Education Is Not the Filling of a Pail but the Lighting of a Fire s1

2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats

2009 Washington County Schools One-Day Conference

Diana Bjornson Consultant Number: 0348 6716 E. 117 Pl. So. Bixby, OK 74008 [email protected] 918-357-7742 (school)

1 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced 918-855-5533 (cell)

Children are 28% of our population but 100% of our future. Anonymous Portrait of a Teacher At the Beginning of the Year

2 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced

3 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Portrait of a Teacher At the End of the Year

4 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced What is The Advanced Placement Program? • A cooperative endeavor between secondary schools and colleges/ university • Composed of 37 rigorous courses and examinations offered in 20 subject areas in 2007; future additions will include Russian and Japanese • Committed to educational excellence and educational equity • An extensive system of teacher professional development What does an AP Program offer? • Promises college success for participating students. • Raises standards across the curriculum for schools/districts. • Delivers inspiring professional development through workshops and AP Central website. A 1999 U. S. Department of Education study found that the strongest predicator of college graduation is something students do before they ever go to college: participating in rigorous, college-level courses in middle/high school.

Adelman, Clifford. Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment (1999), U. S. Department of Education. Impact of AP on Five-Year College Graduation Rates

Comparison made among students with the same abilities and backgrounds (test scores, family income, school poverty index)

AP Exam Took AP AP Exam Student Group Grade of 3, course but Grade of 1, 2 4, 5 not exam

African American +28% +22% +16% Daughtery, Chrys, Lynn Mallor, and Hispanic +28% +12% +10% Jian Shuling. The Relationship White +33% +22% +20% Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation. Low-Income +26% +17% +12% (National Center for Not Low-Income +34% +23% +19% Educational Accountability, Top Five Factors Influencing2005). College Admission Decisions - 2005 • Grades in College Prep courses (73.9%) (Percentage of college • Standardized Admission Tests (59.3%) admission offers rating the factor to be of • Grades in All Courses (53.7%) considerable importance in the admission decision • Class Rank (31.2%) process.) • Essay/Writing Sample (23.3%) NACAC Admission Survey, 2005, www.nacacnet.org AP and College Success

70 Students who take AP 60 courses and exams are 50 No AP much more likely than 40 One AP their peers to complete a 30 Two+ AP bachelor’s degree in four 20 10 years or less.

0 Camara, Wayne. (2003). College Persistence, Graduation, and Remediation. College For Students: The Benefits of Pre-AP/AP

• Prepare for success in college by taking college-level courses while still in high school o Explore advanced topics – study in greater depth o Develop advanced skills – form disciplined study habits o Build confidence in capability to succeed in college • Earn awards, scholarships, and improve chances of college admission • Gain college credit or advanced placement o Possible tuition $$$ savings o Flexibility in college course choice o Early entry to graduate/professional schools What is Pre-AP? Pre-AP is a set of content-specific strategies to:

• Build rigorous curricula • Promote access to AP for all children • Introduce skills, concepts, and assessment methods to prepare students for success when they tackle challenging courses • Strengthen curriculum and increase the academic for all students

What is an AP Vertical Team? An AP Vertical Team is a group of educators from different grade levels in a given discipline who work cooperatively to develop and implement a vertically aligned program aimed at helping students acquire the SKILLS necessary for success in the Advanced Placement Program.

7 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Unlocking the Door to a Successful AP Program

Administrative support is essential. Strong, prepared, committed instructors AP as a program, not a series of isolated classes Student participation, not test scores, is a measure of program success. Informed, positive, reflective evaluation of instructor

WHERE DO WE BEGIN? BEGIN WITH THE "To begin with the end in mindEND means IN to MIND start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction." — Stephen R. Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Where Do We Begin?

Aligning the Curriculum to Meet the Needs of the Students, Teachers, and Administration

9 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Union Public Schools Power Standards

Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Elements of Paragraph Reasons, Peer editing, Essay Standard I: Word choice, discourse Ideas, organization, examples, demonstrating organization, figurative (purp, arguments, The Writing purpose, sent fluency, use of unity, language spkr, details Process editing begin, types transitions coherence audience, form) Standard II: Personal Expository/ Compare/ Argument/ Narrative Expository Reflective Modes of Narrative Process Contrast Persuasion Wtg World Lit Emphasis: Brit Lit. Tragedy, Epic, Drama/ Am Lit Analyze Emphasis: Non-fiction: Novels/Short Mystery: Emphasis: the Analyze Poetry/ Evaluate lit Stories: Begin to Evaluate the author's how word Mythology: elements Standard Recognize evaluate significance of purpose choice, Identify sound (oxymoron, f- basic literary elements of various lit and tone, and III: devices and shdw, flshbck, elements (POV, fiction devices/techn audience style Literature figurative metaphor, plot, character, (theme, (imagery, and the achieve language person., theme) conflict, irony, tone, effects of specific rhyme allusion) allegory) allusion, rhetorical scheme, pun) tone, and purposes irony Analyze Recognize org. Compare how the patterns & contrast patterns of Improve (comp/ contr, Draw elements organ., Strengthen Build on literal cause/effect, inferences, of text, repetition of Standard literal inference and understandin chronological conclusions, such as the main IV: understanding interpretation g and order). and themes, ideas, using ; introduce Comprehen introduce Connect text generalizations conflicts, organization comprehension analysis and sion inference and to pers exp. support with allusions, of language, strategies evaluation interpretation Determine text evidence. and and word salient points. historical choice in Inferencing context text affect clarity. Use spelling, Correctly use Correct run- Incorporate a Identify basic prep. phrases ons, frags, variety of Strengthen use and Improve Standard V: capitalization, and sub. specifically sentence of active voice; correct style by Grammar, punctuation, clauses in comma beginnings emphasize dangling using verbs, and simple, splices; use Usage & using verbal subject/verb and parallel pronouns in compound, & correct Mechanics phrases and agreement misplaced structures complete complex subject/verb sub. clauses modifiers sentences sentences. agreement Project: A 3-4 pg. Project: A 4- Project: A 5- Project: A 5- research para 2-4 pg. Project: A 4- 6 pg. para. doc. paper, Project: paper, paragrah research Project: one essay, written written in PowerPoint or written in documented paper paragraph with in 3rd person, third poster with third person piece, written written in bibliography paraphrased/ person Standard bibliography Skills: in third third person Skills: Find quoted mat. Skills: VI: Skills: Access Summarize person, using Skills: biographical Skills: Use par. Synthesize information to information quoted Synthesize Research information for documentation informatio record, from a material information and a given , create a n from organize, and variety of Skills: Use par from purpose and works cited multiple Information display sources, & documentatio multiple summarize the page, evaluate sources relevant identify & n and create a sources into information info from a into a information credit the works cited a research variety of research courses in a page. paper using sources paper bibliography MLA format using MLA format Context, pref, Context, Context, Standard Context, pref, Context, pref, Context, pref, Context, pref, suff, roots, pref, suff, pref, suff, VII: suff, roots, suff, roots, suff, roots, suff, roots, com roots, com roots, com com confused com confused com confused com confused Vocabulary confused10 confused confused words words words words and Fluency wordsBjornson 2009 words words 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced

1st Quarter: 2nd Quarter: Standard 1—Writing Processth Standard 1—Writing Process  Ideas 6 Grade Curriculum Word choice Map  Conventions  Book Project/Activity  Organization Standard 2—Modes of Writing Standard 2—Modes of Writing  Narrative paragraph  Writing Pre- Assessment Standard 3—Literature/Reading 7 Standard 3 - Literature/Reading  Inference th  Words in context  Summarizing  Sequence  Point of View  Main idea  Setting G Standard 4 - Comprehension Standard 5—Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics  Literal comprehension  Simple/Compound Sentences R Standard 5—Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics  Verbs st nd  Sentences/Fragments1 Nine Weeks  Adjectives2 Nine Weeks A  Punctuation/Capitalization  Synonyms Grammar Nouns : Capitalization/Punctuation, Review StandardGrammar 7—Vocabulary: Prepositional phrases (usage) D  Commonly Simple confused Sentences words  Greek Pronoun and Latin usage Roots Standard 7—Vocabulary -subject/verb  Prefixes/Suffixes st nd E  Greek and - fragments/Run-ons Latin Roots CRTWriting over: 1 Organization and 2 quarter objectives  Prefixes/Suffixes -lead, conclusion, transitions CRTWriting over: 1 st quarterWriting objectives Process Word choice 3rd Quarter: Introduce Rubric 4th Quarter: -dead words Standard 1—Writing Ideas Process Standard 1—Writing -denotation/connotation Process C  Fluency -generate, expand  Review all traits of writing  Voice Voice  Figurative Friendly/business language (similes/metaphors) letters U Standard 2—Modes of Writing  Personification Literature Narrative : Genre: Short Stories Literature idioms: Novel: character development R Standard 3—Literature/Reading Literary Elements Standard 2—Modes Literary of writingTerms:  Character -plot  Writing -simile post-assessment R  Plot -conflict Standard 3—Literature/Reading -metaphor  Author’s -resolutionpurpose  Comprehensive -personification Review I Standard 5—Grammar -character Standard 5—Grammar Reading Strategy:  Pronouns -setting  Comprehensive-Inference, Review making predictions C  Commas -theme Standard 7—Vocabulary & Fluency  Prefixes/Suffixes  Quotations -point of view Independent Reading Project focus: U Standard 6 Reading Strategy CRTcharacter – Comprehensive - Optional  1 paragraph - summary/comprehension biographical report L Standard 7—Vocabulary Independent Prefixes/Suffixes Reading Project focus: U CRT over 1st - 3rd quarter objectives Elements of Fiction M

M A 11 Bjornson 2009 P 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced

3rd Nine Weeks 4th Nine Weeks

Grammar : Verb Usage Grammar: Sentence Structure -tenses -compound, complex 1st Nine Weeks 2nd Nine Weeks -transitive - Subject Verb Agreement -intransitive Grammar : Prepositional Phrases Grammar: Verbals Writing: Sentence Fluency Appositive Phrases -Participles -Gerunds Writing : Word Choice (strong verbs) -Infinitives Literature : Poetry Writing: Overview of 6+1 Trait Writing Literature: Novel Mythology -Word Choice Writing: 6+1 Trait Writing Biography Folktale Action Verbs -Conventions Reading Strategy: (non-fiction) Fables Introduce Chunking (8 sentences) -Ideas -KWL Literary Terms Reflective Writing -Presentation -pre-reading/previewing -alliteration, -Varying Sentence Beginnings -print conventions, graphs -onomatopoeia Literature : Short Stories -rhyme Literary Terms: Literature: Plays Independent Reading Project : -metaphor, -Alliteration Literary Terms: Biography Powerpoint -simile, -Allusion -Alliteration -personification -Conflict -Allusion -Theme -Conflict Independent Reading Project Focus : -Point of View -Dramatic Irony Listening/speaking skills/Visual Presentation -Foreshadowing -Metaphor 83rd thNine Grade Weeks Curriculum4th Nine Map Weeks Grammar : Clauses Grammar: Reinforce -Adjective -Clauses -Adverb -Adjective -Noun -Adverb -Noun Kinds of Sentences -Kinds of Sentences -Simple -Simple -Compound -Compound -Complex -Complex

Writing : Research Paper Writing: Research Paper 6+1 Trait Writing 6+1 Trait Writing -Organization -Organization -Sentence Fluency -Sentence Fluency -Voice -Voice

Literature: Novel Literature : Novel -Alliteration -Allusion Alliteration -Allusion -Conflict -Dialect -Conflict -Dialect -Dramatic Irony -Foreshadowing -Dramatic Irony -Foreshadowing -Metaphor -Metaphor

