Subject: English 8 – Periods 4 & 7 / Mr. Patterson Room: 115 http://mrpattersonsdeltaacademyjhs.weebly.com

8th Grade English Periods 4 & 7 - 10/2/17 to 10/13/17 – “Delta Academy – Join the Pride”

Objectives & Standards SWBAT (“I Can…”):

Literary Analysis:1. Explore the key idea of Legends2. Identify and Analyze

characteristics of Narrative Poetry

3. Read poetry

Reading:1. Paraphrase

NV/Common Core State Standards:CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.5Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.6Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor

Materials: Short Story Handout Spiral Notebook Reflection Writing Journal

(composition notebook) Black Pen & Computer/I Pad

Activities, Practice, AssessmentsTheme/Unit: Narrative Poetry

*Daily Primetime – 10/2 to 10/13/2017 – Read & Take Close Reading Notes on your

book report novel.1. Anticipatory Set: Discuss the key idea

of Legends2. Introduction & Modeling (I do): Ask

Essential Question: When does truth become legend?

3. Activities - Guided Reading: Instructional Model: Direct Method/Differentiated Instruction. “Paul Revere’s Ride” a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

4. Guided Practice (We do”): Unit 1 – Choral reading. Think -“Pair”- then Share.

5. Daily Practice – “AL”, “OL” (Read aloud- small groups tapping the rhythm on the desk. “BL” (Pre-AP) Identify figurative language in lines 20-21. Review metaphor, simile, and personification. What does the “phantom ship” and the “mast and spar / across the moon like a prison bar” reveal about the setting and what mood they create?

6. Anticipatory Set: Connect, Analyze, and synthesize the plot, conflict, and setting. Foreshadowing is an element of suspense. Locate suspense in the poem.

7. Introduction & Modeling (I do): Ask Essential Question: What range of emotions do the fans in the poem feel?

8. Individual Activity – Construct a chart like on lines 31-41 paraphrase lines 31-33; 34-36; and 37-41.

9. Guided Practice (We do”): Unit 1 –Choral reading. Think-Pair-Share.

10. Daily Practice – Student Directed Engagement (You do): “AL”, “OL” (Visualize lines 42-51 and 57-67. Small group discussion about how visualizing helps to appreciate the suspense of the passage. “BL” (Pre-AP) – Draw a map to help envision Revere’s journey e.g. the barking dog, the moonlit weather etc. Present maps to class on 10/10.

http://www.deltaacademylv.com/

*Exit Cards: Monday thru FridayClosure & Reflection Journal Writing:

Ticket out of the door/Exit Slips:1. Write one thing you learned today.2. Rate your understanding of today’s topic on a scale of 1-10. 3. Discuss one way today’s lesson could be used in the real world.4. Describe 1 topic that we covered today you like to know more about. 5. One thing I didn’t understand.6. Write down One potential test question from today’s lesson.

Notebook & reflection Journal Check Due: 10/11/2017 – No exceptions.

Teacher Notes / Reminders: Check Notebooks daily for objectives Roll & Retell Narrative Poetry Check daily reflection journals Ensure students are taking Notes Accommodated students complete Even

problems only

*Group Interest Stations: Indicators of teaching to different learning styles.*Red*Blue: *Green: *Yellow: Use Choice Boards to explain the poem.

Close Reading Poem: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. 10.9-10.13.2017

Homework:Continue to work on research papers

Homework – 10/2 to 10/13/2017 – SBAC Review Questions @

http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/ http://www.doe.nv.gov/Assessments/SBAC_Sma

rter_Balanced/Online_Practice_Tests/

Homework:Continue reading novels (Due Oct. 6, 2017)

Oct. 9, 2017 – New novel checkout

“Preparation is the Key to Success”- Mr. Patterson, M.B.A., M.Ed., Ed.S

Paul Revere’s Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 - 1882Listen, my children, and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, “If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch

Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,--One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,For the country-folk to be up and to arm.”

Then he said “Good night!” and with muffled oarSilently rowed to the Charlestown shore,

Just as the moon rose over the bay,Where swinging wide at her moorings lay

The Somerset, British man-of-war:A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon, like a prison-bar,And a huge black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and streetWanders and watches with eager ears,Till in the silence around him he hearsThe muster of men at the barrack door,

The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,And the measured tread of the grenadiers

Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed to the tower of the church,Up the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,

To the belfry-chamber overhead,And startled the pigeons from their perch

On the sombre rafters, that round him madeMasses and moving shapes of shade,--By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,

To the highest window in the wall,Where he paused to listen and look down

A moment on the roofs of the town,And the moonlight flowing over all.

Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,In their night-encampment on the hill,Wrapped in silence so deep and still

That he could hear, like a sentinel’s tread,The watchful night-wind, as it went

Creeping along from tent to tent,And seeming to whisper, “All is well!”

A moment only he feels the spellOf the place and the hour, and the secret dread

Of the lonely belfry and the dead;For suddenly all his thoughts are bentOn a shadowy something far away,

Where the river widens to meet the bay, --A line of black, that bends and floats

On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride,

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.Now he patted his horse’s side,

Now gazed on the landscape far and near,Then impetuous stamped the earth,

And turned and tightened his saddle-girth;But mostly he watched with eager searchThe belfry-tower of the old North Church,

As it rose above the graves on the hill,Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry’s height,A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfry burns!

A hurry of hoofs in a village-street,A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath from the pebbles, in passing, a sparkStruck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet:

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,The fate of a nation was riding that night;

And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,Kindled the land into flame with its heat.

He has left the village and mounted the steep,And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,

Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;And under the alders, that skirt its edge,

Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.

It was twelve by the village clockWhen he crossed the bridge into Medford town.

He heard the crowing of the cock,And the barking of the farmer’s dog,And felt the damp of the river-fog,That rises when the sun goes down.

It was one by the village clock,When he galloped into Lexington.

He saw the gilded weathercockSwim in the moonlight as he passed,

And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare,Gaze at him with a spectral glare,

As if they already stood aghastAt the bloody work they would look upon.

It was two by the village clock,When be came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,And the twitter of birds among the trees,And felt the breath of the morning breeze

Blowing over the meadows brown.And one was safe and asleep in his bedWho at the bridge would be first to fall,

Who that day would be lying dead,Pierced by a British musket-ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read,How the British Regulars fired and fled,--How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard-wall,Chasing the red-coats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge againUnder the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.

So through the night rode Paul Revere;And so through the night went his cry of alarm

To every Middlesex village and farm,--A cry of defiance, and not of fear,

A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,And a word that shall echo forevermore!For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,

Through all our history, to the last,In the hour of darkness and peril and need,The people will waken and listen to hear

The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

AL, OL, BL Study Guide Notes - Paul Revere’s Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 - 1882

This poem describes the action-packed night of April 18, 1775, the famous ride of Paul Revere. It starts in Boston, where Paul and a friend are talking about the British army. They think the soldiers are going to leave Boston that night, but they aren't sure whether they will go by land or sea.

Paul has a plan to warn people in the countryside about the British coming, but he needs to know which direction they are taking. So the two men agree on a secret code: Paul's friend will signal him by hanging one lantern in the church belfry (the tall tower in a church where the bells are hung) if the British are marching out on land, two lanterns if they are leaving in boats. After agreeing on this plan, Paul rows across the river and waits for the signal.

Paul's buddy in Boston snoops around and finds out that the British are going with the boats. So he climbs up to the church steeple, takes a moment to look around, sees the British ships, and hangs out his two lanterns.

On the other side of the river, Paul is all ready to go. He sits on his horse, fiddles with his saddle, and watches the church. Suddenly, he sees the signal and takes off to let the people in the countryside know that the British are coming by sea. He races through the countryside, hitting a new town every hour and calling out to warn people in each place. By midnight he's in Medford, by one he's made it to Lexington, and by two, he gets to Concord.

That's about all we hear about the actual ride. The rest of the poem gives a quick, simple review of the battles that happened the next day. It closes by telling us that, in some spooky way, Paul Revere's warning will echo down through history, whenever the country is in trouble. Makes him sound a little like Batman, doesn't it – although "The Midnight Ride of Batman" wouldn't be such a catchy title.

AL, OL, BL Study Guide Notes - Paul Revere’s Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 - 1882

Paul Revere's Ride Themes

1. Memory and the Past Longfellow makes a big deal about looking back at the past in "Paul Revere's Ride."  He definitely gives us an action-packed version of the night's events, but he wants us to remember that this was history even when he wrote it.  He obviously thinks it's important that we keep the memory of the Revolutionary times alive, so he wrote a poem that's entertaining but also carries a little history lesson with it.  Think of this like pre-TV "Schoolhouse Rock," the 1860 version of educational edutainment.

