Transcript grd 9 Col 1 Reading Focus

Unit 2
Reading Focus Essays
Collection 4: Making Generalizations
Collection 5: Strategies for Understanding
Making Generalizations
When you attend a football game or shop at the
mall . . .
. . . you usually observe the people around you.
You look at their clothes and notice their behavior.
Making Generalizations
Based on these observations, you might make
generalizations—broad conclusions drawn from
specific clues—about these people.
She likes
sports.
He has
good taste.
Making Generalizations
We also make generalizations when
we read literature.
• We notice specific clues in the
text.
• Then, we reach broad conclusions
about the author’s message,
theme, or purpose for writing.
The more text we read and the more clues we
observe, the more accurate our generalizations will
be.
Making Generalizations
Here’s how the generalization process works:
1
Note specific clues the author gives:
• repetition of words and phrases
• related ideas, examples, or illustrations
• direct statements
2
Combine the clues to make a generalization
about the author’s message.
Making Generalizations
Apply the generalization process as you read the
following passage from Thoreau’s Walden.
Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has
hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in
extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the
rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your
affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a
thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and
keep your accounts on your thumbnail. . . . Instead of
three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one;
instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other
things in proportion.
Making Generalizations
Our life is frittered away by detail. An
honest man has hardly need to count
more than his ten fingers
fingers, or in
extreme cases he may add his ten
toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity,
simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your
affairs be as two or three, and not a
hundred or a thousand; instead of a
million count half a dozen, and keep
your accounts on your thumbnail. . .
. Instead of three meals
meals aa day,
day, ifif itit be
necessary
be
necessary
eateat
butbut
one;
one
instead of a
hundred dishes, five; and reduce
other things in proportion.
Step 1. Notice clues.
What examples and
illustrations does
Thoreau use?
What do these
examples and
illustrations show?
They show how to
simplify.
Making Generalizations
Our life is frittered away by detail. An
honest man has hardly need to count
more than his ten fingers, or in
extreme cases he may add his ten
toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity,
Simplicity,
simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your
affairs be as two or three, and not a
hundred or a thousand; instead of a
million count half a dozen, and keep
your accounts on your thumbnail. . .
. Instead of three meals a day, if it be
necessary eat but one; instead of a
hundred dishes, five; and reduce
other things in proportion.
Step 1. Notice clues.
What word is
repeated?
What point does
this repetition
emphasize?
the importance of
keeping things
simple
Making Generalizations
Our life is frittered away by detail. An
honest man has hardly need to count
more than his ten fingers, or in
extreme cases he may add his ten
toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity,
simplicity, simplicity! I say, let
let your
your
affairs be as two or three, and not a
hundred or a thousand
thousand; instead of a
million count half a dozen, and keep
your accounts on your thumbnail. . .
. Instead of three meals a day, if it be
necessary eat but one; instead of a
hundred dishes, five; and reduce
other things in proportion.
Step 1. Notice clues.
Find one direct
statement Thoreau
uses to instruct
people.
What does he mean
by this statement?
Do not schedule too
many activities and
obligations in your
life.
Making Generalizations
Our life is frittered away by detail. An
honest man has hardly need to count
more than his ten fingers
fingers, or in
extreme cases he may add his ten
toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity,
Simplicity,
simplicity, simplicity! I say, let
let your
your
affairs be as two or three, and not a
hundred or a thousand
thousand; instead of a
million count half a dozen, and keep
your accounts on your thumbnail. . .
. Instead of three meals
meals aa day,
day, ifif itit be
necessary
be
necessary
eateat
butbut
one;
one
instead of a
hundred dishes, five; and reduce
other things in proportion.
Step 2. Combine
clues to generalize.
What generalization
can you make about
Thoreau’s message?
He is urging the
reader to simplify
life by reducing the
number of details
and choices that are
encountered daily.
Making Generalizations
Your Turn
Read the passage from Walden that appears on the
following two slides. Apply the strategy you have
learned in this presentation.
Note Thoreau’s repeated words or phrases; related
ideas, examples, or illustrations; and direct statements.
These will help you make a generalization about his
feelings toward the railroads.
Making Generalizations
Your Turn
We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us. Did
you ever think what those sleepers are that underlie
the railroad? Each one is a man, an Irishman, or a
Yankee man. The rails are laid on them, and they are
covered with sand, and the cars run smoothly over
them. They are sound sleepers, I assure you. And
every few years a new lot is laid down and run over; so
that, if some have the pleasure of riding on a rail,
others have the misfortune to be ridden upon.
Continued on next slide
Making Generalizations
Your Turn
And when they run over a man that is walking in his
sleep, a supernumerary1 sleeper in the wrong position,
and wake him up, they suddenly stop the cars, and
make a hue and cry about it, as if this were an
exception. I am glad to know that it takes a gang of
men for every five miles to keep the sleepers down and
level in their beds as it is, for this is a sign that they
may sometime get up again.
1. supernumerary: additional; unnecessary.
[End of Section]
Strategies for Understanding
Edgar Allan Poe’s writing is much like a Gothic
mansion: a mix of dramatic features, complicated
structures, and fantastic details.