13 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County TH (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced 9 Gradeth Curriculum st 10 Grade Curriculumnd Map 1 Nine Weeks Map 2 Nine Weeks Power Skill 3 Literature 1st Nine Weeks Literature2nd Nine Weeks  IdentifyPower Std. Terms: 5 foreshadowing, flashback, simile,  Identify Terms: alliteration, personification, metaphor Grammar : Grammar: onomatopoeia (Std 3.2.c/p.Run-ons/Fragments 91, 3.3.a/p. 91) (Std.3.3.c)  Subject/Verb (Std. 3.3.b/p. Agreement 91, 3.3.a/p. (Std. 3.1.c) 91, 3.3.d/p. 91)  Commonly Confused Words  Verb Tense (Std. 3.1.b) Power Skill 4(Std. 3.1.a) WritingComprehension: ComprehensionPower Std.1  VarietyIn a proseof Sentence selection, Structures recognize (Std. implied thesis or  InWriting a prose: selection, recognize directly stated thesis or 1.3.5)theme. Identify salient points and summarize theme. DemonstrateOrganization literal and Unity understanding (Std. 1.3) of the text.Literature: effectively. (Std 2.1.c/p. 89, 2.3.a/p. 90, 3.2.a/p.91) *Figurative (Std. Language 2.2.b/p. 90, (Std. 2.3.a/p. 3.3a) 90) Literature : -analogy Power Skill 5* Literary Elements (Std.3.2.a) Grammar,-hyperbole Usage, and Mechanics Grammar, Usage,-setting and Mechanics -metaphorIdentify and correct comma splices and run-ons  Identify and-plot correct sentence fragments. -personification(aka fused sentences). (Std. -conflict3.3.d/p. 96) -simile (Std. 3.2.c/p.96, 3.3.c/p. 96) -theme Power Std. 4 Power Skill 7-mood  Vocabulary*Sound Devices and Fluency(Std.3.3.b) Vocabulary and Fluency -alliterationDetermine word meaning through use of prefixes,  IdentifyComprehension: words in context. -onomatopoeiasuffixes, and Greek and Latin roots. (Std. Literal1.2/p. 89)Understanding (Std. 2.1) (Std. 1.1/p. 89) Comprehension: 3rd Nine Weeks  Summary/Generalization4th Nine (Std.2.3) Weeks

Power Skill 1 rd To Be thDetermined with input from ninth grade Writing Process 3 Nine Weeks teachers4 Nine during Weeks first quarter of school year. Use transitions words, phrases, and sentences effectively. Grammar (Std. 1.3/p. : 93) Grammar: Literature Parallel Structure (Std.3.3.a)  Active/Passive Voice (Std.3.1.d)  Identify Terms:Dangling/Misplaced pun, oxymoron, Modifiers hyperbole, rhyme  Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement scheme (Std.3.3.b) (Std.3.1.e) Writing (Std. :3.3.a/p. 91, 3.3.b/p. 91, 2.4.c/p. 90) Writing:  Precise Words Choices (Std.1.4)  Evaluate Writing/Voice (Std.1.3.6) Comprehension  InLiterature a poetry :selection, recognize implied thesis or theme. Literature : Identify salient*Literary points Devices and summarize (Std.3.2.d) effectively.  *Literary Elements – Author’s (Std.-imagery 2.2.b/p. 90, 2.3.a/p. 90, 2.4.d/p. 90) Purpose/Viewpoint -irony (Std.3.2.b) (Std.3.2.e) Grammar, Usage,-tone and Mechanics Comprehension:  Use correct Character subject-verb Traits agreement (Std.3.2.c) in difficult  Analysis and Evaluation (Std.2.4) constructions. Comprehension: (Std. 3.1.c/p. 96) Power Skill 6Inferences and Interpretation (Std.2.2) Research and Information  UsePower correct Std.6 in-text parenthetical documentation. Research: (Std. 4.2.c/p. 92) Vocabulary andEvaluating Fluency information from a variety  Use commonlyof sources confused (Std. 4.2)words correctly.  (Std. 3.1.a/p. 96, 1.5/p. 89, 3.2.d/p. 96)

11th Grade Curriculum Guide th 1st Quarter: 12 Grade Curriculum2nd Quarter: Map 1st Quarter: 2nd Quarter: Standard 1—Writing 1—Writing Process Process Standard 1—Writing 1—Writing Process Process IDEASSENTENCE FLUENCY IDEASSENTENCE FLUENCY  DevelopingAppositive aphrases thesis statement  ResearchParticiple Paper phrases Details SENTENCEComma splices/fragments FLUENCY SENTENCEGerunds FLUENCY ORGANIZATIONAbsolute Phrases  AppositiveClauses—adjectives Phrases and adverbs  CommaIdentifying/writing Splices, Run-ons, effective Fragments thesis Standard Participial 3—Literature; Phrases World Literature VOICEstatements Emphasis VOICE Standard Person/Point 2—Modes of of View writing:  Identifying/analyzingPassive Voice the speaker, Compare/contrastStandard 2—Modes of Writing Standardaudience, 2—Modes and of Writingpurpose  Writing Assessment Assessment #1: #1: LITERARY Argument TERMSand Persuasion In-class In-class write: write: argument comparison/contrast and persuasion Standard Symbolism 3—Literature-British Literature Standard 5—Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics Emphasis (LITERATURE COMPONENT  Simile/metaphor  Symbolism  HASPronoun/antecedent BEEN REMOVED. agreement PROMPT Standard 5—Grammar, Usage, & Standard 6—Research & Information  Simile and Metaphor IS UNDER REVISION.) Mechanics  A 5-6 page research paper written in 3rd Standard 5—Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics Standard 5—Grammar, Usage, &  Dangling/misplaced modifiers Mechanicsperson using MLA format/synthesizes  Parallel Construction information from multiple sources Standard 6—Research 7—Vocabulary & Information & Fluency  Subject/verb agreement Standard 7—Vocabulary and Fluency  ACommonly 5-6 page research confused paper words written in 3rd  Pronoun/antecedent agreement  CRT over 1st quarter objectives person using MLA format/synthesizes Standard 7—Vocabulary and Fluency st nd st CRT overinformation 1 & 2 from quarter multiple objectives sources CRT over 1 quarter objectives Standard 7—Vocabulary and Fluency CRT over 1st quarter objectives 3rd Quarter:Quarter: 4th Quarter:Quarter: Standard 1—Writing 1—Writing Process Process Standard 1—Writing 1—Writing Process Process  Writing assessment assessment #2: #2: open open VOICE/WORD CHOICE CHOICE topic/preferably out out of of class class  Passive voice voice ORGANIZATIONSENTENCE FLUENCY SENTENCEORGANIZATION FLUENCY  Sentence Openers  Using appropriate transitions  Using appropriate transitions  Absolute phrases  Subject-Verb Splits SENTENCE FLUENCY Standard 3—Literature; World Literature  Parallel Construction  Sentence Closers StandardEmphasis 2—Modes of Writing Standard Review 2—Modes of all sentence of writing positions  ComparisonAnalyzing the and effects Contrast of tone, allusion, Standard Writing 2—Modes assessment of writing #3: Standardand 3—Literature; irony British Literature  In-classCause and write: Effect comparison/contrast EmphasisLITERARY TERMS  (LITERATUREWriting assessment COMPONENT #3: LITERARYIrony/satire TERMS In-classHAS BEEN write: REMOVED.argument and persuasionPROMPT Standard Allusion 4--Comprehension Standard IS 3—Literature; UNDER REVISION.) British Literature Standard Compare/contrast 4--Comprehension themes and conflicts StandardEmphasis 4—Comprehension  betweenAnalyze patterns and within of organization texts and LITERARYIdentifying TERMS historical context of works Standardrepetition 6—Research of the main & Informationidea Standard Tone 5—Grammar, Usage, &  Irony and Satire Standard A 5—Grammar, 3-5 page research Usage, paper & Mechanics written in 3rd Mechanics  Analyze word choice in relation to tone  personTense Shifts using MLA format/synthesizes  Parallel construction Standard 4—Comprehension  informationLiterary present from tense multiple sources Standard 6—Research & Information Standard 7—Vocabulary & Fluency (If not completedAnalyze language in 3rd quarter)and word choice and Standard 7—Vocabularyst & Fluency how they affect clarity CRT over 1 st3 quarter objectives rd CRT over 1 3 quarter objectives Standard A 7—Vocabulary 3-5 page research & Fluency paper written in 3 person using MLA format/synthesizes information from multiple sources Standard 7—Vocabulary & Fluency

UNION INTERMEDIATE HIGH CHOOL AP AND PRE-AP STUDENT AND PARENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT LETTER AND CONTRACT

AP courses are taught using college materials and strategies that will prepare students to take College Board Advanced Placement exams. The purpose of the College Board Pre-Advanced Placement courses is to prepare students for successful completion of AP courses. Successful AP and Pre-AP students are task-oriented, self- disciplined, proficient readers who prioritize their time and have parental support in their educational endeavors. AP and Pre-AP courses are to be expected to be different from any other class students may have taken. Classes are characterized by an immersion in rigorous content and an accelerated pace. Students in AP and Pre-AP classes will be counted as students who are identified as gifted using a multi-criteria index, unless otherwise directed in writing to the Pre-AP coordinator for UIHS.

CURRICULUM

Students will receive instruction in analyzing content, drawing comparisons and problem reasoning. Proficiency in writing clear, concise essays may be required in all subject areas. Content may be more mature than in academic classes. Students are expected to handle challenging material with maturity and respect. Students must be willing to speak and exchange ideas.

AMOUNT OF WORK

Students may be required to complete a summer assignment. In addition, significant outside work will be necessary for particular courses, including reading assignments, writing, preparation for class participation, and other assignments. Good attendance is necessary for success.

EVALUATION

Grading standards for Pre-AP classes may include, but will not be limited to, synthesis, analysis and proficiency based standards. Pre-AP classes will be on a weighted 5.0 scale. AP classes will be on a 6.0 weighted scale. Individual integrity is a standard of excellence for AP and Pre-AP students. All students will be expected to complete their own work.

EXITING POLICY

A student may exit an AP or Pre-AP class during the first five weeks of the first semester or the first two weeks of the second semester. Students will NOT be automatically withdrawn if they are receiving a failing grade. Students must obtain a withdrawal form from their teacher. Students may not be withdrawn without parent permission.

Student ______ID# ______

AP or Pre-AP classes

______

Please sign and return this letter contract, which will indicate that you are aware of the expectations for students in AP and Pre-AP classes.

Student ______Date ______

Parent ______Date ______

PRE-AP/AP CLASS WITHDRAWAL FORM

NAME ______GRADE _____ ID# _____

I wish to drop the following Pre-AP/AP class. ______

What is the reason for dropping the class?

I understand that changes will be made if space is available, and that my schedule may be impacted in multiple ways, for example, order of classes, teachers, and lunch schedule. I have discussed my changes with both the teacher and my parents, and obtained the required signatures. I understand that my grades will transfer to the new class. Make-up work for the new class will be at the discretion of the teacher.

Student has attended at least three documented tutorial sessions. ______

Teacher Signature ______Date ______

Book returned? ______

My parents have visited with or had a conference with the teacher. ______

Parent Signature______

Teacher ______% ______Remove ____ Remain ____

Parent ______Date ______

Please return to your counselor when completed during the first five weeks of the first semester or the first two weeks of the second semester. Books must be returned to the teacher or counselor before any changes will be made.

17 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Three Areas of Importance to AP Vertical Teams:

Vocabulary Reading/Literature Writing/Grammar

Raising the Vocabulary Level

Word Study

Synonyms

Antonyms

Analogies

FLASH CARDS

1. Cut your 3" x 5" index cards in half.

2. On the lined side of the card, write the stem, root, or prefix in color and in block

print. Use a

different color each week.

3. On the opposite side of the card, write the meaning, draw a picture, and write

derivatives at the bottom of the card. Use a different color from the front of

the card.

