Discovery Discussion Debate

Real Estate
Computers have made life easier, most of the time. On the other hand, the changeover can cause strange decisions. Common sense is not always so common. In this story an outdated requirement could have been easily fixed, if a change had been communicated. Discuss the Governments role. Debate the opinions formed form the discussion. Dr. Paul R. Friesen

Discovery Discussion Debate

Title: Woman told to contact dead parents over caveat

Discover Ideas
( Outline)

Discuss the Story

(3 Question Levels)
Create Opinions

Real Estate

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Discovery Discussion Debate Before you start

Look through the idea, front to back. The ideas in red are just ideas. Students should add to these. There is an outline page for Discovery. There are graphic organizer pages for the Discussion and Debate sections. The reason for the worksheets, at the end of the book, is to help you work systematically through the material. Worksheets are helpers and can be a distraction from the rhythm and sequence in your teaching. By putting them at the end they become support pages versus places to stop, giving a smoother presentation.

Discovery
In the beginning of each story you will have a few questions to discover what you know, or think you know about a story. The Title of the article/ story will be given and you will be asked to discover the story by asking good questions. In the second part of discovery you will be asked to find words which you do not know. Some of these may be highlighted already in bold. Definitions will follow to help you discover what the writer is talking about. Discovery will help you form a plan for the discussion and debate.

Discussion
Discussion is not a debate, though it can quickly become one if there are strong opposing ideas in the group. Discussion can be a part of the discovery before you read the story. It may also come after to discuss the ideas of the story. Sometimes a persons views may change after reading the article, which is a good way to start a discussion. Discussion is interaction without a lot of structure. Be careful not to confuse discussion with argument. Debate is about argument. Discussion is about sharing your views and interacting with others who want to expand or give a differing viewpoint.

Debate
Debate is a structured idea. It means that only one person speaks in turn, and with a specific point to address. It also has a time limit, so the speaker must be precise in their argument. In a debate the key is to listen and be prepared to oppose the other teams ideas. It takes research, a lot of work, and patience. In the following story we want to begin with discovery ideas. What can you know from a title, if you dont know about the topic?

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Discovery Discussion Debate

In discovery you will form ideas to create basics ideas for an outline. In discussion you will ask questions to help you build an outline for your viewpoint. In debate you will separate the outline into two sections, for and against. At each stage you will be able to use what you have learned before, to expand on your ideas and understand both sides of the issue.

Category ~ Real Estate

Discovery
Title: Woman told to contact dead parents over caveat
What can you know from the title? . . . . It is about dead people. The lady has a lot of stress. Its about American/ Canadian / European culture. It was about people wanting to talk with their ancestors.

What do I know about this topic? Nothing! Complications in life give me stress. People want to talk to dead people. Only in America! . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ What would make me depressed? . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ Have you ever had a problem that looked simple, but was complicated? No! Why not? Yes! What did you do, and why?
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Discovery Discussion Debate

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ . Now read the story. . Create an outline of the story / paragraphs. . There are words you will find following the story. . Look in the definitions, which follow the story. . Discover the words you dont know.

Real Estate
Woman told to contact dead parents over caveat Betty Ann Adam The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) Thursday, February 27, 2003 As executrix of her fathers estate, Carol Ross never thought she would be expected to try to contact him and her dead mother by mail. But thats what Ross was told she would have to do to have a 40-year-old caveat removed from the title of the Yorkton house her parents owned. It really upset me. Its so morbid, its sick, Ross, a Saskatoon resident, said Wednesday. Rosss parents, Carl and Helen Novakowski, placed the caveat or warning, on the title in 1963 when they were buying the house. The caveat warns other potential buyers that someone else already has a financial interest in the property. Such caveats are usually removed when the title is transferred to the buyer after payment is complete, but it apparently was overlooked at that time with the Novakowski property. Now that Ross holds title to the house, she wants to discharge the caveat so she can sell the house and she wants to do the task herself to avoid a lawyers fee. Staff at Information Services Corp. (ISC), the Saskatchewan Crown Corporation which processes land titles, told Ross the process requires her to send forms by registered mail to each of her parents, who were both named in the caveat, if she wanted to avoid using a lawyer. Her mother died, in 1973, and her father in December, 2002.
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Discovery Discussion Debate