Questions About Memory and the Past

1. Do you feel like you're looking deep into the past when you read this poem, or does Revere's ride feel fresh and exciting and present?

2. Do you think this poem is as effective today as it would have been when it was written, just before the Civil War?  Has our relationship to the past changed?

3. How would the poem change if you cut out the references to the past at the beginning and end and just told the story directly?

4. Is it OK to change the past when you write a poem about it?  Does a poem have to be as accurate as a history text?

You doTry on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Longfellow's poem constantly plays with time and manages to link past, present, and future in interesting and unexpected ways.

"Paul Revere's Ride" creates a fantasy version of the past that changes the facts while pretending to offer a historical lesson.

2. Warfare This whole poem leads up to the beginning of the Revolutionary War.  The main part of "Paul Revere's Ride" isn't focused on violence and war, but images of battle and struggle and fighting are everywhere.  We can feel the war hanging over the poem, filling it with excitement and tension but also sadness.

Questions About Warfare

1. Does this poem make war seem glorious and exciting or sad and brutal?  Or is it somewhere in between?

2. Why do you think Longfellow skips over most of the battle scenes?  Why doesn't he describe them directly as part of the story?

3. Longfellow doesn't focus on the British army, except at a distance.  Why do you think we don't "meet" any of the British soldiers in the way we do the sleeping American?   

4. Would you call this a poem about war?  If not, what do you think is the most important theme?

You doTry on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

To give the sense of danger and excitement that makes the poem so dramatic, Longfellow makes the British soldiers more like an evil force than real people.

Although the poem is about the glory of the revolutionary spirit, Longfellow's descriptions of violence are meant to communicate the horror and sadness of war.

3. Man and the Natural World The big-picture history themes are the most important part of "Paul Revere's Ride."  Without the war and the idea of fighting for freedom, the poem wouldn't really have any reason to exist. Still, this poem also has a quiet side, and there are moments where it even feels like a nature poem.  The nature parts give us a chance to stop, take a breath, and look around.  Again, it's not the main point, but the nature material gives this poem a lot of its quality and helps make it interesting.

Questions About Man and the Natural World

1. What role do you think the quiet natural moments play in the poem?  Why not just make it all about riding and fighting?

2. The moon shows up a lot in the poem; it's almost like a character.  What effect does the moon have on the atmosphere of the poem?        

3. Could you write this poem without talking about the natural world at all?4. Do you think the description of rivers, bays, the moon, and trees gets in the way of the action? 

Would you edit this poem if you could?

You doTry on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Longfellow uses the nature to represent everything that is quiet, everlasting, and unmoved, even in the middle of the tense mood of the night before a revolution.

The rhythm of this poem comes from the water, wind, and moonlight that runs through it.  The sounds and sights of the nature link all the scenes and the actions in the poem together.

4. The SupernaturalThere are little pieces of a ghost story buried in this poem.  They don't always jump out at you at first, but spooky, scary moments are sprinkled throughout.  These help add to the tension and the excitement of the poem, and they also make the poem much more interesting than a straight history lesson.

Questions About The Supernatural

1. What is the description of the graveyard doing in the poem?  What does it add to the overall effect?

2. Would you like to see Paul Revere fight some ghosts?  Maybe some of the British soldiers could be zombies?  Sorry, we'll have to leave that for the summer movie version:  "Paul Revere: Revenge of the Redcoats." 

3. Are there any moments in the poem that seem genuinely supernatural, or is it more just spooky?4. Do you think nature and the spiritual world are tied together in this poem?

You doTry on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

The supernatural elements of "Paul Revere's Ride" provide a tension and excitement that gives shape and determination to the history.

The history in the poem offers an excuse for Longfellow to explore natural and supernatural ideas.

5. Visions of AmericaThe speaker of the poem is talking about America to Americans. Not that others can't enjoy or appreciate the poem, but the idea is to use the American past to give present and future Americans a sense of the determination and courage that are their culture. Longfellow was writing during a dark moment in American history, just before the Civil War, but the idea can be applied to any tough moment when Americans might need a heroic example to lift their spirits.

Questions About Visions of America

1. Does the American Revolution inspire you?  Can you relate to the determination and passion of that moment in America's history?

2. Do you think this poem gives a correct picture of the beginnings of America?  Does it leave anything out?

3. Do you think kids today need to be taught about the heroes of the American Revolution?  Is this a good way to do it?

You doTry on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

The poem, by focusing directly on an American audience, excludes the larger world from participating in its message of freedom and courage in the face of danger.

Longfellow picks the perfect event to highlight the danger and the possibility of the Revolution, using one person's actions to stand in for the beginning of a nation.

AL, OL, BL Study Guide Notes - Paul Revere’s Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 - 1882

The Road Not Taken by Robert FrostTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

*Instructional Levels: Approaching Level (AL), On Level (OL), & Beyond Level (BL)_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Narrative PoetryNarrative poetry is a form of poetry which tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be complex. It is usually dramatic, with objectives, diverse characters, and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays. Some narrative poetry takes the form of a novel in verse. An example of this is The Ring and the Book by Robert Browning. In terms of narrative poetry, a romance is a narrative poem that tells a story of chivalry. Examples include the Romance of the Rose or Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Although these examples use medieval and Arthurian materials, romances may also tell stories from classical mythology. Shorter narrative poems are often similar in style to the short story. Sometimes these short narratives are collected into interrelated groups, as with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Some literatures contain prose narratives that include poems and poetic interludes; much Old Irish poetry is contained within prose narratives, and the Old Norse sagas include both incidental poetry and the biographies of poets. An example is "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service.

In poetry, a stanza is a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter or rhyming scheme.

Stanzas in poetry are similar to paragraphs in prose. Both stanzas and paragraphs include connected thoughts and are set off by a space. The number of lines varies in different kinds of stanzas but it is uncommon for a stanza to have more than twelve lines. The pattern of a stanza is determined by the number of feet in each line and by its metrical or rhyming scheme.

Meter is a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to be longer and unstressed shorter. In simple language, meter is a poetic device that serves as a linguistic sound pattern for the verses, as it gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious sound. For instance, if you read a poem loudly, and it produces regular sound patterns, then this poem would be a metered or measured poem. The study of different types of versification and meters is known as prosody.

The mandatory inaugural poetry slam will be held on 10/12 & 10/13 for all 8th graders in class. The mission of Poetry Slam & Spoken Word Competition is to promote the performance and creation of poetry while cultivating literary activities and spoken word events in order to build audience participation, stimulate creativity, awaken minds, foster education, inspire mentoring, encourage artistic statement and engage the Delta Academy 8th Graders in the revelry of language.

Narrative Poetry

Narrative poetry is a form of poetry which tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be complex. It is usually dramatic, with objectives, diverse characters, and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays. Some narrative poetry takes the form of a novel in verse. An example of this is The Ring and the Book by Robert Browning. In terms of narrative poetry, a romance is a narrative poem that tells a story of chivalry. Examples include the Romance of the Rose or Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Although these examples use medieval and Arthurian materials, romances may also tell stories from classical mythology. Shorter narrative poems are often similar in style to the short story. Sometimes these short narratives are collected into interrelated groups, as with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Some literatures contain prose narratives that include poems and poetic interludes; much Old Irish poetry is contained within prose narratives, and the Old Norse sagas include both incidental poetry and the biographies of poets. An example is "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service.

In poetry, a stanza is a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter or rhyming scheme.

Stanzas in poetry are similar to paragraphs in prose. Both stanzas and paragraphs include connected thoughts and are set off by a space. The number of lines varies in different kinds of

stanzas but it is uncommon for a stanza to have more than twelve lines. The pattern of a stanza is determined by the number of feet in each line and by its metrical or rhyming scheme.

Meter is a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to be longer and unstressed shorter. In simple language, meter is a poetic device that serves as a linguistic sound pattern for the verses, as it gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious sound. For instance, if you read a poem loudly, and it produces regular sound patterns, then this poem would be a metered or measured poem. The study of different types of versification and meters is known as prosody.