4. Punch a hole in the upper left-hand corner of the front of the card.

5. Place the card on the ring.

6. Use the cards to study for your test.

20 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced EXAMPLE OF CARD

Front of Card

Back of Card

tricycle triad trilogy

22 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT ASSIGNMENT

You have learning the meanings of several Greek and Latin prefixes, stems, and roots. Now it is time to put your knowledge to work. Begin reading newspapers and magazines. As you read, watch for words that are formed with these roots. Then do the following assignment. NOTE: You may NOT duplicate roots. 1. Clip the article (or a substantial portion of it if it is too long) and mount it on paper. 2. Indicate the source (underline or italicize titles of magazines, newspapers, or books) and date of publication. 3. Highlight the word or words you found which have the prefix, stem, or root with a highlighter or red pen. 4. Guess the part of speech and meaning of the word based on your knowledge of root meanings, your understanding of grammar, and context clues. 5. Look up the word in the dictionary. Give the part of speech and the meaning that best fits the context of the sentence in the article. 6. List the prefix, stem, or root with its meaning and derivation. 7. Write a mature sentence using this same word as it might be used in the real world. Your sentence should be at least 12 words long . Proofread your sentence for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage. 8. Highlight or underline the word in your own "real world" original sentence. NOTE: Some words may look as if they are derived from the roots, but they are not. The only way you will know for sure is to look it up in a dictionary. For example, the word "impediment" has nothing to do with the Greed root which "pedi" which means "child." The assignment will count as a Vocabulary Test grade for the current nine weeks. It is due on ______. You will do all steps for each of the NINE words you highlight. . You may use a textbook of your own classes for one entry. . You may use one teacher quote for a source. Write the entire quote, the date it was said, and what the quote referred to during the conversation. Teacher signature is required for this entry. VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT EXAMPLE ASSIGNMENT

A terrified woman was led from a crowd by Belgian paratroopers as part of the eradication of foreigners from the Rwandan capital of Kigali yesterday. A week of fighting between rebels and government troops in the Central African country has left tens of thousands dead.

Source: Fort Worth Star Telegram Date: Thursday, April 14, 1994 Dictionary Part of speech: noun

Meaning: trooper trained to jump from airplanes Prefix, Stem, "para": or Root -- A Greek prefix meaning defense against Sentence: The paratrooper was ready for war; the military uses trained personnel to parachute behind enemy lines. SAT Vocabulary #13 I. Matching. Match the word on the left with its definition on the right. You will use each letter once 1. fetter ______A. adj. not subject to change; constant 2. heinous ______B. adj. stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud 3. immutable______C. adj. performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another 4. insurgent ______D. n. a chain or shackled placed on the feet (often used in plural); anything that confines or restrains v. to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent 5. megalomania ______E. n. one who rebels or rises against authority adj. rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing on 6. sinecure ______F. n. a position requiring little or no work; an easy job 7. surreptitious______G. v. to change from one nature, substance, or form to another 8. transgress ______H. adj. very wicked; offensive; hateful 9. transmute ______I. n. a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc. far in excess of reality 10.vicarious ______J. v. to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin; to violate a law II. Fill in the blank. Choose from the following list of vocabulary words to complete the sentences. You might need to change the form of the word to make it fit correctly into the sentence. Be careful. immuta megaloma surreptiti transmu fetter ble nia ous te insurge transgres vicariou heinous nt sinecure s s

11.The ______way in which they planned the undertaking shows that they were aware of his illegal character. 12.Is there any other crime in history as ______as the attempt of the Nazis to annihilate so-called “inferior” racial groups?

13.Although the ______were defeated by the government’s forces, a small group escaped into the mountains, where they kept the spirit of the rebellion alive.

14.Although most of us lead a quiet, humdrum sort of live, we can all get a (n) ______thrill from the achievements of our astronauts.

15.The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln once and for all broke the ______that bound Southern blacks to a life of servitude and humiliation.

16.The one fact about nature that seems completely ______is that everything is subject to change.

17.His conceit is so great and so immune to the lessons of experience that this must be considered a kind of ______.

18.Anyone who refers to my job as a (n) ______should spend just one day in my place!

19.The alchemists of the Middle Ages, who were both skilled magicians and primitive chemists, hoped to ______base metals into gold.

20.In his determination to be blunt and honest, he has ______the limits of good taste. III. Synonyms -- Choose the word most nearly the same in meaning as the boldface word or expression. immuta megaloma surreptiti transmu fetter ble nia ous te insurge transgres vicariou heinous nt sinecure s s

21.the disposition of the revolutionary ______22.a woman of unalterable habits ______23.a scandal involving “no-show” jobs ______24.convert ambition into action ______25.trying to restrain our imaginations ______IV.Antonyms. Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to the boldface word or expression. immuta megaloma surreptiti transmu fetter ble nia ous te insurge transgres vicariou heinous nt sinecure s s

26.the modesty of the real genius ______27.obey the week-night curfew ______28.experienced actual thrills at the race ______

29.accommodating, splendid treatment of prisoners ______30.made overt, open movements toward to candy ______

V. Choose the right word. From the pair, choose the word that best fits the meaning of the sentence.

31.Her description of the Western frontier was so vivid that I seemed to be (surreptitiously, vicariously) experiencing the realities of pioneer life.

32.For ancient Romans, feeling from the battlefield was the most (heinous, immutable) act of cowardice a soldier could commit.

33.A (n) (insurgent, heinous) group at the convention refused to accept the choices of the regular party leaders.

34.Although her new position bore a high-sounding title, it was really only a (n) (insurgent, sinecure).

35.He may have kept within the letter of the law, but there is no doubt that he has (transgressed, transmuted) the accepted moral code.

VI. REACH. Now use each of these ten words correctly in a sentence. You may write a five-sentence paragraph, using more than one of these words in each sentence, or you may write ten separate sentences. Please do not write more than 10 sentences to use the 10 words.

I will check these for correct use of the words and for correct spelling, grammar, usage, etc. This section is worth 2 points per word. Write on your own paper.

SAT Vocabulary Quiz #13 b. immutable d. imutible From the words below, select the correctly spelled word and write 4 a. ensurgant c. ensurgent the ENTIRE WORD on your own b. insurgant d. insurgent notebook paper. 5 a. megalomania c. 1. a. fettar c. fetter megalomana b. feter d. fieter b. megleomania d. megolamanea 2. a. heinous c. hainous b. heinus d. henous 6 a. sinycure c. sinacure b. sinecure d. cinekure 3. a. emmutable c. immutible

7 a. syruppticious c. syruptitious F. cushy career, plum position, b. serrupticious d. surreptitious undemanding undertaking, ______8 a. transgres c. transgress b. tranzgres d. trainscress G. change, alter, metamorphose, ______9. a. transmute c. transmuite b. tranzmute d. transmiout H. atrocious, reprehensible, wicked, ______10. a. vicarious c. vicarius b. vicarios d. vicarrious I. delusions of grandeur, illustrious illusions, fanciful fantasies, ______

J. sin, disobey, overstep, ______

Match the SYNONYMS below with the appropriate word from the list of vocabulary words. In the left margin of your notebook paper, write the letter of the list of synonyms next to the vocabulary word.

A. absolute, indisputable, undeniable ______B. secret, sneaky, underhanded, ______

C. substitute, proxy, stand-in, ______

D. bind, restrain, shackle, ______

E. rebel, revolutionary, guerrilla, ______

Teaching Literary Terms

. Guide students from knowledge to application to analysis

. Decide terms to be taught at each grade level

. Use common definitions throughout the vertical team

28 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Introducing Literary Elements IMAGERY

"He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with azure world, he stands."

Imagery may be defined as the representation through language of sense experience. The word image most often suggests a mental picture— visual imagery. Of course, an image may also represent a sound, a smell, a taste, a tactile experience or, an internal sensation. Since imagery is a particularly effective way of evoking vivid experience, conveying emotion, suggesting ideas, and causing mental reproduction of sensations; it is an invaluable resource for poets.

The Tropics in New York

29 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced By: Claude McKay

Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root, Cocoa in pods and alligator pears, And tangerines and mangoes and grape fairs, Fit for the highest prize at Paris fairs.

Set in the window, bringing memories Of fruit-trees laden by low singing rills, And dewy dawns, and mystical blue skies In benediction over nun-like hills.

My eyes grew dim, and I could no more gaze; A wave of longing through my body swept, And, hungry for the old, familiar ways, I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.

ANALYZE IT: Remember that an image is a word picture. A writer uses images to make the reader see, hear, taste, smell, or feel. Of course, you can have images without words in your mind too. These are mental pictures, and this is usually what memories are. The writer of this poem started with images in his mind and put them into words so that they could become images in the reader's mind. Use the chart below to list as many example of imagery from the poem under the appropriate sense to which it appeals. SIGHT SOUND TOUCH TASTE SMELL

31 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced IMAGERY

WRITE ABOUT IT: Write a paragraph explaining why imagery is important to the poem. In other words, how does imagery add to your understanding and appreciation to the poem? Support your ideas and/or opinions by citing specific examples from the poem.

DISCUSSION: Read the following description of a town named Maycomb.

In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then; a black dog suffered on the summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. From To Kill a Mockingbird By: Harper Lee

How does the author use imagery to tell the reader about the setting of the novel and about the size, location, age, appearance, and economic status of the town? What image of the town does the author create? Which words help create this image?

ON YOUR OWN: Find a poem or paragraph that is rich in imagery. Copy the literary piece and write an essay in which you not only discuss the various types of imagery the writer uses in the piece, but also the effect of such imagery on the reader's understanding of the piece? Be sure to be specific. Cite actual words and phrases from the piece as examples to support your opinions and conclusions.

SIMILE

A simile is a comparison between two things that are essentially unlike. A distinctive characteristic of simile is the use of the words like, as, similar to, or resembles to make the comparison. Thus the poet uses simile to help readers understand something new by comparing it with something familiar.

Simile AN EMERALD IS AS GREEN AS GRASS By: Christina Rossetti

An emerald is as green as grass. A ruby red as blood; A sapphire shines as blue as heaven, A flint lies in the mud.

A diamond is a brilliant stone, To catch the world's desire; An opal holds a fiery spark, But a flint holds fire.

ANALYZE IT: Remember that a simile is a comparison made between two dissimilar things that uses the words like or as. The things compared are usually completely different except for a particular shared quality. From the chart below, write the similes found in the poem and then write the two things each simile compares. Write what makes these similes particularly appropriate for the poem.

Simile What is being compared Explain what makes the simile appropriate for the poem. “Man’s life is like a summer leaf.”

WRITE ABOUT IT: Complete the following sentence with interesting similes.

1. The August sun was as hot as ______2. After a long day of hiking, we were as tired as ______3. The baby bird was as tiny as ______4. The sleeping children were as quiet as ______5. The new-fallen snow was as white as ______6. An angry teacher is like ______7. Trying to follow my little sister's directions is like ______8. The cold pizza tasted like ______9. The new first grader was as nervous as ______10.When he heard a noise inside the church, the undertaker ran like ______

ON YOUR OWN: Find five examples of similes in magazine ads, stories, poems, etc., and copy them onto your own paper. Explain what two things being compared have in common and why the simile is appropriate, in other words, how does the simile add to what the writer is trying to say? Be prepared to share with the class.

"An aged man is but a paltry. thing, A tattered coat upon a stick. . ." W.B. Yeats METAPHOR

Like a simile, metaphor is also a comparison. However, in metaphors, the comparison is implied. In other words, when Shakespeare writes 36 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced in "Spri ng" that "mer ry larks are plou ghm an's clock s," he is usin g a meta phor; for he ident ifies larks with clock s.

37 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced Dreams Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die For when dreams go Life is a broken-winged bird Life is a barren field That cannot fly. Frozen with snow.

DISCUSSION: Sometimes a metaphor is suggested or implied. It does not state that one thing is another, different thing. What comparisons are implied by the following metaphors?

1. The wind drove the galloping storm clouds across the sky. 2. Carefully, cleverly, the spy wove his web of deceit and waited to entrap his victim. 3. The windows of the old house stared out into the night, and the open door seemed to grin. 4. The quilted snow fell gently over the earth - tucking it in for a long winter's nap. 5. His youth ticked away quickly.

