Transcript The Power of Words

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Standards
• LAFS.RL & RI.2.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings,
and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning for tone.
8.RL& RI.2.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone, including analogies or allusions to other text.
• L.8.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in
word meanings.
• W.8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Self-Portrait with
Palette– 1917
Marc Chagall
What is Chagall saying
about himself?
Complete these two
statements as if you
were Chagall:
I am…
I feel…
Base your statements
on the picture not your
feelings.
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
Vincent Van Gogh
Self Portrait – 1889
Talk about it:
What is Van Gogh saying about
himself? Complete these two
statements as if you were the Van
Gogh of this portrait.
I am…
I feel…
Base your statements on the
picture, not your own feelings.
Share your statements with the
class.
How do you know what Van Gogh
is saying about himself? What
evidence can you find in the
picture that supports your
statements?
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
Compare the Portraits
• Compare and contrast Van Gogh’s and
Chagall’s self-portraits. Use a Venn diagram
(intersecting circles showing what qualities are
unique to each artist and what qualities are
the same) to show how the self-portraits are
similar and how they are different. Be certain
to focus on the choices the artists make.
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
-Syntax----------
-Figurative Language-
-------Imagery---
---------Detail----
-------Diction----
Critical Information
Tone
Targeted Writing Skills for Today’s
Lesson
• Today we are going to examine Voice and two
important elements of Voice, diction and
tone. Diction, or word choice, is the
foundation of voice, and tone, which is
directly impacted by diction, is the expression
of the author’s attitude in writing.
Warning!
• Tone and Mood are similar!
– Tone is the author’s attitude toward the writing (his
characters, the situation) and the readers. A work of
writing can have more than one tone. An example of
tone could be both serious and humorous. Tone is set
by the setting, choice of vocabulary and other details.
– Mood is the general atmosphere created by the
author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from
reading those words. It may be the same, or it may
change from situation to situation.
Words that Describe Tone
Words that Describe Mood
Author’s attitude toward the topic, the
writing, and readers – the way feelings
are expressed by the author.
Mood, the general atmosphere created by the
author’s words-the feeling the reader gets
from reading those words.
Amused
Formal
Humorous
Resigned
Pessimistic
Gloomy
Angry
Optimistic
Informal
Serious
Playful
Suspicious
Cheerful
Witty
Ironic
Pompous
Horror
Light
Clear
Sad
Matter-of-fact
Fanciful
Melancholy
Frightening
Mysterious
Frustrating
Romantic
Gloomy
Sentimental
Happy
Sorrowful
Joyful
Suspenseful
Observe the tone of a short story
“The School” by Donald Barthelme:
• “And the trees all died. They were orange
trees. I don’t know why they died, they just
died. Something wrong with the soil possibly
or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery
wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So
we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or
her own little tree to plant and we’ve got
these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking
at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.”
Discovering Voice by Nancy Dean
The Perfect Word…
The perfect
word…express
es the feeling
or idea you
want to get
You don’t just across. If you don’t know the
perfect word…look in the
“hang” around
dictionary for a synonym
the house; you
or a thesaurus – a
“mope” around.
valuable tool for a
writers. You can also ask
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
Word Choice and Joey Tribbiani,
Friends
“In order for us to better
understand style, we
must focus on the smaller
units of the composition:
the sentences and the
words. Style is partly
about selecting the best
words possible.”
Writing Matters
in Every
Classroom
by Angela Peery, Ed.D
Dwight D Eisenhower, Second
Inaugural Address, January 21, 1957
“In our nation work and wealth abound. Our
population grows. Commerce crowds our rivers
and rails, our skies, harbors, and highways. Our
soil is fertile, our agriculture productive. The air
rings with the song of our industry—rolling mills
and blast furnaces, dynamos, dams, and
assembly lines—the chorus of America the
bountiful.”
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
Double Entry Diary
• Look at the boldfaced verbs (“crowds,” “rings”) in the
passage. Notice how clearly you can “see” the action
because of the strong verbs. How would it change the
impact of the passage if we changed the verbs? For
example,
Our rivers, rails, skies, harbors, and highways are busy
with commerce. Our soil is fertile, our agriculture
productive. The air is full of the sounds of work.
Look at the final phrase of the passage (“America
the bountiful”). What does Eisenhower’s use of
“bountiful” instead of, for example, “beautiful” tell
us about his attitude toward America?