Glossary of Poetic Terms

AllegoryA symbolic narrative in which the surface details imply a secondary meaning. Allegory often takes the form of a story in which the characters represent moral qualities. The most famous example in English is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, in which the name of the central character, Pilgrim, epitomizes the book's allegorical nature. Kay Boyle's story "Astronomer's Wife" and Christina Rossetti's poem "Up-Hill" both contain allegorical elements.AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Example: "Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood." Hopkins, "In the Valley of the Elwy."Anapest Two unaccented syllables followed by an accented one, as in com-pre-HEND or in-ter-VENE. An anapestic meter rises to the accented beat as in Byron's lines from "The Destruction of Sennacherib": "And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, / When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee."AntagonistA character or force against which another character struggles. Creon is Antigone's antagonist in Sophocles' play Antigone; Teiresias is the antagonist of Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. AssonanceThe repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "I rose and told him of my woe." Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" contains assonantal "I's" in the following lines: "How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, / Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself."AubadeA love lyric in which the speaker complains about the arrival of the dawn, when he must part from his lover. John Donne's "The Sun Rising" exemplifies this poetic genre.BalladA narrative poem written in four-line stanzas, characterized by swift action and narrated in a direct style. The Anonymous medieval ballad, "Barbara Allan," exemplifies the genre.Blank verseA line of poetry or prose in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Shakespeare's sonnets, Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, and Robert Frost's meditative poems such as "Birches" include many lines of blank verse. Here are the opening blank verse lines of "Birches": When I see birches bend to left and right / Across the lines of straighter darker trees, / I like to think some boy's been swinging them.Caesura

A strong pause within a line of verse. The following stanza from Hardy's "The Man He Killed" contains caesuras in the middle two lines:

He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,Off-hand-like--just as I--Was out of work-had sold his traps--No other reason why.

CharacterAn imaginary person that inhabits a literary work. Literary characters may be major or minor, static (unchanging) or dynamic (capable of change). In Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona is a major

character, but one who is static, like the minor character Bianca. Othello is a major character who is dynamic, exhibiting an ability to change.CharacterizationThe means by which writers present and reveal character. Although techniques of characterization are complex, writers typically reveal characters through their speech, dress, manner, and actions. Readers come to understand the character Miss Emily in Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" through what she says, how she lives, and what she does.ClimaxThe turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work. The climax of John Updike's "A&P," for example, occurs when Sammy quits his job as a cashier.Closed formA type of form or structure in poetry characterized by regularity and consistency in such elements as rhyme, line length, and metrical pattern. Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" provides one of many examples. A single stanza illustrates some of the features of closed form:

Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though.He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.

ComplicationAn intensification of the conflict in a story or play. Complication builds up, accumulates, and develops the primary or central conflict in a literary work. Frank O'Connor's story "Guests of the Nation" provides a striking example, as does Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal."

ConflictA struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. The conflict may occur within a character as well as between characters. Lady Gregory's one-act play The Rising of the Moon exemplifies both types of conflict as the Policeman wrestles with his conscience in an inner conflict and confronts an antagonist in the person of the ballad singer.ConnotationThe associations called up by a word that goes beyond its dictionary meaning. Poets, especially, tend to use words rich in connotation. Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" includes intensely connotative language, as in these lines: "Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light."ConventionA customary feature of a literary work, such as the use of a chorus in Greek tragedy, the inclusion of an explicit moral in a fable, or the use of a particular rhyme scheme in a villanelle. Literary

conventions are defining features of particular literary genres, such as novel, short story, ballad, sonnet, and play.CoupletA pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem. Shakespeare's sonnets end in rhymed couplets, as in "For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings / That then I scorn to change my state with kings."DactylA stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones, as in FLUT-ter-ing or BLUE-ber-ry. The following playful lines illustrate double dactyls, two dactyls per line:

Higgledy, piggledy,Emily DickinsonGibbering, jabbering.

DenotationThe dictionary meaning of a word. Writers typically play off a word's denotative meaning against its connotations, or suggested and implied associational implications. In the following lines from Peter Meinke's "Advice to My Son" the references to flowers and fruit, bread and wine denote specific things, but also suggest something beyond the literal, dictionary meanings of the words:

To be specific, between the peony and rosePlant squash and spinach, turnips and tomatoes;Beauty is nectar and nectar, in a desert, saves--...and always serve bread with your wine.But, son,always serve wine.

DenouementThe resolution of the plot of a literary work. The denouement of Hamlet takes place after the catastrophe, with the stage littered with corpses. During the denouement Fortinbras makes an entrance and a speech, and Horatio speaks his sweet lines in praise of Hamlet.DialogueThe conversation of characters in a literary work. In fiction, dialogue is typically enclosed within quotation marks. In plays, characters' speech is preceded by their names.

DictionThe selection of words in a literary work. A work's diction forms one of its centrally important literary elements, as writers use words to convey action, reveal character, imply attitudes, identify themes, and suggest values. We can speak of the diction particular to a character, as in Iago's and Desdemona's very different ways of speaking in Othello. We can also refer to a poet's diction as represented over the body of his or her work, as in Donne's or Hughes's diction.ElegyA lyric poem that laments the dead. Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" is elegiac in tone. A more explicitly identified elegy is W.H. Auden's "In Memory of William Butler Yeats" and his "Funeral Blues."ElisionThe omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable to preserve the meter of a line of poetry. Alexander uses elision in "Sound and Sense": "Flies o'er th' unbending corn...."EnjambmentA run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the

next. An enjambed line differs from an end-stopped line in which the grammatical and logical sense is completed within the line. In the opening lines of Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," for example, the first line is end-stopped and the second enjambed:

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,Looking as if she were alive. I callThat piece a wonder, now....

EpicA long narrative poem that records the adventures of a hero. Epics typically chronicle the origins of a civilization and embody its central values. Examples from western literature include Homer's Iliad

and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, and Milton's Paradise Lost.EpigramA brief witty poem, often satirical. Alexander Pope's "Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog" exemplifies the genre:

I am his Highness' dog at Kew;Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?

ExpositionThe first stage of a fictional or dramatic plot, in which necessary background information is provided. Ibsen's A Doll's House, for instance, begins with a conversation between the two central characters, a dialogue that fills the audience in on events that occurred before the action of the play begins, but which are important in the development of its plot.Falling actionIn the plot of a story or play, the action following the climax of the work that moves it towards its denouement or resolution. The falling action of Othello begins after Othello realizes that Iago is responsible for plotting against him by spurring him on to murder his wife, Desdemona.Falling meterPoetic meters such as trochaic and dactylic that move or fall from a stressed to an unstressed syllable. The nonsense line, "Higgledy, piggledy," is dactylic, with the accent on the first syllable and the two syllables following falling off from that accent in each word. Trochaic meter is represented by this line: "Hip-hop, be-bop, treetop--freedom."FictionAn imagined story, whether in prose, poetry, or drama. Ibsen's Nora is fictional, a "make-believe" character in a play, as are Hamlet and Othello. Characters like Robert Browning's Duke and Duchess from his poem "My Last Duchess" are fictional as well, though they may be based on actual historical individuals. And, of course, characters in stories and novels are fictional, though they, too, may be based, in some way, on real people. The important thing to remember is that writers embellish and embroider and alter actual life when they use real life as the basis for their work. They fictionalize facts, and deviate from real-life situations as they "make things up."Figurative languageA form of language use in which writers and speakers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words. Examples include hyperbole or exaggeration, litotes or understatement, simile and metaphor, which employ comparison, and synecdoche and metonymy, in which a part of a thing stands for the whole.FlashbackAn interruption of a work's chronology to describe or present an incident that occurred prior to the main time frame of a work's action. Writers use flashbacks to complicate the sense of chronology in the plot of their works and to convey the richness of the experience of human time. Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" includes flashbacks.

FoilA character who contrasts and parallels the main character in a play or story. Laertes, in Hamlet, is a foil for the main character; in Othello, Emilia and Bianca are foils for Desdemona.FootA metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables. For example, an iamb or iambic foot is represented by ˘', that is, an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. Frost's line "Whose woods these are I think I know" contains four iambs, and is thus an iambic foot.ForeshadowingHints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story. Ibsen's A Doll's House includes

foreshadowing as does Synge's Riders to the Sea. So, too, do Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" and Chopin's "Story of an Hour."Free versePoetry without a regular pattern of meter or rhyme. The verse is "free" in not being bound by earlier poetic conventions requiring poems to adhere to an explicit and identifiable meter and rhyme scheme in a form such as the sonnet or ballad. Modern and contemporary poets of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries often employ free verse. Williams's "This Is Just to Say" is one of many examples.HyperboleA figure of speech involving exaggeration. John Donne uses hyperbole in his poem: "Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star."IambAn unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, as in to-DAY. ImageA concrete representation of a sense impression, a feeling, or an idea. Imagery refers to the pattern of related details in a work. In some works one image predominates either by recurring throughout the work or by appearing at a critical point in the plot. Often writers use multiple images throughout a work to suggest states of feeling and to convey implications of thought and action. Some modern poets, such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams, write poems that lack discursive explanation entirely and include only images. Among the most famous examples is Pound's poem "In a Station of the Metro":

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;Petals on a wet, black bough.