An extended metaphor is a series of comparisons between two unlike things that share common elements. Explain how the following poem is an extended metaphor. The Writer By: Richard Wilbur

In her room at the prow of the house ago; Where light breaks, and the windows are How we stole in, lifted a sash tossed with linden, My daughter is writing a story. And retreated, not to affright it; And how for a helpless hour, through the crack of I pause in the stairwell, hearing the door, From her shut door a commotion of typewriter- We watched the sleek, wild, dark keys Like a chain hauled over a gunwale. And iridescent creature Batter against the brilliance, drop like a glove Young as she is, the stuff To the hard floor, or the desk-top, Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy: I wish her a lucky passage. And wait then, humped and bloody, For the wits to try it again; and how our But now it is she who pauses, spirits As if to reject my thought and its easy figure. Rose when, suddenly sure, A stillness greatens, in which It lifted off from a chair-back, The whole house seems to be thinking, Beating a smooth course for the right window And then she is at it again with a bunched clamor And clearing the sill of the world. Of strokes, and again is silent. It is always a matter, my darling, I remember the dazed starling Of life or death, as I had forgotten. I wish Which was trapped in that very room, two years What I wished you before, but harder. 38 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced PERSONIFICATION

Personification consists of giving human qualities to an animal, an object, or an idea. Thus, in the example below, the desert crouches , which is a human action. The author, through his “humanizing” of an inanimate person, place, or thing (the desert), employs personification.

April Rain Song

"The tawny-hided desert crouches watching her. Francis Thompson

Langston Hughes Let the rain kiss you Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops Let the rain sing you a lullaby The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk The rain makes running pools in the gutter The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night And I love the rain.

Brainstorming Graphic Organizer to Analyze Personification Directions: Write your word pairs in the appropriate column. Then, brainstorm imagery and details around the word pairs using the following questions to guide you:

o What are Langston Hughes' feelings toward rain? o What does he want his audience to do? o How does personification help him make his point? o How is his use of personification different from that of Dickinson or Blake? o What do you notice about the language he uses to describe the rain? How does he use repetition to

Word Pairs What? When? Where? Why? (Noun/Verb) to lull me to sleep; to (sample) a little sleep at night on our roof comfort me; rain/plays song to assure me

41 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced The Train By: Emily Dickinson

I like to see it lap the miles, To fit its sides, and crawl between, And lick the valleys up, Complaining all And stop to feed itself at tanks; the while And then, prodigious, step In horrid, hooting stanza; Then chase itself down hill Around a pile of mountains, And, supercilious, peer And neigh like Boanerges; In shanties by the sides of roads; Then, punctual as a start its own, And then a quarry pare Stop-docile and omnipotent- A stable door.

Questions: o Why do you think he chooses to have the sunflowers talk? o What kinds of descriptive words does Blake use? Why do you think he uses these words? o What is different about how Blake uses personification in his poem?

Word Pairs What? When? Where? Why? (Noun/Verb)

42 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE CHECK

WRITE ABOUT IT: Read the following passage and write a paragraph that examines the author's use of figurative language. Cite specific examples of imagery, simile, etc. and explain how they add to the reader's understanding and appreciation of the story.

"HAIRS" From The House on Mango Street By: Sandra Cisneros

Everybody in our family has different hair. My Papa's hair is like a broom, all up in the air. And me. My hair is lazy. It never obeys barrettes or bands. Carlos' hair is thick and straight. He doesn't need to comb it. Nenny's hair is slippery - slides out of your hand. And Kiki, who is the youngest, has hair like fur. But my mother's hair, my mother’s hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it, is the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you sleep near her, the rain outside falling and Papa snoring. The snoring, the rain, and Mama's hair that smells like bread.

ARCHETYPES IN LITERATURE An archetype is a symbol, story, pattern, or character type that recurs frequently in literature and evokes strong, often unconscious, associations in the reader. For example, the wicked witch and the enchanted prince are character types widely dispersed through folk tales and literature. The story of a hero who undertakes a dangerous quest, as in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a recurrent story pattern.

Situation Archetypes  The Quest — This motif describes the search for someone or some talisman which, when found and brought back, will restore fertility to a wasted land, the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader's illness and disability. (The Lion King. Idylls of the King)

 The Task - To save the kingdom, the win the fair lady, to identify himself so that he may reassume his rightful position, the hero must perform some nearly superhuman deed. This is NOT the same as the quest; it is a function of the ultimate goal. (Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone, Grendel is slain by Beowulf)

 The Journey - The journey sends the hero in search for some truth or information necessary to restore fertility to the kingdom. Usually the hero descends into a real or psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths, quite often concerning his faults. Once the hero is at this lowest point, he must accept personal responsibility to return to the world of the living. A second use of this pattern is the depiction of a limited number of travelers on a sea voyage, bus ride, or any other trip for the purpose of isolating them and using them as microcosm of society. (The Canterbury Tales. The Odyssey).

 The Initiation - This rite usually takes the form of an initiation into adult life. The adolescent comes into his/her maturity with new awareness and problems, along with new hope for the community. This awakening is often the climax of the story. (Huckleberry Finn . King Arthur ).

 The Fall - This archetype describes a descent from a higher to a lower state of being. The experience involves a defilement and/or loss of innocence and bliss. The fall is often accompanied by expulsion from a kind of paradise as penalty for disobedience and moral transgression. (Adam and Eve, Lancelot and Guinevere).

 Death and Rebirth - The most common of all situational archetypes, this motif grows out of the parallel between the cycle of nature and the cycle of life. Thus, morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth, while evening and winter suggest old age or death.

 Nature vs. Mechanistic World - Nature is good, while technology and society are often evil (Mad Max, Terminator)

 The Battle between Good and Evil - Obviously the battle between two primal forces; Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds. (Westerns, Satan and God in Paradise Lost).

 The Unhealable Wound - This wound is either physical or psychological and cannot be healed

fully. This wound also indicates a loss of innocence. These wounds always ache and often drive the sufferer to desperate measures. (Lancelot's madness, Scar's envy)

 The Ritual — The actual ceremonies the initiate experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another state. The importance of ritual rites cannot be over stressed as they provide a clear signpost for the character's role in society as well as our own position in the world. (Weddings, baptisms, coronation.

 The Magic Weapon — This symbolizes the extraordinary quality of the hero because no one else can wield the weapon or use it to its full potential. (Excalibur, Odysseus's bow, Thor's banner) Symbolic Archetypes  Light vs. Darkness - Light usually suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual illumination. Darkness implies the unknown, ignorance, despair, or evil.

 Water vs. Desert - Because water is necessary to life and growth, it commonly appears as a birth or rebirth symbol. Water is used in baptismal services, which solemnizes spiritual births. Similarly, the appearance of rain in a work of literature can suggest a character's spiritual birth. Desert, in turn, implies the death of a soul and spirituality. (The sea and river images in The Odyssey .)

 Heaven vs. Hell - Man has traditionally associated parts of the universe not accessible to him with the dwelling places of the primordial forces that govern his world. The skies and mountaintops house his gods; the bowels of the earth contain the diabolic forces that inhabit the universe. (Dante's Inferno . The Divine Comedy )

 Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity - Some characters exhibit wisdom and understanding at situations instinctively as opposed to those supposedly in charge. Loyal retainers often exhibit this wisdom when they accompany the hero on the journey. (Animals, Sam in The Lord of the Rings ).

 Haven vs. Wilderness - Places of safety contrast sharply against the dangerous wilderness. Heroes are often sheltered for a time to regain health and resources. (The Batcave, Camelot).

 Supernatural Intervention — The gods intervene on the side of the hero and sometimes against him. (The Bible. The Odyssey )

 Fire vs. Ice - Fire represents knowledge, light, life, and rebirth, while ice represents ignorance, darkness, sterility, and death. (Dante's Inferno , the phoenix).

Character Archetypes  The Hero - This archetype is so well-defined that the life of the protagonist can be clearly divided into a series of well-marked adventures which strongly suggest a ritualistic pattern. Traditionally, the herd's mother is a virgin, the circumstances of this conception are unusual, and, at birth, some attempt is made to kill him. He is, however, spirited away and reared by foster parents. We know almost nothing of his childhood, but, upon reaching manhood, he returns to his future kingdom. After a victory over the king or a wild beast, he marries a princess, becomes king, reigns uneventfully, but later loses favor with the gods. He is then driven from the city after which he meets a mysterious death, often at the top of a hill. His body is not buried,

but nevertheless, he has one or more holy sepulchers. Characters who exemplify this archetype to a greater or lesser extent are Oedipus, Jason, Dionysus, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Arthur, Robin Hood, and Beowulf.

 The Young Man from the Provinces - This hero is spirited away as a young man and raised by strangers. He later returns to his home and heritage where he is a stranger who can see new problems and new solutions. (Tarzan, Arthur, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz ).

 The Initiates - These are young heroes or heroines who, prior to their quest, must endure some training and ceremony. They are usually innocent and often wear white. (Daniel from The Karate Kid . Luke Skywalker)

 Mentors — These individuals serve as teachers or counselors to the initiates. Sometimes they work as role models and often serve as a father or mother figure.(Merlin, Raffiki)  Hunting Group of Companions - Loyal companions willing to face any number of perils in order to-be together. (Robin Hood and his Merry Men, The Knights of the Round Table).

 Loyal Retainers — These individuals are somewhat like servants who are heroic themselves. Their duty is to protect the hero and reflect the nobility of the hero. (Sam in The Lord of the Flies . Watson to Sherlock Holmes).

 Friendly Beast - This character shows nature on the side of the hero. (Lassie, Toto, Trigger).

 The Devil Figure — Evil incarnate, this character offers worldly goods, fame, or knowledge to the protagonist in exchange for possession of the soul. (Satan, Lucifer, Hitler).

 The Evil Figure with the Ultimate Good Heart ~ A redeemable devil figure saved by the nobility or love of the hero. (Green Knight, Scrooge).

 The Scapegoat - An animal or more usually a human whose death in a public ceremony expiates some taint or sin that has been visited upon the community. Their death often makes them a more powerful force in the society than when they lived. (Oedipus, Jews in the Holocaust)

 The Outcast — A figure who is banished from a social group for some crime {real or imagined) against his fellow man. The outcast is usually destined to become a wanderer from place to place, (cowboys, Cain, Timone and Pumba).

 The Creature of Nightmare — A monster usually summoned from the deepest, darkest part of the human psyche to threaten the desecration of the human body. (Werewolves, vampires, Frankenstein).

 The Woman Figure o The Earth Mother - Symbolic of fruition, abundance, and fertility, this character traditionally offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to those with whom she comes in contact. She is often depicted in earth colors and has large breasts and hips, symbolic of her childbearing capabilities. (Mother Nature, Mammy in Gone with the Wind).

o The Temptress - Characterized by her beauty, this woman is one to whom the protagonist is physically attracted and who ultimately brings about his downfall. (Delilah, 46 Bjornson 2009 2009 South Washington County (MN) Schools One-Day Conferenced

Cleopatra).

o The Platonic Ideal — This woman is a source of inspiration and a spiritual ideal, for whom the protagonist or author has an intellectual rather than a physical attraction. (Dante's Beatrice, Petrarch's Laura).

o The Unfaithful Wife — A woman married to a man who she sees as dull or distant and is attracted to a more virile or interesting man. (Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina).

o The Damsel in Distress — The vulnerable woman who must be rescued by the hero, she often is used as a trap to ensnare the unsuspecting hero. (Guinevere, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty).

o The Star-Crossed Lovers - These two characters are engaged in a love affair that is fated to end tragically for one or both of them due to the disapproval of society, family, friends, or some tragic situation. (Romeo and Juliet, the Titanic lovers).

THE FOUR ELEMENTS

 Air is considered active and male. It is light, mobile, and has the quality of dryness. Being that which we breathe, it is essential to life and can be thought of as the primary element. The Greek "spiro" means "breath," from this we get inspiration, as if the gods were filling us with the divine breath. Air is also connected with stormy wind (creation) and a medium for movement. Air can also be thought of as human freedom, cold and aggressive and memory. Often fresh night air is a sign of danger and a transition to renewed hope, steadfastness, salvation, stability, and/or tranquility.

 Earth is seen nourishment, fertility, infinite creativity, and/or longevity. Earth represents matter, while heaven stands for spirit. As one of the four elements, earth is the ground, stability, a foundation for life and for the structures of man and nature.

