wal-Mart Greeter
1. Who is being interviewed?
2. Where does he work?
3. What does a "greeter" do?
4. How long has he had this job?
5. Are "people skills" a "hard" or "soft" skill?
6. What is his former job?
7. What level of education does he have?
8. Why does he like 5th and 6th grade kids?
9. What does he imply about older kids?
10. Does he like his job at Wal-Mart? Give several reasons to support your answer.
11. Why did he cut his hours?
12. Jim said, "when I first thought of being a greeter, I thought, I don't know if I can handle that." What is he talking about?
13. Why is discipline important for his job?
14. Jim said, "I'd say 90 percent of us are good people." Do you agree?
15. How long did he work in education?
16. How does Jim feel about retirement? Explain. Are you surprised by this? How does this opinion relate to someone you know?
17. Jim said, "I don't think there should be a set age for retirement." Do you agree?
18. What is Jim's favorite thing about his job?