She was told that once the letters are returned to her unopened, she must bring them to the ISC office and complete some forms. Ross took her parents death certificates to the Saskatoon office to prove it would be pointless to send forms to her deceased parents and asked if she could just fill out the forms. She was told the death certificates were not adequate substitutes for the returned letters. An e-mail to the ISC Web site yielded the same results. Nor did she get any satisfaction when she called Premier Lorne Calverts office last week. A secretary there said she would forward the matter to the Justice Department. Ross didnt hear anything from the Premiers office or Justice. She reluctantly went ahead and mailed the registered letters, an act that she said brought up the sadness of the loss of her parents all over again. Ross was given bad information, Jason Fiske, an ISC spokesperson said Wednesday. The registered letter was required under the old, paper-based system, but since land titles was converted to a computerized system about a year ago, the registrar has had the power to remove such a caveat, Fiske said. Many employees who worked under the old system didnt know the rule had changed, he said. The Ross matter has now brought the issue to the attention of officials, who saw to it Wednesday, that staff were informed of the change by e-mail. The change will also be recorded in procedural documents, so that such mistakes are not made in the future, he said. Ross is satisfied that the matter has been corrected for future users but remains unimpressed with the former bureaucratic rigidity. Why didnt someone use common sense and look into this themselves? They were so adamant that the rules be followed, Ross said. Copyright 2003 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Special Note

Caveat or warning other potential buyers that someone else already has a
financial interest in the property.

Vocabulary Definitions
Caveat As pointed out, in the story, this means warning. This warning is attached to something. It is not a verbal or spoken warning. Executrix This is the same as executor but female. An executor is a Law professional that reads the last will of a dead person and makes sure it is fulfilled. Estate Estate has a couple of meanings. Here it is the money and property the dead person had to distribute among his family and friends. Title of the Yorkton house Yorkton is the City in the Province of Saskatchewan. The title or deed is a legal paper that shows the owner of the property. Morbid This word is used to let us understand it was looking like something dead, or the feeling of dead. Overlooked If we reverse this we will understand it better, but looked over gives us the wrong picture. The position of the object changes. Overlooked means, did not see. Look over is to see the object and see things on the other side of the object. Holds This means to be in possession of something. It does not mean to physically holding it but be in control of it. Discharge This means to take it off. Discharge can be applied differently in different context. Do the task Task is a job or work. Crown Corporation This is a Government owned Corporation. In Canada we call it a Crown Corporation. In Canada when we refer to the crown it is most often used in this context. Death certificates A certificate that is given when a person is pronounced dead by a Doctor or Coroner (Medical Examiner) Deceased This means dead. It is more polite and less direct. Adequate substitutes The substitutes were not good enough to replace the original.

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Yielded This means to give up something after hard work. To give up easily is to hand over. Forward the matter To send the matter to a higher authority or to another more qualified or able person. Premiers office or Justice Premier is Canadas version of Provincial Governor. Here it is the top Provincial office and Justice is a Ministerial position and office under the Premiers Office. Reluctantly This is to do it without joy. Not wanting to do something but doing it anyway is to do it reluctantly. Act Here it is just an action. As a noun it is usually a Legal term. Brought up It brought to mind. This phrase can also be used for sickness, or to bring up a subject for debate. Paper-based system A system of accounting without the use of technology, like computers. Converted This means to change. You can convert electricity or from paper to technology. The power to remove Power here is NOT electricity but the authority to do something. The issue The problem is the most common use of the word issue. But it could be used to mean, give out or issue a ticket. Procedural This is in reference to the documents in a process or procedure. Bureaucratic rigidity Rigid is hard and stiff not bending. Bureaucracy is political process. Adamant This is strong emotional feeling for something. In an argument it is to not give up your opinion at any cost or effort.

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Discovery Discussion Debate Discovery

What do I know about this topic?
List at least four (4) different ideas you have found in this story about the gold rush.

. __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________

Use them when you make your outline.