 Fire consumes, warms, and illuminates but can also bring pain and death; thus, its symbolic meaning varies wildly, depending upon the context of its use. It is often the symbol of inspiration, and yet it is also the predominant symbol of hell; fire is the only one of the four elements that humans can produce themselves, so it bridges the connection between mortals and gods. Rituals often involve an eternal flame, and kindling a fire is equated with birth and resurrection. Fire can also be seen as a force of purification. In a more modern context, forest fires, while looked upon as destructive and costly by modern society are positive as a mode of purification -- old growth that is burned away makes way for new growth to begin, and the entire ecosystem is rejuvenated. Many cultures view fire as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

 Water represents life and associated with birth, fertility, and refreshment. Christians are baptized with or in water, symbolizing a purification of the soul, and an admission into the faith. Water can also be destructive; water drowns and erodes, wearing away even the densest of stones given enough time. Its qualities are fluidity and cohesiveness. Flowing water usually represents change and the passage of time.

SHAPES  The circle is a universal symbol with extensive meaning. It represents the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movementIt implies an idea of movement and symbolizes the cycle of time, the perpetual motion of everything that moves, the planets' journey around the sun, the circle of the zodiac, the great rhythm of the universe. The circle is also zero in our system of numbering and symbolizes potential

 The cube is a three-dimensional square and is a symbol of stability and permanence. It represents the final stage of a cycle of immobility and as the truth because it looks the same from any perspective. The cube is the squaring of a circle. Scientifically, the cube usually represents salt. It is the earth: a square plus the four elements plus three dimensions.

 The square is the earth, as opposed to the heavens; it is geometric perfection, static, denoting honesty and straightforwardness, morality and integrity. It is a symbol of constancy.

 The triangle is one of the simplest and most fundamental geometric symbols; it is often representative of the Holy Trinity. The triangle can also be a symbol for fire.

 The curve gives a sense of more energy and motion.

DIRECTIONS  East is the direction of the rising sun and the dawn and is commonly associated with beginnings, birth, spring, and/or renewal. The east is a place where magicians often emigrate from and can hold characteristics of wisdom. The right (favorable) half of the body is representative of the east and is s opposed to the west, sinister half.

 North is most widely associated with cold, obscurity, winter, and old age.

 South is commonly linked to the noonday sun, summer, youth, and warmth.

 West is the direction of the setting sun and dusk, linking it with death, endings, the season of fall, and middle age. In the mid nineteenth century western culture witnessed westward expansion and the gold rush, so this context allows us to see west as opportunity, hope, and adventure.

48 Bjornson 2009 Colo Representation Num Symbolic Correspondence2008 Vestavia HillsDays One-Day ConferenceSymbolic r ber Correspondences black power, sexuality, sophistication, undetermined being, potential, latent ideas, Sunday power, magic, health, formality, eloquence, fear, evil, 0 absence of all; mystery vitality, money, career unhappiness, sadness, remorse, anger, blue peace, spirituality, spiritual energy, ultimate unity, identity, equality, existence, Monda intuition, dreams, psychic intellect, Inspiration, stability, trust 1 conservation, general harmony, peace, y ability, fertility loyalty, truth, confidence, (appetite tranquility, - a good principle. bright jealousy, envy, inexperience, misfortune contrasts, diversity, inequality, division, Tuesda money, enemies, courage, green 2 separation, disorder, confusion, change; strong y energy duality of Christ God and man, polars, brown neutralizing, earth, hearth, home, completeness, divinity, soul of the world, spirit Wedne divination, outdoors, reliability, comfort, simplicity, 3 of man, meditation, atonement, mysteries sday communications, beginning, middle, end; Trinity; birth, life, knowledge, wisdom death; three tries, three strikes dark depression earthly, physical things of creation, generating Thursd happiness, luck, wealth, blue 4 virtue, root of all things, gives human soul its ay victory, health quick changes, spiritual healing, eternal nature 4 elements, 4 stages of man, 4 goldmage drawingexorcism strength from others; hiding divinedirections, grace; 4 corners redoubted of the by worldevil spirits 5 Friday love, romance, marriage, behind an illusion; loss of confidence 5 senses, 5 fingers & toes, 5 wounds of Christ friendship (head. 2 hands, feet, side) golde fear, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, evil connotations, devil, ambivalence, total of Saturd psychic ability, n deceit, illness, hazard 6 labor; luck, chance, hours of day are divisions ay communication, new yellow of 6, beginnings, protection, green material success, abundance, fertility, spiritual perfection; power, belongs to sacred nature, environment, renewal, youth, 7 things, merges 3 & 4 7 days for creation, 7

vigor, generosity, days of week, forgive 7 x 70, 7 colors of orang concentration, psychic energy, balance, resurrection; regeneration, new beginnings, e warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, demanding 8 commencement; baptismal font is 8-sided;

of attention, encouragement, pink true love, friendship, attraction, the extent to which numbers should go; all romance, spiritual awakening, 9 numbers revolve around it; sacred; cannot get

togetherness rid of 9 - 9 x 1 = 9, 9 x 2 = 18 --1 + 8 = 9 purple magical forces, power over obstacles, completeness; new commencement royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, 10

transformation, wisdom, red passion, vigor, sexual energy, disorder; incompleteness excitement, aggression, danger, fire, war, 11

blood, all things intense and passionate white reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, government of God; cosmic order multiples of 12 peace, precision, Innocence, youth, birth, 12 occur in government, 12 tribes of Israel, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage, 12 months, 12 zodiac signs, yellow joy, happiness, optimism, imagination, 13 controlling or regulating; rebellion, 6th prime hope, sunshine, number- associated with the concept of the silver removes negative power, victory, 15 paganism, reduces to 6, thus indicative of a stability, developing talents false system gray security, reliability, intelligence, grace intensified; 5x5 25 modesty, dignity, maturity, practical, dark problemssad, boring, in relationshipsold age or marriage mark of the beast, evil, cults 666 green (almost a black color) LOADED WORDS

Being able to recognize propaganda/persuasion/rhetoric is necessary in order to be a careful, independent reader and thinker. These techniques are attempts to influence your thinking. Speeches, television and radio programs, advertisements, and movies can all be forms of propaganda/persuasion/rhetoric.

Written material intended to influence you contains "loaded" words. A loaded word or phrase conveys emotion and the writer's point of view. Compare the loaded words in sentences 1 & 3 with the less emotional words in sentences 2 & 4.

1. There was a forbidding and depressing gloom that day. 2. The day was cloudy. 3. She looked like a skeleton in her baggy clothing.

49 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference

4. Her clothes were too big for her.

In sentence 1, the writer encouraged you to feel sadness and even fear. Cloudy, in sentence 2, merely describes the day with no added comment.

Sentence 3 creates a mood with the words skeleton and baggy, while in sentence 4, too big states a fact.

Some questions are worded in such a loaded way that you are led into agreement with the questioner. Look at this example.

Who would not agree that this is a magnificent automobile?

You are made to feel that you will appear tasteless or foolish if you disagree. This type of question is often used in selling, to make it impossible for the customer to say NO.

In the sentences below, substitute a loaded word or phrase for each common word in parentheses.

1. The company president lives in ______(big) house.

2. Describing the star player, the coach said, "She's ______!” (good)

3. Sally Jones is a (n) ______(capable) leader.

4. Acme Peanut Butter is______(better) than all others.

LOADED WORDS, PART II

Probably the most common use of propaganda in daily life is in advertising. Strong, emotion-filled words are used to make products or services appealing. Read this real estate advertisement.

Two story, three bedroom house. Living and dining rooms connected by archway. Kitchen has two windows, new cupboards. Screened porch. Basement storeroom. Located in center of town.

Now observe how the same house is made to seem more attractive by using "advertising language."

Upper level family suite assures privacy in this spacious dream home. Prepare a feast for guests in the bright, cheery gourmet kitchen. Entertain in the double-sized living area or enjoy cooling breezes on the veranda. Use your handyman skills to create a lower level den. Conveniently located near shopping and transportation.

Notice how ordinary house features have been made to sound unusual and appealing. Upper and lower level, suite, privacy, spacious, feast, gourmet, and veranda are only a few of the words used to encourage a sense of wealth and importance. Even the substitution of home for house affects the impression.

It is important to understand the point of view of the writer. How is he/she trying to sway you? How do your feelings change when you read "sun-drenched days and crisp, clear nights" and "broiling hot during the day and bone-chilling cold at night?" Propaganda may be beneficial or harmful, but it is never neutral. A writer of propaganda, good or bad, is attempting to make you think a certain way. There are other types of persuasive writing, such as editorials and some essays. But various forms of propaganda are especially important for you to recognize.

The sentences below are written as propaganda. Rewrite them in straight, factual language.

1. Earsplitting shouts assaulted him as he inched through the mass of people.

______

2. The constant, formless horror of famine can be seen in the ancient villagers' faces.

______

3. Waves of melody delighted her ears.

______

LOADED WORDS, PART III

The words people choose reveal how they feel, by what standards they judge. The words you yourself choose may stir up the wrong emotions unless you handle them with care. Remember the following guidelines:

1. Distinguish neutral words from words with favorable or unfavorable connotations. Know which word is likely to be considered flattering, which insulting, and which is "straight talk," plain and simple.

Neutral Favorable Unfavorable thin slender skinny group circle clique project enterprise scheme determined resolute stubborn official public servant bureaucrat careful discreet sneaky reproach admonish nag

2. Practice restraint in using words that express disgust or contempt . The damage done by invective, or "name-calling," is not easily patched up. Be careful how you call someone an "opportunist" or a "snob." Call someone a "coward" or a "slob" or a "traitor" only if you are willing to make a lifelong enemy. Such words are true "fuse blowers" or argument and discussion. They short-circuit all rational exchange of opinion. Among heated charges guaranteed to blow the fuse are:

* accusing a book of "poisoning the minds of children" * calling a person of conservative views a "fascist" * calling unwelcome new ideas "subversive" * calling a lawyer a "shyster" * calling a doctor a "quack"

3. Resist being swayed by mere words. Remember to ask: What's in a name? A political candidate or an advertiser will naturally choose of two different names the one that suits his/her purpose best:

* patronage vs. spoils system * negotiation vs. bickering * investigation vs. witch-hunt * accusation vs. smear * order vs. regimentation * freedom vs. lawlessness

Voters or customers must remind themselves that such words are not neutral descriptions. The words are charged with emotions and preferences. They serve the purposes of the speaker. These purposes may be different from the purposes of the voters.

What differences in connotation are there among the synonyms in each group? What feelings, attitudes, or associations foes each word bring to mind? Compare your reactions to those of your classmates.

* mongrel, hound, mutt, pup * auto, motor vehicle, jalopy, hot rod, crate * convict, felon, criminal, jailbird, inmate * toil, labor, drudgery, exertion * relax, loaf, dawdle, loiter

On a separate sheet of paper, write down the more unfavorable word in each pair. Be prepared to explain what the word adds to the common meaning of the two words, producing a negative effect on our attitude. firm — ruthless haggle — bargain friend — crony domineering -- masterful shoddy — cheap mob — crowd paint — daub talk--chatter boast — brag panacea — remedy

On a separate sheet of paper, write down the more appealing or more flattering term in each pair. What does it add to the common meaning of the two words?

53 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference house — home kinfolk — relatives youngster — child farm — homestead statesman — politician foreign — imported customer — client teacher — mentor hand-crafted — handmade limited — exclusive Analyzing for Tone, Theme, and Syntax

TONE AND DIDLS

Tone is the writer's/speaker's attitude toward the subject and the audience.

To correctly interpret tone, a student must come to an understanding and appreciation of diction (word choice), details, imagery, and language.

Using DIDLS gives students a pneumonic device with which to interpret tone more effectively.

D- DICTION The connotation of the word choice

I- IMAGERY Vivid appeals to understanding through the senses

D- DETAILS Facts that are included or omitted

L- LANGUAGE The overall use of language, such as formal, clinical, jargon, etc.

S- SENTENCE STRUCTURE

How structure affects the reader's attitude

To misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning.