ImageryThe pattern of related comparative aspects of language, particularly of images, in a literary work. Imagery of light and darkness pervade James Joyce's stories "Araby," "The Boarding House," and "The Dead." So, too, does religious imagery. IronyA contrast or discrepancy between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life and in literature. In verbal irony, characters say the opposite of what they mean. In irony of circumstance or situation, the opposite of what is expected occurs. In dramatic irony, a character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the audience or to the other characters. Flannery O'Connor's short stories employ all these forms of irony, as does Poe's "Cask of Amontillado."Literal languageA form of language in which writers and speakers mean exactly what their words denote. See Figurative language, Denotation, and Connotation.Lyric poem

A type of poem characterized by brevity, compression, and the expression of feeling. Most of the poems in this book are lyrics. The anonymous "Western Wind" epitomizes the genre:

Western wind, when will thou blow,The small rain down can rain?Christ, if my love were in my armsAnd I in my bed again!

MetaphorA comparison between essentially unlike things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or as. An example is "My love is a red, red rose,"

From Burns's "A Red, Red Rose." Langston Hughes's "Dream Deferred" is built entirely of metaphors. Metaphor is one of the most important of literary uses of language. Shakespeare employs a wide range of metaphor in his sonnets and his plays, often in such density and profusion that readers are kept busy analyzing and interpreting and unraveling them.

Compare Simile.MeterThe measured pattern of rhythmic accents in poems. See Foot and Iamb.MetonymyA figure of speech in which a closely related term is substituted for an object or idea. An example: "We have always remained loyal to the crown." See Synecdoche.

Narrative poemA poem that tells a story. See Ballad.

NarratorThe voice and implied speaker of a fictional work, to be distinguished from the actual living author. For example, the narrator of Joyce's "Araby" is not James Joyce himself, but a literary fictional character created expressly to tell the story. Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" contains a communal narrator, identified only as "we." See Point of view.OctaveAn eight-line unit, which may constitute a stanza; or a section of a poem, as in the octave of a sonnet.Ode A long, stately poem in stanzas of varied length, meter, and form. Usually a serious poem on an exalted subject, such as Horace's "Eheu fugaces," but sometimes a more lighthearted work, such as Neruda's "Ode to My Socks."OnomatopoeiaThe use of words to imitate the sounds they describe. Words such as buzz and crack are onomatopoetic. The following line from Pope's "Sound and Sense" onomatopoetically imitates in sound what it describes:

When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw,The line too labors, and the words move slow.

Most often, however, onomatopoeia refers to words and groups of words, such as Tennyson's description of the "murmur of innumerable bees," which attempts to capture the sound of a swarm of bees buzzing.Open form

A type of structure or form in poetry characterized by freedom from regularity and consistency in such elements as rhyme, line length, metrical pattern, and overall poetic structure. E.E. Cummings's "[Buffalo Bill's]" is one example. See also Free verse.ParodyA humorous, mocking imitation of a literary work, sometimes sarcastic, but often playful and even respectful in its playful imitation. Examples include Bob McKenty's parody of Frost's "Dust of Snow" and Kenneth Koch's parody of Williams's "This is Just to Say."PersonificationThe endowment of inanimate objects or abstract concepts with animate or living qualities. An

example: "The yellow leaves flaunted their color gaily in the breeze." Wordsworth's "I wandered lonely as a cloud" includes personification.PlotThe unified structure of incidents in a literary work. See Conflict, Climax, Denouement, and Flashback.Point of viewThe angle of vision from which a story is narrated. See Narrator. A work's point of view can be: first person, in which the narrator is a character or an observer, respectively; objective, in which the narrator knows or appears to know no more than the reader; omniscient, in which the narrator knows everything about the characters; and limited omniscient, which allows the narrator to know some things about the characters but not everything.ProtagonistThe main character of a literary work--Hamlet and Othello in the plays named after them, Gregor Samsa in Kafka's Metamorphosis, Paul in Lawrence's "Rocking-Horse Winner."PyrrhicA metrical foot with two unstressed syllables ("of the").QuatrainA four-line stanza in a poem, the first four lines and the second four lines in a Petrachan sonnet. A Shakespearean sonnet contains three quatrains followed by a couplet.RecognitionThe point at which a character understands his or her situation as it really is. Sophocles' Oedipus comes to this point near the end of Oedipus the King; Othello comes to a similar understanding of his situation in Act V of Othello.ResolutionThe sorting out or unraveling of a plot at the end of a play, novel, or story. See Plot.ReversalThe point at which the action of the plot turns in an unexpected direction for the protagonist. Oedipus's and Othello's recognitions are also reversals. They learn what they did not expect to learn. See Recognition and also Irony.RhymeThe matching of final vowel or consonant sounds in two or more words. The following stanza of "Richard Cory" employs alternate rhyme, with the third line rhyming with the first and the fourth with the second:

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,We people on the pavement looked at him;He was a gentleman from sole to crownClean favored and imperially slim.

Rhythm

The recurrence of accent or stress in lines of verse. In the following lines from "Same in Blues" by Langston Hughes, the accented words and syllables are underlined:

I said to my baby,Baby take it slow....Lulu said to LeonardI want a diamond ring

Rising actionA set of conflicts and crises that constitute the part of a play's or story's plot leading up to the climax. See Climax, Denouement, and Plot.

Rising meterPoetic meters such as iambic and anapestic that move or ascend from an unstressed to a stressed syllable. See Anapest, Iamb, and Falling meter.SatireA literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. Swift's Gulliver's Travels is a famous example. Chekhov's Marriage Proposal and

O'Connor's "Everything That Rises Must Converge," have strong satirical elements.

SestetA six-line unit of verse constituting a stanza or section of a poem; the last six lines of an Italian sonnet. Examples: Petrarch's "If it is not love, then what is it that I feel," and Frost's "Design."SestinaA poem of thirty-nine lines and written in iambic pentameter. Its six-line stanza repeat in an intricate

and prescribed order the final word in each of the first six lines. After the sixth stanza, there is a three-line envoi, which uses the six repeating words, two per line.SettingThe time and place of a literary work that establish its context. The stories of Sandra Cisneros are set in the American southwest in the mid to late 20th century, those of James Joyce in Dublin, Ireland in the early 20th century.SimileA figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though. An example: "My love is like a red, red rose."SonnetA fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter. The Shakespearean or English sonnet is arranged as three quatrains and a final couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg. The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet divides into two parts: an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet, rhyming abba abba cde cde or abba abba cd cd cd.SpondeeA metrical foot represented by two stressed syllables, such as KNICK-KNACK.StanzaA division or unit of a poem that is repeated in the same form--either with similar or identical patterns or rhyme and meter, or with variations from one stanza to another. The stanzas of Gertrude Schnackenberg's "Signs" are regular; those of Rita Dove's "Canary" are irregular.StyleThe way an author chooses words, arranges them in sentences or in lines of dialogue or verse, and develops ideas and actions with description, imagery, and other literary techniques. See

Connotation, Denotation, Diction, Figurative language, Image, Imagery, Irony, Metaphor, Narrator, Point of view, Syntax, and Tone.SubjectWhat a story or play is about; to be distinguished from plot and theme. Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is about the decline of a particular way of life endemic to the American south before the civil war. Its plot concerns how Faulkner describes and organizes the actions of the story's characters. Its theme is the overall meaning Faulkner conveys.SubplotA subsidiary or subordinate or parallel plot in a play or story that coexists with the main plot. The

story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern forms a subplot with the overall plot of Hamlet.SymbolAn object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself. The glass unicorn in The Glass Menagerie, the rocking horse in "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the road in Frost's "The Road Not Taken"--all are symbols in this sense.SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole. An example: "Lend me a hand." See Metonymy.SyntaxThe grammatical order of words in a sentence or line of verse or dialogue. The organization of words and phrases and clauses in sentences of prose, verse, and dialogue. In the following example, normal syntax (subject, verb, object order) is inverted:

"Whose woods these are I think I know."