Discussion
1. What Real Estate stories have you heard or read about? 2. What would you do if this happened to you? 3. Who is at fault here? Explain your reasons. Level II 1. 2. 3. 4. What do people do when there are old problems hindering a move forward? What would be your advice to this person? How often do you think this happens? Do you think that it happens enough to spend time and money changing the system? Why or why not?

Level III 1. Going from paper to computer can be a problem. How do you think the transition can be smoother? 2. In your culture/system how much of the system is still paper based. 3. If computer systems are better, why do we still use so much paper? 4. How do we balance speed/ convenience with personal information security? 5. Do information systems give government too much power? Why or why not? You now have everything you need to fill out your outline. Look at your answers, under Discussion, and fill it out to reflect the new ideas. These new ideas will help you form your debate ideas better.

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Discovery Discussion Debate

In debate you will have a statement not a question. You have to react to the statement with facts, not opinions. Discussions are based a lot on opinions and answer questions. This is where these two ideas, though similar, are different. Debate is about facts and statements. When you make a statement, from a story, you must consider what the core issue is. If you have made a good outline, you will have this already discovered. This story is from politics. The core issue could be; social economic political culture In todays world the topics could range from; government responsibility of training staff. government control in business real estate laws office attitudes unfair laws and practices These are all good arguments that you would want to research for your argument, or write in your essay. Build the argument starting from Why? Once you have determined the Why? you can find facts to support your idea.

The size of government is too big. Therefore it is too rigid to allow change. Smaller government will allow for a more flexible system. Good business requires creativity and responsibility. Governments should allow lower level staff to respond.

A chain is a chain, therefore a chain of command cannot be separated, or it will create weakness in the rules.

Before you start choose one of the above statements to focus on. Choose a for or against position. Research to find FACTS for your position. List the facts. Write out your argument in a long paragraph format. Include the opposite position in your writing.

You need to write out both sides so you can understand the
other sides argument.

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Discovery Discussion Debate Discovery Outline

Main topic ________________________ Find one (1) key idea in each paragraph. (3-5 words) Paragraph 1 ______________________________ Paragraph 2 ______________________________ Paragraph 3 ______________________________ Paragraph 4 ______________________________ Paragraph 5 ______________________________ Write two things about the main paragraph idea. Paragraph 1 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 2 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 3 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 4 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 5 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ In the introduction you use the 5 paragraph ideas to communicate the order of your argument/ essay. In the conclusion you repeat what you have said about the points of each paragraph.

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Graphic Organization ~ Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics

paragraph 1 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ paragraph 5 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ paragraph 2 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

Main topic

paragraph 4 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

paragraph 3 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Discussion Graphic ~ Government rules are a problem / becoming a problem in todays society? Answer ~ I think workers in Government offices are (are not) only interested in their job because ..

Problem / Real Estate

Government jobs are for people who do not want to think.

Rules are rules. They should not be changed, just because of technology.

It is important to have rules, but staff need to be able to make decisions, at the lowest level.

Respond

Respond

Respond

Respond

Respond

Respond

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Discovery Discussion Debate

graphic ~ choose one statement from the above. Write it here _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ To make your argument you should understand that they are connected. In the next two charts (1) list your argument facts and ideas, (2) show how your argument connects to both the center point and the other points. list

Facts
For 1 Against

Add more if needed

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Discovery Discussion Debate

graphic ~ choose one statement from the above. list

If this -- then

If this -- then

Write your statement position here. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________________________

If this -- then

If this -- then

If this -- then

Now start the

As a team choose which points they will speak about. Each person will listen for the opposite point and create a new response to what the other person has said. A: point 1 B: responds to the point and give a new point. C: responds to B and give a new point. After all persons have spoken each person can respond to any point given by the opposite team, or add more points from their team which will need responding to from the opposite team.

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Dear Teacher/ Student, After you have finished this please look for more in this series to challenge yourself. This is only part of a curriculum. It starts with Dr. Roys Everything Grammar. Dr. Roys Everything Grammar Volumes I and II will develop the skills of story and essay writing, while at the same time building a foundation in grammar. The repetition of grammar, combined with reason and speaking, culminating in a story or essay will prepare students for this series. Going beyond this book is a book to expand the outlines into essays. Good essays are able to build and defend an argument. Building a structure for debate will springboard off this skill set.

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

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