Tone Words abhorrence despairing indignant poignant abrupt desperate inflammatory pompous accusatory detached informative pretentious accusing didactic insipid prosaic admonitory diffident insolent proud afraid disbelieving instructive provocative allusive disdainful ironic questioning amused disgusted irrelevant realistic angry disparaging irreverent reflective anxious disturbed ir reverent reminiscent apathetic dramatic joking repressive apologetic dread joyful resigned apprehensive dreamy lackadaisical respectful argumentative effusive laudatory restrained audacious elated learned sad awe elegiac light sanctimonious baffled elitist light-hearted sarcastic bantering eloquent loving sardonic benevolent embittered lucid scornful bitter enthusiastic lugubrious seductive boring erudite matter-of-fact sentimental bucolic exuberant meditative serene burlesque facetious melancholic sharp candid factual mock-heroic shocked cautious fanciful mocking shocking ceremonial fearful mock-serious silly cherry flippant moralistic sober childish foreboding mournful solemn clinical frivolous nostalgic somber cold furious objective surprised colloquial giddy optimistic sweet compassionate glib outraged sympathetic complimentary gloomy passionate taunting contemptuous happy patronizing threatening concerned hollow peaceful tired condemnatory hopeful pedantic turgid condescending horrific pessimistic upset confident horrified petty urgent confused humorous piquant vexed contentious impartial pitiful vibrant critical incisive plaintive whimsical cynical incredulous playful zealous dark indifferent poetic

English Vertical Teams Guide

LANGUAGE

artificial esoteric informal ordinary scholarly bombastic euphemistic insipid pedantic sensuous colloquial exact jargon picturesque simple concrete figurative learned plain slang connotative formal literal poetic symbolic cultured grotesque moralistic precise trite detached homespun obscure pretentious vulgar emotional idiomatic obtuse provincial SHIFTS IN TONE

> Key words (but, yet, nevertheless, however, although...) > Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons...) > Stanza and paragraph divisions > Changes in line and stanza or in sentence length > Sharp contrasts in diction TONE EXERCISE Inflection makes tone of voice.

Speaker A: You're late! Speaker B: I know. I couldn't help it. Speaker A: I understand. Speaker B: I knew you would. Speaker A: I have something for you. Speaker B: Really? What? Speaker A: This!

58 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference CONNOTATIVE WORDS

In a group, discuss the connotation of each word. What images does each word conjure up in your mind? Which of the following words have a negative, positive, or neutral effect on the reader?

Mansion, abode, dwelling, domicile, residence, house, home

Snooty, arrogant, conceited, cocky, vain, self-satisfied, egotistical, proud, high- and-mighty, overbearing, high-hat, supercilious

Titter, giggle, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, roar, snicker, snigger, cackle

Spinster, old maid, bachelor girl, unmarried woman, maiden lady, career woman

Saving, tight, miserly, frugal, economical, careful, thrifty, penny-pinching, budget minded, mean, penurious

Shrewd, calculating, clever, sly, adroit, knowing, astute, cunning, skillful, smooth

Glum, sullen, withdrawn, reticent, silent, taciturn

Laconic, terse, economical, concise, pointed, pithy, compressed, brief, boiled down

Steal, purloin, embezzle, filch, pilfer, burglarize, rob, hold up, snatch, grab, help oneself to, appropriate

Dislike, resent, lament, hate, scorn, disapprove, decry, deplore, oppose, regret

Odd, bizarre, singular, outlandish, curious, unusual, extraordinary, remarkable, noteworthy, out of the way, strange

Confess, admit, acknowledge, concede, give in, grant, come clean, own, allow

Amateur, buff, enthusiast, nut, fan, hobbyist, connoisseur

Corpulent, plump, obese, heavy set, fleshy, fat, paunchy, burly, overweight, roly- poly, bulky, portly, weighty, pudgy

L o r d o f t h e F l i e s

Denotation/Connotation Denotation is the pure, simple, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any personal or emotional associations. It is difficult to find a completely denotative word (except for conjunctions and prepositions) because of mental and emotional associations that are either universal or personal. A scientific symbol (H2O) stands a better chance of being wholly denotative than a word does.

Connotation is the shade of meaning that has accrued to a word through use. Connotation is a valuable fact of language: it enlarges our vocabulary, provides fine and accurate distinctions, and help the writer to appeal to the emotions as well as to the intellect.

Here are some examples of connotation: Slim and slender are connotatively complimentary. Thin is almost neutral, probably complimentary in America. Skinny is derogatory—and connotative. Yet any of these adjectives could be applied to the same person, depending on the speaker's attitude toward the person. The connotations of some words are governed by context: Richard is taking a course in adolescent psychology, (neutral: denotative) Richard's adolescent reaction to the joke embarrassed everyone, (pejorative: connotative)

Word Connotations log cabin simplicity, strength, the pioneer past. Abraham Lincoln lodge country retreats, hunting shack poverty, shabbiness chalet skiing, snow, Switzerland

Neutral Negative Connotations unemployed, out of work, at leisure, freeloader or moocher or between jobs Words and phrases that have strong connotations, either positive or negative, are called loaded words . They appeal to emotions and can bias people for or against something.

Words With Positive Connotations Words With Negative Connotations

60 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference roomy luxury sedan oversized, overpriced gas-guzzler

An excerpt from The Pearl By: John Steinbeck

In his chamber the doctor sat up in his high bed. He had on his dressing gown

of red watered silk that had come from Paris, a little tight over the chest now if

it was buttoned. On his lap was a silver tray with silver chocolate pot and a

tiny cup of eggshell china, so delicate that it looked silly when he lifted it with

his big hand, lifted it with the tips of thumb and forefinger and spread the

other three fingers wide to get them out of the way. His eyes rested in little

hammocks of flesh and his mouth drooped with discontent. He was growing

very stout, and his voice was hoarse with the fat that pressed on his throat.

Beside him on a table was a small Oriental gong and a bowl of cigarettes. The

furnishings of the room were heavy and dark and gloomy. The pictures were

religious, even the large tinted photograph of his dead wife, who, if Masses

willed and paid out of her own estate could do it, was in Heaven. The doctor

had once for a short time been a part of the great world and his whole

subsequent life was memory and longing for France...

Despairing Dark Silly Scornful Contemptuous

62 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference despairing

"Blues Ain't No Mockin’ Bird" Toni Cade Bambara Dialectical vs. Standard English

Rewrite each dialectical excerpt from the story into standard English and then explain what is being stated.

1. "The twins from next door, Tyrone and Terry, were swingin’ so high outta sight we forgot we were waitin’ our turn on the tire."

2. "This person takin’ up the whole roll of film, practically. But savin’ a few, o’ course."

3. "And Granny just stared at the twins till their faces swallow up the eager and they don't even care any more about the man jumpin’."

4. "But next day loadin’ up the truck, with rocks in his jaw, madder than Granny in the first place."

5. "And I could see her leanin’ up against the pantry table, starin’ at the cakes she was puttin’ up for the Christmas sale, mumblin’ real low and grumpy and holdin’ her forehead like it wanted to fall off and mess up the rum cakes."

6. "And the two men movin’ up on tiptoe like they was invisible or we was blind, one.*

7. "They just buzz on him as he stalks by with the chicken hawk slung over his shoulder, squawkin’, drippin’ red down the back of the oilskin."

8. "Granddaddy Cain straight up and silent watchin’ the circles of the hawk, then aimin’, the hammer off his wrist. The giant bird fall in, silent and slow."

9. "Then Granddaddy's other hand flies up like a sudden and gentle bird, slaps down fast on top of the camera and lifts off half like it was a calabash cut for sharin’."

10. "'You standin’ in the misses' flower bed,' say Granddaddy. This is our own place.'"

CATEGORIZING THE LANGUAGE OF SPEAKERS Categorize the language of the following passages.

chauvinisti euphemisti scholarl c c moralistic y colloquial formal pedantic slang dialect insipid poetic turgid pretentiou 1. "When I told effusive jargon s vulgar Dad how I'd goofed the exam, he literally blew his top."

2. "There was a constable on point duty just where we stopped, and he came over and lifted the bonnet and made ineffectual motions with a spanner. And then — what do you think? — we found we’re out of petrol."

3. "We don't keep nothin’ like that here, but maybe we could order it for ya special. Not in a hurry for it, was ya?"

4. "I had him on the ropes on the fourth, and if one of those short rights of mine had connected, he'd have gone down for the count. I was aiming for his glass jaw, but I couldn't seem to reach it."

5. "A close examination and correlation of the most reliable current economic indexes justifies the conclusion that the next year will witness a continuation of the present upward market trend, though this may be accomplished by seasonal fluctuations in respect to certain areas of the economy."

6. "We was loadin’ hay in the north forty when we seen the twister in the distance."

7. "Both the Oriental romance and the picaresque narrative have been favorite vehicles for the satirist, the romance because it permits a handy and vivid way of contrasting western manners with those of a very different culture, the picaresque tale because the hero's adventuresome career, spiced as it is with all sorts of roguery, gives an excellent excuse for pungent comment of the errant ways of mankind."

8. "The female operatives in this mill seemed well content with their lot, laughing and singing as they emerged at the end of the day."

9. "The ominous final movement begins with a toccata in the horns, punctuated by glissando effects in the tympani, and then develops, in the middle section, into a lyrical coda."

FUNERAL COMPARISON

The following passage is an eyewitness account of a funeral. Read the passage carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you consider the attitude of the speaker by carefully analyzing the diction and the choice of details in the account. In your discussion, consider the effects on the reader.

Looking down, I could see them winding upward in a mass to the muffled sound of drums. Children stopped in their playing on the grass to stare, and nurses at the nearby hospital came out on the roof to watch, their white uniforms glowing in the now unveiled sun like lilies. And crowds approached the park from all directions. The muffled drums, now beating, now steadily rolling, spread a dead silence upon the air... Over the park the silence spread from the slow muffled rolling of the drums, the crunching of footsteps on the walks. Then somewhere in the procession an old, plaintive, masculine voice arose in a song, wavering, stumbling in the silence at first alone, until in the band a euphonium horn fumbled for the key and took up the air, one catching and rising above the other and the other pursuing, two black pigeons rising above a skull-white bam to tumble and rise through still blue air. And for a few bars the pure sweet tone of the horn and old man's husky baritone sang a duet in the hot heavy silence. "There's Many a Thousand Gone." And standing high up over the park something fought in my throat. It was a song from the past, the past of the campus and the still earlier past of home. And now some of the older ones in the mass were joining in. I hadn’t thought of it as a march before, but now they were marching to its slow-paced rhythm, up the hill. I looked for the euphonium player and saw a slender black man with his face turned toward the sun, singing through the upturned bells of the horn. And several yards behind, marching beside the young men floating the coffin upward, I looked into the face of the old man who had aroused the song and felt a twinge of envy. It was a worn, old, yellow face and his eyes were closed and I could see a knife welt around his upturned neck as his throat threw out the song. He sang with his whole body, his voice rising above all the others, blending with that of the lucid horn. I watched him now, wet-eyed, the sun hot upon my head, and I felt a wonder at the singing mass. It was as though the song had been there all the time and he knew it and aroused it; and I knew that I had known it too and had failed to release it out of a vague nameless shame or fear. But he had known and aroused it. I looked into that face, trying to plumb its secret, but it told me nothing. I looked at the coffin and the marchers, listening to them, and

66 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference yet realizing that I was listening to something within myself, and for a second I heard the shattering stroke of my heart

The following passage is another eyewitness account of funeral. Read the passage carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you consider the attitude of the speaker by carefully analyzing the diction and the choice of details in the account. In you discussion, consider the effects on the reader.

The ailment of the grotesque was very noticeable to me in the most striking collection of the shabbier English types that I had seen since I came to London. The occasion of my seeing them was the funeral of Mr. George Odger, which befell some four or five weeks before the Easter period. Mr. George Odger, it will be remembered, was an English radical agitator of humble origins, who had distinguished himself by a perverse desire to get into Parliament He exercised, I believe, the useful profession of shoemaker, and he knocked in vain at the door that opens but to the refined. But he was a useful and honorable man, and his own people gave him an honorable burial. I emerged accidentally into Piccadilly at the moment they were so engaged, and the spectacle was one ^ been sorry to miss. The crowd was enormous, and I managed to squeeze through it and to get into a hansom cab that was drawn up beside the pavement, and here I looked on as from a box at the play. Though it was a funeral that was going on I will not cab it a tragedy, but it was a very serious comedy. The day happened to be magnificent- the finest of the year. The funeral had been taken in hand by the classes who are socially unrepresented in Parliament, and it had the character of great popular "manifestation." The hearse was followed by very few carriages, but the cortege of pedestrians stretched away in the sunshine, up and down the classic gentility of Piccadilly, on a scale that was highly impressive. Here and there the line was broken by a small brass band - apparently one of those bands of itinerant Germans that play for coppers beneath lodging-house windows; but for the rest it was compactly made up of what the newspapers call the dregs of the population. It was the London rabble, the metropolitan mob, men and women, boys and girls, the decent poor and the indecent, who had scrambled into

67 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference the ranks as they gathered them up on their passage, and were making a sort of solemn "lark" of it.

