How Animals Grieve
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ELA: 6th grade Travels with Charlie & How Animals Grieve Assignment Name is: TWC Save As: (homeroom-assignment name-last,first) !For example: L2-TWC-O’Meara, Katie Due Date: 4/3/15 Friday @ 3:00pm ! Monday/Tuesday: ! Lesson 24: Primus !Latin. Priimus means “first.” 1. primary 2. primer 3. prime 4. primate 5. primitive !6. prima donna Quick Review: ! !Denotation: Dictionary meaning ! Example: Woman and lady both refer to a female adult. !Connotation: Feelings and ideas that have become attached to certain words. Example: Even though woman and lady both refer to a female adult, lady suggests ! one who is well-mannered and refined or proper. !Connotation Impacts Tone: !What tone does the following excerpt evoke? !How does the connotation of the underlined words impact the tone? “He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can’t be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or ! stop your heart” (204). !Analyzing Connotations in a Text: 1. In groups of 2-3, choose a paragraph of text from The Lightning Thief to analyze. You may select a sections from one of the options below, or any excerpt of ! your choosing. 2. Read your excerpt and consider the author’s word choice. Focus on words that have a strong positive or negative connotation. What additional information or feelings do these words carry, versus other synonyms the author could have ! used instead? 3. Create a short i-movie (2 minutes or less), where your group: 1. Explains the difference between connotation and denotation 2. Analyzes the connotations of at least 3 words in your chosen piece of text, describing all the details and feelings those words evoke. 3. Analyzes how the author’s word choice impacts the overall tone of the excerpt. 4. Your movie must include the text, visuals to illustrate the connotations of ! your chosen words, and narration. 4. Post your groups video to Haiku. It is under the shared discussions and presentations page. Only one group member needs to upload the work. Put all ! groups members names on the post. !5. Individually view other groups video and reflect by commenting on their work. Consider: Did the group follow the directions? ! Do you agree with their described connotations? Why or why not? Do you agree with their assessment of how the word choice impacts the tone of their text? Why or why not? Cite evidence to support your ideas. 6. Make sure your group work and your individual comments are posted below in your ! document. ! Suggested Text Selections: (You can choose a smaller piece of one of these or another text entirely. However, you should make your selection quickly so you can ! get started.) 1. "Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades- and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt them-selves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through ! humans?” (p. 145) 2. "The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told me. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his ! sleep.” (p. 189) 3. Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture. (p.197) ——————————————————————————————————————— ! Wednesday/Thursday: ! *Read Travels With Charlie on StudySync and watch the SyncTV video. Then answer the questions that follow. ! ! !Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck Think: ! ! 1. About how long ago do you think this selection was written? Highlight textual ! evidence and make annotations to identify details that reveal the time period. 2. Why does listening to the radio give the author a better idea of what people are thinking than visiting local roadside restaurants? Cite textual evidence to support your !answer. 3. What does Steinbeck love about the weather in New England? Refer to evidence in !the text to support your answer. 4. Use context to determine the meaning of the word alternative as it is used in Travels !with Charley. Write your definition of alternative here. 5. Remembering that the Latin prefix inter- means “between,” use the context clues provided in the passage to determine the meaning of intervals. Write your definition !here. 6.In this clip, Isaiah questions why Steinbeck would want to eavesdrop on people. Isaiah says, “eavesdropping is so...boring.” Does he modify his own view after listening !to Connor? Explain. 7. In this clip, Mia suggests that perhaps Steinbeck is trying to, “let the world make a mark on him.” How do Connor and Haley respond to Mia’s suggestion. Does Mia’s idea !elicit strong text analysis? 8. In this clip, Connor and Mia state that Steinbeck is claiming that we need to be able to compare and contrast things to truly understand them. Does the group believe !Steinbeck’s claim is well-defended and relevant? ! Write: Imagine that you could just get in a car and travel anywhere you wanted in the United States for a month. Where would you go? What would you want to see? Write an essay of at least 300 words that tells about your plans for your journey. Compare what you want to learn from your !trip with what Steinbeck learns from his. ! Tools for Narrative Writing #1: Study what strategies a fellow writer uses. Focus on small moment being detailed not the reverse. ! ______________________________________________________________________________ ! Friday: ! Vocab Quiz ! Reading Quiz, Ch 13-18: This quiz will focus on comprehension of the reading assigned over Spring Break, integrating focus skills of connotation, denotation, shades of meaning, etc. ! Tools for Narrative Writing #2: Map an important place in your life, and think of the stories that happened there. ! !______________________________________________________________________ Homework: Due with document to dropbox on 4/3 @ 3:00pm ! *Read: “How Animals Grieve” on StudySync and answer the “Think” questions, #1-5, that follow. Then complete the “Write” assignment below the “Think” questions. ! Think: 1. Explain why King believes ants are an extreme example in the animal kingdom. How ! do they differ from most other animals? !2. According to King, how has science underestimated animals? 3. King advises that humans, chimpanzees, and elephants should not be viewed as the “gold standard” for expressing grief. What is she concerned might happen if we compare !animals in this way? 4. The Greek prefix “eco” refers to the environment. Based on the contextual clues provided in the passage, determine the meaning of ecosystem. Write your definition of !ecosystem here. 5. Use context to determine the meaning of the word hierarchy as it is used in How !Animals Grieve. Write your definition of hierarchy here. Write: Strong writing often has the ability to make us consider a familiar subject in a new way. In the opening paragraphs of How Animals Grieve, King describes ant behavior with such specific and surprising details that the ants are almost unrecognizable. Research or observe an animal and then write at least 300 words about that animal’s behavior. Do !your best to imitate King by focusing on what is fresh, strange, and unexpected. ________________________________________________________________! ! !Additional In-class Activities During Spare Time 1.Take AR Quizzes/Do AR reading 2.vocabulary.com and SpellingCity.com activities/practice for Greek/Latin root words 3.Homework 4. Extra Credit !______________________________________________________________________ ELA Extra Credit: 2pts for each activity ! !**Both of the following writing assignments deal with the StudySync readings this week. Travels with Charlie 1. Steinbeck writes about his preference for living in a place with a changing climate rather than a steady one. Write a letter of at least 300 words to Steinbeck that explains whether you agree of disagree with him. Use ! quotations from the excerpt to support your ideas.! ! How Animals Grieve! 2. The word anthropomorphize means to attribute human form or personality to non-humans. For scientists, the temptation to anthropomorphize animal subjects is high and can compromise the quality of the scientists’ conclusions. In your opinion, does King anthropomorphize the ants, chimpanzees, elephants, and/or goats she describes in the excerpt? Use specific examples from the text to support your argument in at least 350 words.! ________________________________________________________________! ! Reading Extra Credit: 2pts for each activity ! **Both of the following comparison assignments deal with The Lightning Thief and the !StudySync readings this week. Travels with Charlie 3. In an essay of at least 300 words, compare the travels of John Steinbeck and Percy Jackson. What kinds of observations about people and places does each one make? How does each character move about? In what ways are Steinbeck and Jackson’s experiences similar?! ! How Animals Grieve! 4.