TercetA three-line stanza, as the stanzas in Frost's "Acquainted With the Night" and Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind." The three-line stanzas or sections that together constitute the sestet of a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet.ThemeThe idea of a literary work abstracted from its details of language, character, and action, and cast in the form of a generalization. See discussion of Dickinson's "Crumbling is not an instant's Act."ToneThe implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work, as, for example, Flannery O'Connor's ironic tone in her "Good Country People." See Irony.TrocheeAn accented syllable followed by an unaccented one, as in FOOT-ball.UnderstatementA figure of speech in which a writer or speaker says less than what he or she means; the opposite of exaggeration. VillanelleA nineteen-line lyric poem that relies heavily on repetition. The first and third lines alternate throughout the poem, which is structured in six stanzas --five tercets and a concluding quatrain. Examples include Bishop's "One Art," Roethke's "The Waking," and Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."

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Research Paper Topics

1. Why do we sleep?2. How do GPS systems work?3. Who was the first person to reach the North Pole?4. Did anybody ever escape Alcatraz?5. What was life like for a gladiator?6. What are the effects of prolonged steroid use on the human body?7. What happened during the Salem witch trials?8. Are there any effective means of repelling insects?9. How did trains and railroads change life in America?10. What may have occurred during the Roswell UFO incident of 1947?11. How is bulletproof clothing made?12. What Olympic events were practiced in ancient Greece?13. What are the major theories explaining the disappearance of the dinosaurs?14. How was the skateboard invented and how has it changed over the years?15. How did the long bow contribute to English military dominance?16. What caused the stock market crash of 2008?17. How did Cleopatra come to power in Egypt what did she do during her reign?18. How has airport security intensified since September 11th, 2001?19. What is life like inside of a beehive?20. Where did hip hop originate and who were its founders?21. What makes the platypus a unique and interesting mammal?22. How do computer viruses spread and in what ways do they affect computers?23. What is daily life like for a Buddhist monk?24. In what ways do Wal-Mart stores affect local economies?25. How were cats and dogs domesticated and for what purposes?26. What do historians know about ninjas?27. How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading?28. What was the women’s suffrage movement and how did it change America?29. What efforts are being taken to protect endangered wildlife?30. How much does the war on drugs cost Americans each year?31. How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?32. Are humans still evolving?33. What technologies are available to home owners to help them conserve energy?34. How have oil spills affected the planet and what steps are being taken to prevent them?35. What was the Magna Carta and how did it change England?36. What is the curse of the pharaohs?37. Why was Socrates executed?38. What nonlethal weapons are used by police to subdue rioters?

39. How does the prison population in America compare to other nations?40. How did ancient sailors navigate the globe?41. What was the Oklahoma Land Run and its significance?42. How was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln plotted and executed?43. Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks? 44. How do submarines work?45. Do lie detector tests accurately determine truthful statements?46. How did Cold War tension affect the US and the world?47. How does a hybrid car save energy?48. How did Julius Caesar affect Rome?49. What are some common sleep disorders and how are they treated?50. What are the risks of artificial tanning or prolonged exposure to the sun?51. What programs are available to help war veterans get back into society?52. What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?53. How have the film and music industries dealt with piracy?54. How did Joan of Arc change history?55. What responsibilities do secret service agents have?56. What dangers and hardships did Lewis and Clark face when exploring the Midwest?57. Has the Patriot Act prevented or stopped terrorist acts in America?58. How are the Great Depression and the Great Recession similar and different?59. What are the dangers of scuba diving and underwater exploration?60. How does the human brain store and retrieve memories?61. What was the Manhattan Project and what impact did it have on the world?62. How does stealth technology shield aircraft from radar?63. What causes tornadoes?64. How does a search engine work?65. What are the current capabilities and future goals of genetic engineers?66. How did the Roman Empire fall?67. What obstacles faced scientists in breaking the sound barrier?68. What happened to Amelia Earhart?69. What are the dangers and hazards of using nuclear power?70. How did Genghis Khan conquer Persia?71. What architectural marvels were found in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire?72. How does night vision work?73. How did journalists influence US war efforts in Vietnam?74. What are the benefits and hazards of medical marijuana?75. What causes desert mirages and how do they affect wanderers?76. What are sinkholes and how are they formed?77. What are the risks of climate change and global warming?78. Who was a greater inventor, Leonardo di Vinci or Thomas Edison?79. How are the Chinese and American economies similar and different?80. In what ways do video games affect children and teenagers?

8th Grade Research Paper Objectives & Standards SWBAT (“I Can…”):

Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: RI.8.2.  – Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.2(a)  –  Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.2 (b) – Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.2(c) – Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.2 (d) – Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.2 (e) – Establish and maintain a formal style. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.2 (f) – Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.3(c) – Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.4.  – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.) Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.5.  – With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.7.  – Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.8.  – Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: W.8.10.  – Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. Subject: Language ArtsGrade(s): 8Standard: L.8.1 (d) – Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.

Research Paper Guidelines: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/scaffolding-methods-research-paper- 1155.html?tab=3#tabs

The 8 th Grade Research Paper

Definitions

(1) A research paper is a form of academic writing, usually between five and fifteen pages long, composed by students in colleges and universities. A research paper requires students to locate information about a topic (that is, to conduct research), take a stand on that topic, and provide support (or evidence) for that position in an organized report. (See tips and guidelines below.) Also called a term paper, research project, or research report.

(2) The term research paper may also refer to a scholarly article that contains the results of original research or an evaluation of research conducted by others. Most scholarly articles must undergo a process of peer review before they can be accepted for publication in an academic journal.

See Steps in Conducting Research below. Also see:

Research Bibliography Book Report Choosing a Style Manual and Documentation Guide Citations Critical Essay and Critique Discovery Strategies (Heuristics) Documentation Focusing Interview Literature Review "Look at Your Fish!" by Samuel H. Scudder Plagiarism Primary Sources and Secondary Sources Research Paper Checklist (Guide to Homework & Study Tips) Research Timeline (Guide to Homework & Study Tips) Summary Three Good Reasons Not to Buy an Online Essay Write a Research Paper (Guide to Homework & Study Tips)

 

Steps in Conducting Research

Reasons for the Research Paper"One obvious reason for the research paper is that writing it forces you to learn lots about your chosen subject. . . . Another reason is that writing the paper teaches you the conventions of scholarly writing, among them the accepted styles of documentation and the ethics of research.

"A third reason is that you will become familiar with the library through the 'learning by doing' method. . . . Writing a research paper may also mean interviewing experts about your subject and blending their ideas with your own distinct point of view. . . .

"There are other benefits as well. Writing the research paper is an exercise in logic, imagination, and common sense. As you chip away at the mass of data and information available on your chosen topic, you learn- How to track down information- How to organize- How to use the Internet in your research- How to discriminate between useless and useful opinions- How to summarize- How to budget your time- How to conceive of and manage a research project from start to finish"(Anthony C. Winkler and Jo Ray Metherell, Writing the Research Paper: A Handbook, 8th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011)

The Seven Steps of Research 

1. Define your research question2. Ask for help3. Develop a research strategy and locate resources4. Use effective search techniques5. Read critically, synthesize, and seek meaning6. Understand the scholarly communication process and cite sources7. Critically evaluate sources

(Leslie F. Stebbins, Student Guide to Research in the Digital Age. Greenwood, 2006)

Defining Your Research Question: Finding and Focusing a Topic"The first step in composing a research paper is finding a subject to write about. If your

instructor assigns a topic, this step will take care of itself. More often, however, you will be offered a range of general subjects, one of which you must investigate and then narrow

down to a specific topic.

"As you begin your investigations, keep these four factors in mind: 

1. Instructor's guidelines. Make sure your topic falls within the limits of subject, topic, and approach set by your instructor.

2. Your interests. Find a topic that interests you. You may wish to learn more about a subject you are already familiar with or explore for the first time a subject that promises to be interesting.

3. Time. Find a topic that you can both research and write about within the time available.

4. Adequate resources. Be sure that you can find sufficient sources of information on your topic. Surveying your primary and secondary sources will enable you to decide whether the topic is worth pursuing.

Don't be troubled if at first you have some difficulty in formulating a precise topic. As you carry out your research, you should find it easier to focus and define the topic more clearly. But don't delay. To meet the deadline for submitting the final paper, you'll have to budget your time carefully. So, if you have questions about a topic, consult with your instructor as soon as possible."(Richard Nordquist, Passages: A Writer's Guide, 3rd ed. St. Martin's Press, 1995)

Mapping Out a Research Strategy"A search strategy is a systematic plan for tracking down sources. To create a search strategy appropriate for your research question, consult a reference librarian and . . . take a look at your library's Web site, which will give you an overview of available resources.