LITERARY ANALYSIS

Theme is defined as "the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life." Usually, theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing.

PLOT THEME A summary of the "plot" or events of the poem, CHART SUBJECTS short story, or novel is written in paragraph Subjects of the poem, form. short story, or novel are listed as words or phrases.

Example In "Janet Waking," Janet awakens one morning Example and runs to greet her pet 1. A child's first chicken only to discover experience that of death a bee had stung and killed 2. Loss of a pet the 3. Innocence bird. The discovery desolates Janet to such a degree that her father cannot comfort her.

In "Barter," the poet 1. Beautiful things in life describes the beauty of 2. Barter/exchange the ocean, fire, children's 3. The suffering and faces, music, pine trees, problems and thoughts. The poet in life. urges the reader not to "count the cost" but to "Count many a year of strife well lost" and "Give all you have" for "a breath of ecstasy."

THEMES

After combining subjects, where appropriate, students write a complete sentence identifying what idea the author is conveying about each subject.

Example 1. Children become aware of the inevitability of death and are transformed by the knowledge. 2. The death of innocence is inevitable. **Note: Subjects 1 & 2 are combined into one theme.

Exchange the suffering and problems of life for the moments of loveliness.

JANET WAKING BARTER John Crowe Sara Ransom Teasdale

Beautifully Janet slept Till it was deeply Life has loveliness to sell All morning. She woke then And thought beautiful and splendid things, Blue about her dainty-feathered hen, To see waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring how it had kept. fire that sways and sings, And children's faces looking up Holding One kiss she gave her mother wonder like a cup. Only a small one she to her daddy Who would have kissed each curl of his shining baby; Life has loveliness to sell, Music like No kiss at all for her brother. a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love you, arms "Old Chucky, old Chucky!" she cried, that hold, And for your spirit's still Running across the world upon the delight, Holy thoughts that star grass To Chucky's house and listening. the night. But alas, Her Chucky had died. Spend all you have for loveliness, It was a transmogrifying bee Came Buy it and never count the cost; For droning down on Chucky's old bald one whit singing hour of peace head And sat and put the poison. It Count many a year of strife well scarcely bled, But how exceedingly lost, And for a breath of ecstasy Give all you have been or could be. And purply did the knot Swell with venom and communicate Its rigor! Now the poor comb stood straight But Chucky did not. Kneeling on the wet grass, crying her brown hen (Translated far beyond the daughters of men). To rise and walk upon it.

And weeping fast as she had breath Janet implored us, "Wake her from her sleep!" And would not be instructed in how deep Was the forgetful kingdom of death.

THEME VOCABULARY

Abstract ideas to use to form thematic statements. aloneness eternity law rebellion ambition exile loneliness repentance appearance failure loss of faith resistance betrayal faith loyalty retribution bureaucracy falsity luck revenge ceremony family materialism ritual chance fantasies memory scapegoat children fate mob psychology school contests feminism music search for identity courage free will mysterious stranger social status cowardice games paradise sports cruelty greed parenthood supernatural custom guilt patriotism suppression dance heart perseverance the past defeat heaven persistence time despair home poverty tradition discontent illusion prejudice tricks disillusionment initiation pretense utopia domination innocence prophecy victim psychological dreams instinct journey violence duty journey reality war education justice reason will power escape women

LITERARY ANALYSIS MOTIF A motif is defined as "an image or idea that is repeated within a literary work." As a pattern of repetition develops, the motif seems to point to an implied statement of meaning (themes).

Student analysis involving motifs may be approached from either of two directions:

. The student may be given a motif or set of motifs prior to reading a work and be asked to trace the occurrences of the motif (s) through the work. The final evaluative task will be for the student to explain the theme suggested by the pattern of motif (s).

. The student may be given a thematic statement prior to reading a work and be asked to identify and trace the details, images, and statements that suggest this theme. The final evaluative task will be for the student to explain how that theme has been revealed through a patterns) of details, images, and statements. MOTIF → THEME

Motif to Theme Assignment A. Identify one or more motifs for the students. . If give them more than one, make sure they all point to one theme. . Make sure that the motif (s) you give them occur abundantly in the work. . Make sure you identify the motif in such a way that the student can recognize it in its various forms. It is best to stick with a clear image or an actual repeated quote.

B. Have the students keep a dialectical record of the motif's occurrence (quote, page number, and commentary about what idea might be developing through the repetition). Suggested formats for the dialectical journal include: . Dialectical journal (quote on one side of the page, comment on the other). . Note card with quote on front, commentary on back. . Chart.

C. About one-third to one-half through the work, have the students write an in-class essay speculating on the theme that is developing. Have each student use his/her dialectical record as a source of support.

D. When the student completes the reading, assign an out-of-class essay in which the student states the work's theme and supports that thematic statement by tracing one or more motifs. The student should use the dialectical record as a source for support. You may increase the complexity of the assignment by 73 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference asking the student a question appropriate to the work, a question that could be answered by an analysis of the work's theme(s), which, in turn, would require an analysis of the work's motifs. For example, senior AP students might be asked to take a position on whether or not A Passage to India, in its presentation of the human condition, is essentially optimistic, pessimistic, or ambiguous and to support the position by analyzing one or more of the novel's themes along with the relevant motifs. Similarly, in Steinbeck's The Pearl, middle school pre-AP students could be asked to take a position of whether or not human beings are better, worse, or similar in instinct to animals.

IMAGES MOTIF →→→ DETAILS PHRASES

Theme to Motif

An alternative to the motif to theme assignment is an assignment that allows the Students to work backward from a thematic statement. Starting with theme and having students look for supporting images, details, and statements is well suited for ■ Works without clear and abundant patterns of motifs. ■ Students who require a less challenging assignment.

A. Give students a clear but thorough thematic statement.

B. Have them trace the images, details, and phrases that suggest or support this theme.

C. About one-third to one-halfway through the reading of the work, have the students write an in-class essay tracing the image patterns, details, and phrases that reveal the given theme.

D. After they have finished the work, have the students repeat the assignment in an out-of-class paper. You may increase the complexity of the assignment by asking the students a question appropriate to the work, a question that requires them to apply a thematic analysis to produce a response. For instance, students studying Dante's Inferno might be asked to take a position on whether or not God (or Dante) is just in his placement of sinners in hell, and to support their position through an analysis of relevant themes and the images, details, and statements that reveal them. Likewise, pre-AP students can discuss the Biblical images in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and how these references contribute to the author's message on racial issues.

“O miscreant rabble, you “The way frogs croak, their “Here you shall pass who keep the stations of muzzles leaning out of water … among the fallen people the place whose name is just so the living dead are sealed who have lost the good of pain. Better you had been and beat their teeth like storks.” intellect.” born as sheep or goats.”

“And this I learned was ”Because of them I lie in this pig-pen.” Example of motif graphic: This graphic the never ending fight of shows repetition of bestiality in Dante’s those who sinned in the Inferno. flesh, the carnal and “…snapping their Thematic Statement lusty who betrayed teeth as they ran, like reason to appetite.” hungry swine let out to feed after a night in “The sinner’s legs and thighs began the pen” ”…those spirits pf to join; they grew together so that the stinking ditch soon no trace of juncture could be “And they, scribed themselves “And when the rabid pair seen from toe to loin. Point by too, howl with their own had passed from sight, I point the reptile’s forefeet like dogs bloody claws to turned to observe the simultaneously lengthened … it in the ease the furious other, misbegotten spirits stripped the hair from the man and freezing burning of the itch.” that lay about from left to grew it on the reptile. While one storm.” right.” fell to his belly, the other rose … they changed snouts as they changed pose.”

To satisfy the bodily appetites to the exclusion of spiritual needs and to give rain to emotion at the expense of reason is to relinquish that which makes one human and to be no different from the animals.

USING THE SIFT METHOD FOR LITERARY ANALYSIS When exploring how a writer uses literary elements and stylistic techniques to convey meaning or theme, teachers may introduce the following technique to help young readers begin to practice literary analysis. This method allows students to "SIFT' through the parts in order to comprehend the whole.

Symbol: examine the title and text for symbolism Images: identify images and sensory details Figures of speech: analyze figurative language and other devices Tone and Theme: discuss how all devices reveal tone and theme

USING THE SIFT METHOD IN ANALYZING STEINBECK'S THE PEARL

Before reading John Steinbeck's The Pearl, have students examine the title for clues as to what the story might be about, making predictions based on the cover illustration and sharing some information about the author.

Assign the book ahead of time, especially for Pre-AP students, so that students can read it a week or two before class discussion is scheduled to begin. Then, as the novel is studied in class, students can reread it with closer attention to detail.

SYMBOL Steinbeck's writing is rich in the use of symbolism. Since the title of the story or novel often contains symbols that hint at theme, students should first be encouraged to reexamine the title. The teacher might suggest that the pearl is the central symbol of the story and might ask students to reflect on the characteristics of the pearl and speculate about its significance. The teacher might point out that a pearl has often been used in literature to represent spiritual purity and innocence; at this point, the class might debate the issue of whether the pearl is used here in its traditional symbolic sense. For Kino, the pearl seems to symbolize potential wealth, education for his son, and betterment for his family. A class or small group discussion focused on the ways in which the meaning of the pearl changes throughout the story may reveal additional insights about Steinbeck's use of symbolism and its contribution to theme.

A list of possible interpretations of other symbolic elements in The Pearl follows: . The scorpion may suggest evil or natural calamity. . The doctor may represent willful evil (inhumanity). . The pearl dealers may exemplify conspiracy and exploitation. . The trackers may symbolize a society bent on destroying an individual. . Kino could represent the common man suppressed by society. . The canoe may represent family tradition, something of value which Kino can pass on to his son. IMAGERY Writers use language to create sensory impressions and to evoke specific responses in characters, objects, events, and situations in their works. The writer "shows" rather than "tells," thus allowing the reader to participate in the experience more fully. Therefore, imagery helps to produce mood and tone. When reading a piece containing imagery, students might ask themselves two questions:

. What can I see, hear, taste, smell, or feel? . What effect is the author trying to convey with these images?

The Pearl opens with intense imagery. Students could examine the following excerpt for examples of imagery and discuss how these sensory details contribute to meaning and effect. Why did the author chose to begin with these descriptive details. What kind of information do they provide about Kino and the society in which he lives?

Kino awakened in the near dark. The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower sky to the east. The roosters had been crowing for some time, and the early pigs were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood to see whether anything to eat had been overlooked. Outside the brush house in the tuna clump, a covey of little birds chartered and flurried with their wings. Kino's eyes opened and he looked first at the lightening square which was the door and then he looked at the hanging box where Coyotito slept. And last he turned his head to Juana, his wife, who lay beside him on the mat, her blue shawl over her nose and over her breasts and around the small of her back. Juana's eyes were open too. Kino could never remember seeing them closed when he awakened. Her dark eyes made little reflected stars. She was looking at him as she was always looking at him when he awakened. Kino heard the little splash of morning waves on the beach. It was very good - Kino closed his eyes again to listen to his music. Perhaps he alone did this and perhaps all of his people did it. His people had once been great makers of songs so that everything they saw and thought or did or heard became a song. That was very long ago. The songs remained; Kino knew them, but no new songs were added. That does not mean that there were no personal songs. In Kino's head there was a song now, clear and soft, and if he had been able to speak it, he would have called it the Song of the Family.

FIGURES OF SPEECH Writers form images by using figures of speech, such as similes, metaphors, and personification. Students can find examples in the story and discuss how these figures of speech help to convey effect and meaning. Students might consider the following questions: . What is the significance of Kino's comparing the pearl to his soul? . Why is the town compared to an animal with a nervous system, limbs, and emotions? . What musical metaphors does Steinbeck use, and how are they significant? e.g. "The Song of the Family" . How do these figures of speech enhance meaning?