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
Double Entry Diary
• Now you try it:
Use a form of the verb “crowd” in a sentence,
but instead of having the word express
excitement and pride, have it express a feeling
of danger and possible disaster. Remember that
in many cases the context of the word
determines its deeper, connotative meaning.
Nancy Dean, Voice Lessons
Do now – fill in the blanks
Today I am learning about V____ and two
important elements of V_____, diction and
tone. Diction, or w_____ _______, is the
foundation of v_____, and tone, which is
directly impacted by d_______, is the expression
of the a_______ a________ in writing.
Strong Verbs
• Read the Poem “Nursery Rhymes for the TenderHearted” and highlight the verbs. How do the strong
verbs used impact the tone of the poem?
Trekking roach
Swimming roach
Propaganda
• Think-pair- share a definition of propaganda
• Dictionary definition- denotation
– A plan for the propagation of a doctrine or
of a system of beliefs
– Implies- connotation
• Lies, exploitation, concealment of the truth
• Words have both a connotation and a
denotation
– Denotation- the actual definition with no
spins, undertones, or implications
– Connotation- what the word suggests; an
idea or feeling that a word invokes (nuances a subtle difference in or shade of meaning)
Connotation – Examples
• Negative: There are over 2,000 vagrants in the city.
• Neutral: There are over 2,000 people with no fixed
address in the city.
• Positive: There are over 2,000 homeless in the city.
Sports Team Names Connotation
Activities
• Activity One:
These are potential names for new professional athletic teams:
Poodles Buzzards Glaciers Sleepers
Toads Gazelles Snails Meteors
Maggots Sloth Zeniths Mares
Hippos Ferrets Mosquitoes Spikes
You and your partner must discuss each name. Use a dictionary and write down
the definition/denotation of each name. Then discuss and record the connotation
(emotion/reaction) associated with each word. Answer these questions and
support your answers:
• What type of sport do you think the name fits?
• Does the name sound like a successful team?
• Would you want to wear a jersey with this name?
Flocabulary
Do Now
• The author’s voice is demonstrated through
tone, which is the __________ _________
toward the topic. Diction also impacts voice.
Diction is ________ _________.
• Complete this sentence:
– My mom yelled at me for telling my sister to “shut up.”
– “‘Shut up’ has a negative _________________,” she
said. “Try saying,“_________________________.”
J.K. Rowling’s Speech “The Fringe Benefits of
Failure, and the Importance of Imagination”
Read the
speech and
select the
word that you
feel best
matches the
tone of the
text.
What’s Your Advice
• On your Advice Task Poster brainstorm at least
3 themes for each scenario. Base the themes,
if possible, on your personal experiences.
• Brainstorm specific verbs or words that would
relate to that theme. Identify any words that
have positive or negative connotations.
Your Turn ~ Write a Speech
• Task: Consider the speech excerpts we’ve read, write a speech
for one of the purposes/themes listed on the cards or for your
own purpose. Use your brainstormed words to let your tone
shine through.
• When you are done, look at your word choice.
– Determine which words should be more precise.
– Consider the connotation of the words.
– Use a thesaurus or ask someone if you are looking
for a better word.
Kid President
• Letter to a Baby on His First Day on Earth
• A Chat with Kid President – Ted Talks
• Kid President’s Advice on What Every Kid
Needs to Know
Why use the RAFT strategy?
The more often students write, the more proficient they become as
writers. RAFT is a writing strategy that helps students understand their
role as a writer and how to effectively communicate their ideas and
mission clearly so that the reader can easily understand everything
written. Additionally, RAFT helps students focus on the audience they
will address, the varied formats for writing, and the topic they'll be
writing about. By using this strategy, teachers encourage students to
write creatively, to consider a topic from multiple perspectives, and to
gain the ability to write for different audiences. In the book, Strategic
Writing, Deborah Dean explains that writing for differing purposes and
audiences may require using different genres, different information,
and different strategies. Developing a sense of audience and purpose
in writing, in all communication, is an important part of growth as a
writer.
RAFT assignments encourage students to uncover their
own voices and formats for presenting their ideas about
content information they are studying. Students learn to
respond to writing prompts that require them to think
about various perspectives:
• Role of the Writer: Who are you as the writer? A movie
star? The President? A plant?
• Audience: To whom are you writing? A
senator? Yourself? A company?
• Format: In what format are you writing? A diary entry?
A newspaper? A love letter?
• Topic: What are you writing about?