Thursday, September 4, 2014

Get out your Spring Board books and GRAB A HIGHLIGHTER!

Learning Targets: Explain how a writer creates effects through the connotations of words and images.

Use textual details to support interpretive claims.

Before Reading

(in the Quick Writes section of your binder)  Step 1: Brainstorm a list of things you might write about if you were asked to write a “coming of age” story.

 Step 2: Let’s determine together when the process of “coming of age” starts and when it ends.

 Step 3: Brainstorm milestone events that fall within ages 12-21.

 Step 4: Mark positive milestones with a + and negative ones with a -.

 Example: First relationship vs. first break up, getting a driver’s license, going to high school, moving to a new town, etc.

Important Vocabulary Write this down!

 Diction: refers to a writer’s word choices, which often convey voice and tone.

 Denotation: precise meaning of a word  Connotation: associations and emotional overtones attached, help the reader make important inferences about meaning.

Practice with diction, connotation and denotation Page 14

1.

Consider the following sentence from Speak: “I dive into the stream of fourth-period lunch students and swim down the hall to the cafeteria.” What connotations do the images of diving into and swimming through other students have here?

2.

Rewrite the sentence, trying to keep the same denotative meaning, but changing the connotations to make them neutral.

3. Now consider what is conveyed by Anderson’s diction (particularly the verbs) in this sentence.

“ I ditch my tray and bolt for the door.” Based on the verbs, what inferences might you draw about the speaker’s feelings in this moment?

4. Now revise Anderson’s sentence to be more neutral.

During Reading

 In “Marigolds,” the narrator describes a key incident that had an impact on her “coming of age.”  As you read, highlight the text for examples of diction, syntax, and imagery that create the narrator’s voice.  Use the My Notes space to annotate the connotative effect of word choices, and explain the inferences they lead you to make regarding the tone, character, or significance of the event.

First two paragraphs

 These paragraphs set the story as a flashback.

 Find examples of foreshadowing.

 Consider the age of the speaker then and now .

Diction and Imagery

     Identify diction that makes it clear that the voice here is very thoughtful and reflective, remembering and recalling those days.

What feeling does the narrator create through imagery and diction?

Infer the feelings of the narrator as she begins to tell this story How do diction and imagery convey the internal conflict?

What words, images, or lines are repeated, and what is the effect of the repetition?

Paragraph 7

 What imagery implies that something beautiful will be destroyed?  What is repeated in this paragraph?

 What is that kind of repetition called?

 What is the effect of the repetition?

 Identify the diction at the end of the paragraph that adds suspense and adds a foreboding tone.

Paragraph 8

 The narrator states that this day began her “end of innocence”  What kind of tone does this create?

Diction, connotation, tone, voice

 Which paragraph changes from an adult telling the story to the child telling the story?

 How do you know?

 What is vernacular?

 everyday language, including slang, that is used by the people; particular to a region (add this to your vocabulary sheet)  Identify examples of vernacular on pages 16-17  How does this help create voice?

Paragraph 16

 Identify the imagery and explain (in the margin) how it helps create voice.

 What kind of tone does it create?

Paragraphs 17-22

 Explain the juxtaposition in the imagery of Miss Lottie’s house and yard.

 What did not make sense to the children in paragraph 22? Why?

Paragraph 27

 What imagery does the author use to explain why the children were so preoccupied with destruction?

Paragraph 33

 Lizabeth, a powerless girl of 14, suddenly realizes she has some power. What does this do to her?

Paragraph 34

 Diction:  What words does the author use at the beginning of the paragraph to explain how Lizabeth is torn between childhood and adulthood?

Paragraph 42

 “The world had lost its boundary lines.”  Explain what this means to Lizabeth.

Paragraph 55

 The author writes again about destruction.

 What is now leading Lizabeth to destruction?

Paragraph 58

 In Paragraph 57, the tone could be described as furious and violent .

 How does the tone change in Paragraph 60?

 What diction or imagery leads you to that tone?

Paragraph 61

 One of the most profound statements in the whole story is this: “In that humiliating moment I

had looked beyond myself and into the depths of another person. This was the beginning of compassion, and one cannot have both compassion and innocence.”

 In the margin, explain what that means to you.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Come in, get seated quietly, and have your book on your desk!

After Reading

 Go back to your notes and annotations.

 Quote from the story examples of diction and imagery that convey Lizabeth’s distinctive voice in “Marigolds.”  Use the graphic organizer on page 23 to record your examples.

Writing Prompt

 How would you describe the narrator’s voice?

 What examples of diction, imagery, and juxtaposition support your claim?

 Write a paragraph starting with your claim (about the narrator’s voice) and support it with

specific examples from the story.