"Reference librarians are information specialists who can save you time by steering you toward relevant and reliable sources. With the help of an expert, you can make the best use of electronic databases, Web search engines, and other reference tools."(Diana Hacker, The Bedford Handbook, 6th ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002)

Qualitative and Quantitative Research"Often the distinction between qualitative and quantitative research is framed in terms of using words (qualitative) rather than numbers (quantitative), or using close-ended questions (quantitative hypotheses) rather than open-ended questions (qualitative interview questions). A more complete way to view the gradations of differences between them is in the basic philosophical assumptions researchers bring to the study . . ..

"Qualitative research is a means for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem. The process of research involves emerging questions and procedures, data typically gathered in the participant's

setting, data analysis inductively building from particulars to general themes, and the researcher making interpretations of the meaning of the data. . . .

"Quantitative research is a means for testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables. These variables, in turn, can be measured, typically on instruments, so that numbered data can be analyzed using statistical procedures. . . .

"Mixed methods research is an approach to inquiry that combines or associates both qualitative and quantitative forms. It involves philosophical assumptions, the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and the mixing of both approaches in a study."(John W. Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd ed. Sage, 2008)

Evaluating Sources"You will need to evaluate your sources on two levels. First, is the information reliable? Second, how useful will a source be for your paper? . . .

"[P]ublication does not make something reported as a fact true or an opinion valid. Composing research paper provides a good opportunity to learn how to judge the reliability of sources and to extract relevant material from them."(William Coyle and Joe Law, Research Papers, 15th ed. Wadsworth, 2010)

Venn Diagram

We use Comparatives and Superlatives to compare two or more nouns.The formation of the comparative and superlative depends on the number of syllables in the adjective:

One-syllable Adjectives

To form the comparative, we add -er to the end of the adjective.To form the superlative, we add -est to the end of the adjective.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

small smaller the smallest

cold colder the coldest

light lighter the lightest

wide * wider the widest

hot ** hotter the hottest

* When an adjective ends in the letter E, we just add the -R (for comparatives) or -ST (for superlatives). We do not write two Es together. Wider (correct) not wideer (incorrect).

** When an adjective ends in a consonant + short vowel + consonant (C + V + C), we normally double the last letter. big - bigger - biggest, wet - wetter - wettest

London is bigger than Santiago. Mike is taller than John but James is the tallest. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year. It is the oldest building in the village. I want a faster car.

Notice how comparatives are often followed by than when comparing two things or people.

Two-syllable Adjectives ending in -Y

To form the comparative, we remove the -y and add -ier to the end of the adjective.

To form the superlative, we remove the -y and add -iest to the end of the adjective.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

crazy crazier the craziest

happy happier the happiest

early earlier the earliest

It was the happiest day of my life. My joke was funnier than your one. This section is easier than the rest.

Adjectives with Two or more Syllables

For Adjectives with 2 syllables (that don't end in -y) and higher (3, 4 syllables etc), we use more for comparatives and the most for superlatives.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

handsome more handsome the most handsome

nervous more nervous the most nervous

enthusiastic more enthusiastic the most enthusiastic

My girlfriend is more beautiful than yours. Alex is more intelligent than you but I am the most intelligent. It was the most wonderful day I have ever had.

Some exceptions with two-syllable adjectives ending in -er and -est:

narrow - narrower, simple - simpler, quiet - quieter

Irregular FormsAdjective Comparative Superlative

good better the best

bad worse the worst

far *** further / farther the furthest / farthest

little less the least

many/much more the most

old **** older/elder the oldest / eldest

I am a better tennis player than you but Marcelo is the best. Steve is a worse liar than me but Adrian is the worst.

*** Farther - FurtherFurther / farther, furthest / farthest are all used for distance.Only Further / furthest are used to mean 'additional' or 'more advanced'.

Puerto Montt is further / farther than Valdivia is from here (in Santiago). If you require further information, please contact reception.

Remember that the opposites of 'more' and 'most' are 'less' and 'least', respectively.**** Older - EldestWe use elder / eldest when we are talking about family relationships and normally only before a noun (not by itself unless it is a pronoun).

He is my elder brother. (We cannot say: My brother is elder than me. - incorrect) The eldest sister would pass on her dresses to the younger one.

Comparative and Superlative of ILL

When comparing how ill people are, you will normally hear worse or the worst and not "iller or illest". Some people may prefer to replace ill with sick (sicker, sickest) when comparing.

Comparative and Superlative FormsThe comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs are used to compare and contrast people and things. In this comparative and superlative guide, you will find example sentences and practical activities for study at home.Use the comparative form (e.g. taller, sharper, stronger, better) to show the difference between two people or objects.

Susie is prettier than Mary. China is larger than India. Cycling is healthier than driving.

Use the superlative form (e.g. tallest, sharpest, strongest, best) to compare three or more people or objects. Susie is the prettiest girl in my neighborhood. (Here Susie is being compared with all the girls in the

neighborhood.) Greenland is the largest island in the world. The Nile is the longest river in the world. Mumbai is the most populous city in India.

Prepositions after superlativesAfter superlatives we do not usually use of with a singular word referring to a place or group.

He is the tallest man in the world. (NOT He is the tallest man of the world.) Who is the best player in the team? (NOT Who is the best player of the team?)

But of can be used before plural nouns. It can also be used with quantifiers like lot and bunch. She is the fastest of them all. She is the best of the lot.

Complete the following sentences using appropriate comparative or superlative forms.1. I’m the ……………………………… (greatest / greater)2. Iron is the ……………………………. of all metals. (most useful / more useful)3. She thinks she is the …………………………… woman in the world. (prettiest / prettier)4. He explained it all thoroughly, but I was still none the …………………………… (wiser / wisest)Answers1. I’m the greatest.2. Iron is the most useful of all metals.3. She thinks she is the prettiest woman in the world.4. He explained it all thoroughly, but I was still none the wiser.

What Is Your Personality Type?

Short Story Example of Flowers for Algernon Plot Diagram

Example of a Plot Structure Foldable

4 types of Writing

A writer’s style is a reflection of his or her personality, unique voice, and way of approaching the audience and readers.

However, every piece writers write is for a specific purpose—for example, writers may want to explain how something works or persuade people to agree with their point of view. While there are as many writer's styles as there are writers, there are only four general purposes that lead someone to write a piece, and these are known as the four styles, or types, of writing. Knowing all four different types and their usages is important for any writer.

Here are the categories and their definitions: Expository, Persuasive, Descriptive, and Narrative.

Expository

Expository writing's main purpose is to explain. It is a subject-oriented writing style, in which authors focus on telling you about a given topic or subject without voicing their personal opinions. These types of essays or articles furnish you with relevant facts and figures but do not include their opinions. This is one of the most common types of writing. You always see it in textbooks and how-to articles. The author just tells you about a given subject, such as how to do something.

Key Points:

Usually explains something in a process. Is often equipped with facts and figures. Is usually in a logical order and sequence.

When You Would Use Expository Writing:

Textbook writing. How-to articles. Recipes. News stories (not including opinion or editorial pieces). Business, technical, or scientific writing.

Example:

Many people associate the taste of pumpkins with fall. In October, companies from Starbucks to McDonalds roll out their pumpkin-flavored lattes and desserts. Here is how to make an easy pumpkin pie using only five ingredients. First, make sure you have all of the ingredients.

This writing is expository because it is explaining. In this case, you can already tell that the piece will be about how to make a pumpkin pie.

Non-example:

Everyone knows that the best part about fall is all of the pumpkin-flavored desserts. Pumpkin pie is the best fall treat because it is not only delicious but also nutritious. Pumpkin is filled with vitamin A, which is essential for a healthy immune system and good vision.

This is not expository because several opinions are stated, such as “Pumpkin pie is the best fall treat…” Although this excerpt contains a fact about pumpkin containing vitamin A, that fact is used as evidence to support the opinion. These opinions make this an example of persuasive writing.

Descriptive

Descriptive writing's main purpose is to describe. It is a style of writing that focuses on describing a character, an event, or a place in great detail. It can be poetic when the author takes the time to be very specific in his or her descriptions.

Example:

In good descriptive writing, the author will not just say: “The vampire killed his lover.”

He or she will change the sentence, focusing on more details and descriptions, like: “The bloody, red-eyed vampire, sunk his rust-colored teeth into the soft skin of his lover and ended her life."

Key Points:

It is often poetic in nature It describes places, people, events, situations, or locations in a highly-detailed manner. The author visualizes what he or she sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels.

When You Would Use Descriptive Writing:

Poetry Journal or diary writing Nature writing Descriptive passages in fiction

Example:

The iPhone 6 is unexpectedly light. While size of its screen is bigger than those of the iPhones that came before, it is thinner, and its smooth, rounded body is made of aluminum, stainless steel, and glass. The casing comes in a whitish silver, gold, or a color the company calls “space gray,” the color of the lead of a pencil, with darker gray accents.