Edgar Allan Poe
Strategies for Understanding
Poe’s ornate style is ideally suited to exploring the
dark and winding paths of the human mind.
At the same time, such deep and
complex writing can sometimes
present challenges to the reader.
You may need some tips to help
you understand difficult words
and sentences in a text.
Strategies for Understanding
Breaking Down the Text
“The Fall of the House of Usher,” is full of rich
language and specific allusions.
Whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word or
allusion, try one of these strategies:
•
Check for a vocabulary definition or footnote in
the textbook.
•
Look up the word in a reference source.
•
Use context clues to determine the meaning.
Strategies for Understanding
Breaking Down the Text
Another challenging element is Poe’s use of
complex sentences structures.
When you come across a complicated sentence,
use these steps to break it down piece by piece.
1
Locate the main subject and the main verb.
2
Identify any objects of the verb.
3
Identify phrases and modifiers and determine how
they function in the sentence.
Strategies for Understanding
The following sentence from “The Fall of the
House of Usher” has an unusual structure and
includes a word that may be unfamiliar.
Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom
I now proposed to myself a sojourn of
some weeks.
To understand this sentence better, apply the
strategies for breaking down the text.
Strategies for Understanding
First, notice the challenging word sojourn.
Nevertheless, in this mansion
of gloom I now proposed to
myself a sojourn of some
weeks.
sojourn (SOH jurn) n.: a brief
stay or visit.
How can you find out
the meaning of
sojourn?
Look for a definition
in the textbook,
check a dictionary, or
use context clues.
Strategies for Understanding
Now examine the sentence structure.
Nevertheless, in this mansion
of gloom I now proposed to
myself a sojourn of some
weeks.
Identify the subject
and the verb.
I proposed
Identify the direct
object of the verb
proposed.
sojourn
Strategies for Understanding
Now examine the sentence structure.
Nevertheless, in this mansion
of gloom I now proposed to
myself a sojourn of some
weeks.
The basic sentence is
“I proposed a
sojourn.”
What does the phrase
shown in orange
modify?
sojourn
Strategies for Understanding
Now examine the sentence structure.
Nevertheless, in this mansion
of gloom I now proposed to
myself a sojourn of some
weeks.
How might you restate
the sentence in a
simpler form?
Nevertheless, I
considered staying a
few weeks in this
gloomy mansion.
Strategies for Understanding
Unraveling the Meaning
With some of Poe’s longer sentences, figuring out
the overall meaning can be a challenge.
For long sentences like the one below, apply the
strategies for breaking down the text, and then
put all the pieces together to unravel the meaning.
Having deposited our mournful burden upon tressels
within this region of horror, we partially turned aside
the yet unscrewed lid of the coffin, and looked upon the
face of the tenant.
Strategies for Understanding
First determine the meanings of any unfamiliar
words.
Having deposited our mournful
burden upon tressels within
horror we
this region of horror,
partially turned aside the yet
coffin
unscrewed lid of the coffin,
and looked upon the face of
the tenant
tenant.
What context clues
help you figure out
what the “mournful
burden” is?
What is it?
a coffin with a corpse
in it
Strategies for Understanding
First determine the meanings of any unfamiliar
words.
Having deposited
deposited our mournful
burdenupon
upon tressels within
this region of horror, we
partially turned aside the yet
unscrewed lid of the coffin
coffin,
and looked upon the face of
the tenant.
What context clues
help you guess the
meaning of the word
tressels?
What are tressels?
probably some kind
of stand for a coffin
Strategies for Understanding
Now break the sentence down into its essential
parts.
Having deposited our mournful
burden upon tressels within
this region of horror, we
partially turned aside the yet
unscrewed lid of the coffin,
and looked upon the face of
the tenant.
What is the subject?
we
What is the verb?
(Note: The sentence
has a compound
verb.)
turned, looked
Strategies for Understanding
Now break the sentence down into its essential
parts.
Having deposited our mournful
burden upon tressels within
this region of horror, we
partially turned aside the yet
unscrewed lid of the coffin,
and looked upon the face of
the tenant.
Basic sentence: “We
turned and looked.”
Study the phrase in
orange. What words
does it modify?
turned, looked
Strategies for Understanding
Now break the sentence down into its essential
parts.
Having deposited our mournful
burden upon tressels within
this region of horror, we
partially turned aside the yet
unscrewed lid of the coffin,
and looked upon the face of
the tenant.
Basic sentence: “We
turned and looked.”
What is the direct
object of the verb
turned?
lid
Strategies for Understanding
Unravel the meaning.
Having deposited our mournful
burden upon tressels within
this region of horror, we
partially turned aside the yet
unscrewed lid of the coffin,
and looked upon the face of
the tenant.
State the meaning of
the sentence in your
own words.
After we placed the
coffin on the stand,
we opened the lid
and looked at the
corpse’s face.
Strategies for Understanding
Your Turn
Using the suggestions in this presentation, rewrite the
following sentences to make them simpler to read and
understand. If necessary, look up any unfamiliar words.
1. “Shaking off from my spirit what must have been a
dream, I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of
the building.”
2. “To an anomalous species of terror I found him a
bounden slave.”
The End