Sample quotations for discussion: . "...die great pearl, perfect as the moon..." . "The houses belched people." . "A town is like a colonial animal." . "The essence of pearl mixed with essence of men and a curious dark residue was precipitated." . "The black distillate was like the scorpion, or like hunger in die smell of food or like loneliness when love is withheld." . "The poison sacs of die town began to manufacture venom, and the town swelled and puffed with the pressure of it."

Students could also examine other devices in The Pearl such as irony and allusion.

One example of irony found in this story is Kino's expectation that the pearl will bring wealth and education for his son; it causes destruction and death. Students could find other examples of irony in the story and identify which of the three kinds of irony is being used in each example.

Steinbeck's parable alludes to the biblical story of "The Pearl of Great Price" and to an Indian legend he heard in Baja, California, called "The Pearl of the World." In the Bible story, the "pearl of great price" represents the soul's salvation. When it is found, one is advised to give up everything for it. The Indian legend tells the story of a boy who discovers a valuable pearl of great size and tries to sell it to pearl buyers who offer such a low price that he refuses to sell it to them. Instead, he hides the treasure under a rock and is attacked for three nights in a row. Finally, he removes the pearl from its hiding place and throws it back into the Gulf. Students might discuss how each of these allusions enhances the meaning or effect of the novel. Does the author retain the original symbolic meaning from "The Pearl of Great Price," or does he alter it? What is the relationship between the Indian legend and Steinbeck's novel

TONE A close examination of word choice, imagery, and detail reveals the narrator's attitude or tone and contributes to the reader's understanding? The songs that run through Kino's mind help to convey the tone of the novel. The "Song of the Family" represents Kino's happiness, but the other songs symbolize danger to the family.

With his detail description of Kino's family visit to the doctor, Steinbeck effectively portrays evil, social justice, and the inhumanity of people's treatment of one another. Students could find examples of details in this and other descriptions that reveal the author's sympathetic tone toward the oppressed and his outrage against the oppressors.

THEME To determine theme, students might:

. Summarize the story. . List the subject or subjects that emerge from their summaries, such as evil, injustice, inhumanity, social protest corruption, poverty, tradition, individuality, and survival. . Write a sentence about each subject listed based on insights gained from analyzing symbolism, imagery, figurative language, and other devices.

Because all rhetorical and literary devices lead to tone and theme, this process will help students to perceive what insights about life the author is revealing about each subject and to refine the process of determining meaning in a text.

Students should be able to ask themselves what life-lesson the main characters have learned or what lessons they themselves have learned as a result of their reading. They could also look for statements in the story by characters or the narrator that comment on life, the world, or human nature, thereby implying theme.

Students could then discuss each thematic possibility and decide which seems to be most probable based upon evidence from the text and from this "SIFTing" process, keeping in mind the fact that many stories have more than one theme and there is seldom just one "right" answer.

Some of the subjects students might list are greed, injustice, evil, the individual and society, ambition, social classes, poverty, and racism.

Possible themes arising from the subjects suggest above: . Man has no individual identity and cannot exist as a single human person apart from society. . The defeat of an individual is inevitable when society sets out to destroy him. . Even though everything a man possesses may be lost or destroyed, he need not be defeated. . When man becomes a threat to society, that society sets out to destroy him. . When a poor man has an ambition to rise above his station in life, he faces fierce opposition. . Evil forces are always conspiring to defeat the good. 80 Bjornson 2008 2008 Vestavia Hills One-Day Conference

. Justice is often withheld from economically deprived racial minorities.

The Pearl, like all allegorical fiction, can be read by young readers on one level and by older readers on more than one level. Therefore, the above example can be adapted and used effectively with any student population.

SYNTAX The manner in which a speaker or author constructs a sentence affects what the audience understands. The inverted order of an interrogative sentence cues the reader or listener to a question and creates a tension between speaker and listener. Similarly, short sentences are often emphatic, passionate, or flippant, whereas longer sentences suggest the writer's more deliberate, thoughtful response; and very long, discursive sentences give a narrator a rambling, meditative tone. At its simplest level, syntax consists of sentence structure, but analysis of style and meaning never relies on one concept alone. Syntax should not be studied in isolation, but rather it should be examined in conjunction with other stylistic techniques that work together to develop meaning. DESCRIBING SENTENCE STRUCTURE LENGTH  Telegraphic - shorter than 5 words in length  Medium - approximately 18 words in length  Short - approximately 5 words in length  Long and involved - 30 or more words in length SENTENCE PATTERNS One of the most important elements of syntax is the way the words, phrases, and clauses are arranged. Students should Debbie to identify and write sentences in varying patterns. Practice on this skill can begin in the sixth grade, continuing with increasing complexity, into high school.

 Declarative sentence - makes a statement clause joined by a coordinating conjunction or  Imperative sentence - gives a command semicolon  Interrogative sentence - asks a question  Complex sentence - one independent clause  Exclamatory sentence - provides emphasis or and at least one subordinate clause expresses strong emotion  Compound-complex sentence - more than one  Simple sentence - one independent clause independent clause and at least one subordinate clause  Compound sentence - more than one independent CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES FOR SYNTAX PRACTICE  Write several types of sentences employing the strategies to be learned and practiced. Analyze the effect on the reader of each type of syntactical technique.  Find unique or beautiful sentences characteristic of an author's style to analyze the syntactical patterns. Practice writing "Syntax Mad-Libs" using the author's sentences as models;  Write sentences, paragraphs, or poems in which prepositional phrases, participial phrases, and gerund phrases predominate, flooding the eye and ear of the reader with descriptive details.  Write "singing sentences" which pair words and phrases n the basis of sound devices. To write "singing sentences," work and pairs and complete the following: o Generate a list of infinitive phrases that consist of pleasant-sounding (euphonious) words or ugly (cacophonous) words. Do the same with a list of prepositional phrases. o Pair infinitive phrases with prepositional phrases based on their assonant, consonant, alliterative, or rhythmic similarities. o Connect the pairs with coordinating conjunctions o End the sentence with an independent clause that gives the paired phrases meaning and focus. o Example: To play with grace (assonance) and to struggle with strife (alliteration); to win with a grin (rhyme) but to face defeat without heat (rhyme and consonance); to try beyond tribulation and to rejoice within reason (alliteration): these are the ways of a great man.  Because punctuation is an important aspect of syntax, explain how unusual or interesting combinations of punctuation *- dash, exclamation point, semicolon, parenthesis - contribute to meaning. Practice

using these punctuation techniques.  Practice reading poetry aloud sentence by sentence, rather than line by line. The syntax of many poems includes enjambed lines, sentences that extend beyond the end of the line and into the next line. Learning to read poetry in sentences is essential to a basic understanding of the text.

SYNTAX AND STYLE

When examining an author's style or when comparing one author's style to that of another, students will find it useful to write a paragraph that contains the following: . One sentence describing the author's characteristic syntax . One sentence about the author's use of imager and figurative language . One sentence about diction . One sentence about symbolism and/or concrete details

Throughout the year, students should keep a running list of words that describe style and syntax. Some examples of words that lend themselves to this kind of description follow. (Yes, you will probably have to do a vocabulary activity on some terms.)

. Plain, spare, austere, unadorned . Whimsical . Ornate, elaborate, flowery . Elegant . Jumbled, chaotic, obfuscating . Staccato, abrupt . Erudite, esoteric . Solid, thudding . Journalistic, terse, laconic . Sprawling, disorganized . Harsh, grating . Dry . Mellifluous, musical, lilting, lyrical . Deceptively simple

When students are peer-editing essays, short stories, and other writing, they should work on syntax as well as on mechanics. Some suggestions for syntactical revision are as follows: . Reword most sentences beginning with the expletive "there."

. Change all passive voice sentences to active voice

. Add a sentence using a comparison (simile or metaphor).

. Replace "be" verbs with action verbs.

. Combine any two sentences to form one compound, one complex, or compound-complex sentence.

. Change one declarative sentence into an interrogative sentence and answers it with a rhetorical fragment.

. Move one sentence to a more effective location in the paragraph.

Another strategy for describing an author's style in terms of syntax utilizes the chart that follows. Students may choose any rich passage from a novel, short story, or essay and look closely at the syntax and characteristic language of the author. They can then formulate a statement paragraph, or full-length essay characterizing the author's style and showing how the author's use of syntax affects tone and meaning.

Style and Syntax Analysis Worksheet

Sentenc Sentenc Sentenc Sentenc Sentenc e 1 e 2 e 3 e 4 e 5 Number of Words Number of Independent Number of Subordinate Clauses Use of dash, semicolon, Repeated use of coordinating Numberconjunctions of polysyllabic Use of reverse order or Largequestions number of prepositional or other Use of repetition Use of parallel structure Use of rhetorical Use of balanced Other unusual or distinguishing characteristics of sentence Usestructure of comparisons (whole passage) Types of figurative language _|or none Useused) of colloquial expressions or

CHARACTERIZATION in The Pearl

Character

Character Trait #1 Character Trait #2 Character Trait #3

Supporting Detail #1 Supporting Detail #1 Supporting Detail #1

POETRY ANALYSIS AND TP-CASTT

TP-CASTT is an acronym designed to help students remember the concepts they can consider when examining a poem. Realizing that the importance of poetry lies in understanding meaning and how technique enhances meaning, teachers need multiple strategies to help students explore and enjoy poetry. T- TITLE Ponder the title before reading the poem. What is this poem going to be about? P- PARAPHRASE Translate the poem into your own words, finding the literal meaning. What is going on in the poem? C- CONNOTATION Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look especially at the emotional overtones caused by the imagery, symbolism, diction, point of view, and sound devices, Elements of particular importance are similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme, assonance, consonance, hyperbole, irony...

A- ATTITUDE Observe both the speaker's and the poet's tone. Analyze the diction, images, and details that suggest these points of view and contribute to the understanding of the poem. S- SHIFT Note changes in speakers and in attitudes. Rarely does a poet begin and end a poem at the same place. A gradual understanding of an experience is realized and the poem reflects this epiphany. T- TITLE (again) Examine the poem's title again, this time looking at its meaning on an interpretative level.

T- THEME Determine what message the poet is saying. The students will recognize a human experience, motivation, or condition and understand the poet's stand on this topic.

Identifying poetic devices is secondary to gaining an understanding of how the devices operate in conveying the effect and meaning of the poem.

From A Guide for Advanced Placement English Vertical Teams: The College Board.

Empty House JAZZ FANTASIA By: Stephen Spender By: Carl Sandburg

Then, when the child is gone, Drum on your drums, batter on your I was alone. banjoes, In the house, suddenly grown huge, Each sob on the long cool winding saxophones noise Go to it, O jazzmen. Explained its cause away, Animal, vegetable, .mineral. Sing your knuckles on the bottoms of the happy Nail, creaking board, or mouse. tin pans, But mostly there was quiet of after battle let your trombones ooze, Where round the room still lay and go husha-husha-bush with the slipper The soldiers and the paintbox, all the sandpiper. toys. Then, when I went to tidy these away. Moan like an autumn wind high in the My hands refused to serve. lonesome, My body was the house. Treetops moan soft like And everything he'd touched, an exposed nerve. you wanted somebody terrible, cry like a racing car slipping away from a motorcycle cop, bang- bang.1 You jazzmen, bang altogether drums, traps, banjoes, horns, tin cans – make two people fight on top of a stairway and scratch each other's eyes in a clinch tumbling down the stairs.

Can the rough stuff . . now a Mississippi steamboat pushes up the night river with a hoo-boo-boo-oo. . . and the green lanterns calling to the high soft stars.. . a red moon rides on the bumps of the low river hills. . . go to it, O jazzmen!

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN TP-CASTT By: Robert Frost Poetry Analysis

Two roads diverged on a yellow wood, T before reading And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood P "what's going on in the poem?" And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; C imagery, sound devices - emotional overtones Then took the other, as just as fair, A diction, images, details And having perhaps the better claim, S trace changes Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there T interpretative Had worn them really about the same, T human experience, motivation, And both that morning equally lay condition In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, T I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh P Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, C And that has made all the difference.

LOADED WORDS