This is an example because it describes aspects of the phone. It includes details such as the size, weight, and material.

Non-example:

So you just brought home a shiny new smartphone with a smooth glass screen the size of your palm. The first thing you will want to do when purchasing a new cell is buy a case. Cracking your screen is an awful feeling, and protection is inexpensive when you compare it to the costs of a new phone.

Even though this example uses adjectives, you can tell that this is not an example of descriptive writing because the purpose is not to describe the phone—it’s to persuade you to buy a case.

Persuasive

Persuasive writing's main purpose is to convince. Unlike expository writing, persuasive writing contains the opinions and biases of the author. To convince others to agree with the author's point of view, persuasive writing contains justifications and reasons. It is often used in letters of complaint, advertisements or commercials, affiliate marketing pitches, cover letters, and newspaper opinion and editorial pieces.

Key Points:

Persuasive writing is equipped with reasons, arguments, and justifications. In persuasive writing, the author takes a stand and asks you to agree with his or her point

of view. It often asks for readers to do something about the situation (this is called a call-to-

action).

When You Would Use Persuasive Writing:

Opinion and editorial newspaper pieces. Advertisements. Reviews (of books, music, movie, restaurants, etc.). Letter of recommendation. Letter of complaint. Cover letters

Example:

Following the 2012 Olympic Games hosted in London, the UK Trade and Investment department reported a £9.9 billion boost to the economy. Although it is expensive to host the Olympics, if done right, they can provide real jobs and economic growth. This city should consider placing a bid to host the Olympics.

This is persuasive writing because the author has a belief—that “this city should consider placing a bid to host the Olympics”—and is trying to convince others to agree.

Non-example:

According to legend, the Olympics were founded by Hercules. Now almost 100 countries participate in the Games, with over two million people attending. So cities from Boston to Hamburg begin considering their bid to be a host city more than 10 years in advance.

All of these statements are facts. Therefore it’s expository. To be persuasive writing, you must have an opinion that you’re trying to persuade people of—then, of course, you will support that opinion with evidence.

Narrative

Narrative writing's main purpose is to tell a story. The author will create different characters and tell you what happens to them (sometimes the author writes from the point of view of one of the characters—this is known as first person narration). Novels, short stories, novellas, poetry, and biographies can all fall in the narrative writing style. Simply, narrative writing answers the question: “What happened then?”

Key Points:

A person tells a story or event. Has characters and dialogue. Has definite and logical beginnings, intervals, and endings. Often has situations like actions, motivational events, and disputes or conflicts with their

eventual solutions.

Examples of When You Would Use Persuasive Writing:

Novels Short stories Novellas Poetry Autobiographies or biographies Anecdotes Oral histories

Example:

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Jaelyn.

“You never used to be such a girl!” retorted Orin, pushing open the door.

Reluctantly, Jaelyn followed.

This is a narrative because it’s telling a story. There are different characters conversing, and a plot is unravelling.

Non-example:

Cutting Edge Haunted House holds the Guinness World Record for the largest haunted house on earth. It’s located in a district in Fort Worth, Texas known as "Hell's Half Acre" in a century-old abandoned meat-packing plant. The haunted house takes an hour to complete, winding through horrific scenes incorporating the factory's original meat-packing equipment.

While this would serve as a worthy setting for a story, it would need a plot before it could be called a narrative.

Conclusion

These are the four different types of writing that are generally used. There are many sub-types of writing that may fall in any of those categories. A writer must know all these styles in order to identify the purpose of his or her own writing and make sure it's something the audience wants to read.

Mr. Patterson’s Remediation / 7th Grade Reading / 7th & 8th Grade English

Delta Academy Class Resources

Common roots and word origins Tiered Word List Links Vocabulary Practice Poetry analysis tips AP English Exam (practice) 2014-2015 released test with answers Transition words and transitional phrases Primetime Bellringer: Breaking News English Mad Mad Libs More Mad Libs Grammar 101 Grammar Games Persuasive essay topic ideas Purdue OWL MLA citation info MLA Format Guidebook MLA Format Information

Need a book?

New York Times Young Adult Fiction Best Sellers

Reading Response (Friendly Letter) Format:

                                                                                                  March 6, 2017Dear Mr. Patterson,

    Indent the first line of each paragraph. In this paragraph you will tell me the title of your book,

its author, how many pages you've read, how many pages total are in the book, a brief

summary of the characters and major plot events, and your general opinion of the book.

    Begin the second paragraph with a good transition sentence that connects it with the

previous paragraph. Respond to one of the reading response questions from your list. Support

your response with a quote as evidence from the text. Explain the significance of your evidence

and how it supports your response.

    Begin the third paragraph with a good transition sentence that links it to the last paragraph.

Respond to another reading response question and make sure to provide evidence from the text

and an explanation of the evidence.

  In the closing paragraph, please ask me any questions you have about your book. You can

ask questions about almost anything. What other books do I know of by the same author? What

does the author mean when she writes _______? Why does the author use all lowercase letters

in this section?

Please also include any observations or general comments you have about your book. Is there

a passage that really stands out to you? Why? I'll do my best to respond to your questions and

comments.

                                                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                                                      Mr. Patterson

EXAMPLE #1: WHAT NOT TO DO

Dear Mr. Patterson,

The book I'm reading is lame. Tricia recommended it to me, so now I think she is crazy. I'm about halfway through the book and all I can tell you is that it is stupid. I don't know why I have to write this letter to you, but mom says I have to. I don't want to make mom mad. She'll take away my phone again.

The first question I'm going to answer is the one about the most important word in the book. "The" is the most important word in my book. It is used about 10,000 times in the story. Without "the" the sentences would not make any sense. That is why I think "the" is the most important word in the book.

I guess I'll answer the one about plot now. So, basically, there is this dude who is actually an egg. He's called Humpty Dumpty and he falls off a long wall and cracks his egg-head. Like I said before, it's really lame. That is what I think the plot of the story is.

In closing, I just want to say that I don't have any comments about this book. Well, maybe I do. Yeah, so you should probably give Tricia an F for recommending this book to me. Cool.

                                                                                                                        Swag,                                                                                                                        Jud Judderson

EXAMPLE #2 : WHAT TO DO TO GET A GOOD GRADE

                                                                                                                       Oct. 2, 2017

Dear Mr. Patterson,

Hello! I hope you are doing well! I am currently reading Charlie and the Chocolate

Factory byRoald Dahl. I am so happy that I decided not to abandon this book. I was initially

disinterested with the story, but soon found myself carried away in the fantastic, colorful, and

wise world of Willy Wonka. I am on page 150 and hope to finish all 230 pages by the end of the

week. The book is about Wonka, an owner of a candy factory, who is giving away Golden

Tickets in his candy bar wrappers. Those who find the tickets are rewarded with admittance to

the factory, which has long since been closed to the public. The story focuses mainly on Charlie,

a poor boy, who becomes one of the Golden Ticket winners. When reading closely, one may

find Dahl's intentions in the book as social commentary of the greed and materialism that plague

the world.

Roald Dahl balances insane, nonsensical situations with lessons about life in Charlie and

the Chocolate Factory. Out of all the imaginative and silly-sounding words in the book, I have

chosen a much more standard word as my pick for most important word in the story. "Family" is

the word that stands out to me most. At one point in the story, Willy Wonka asks Charlie to

become his successor and take over ownership of the company. Charlie asks Wonka, "So... if I

go with you, to live in your factory, I'll never see my family again?" (Dahl 130). Wonka replies,

"You can't run a chocolate factory with a family hanging over you" (131). After this interaction,

Charlie makes it clear how important his family is to him by rejecting Wonka's offer. Charlie

explains that no matter how much earning potential a job as the factory owner had to offer, he

would still be poor if he did not have his family.

Although the book delivers serious themes related to priorities, family, and the downfalls

of greed, Dahl also offers his readers opportunities to laugh out loud at ridiculous characters and

silly situations. One instance when I found myself laughing hysterically was when Violet

Beuragarde, a serial gum-chewer, took a piece of gum that was still in experimental trials and

soon found herself turning into a gigantic blueberry. The gum emulated a five-course meal, and

the dessert portion was still being refined. Despite Wonka's warnings, Violet ate the gum and had

to suffer the consequences. Violet's father watched in horror as his daughter started growing

round and blue, buttons flying from her expanding coat. He yelled, "Violet, you're turning

violet, Violet!" (63). I fell out of my chair from laughing so hard at this exclamation. Mr.

Beuregarde's words and the repetition of violet as both a name and a color struck my funny bone.

This passage is just one of many that had me giggling as I read.

Overall, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a fantastic book. It has just the right

amount of seriousness and silliness to make it a great pick for readers of all ages. Many lessons

can be learned from the story and many laughs will be had. Have you ever read the book? What

is the part that stands out to you the most? Will you help me find out whether Dahl wrote any

nonfiction works? Thanks and I look forward to hearing back from you!

                                                                                                                   Sincerely,

                                                                                                                   Marty Awesome

Book Letter Template

Date:

Dear Ms. Patterson,

Title of book:

Author of book:

Current page and total number of pages:

Brief summary of book - characters and conflict:

Opinion:

Sentence that ties in with your opinion statement:

Respond to first question of your choice:

Add a quote from the book to support your response:

After the quote, cite the author’s name and the page number where you found the quote - (Lubin 11):

Explain how the quote supports your response.

Sentence that ties in with previous paragraph:

Respond to question second question of your choice:

Add a quote from the book to support your response:

After the quote, cite the author’s name and the page number where you found the quote:

Explain how the quote supports your response.

Restate your opinion of the book and an explanation for your opinion:

Ask me one question you have about your book:

Write one comment you want to share with me about your book (good quote, interesting message, comment on style):

Say goodbye:

                                        Sincerely,                                                                            Your name

POETRY FOR CHILDREN

(Editor) This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from around the World, Four Winds Press (New York, NY), 1992.

(Editor) The Tree Is Older Than You Are: Poems and Stories from Mexico, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1995.

(Editor, with Paul Janeczko) I Feel a Little Jumpy around You: A Book of Her Poems and His Poems Collected in Pairs, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1996.

(With others) The Space between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998, published as The Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2002.

(Selector) What Have You Lost? (young-adult poetry), with photographs by husband, Michael Nye, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 1999.

(Selector) Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets, illustrated by Ashley Bryan, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Come with Me: Poems for a Journey, with images by Dan Yaccarino, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Nineteen Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Is This Forever, or What? Poems and Paintings from Texas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Sweet Sifter in Time: Poems for Girls, illustrated by Terre Maher, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2005.

What are Memoirs?Noun

1. A record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. 2. Usually, memoirs.

1. An account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography. 2. The published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned

society. 3. A biography or biographical sketch. (Synonyms: journal, recollections, reminiscences)

What are Poems?

Poems are collections of words that express an idea or emotion that often use imagery and metaphor. As you are studying literature, you will likely notice that poems come in many, many different forms. As you read and perhaps write your own poems, it is helpful to know the different kinds of poems.

A poem is a form of art in which the skillful choice and arrangement of words achieves a desired emotional effect. Poet Percy Bysshe Shelly defined poetry as "the expression of the imagination." Robert Frost said that a poem forms when "an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words."

What’s a Prezi?

Prezi is a visual storytelling software alternative to traditional slide-based presentation formats. Prezi presentations feature a map-like, schematic overview that lets users pan between topics at will, zoom in on desired details, and pull back to reveal context.This freedom of movement enables “conversational presenting,” a new presentation style in which presentations follow the flow of dialogue, instead of vice-versa.Founded in 2009, and with offices in San Francisco, Budapest, and Mexico City, Prezi now fosters a community of over 75 million users with more than 260 million prezis around the world.The company launched Prezi Business in 2016, with a suite of creation, collaboration, and analytics tools for teams. Prezi Business is an HTML5 application that runs on JavaScript.The word Prezi is the short form of “presentation” in Hungarian.

(Please note: Prezi’s or Power Points will be due every 2 weeks for assigned readings, so plan ahead if you need technology support)

*Instructional Levels: Approaching Level (AL), On Level (OL), & Beyond Level (BL)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Story Maps are graphic organizers that can be useful in helping a student analyze or write a story. This type of analysis is especially good for examining fables and folktales. Story map graphic organizers help the student identify the elements of the story and the theme or moral of the story. Some of the many elements of a story include the important characters (their appearance, personality traits, and motivations), the setting of the story (time and place), the problem faced by the characters, how the problem is approached, and the outcome. There are many types of story maps that examine different elements of the story (and reveal different structures within a story).

Some summarize the beginning, middle and end of a story. Some list the 5 W's: The who, when, where, what, and why of a story. Some list the title, setting, characters, the problem, the solution and the moral or theme of the story. Some list a complex chain of events that summarize all key elements of the story, in chronological order. Some, like a storyboard, are mostly pictorial, and illustrate the major events of a story in chronological

order.

Choice Board

Create a song. Create a time capsule.

Make a pattern.

Identify it. Choose a way to respond to the text.

Design a movie scene.

Create a journal entry.

Work cooperatively. Role Play.

Close Reading of a Literary Passage

To do a close reading, you choose a specific passage and analyze it in fine detail, as if with a magnifying glass. You then comment on points of style and on your reactions as a reader. Close reading is important because it is the building block for larger analysis. Your thoughts evolve not from someone else's truth about the reading, but from your own observations. The more closely you can observe the more original and exact your ideas will be. To begin your close reading, ask yourself several specific questions about the passage. The following questions are not a formula, but a starting point for your own thoughts. When you arrive at some answers, you are ready to organize and write. You should organize your close reading like any other kind of essay, paragraph by paragraph, but you can arrange it any way you like.

I. First Impressions: What is the first thing you notice about the passage? What is the second thing? Do the two things you noticed complement each other? Or contradict each other? What mood does the passage create in you? Why?

II. Vocabulary and Diction: Which words do you notice first? Why? What is noteworthy about this diction? How do the important words relate to one another? Do any words seem oddly used to you? Why? Do any words have double meanings? Do they have extra connotations? Look up any unfamiliar words. For a pre-20th century text, look in the Oxford English

Dictionary for possible outdated meanings. (The OED can only be accessed by students with a subscription or from a library computer that has a subscription. Otherwise, you should find a copy in the local library.)

III. Discerning Patterns: Does an image here remind you of an image elsewhere in the book? Where? What's the

connection? How might this image fit into the pattern of the book as a whole? Could this passage symbolize the entire work? Could this passage serve as a microcosm--a

little picture--of what's taking place in the whole work? What is the sentence rhythm like? Short and choppy? Long and flowing? Does it build on

itself or stay at an even pace? What is the style like? Look at the punctuation. Is there anything unusual about it? Is there any repetition within the passage? What is the effect of that repetition? How many types of writing are in the passage? (For example, narration, description,

argument, dialogue, rhymed or alliterative poetry, etc.)

(cont.) Close Reading of a Literary Passage

Can you identify paradoxes in the author's thought or subject?

What is left out or kept silent? What would you expect the author to talk about that the author avoided?

IV. Point of View and Characterization: How does the passage make us react or think about any characters or events within the

narrative? Are there colors, sounds, physical description that appeals to the senses? Does this imagery

form a pattern? Why might the author have chosen that color, sound or physical description?

Who speaks in the passage? To whom does he or she speak? Does the narrator have a limited or partial point of view? Or does the narrator appear to be omniscient, and he knows things the characters couldn't possibly know? (For example, omniscient narrators might mention future historical events, events taking place "off stage," the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters, and so on).

V. Symbolism: Are there metaphors? What kinds? Is there one controlling metaphor? If not, how many different metaphors are there, and in

what order do they occur? How might that be significant? How might objects represent something else? Do any of the objects, colors, animals, or plants appearing in the passage have traditional

connotations or meaning? What about religious or biblical significance? If there are multiple symbols in the work, could we read the entire passage as having

allegorical meaning beyond the literal level?

Types of Point of View

Objective Point of ViewWith the objective point of view, the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

Third Person Point of ViewHere the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.

First Person Point of ViewIn the first person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story. When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.

Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of ViewA narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.

A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.

As you read a piece of fiction think about these things:

How does the point of view affect your responses to the characters? How is your response influenced by how much the narrator knows and how objective he or she is? First person narrators are not always trustworthy. It is up to you to determine what the truth is and what is not.

Spider Map

A spider map is a brainstorming or organizational tool that provides a visual framework for students to use. Sometimes, this graphic organizer is called a “concept map” or a “spider web graphic organizer”.

A spider map has a main idea or topic in the center, or the body, of the diagram. Each detail or sub-topic associated with the main idea has its own leg, or branch, surrounding the main idea.

Spider Maps Help You:

Record and show what you know about a topic Organize information without a hierarchy Plan