Tone

This week, we've focused on inferring the tone of a text based on the words.

Jeffrey dialed the combination and opened his gym locker. There was his navy blue backpack, hanging on the hook where he'd left it, but something seemed strange. Nothing looked tampered with, yet a chill ran up his back as took down his bag. He checked its contents carefully, but his books and papers were all there. Even his pack of gum was still in the side pocket. I must have been imagining things, he thought to himself as he put the bag on his back, closed the locker, and started out the school doors. Then he remembered: He'd put his new gym shoes in his backpack after PE class this morning because he wanted to wear them for basketball practice tonight! Jeffrey ran back to his locker, but they were nowhere in sight.

1. What kind of tone is evoked by the passage above?

A.	happiness
B.	contentment
C.	suspicion
D.	anger

* Choose an answer choice.

* Give at least TWO pieces of evidence.

* Explain!!! To get full credit for your explanation, make sure you:

- Tell me what the word (adjective) MEANS

- How your evidence (words or phrases) CONNECTS to the meaning you gave

Inference and Character Traits

We've practiced inferring traits/characteristics based on characters' actions and words all week. Now you get to show off your new skills!

DIRECTIONS:

* Read the selection below

* Use our Post-It Process to:

A. Identify a trait of the father

B. Give evidence (actions and/or words)

C. Explain:

1. Give a definition of your trait

2. Show how the examples ties into your definition

D. Challenge: Based on this trait, explain what might be important to the father and how you figured this out.

Do You Want Fries with That?

by Sharron A. Scott

“And would you like fries with that, m’am?” my father asked cheerfully. “Well, it would actually be cheaper if you got the value meal.”

He was working the drive through that day, and in my opinion, he was just a little too cheerful about it. You would have thought he had gotten promoted to vice president of the Burger World, or at least to manager. But no, this man, who happened to be my father, was excited about working the drive through.

My father, who is a dead ringer for Ned Flanders, has been working with me at Burger World for the past three weeks, since he lost his job at the Black Cola distribution plant. He started working there as a temporary driver right after he got out of the army and worked his way up to manager. This man, who used to be somebody’s boss, is now dishing out fries alongside his 17‐year‐old daughter.

He works from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. I work from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 pm. I catch the bus to Burger World from school, then my father and I ride home together in his 1999 Toyota minivan. Ouch! I am doomed to be a social outcast forever. It will be a miracle if I get a date to the prom.

Theme or Distractor?

"I'm Nobody" by Emily Dickinson I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us--don't tell! They'd banish us, you know. How dreary to be somebody! How public, like a frog To tell your name the livelong day To an admiring bog!

Which is the best way to describe the theme of this poem?

a. Being a frog is tough.

b. It's better to be yourself than to be popular.

c. Life isn't worth living if you aren't popular.

d. She uses a simile to compare a person to a frog.

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Your job:

1-Choose the correct answer and explain why it's the correct answer.

2-Choose the "distractor" and explain why it's the distractor.

Poem Theme

Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

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Another poem by Langston Hughes! Is the message the same? Figure it out... Don't forget to look for metaphors & similes.

TEXT: Poem

V:

I:

P:

TOPIC:

THEME:

Theme Time

The Princess and the Pea

by Hans Christian Anderson

There was once a prince, and he wanted a princess, but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled right around the world to find one, but there was always something wrong. There were plenty of princesses, but whether they were real princesses he had great difficulty in discovering; there was always something which was not quite right about them. So at last he had come home again, and he was very sad because he wanted a real princess so badly.

One evening there was a terrible storm; it thundered and lightninged and the rain poured down in torrents; indeed it was a fearful night.

In the middle of the storm somebody knocked at the town gate, and the old King himself sent to open it.

It was a princess who stood outside, but she was in a terrible state from the rain and the storm. The water streamed out of her hair and her clothes; it ran in at the top of her shoes and out at the heel, but she said that she was a real princess.

‘Well we shall soon see if that is true,’ thought the old Queen, but she said nothing. She went into the bedroom, took all the bed clothes off and laid a pea on the bedstead: then she took twenty mattresses and piled them on top of the pea, and then twenty feather beds on top of the mattresses. This was where the princess was to sleep that night. In the morning they asked her how she slept.

‘Oh terribly bad!’ said the princess. ‘I have hardly closed my eyes the whole night! Heaven knows what was in the bed. I seemed to be lying upon some hard thing, and my whole body is black and blue this morning. It is terrible!’

They saw at once that she must be a real princess when she had felt the pea through twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. Nobody but a real princess could have such a delicate skin.

So the prince took her to be his wife, for now he was sure that he had found a real princess, and the pea was put into the Museum, where it may still be seen if no one has stolen it.

Now this is a true story.

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Apply our theme analysis procedure to this fairy tale!

Text-->Character:

Conflict:

Climax/Resolution:

Topic:

Theme:

The Beatles

When people hear the name "The Beatles" most people think of co-lead singer, John Lennon. However, the role of Paul McCartney is often overlooked.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in other bands together before the forming of the Beatles. In 1962, along with Ringo Starr and George Harrison, they formed the rock group known as "The Beatles." The group featured a modern rock that was new and popular during the period with John and Paul composing and doing the leads on most of the songs. They were backed by George on lead guitar and Ringo on drums. George and Ringo also assisted on backing vocals.

When they first began playing, the main influence inside the band was John Lennon, who had an ability to compose songs at a moment's notice with an inspiration that others missed. He pushed the members of the band during their touring years and was able to achieve the best possible results from the group. However, McCartney was also a strong force in the group since Lennon many times asked for McCartney's advice about ideas for songs. McCartney wrote many of the group's biggest hit songs, and often, he didn't even ask for song writing credit.

After the breakup, McCartney launched a successful solo career. He has released many recordings both in the United States and abroad. One accomplishment was his first classical piece, Liverpool Oratorio, which is no small feat considering that McCartney never learned to read music.

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KEY WORDS: (at least two, but try for more! show how smart you are!)

TEXT STRUCTURE:

EXPLAIN:

Nonfiction Time!

All About Australia

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. It stretches more than 2,000 kilometers along the eastern coast of Australia. The Reef is so big, it can be seen from outer space! The Great Barrier Reef is made up of more than 3,000 coral reefs, which account for its great variety of sea and animal life. More than 600 beautiful islands are scattered along the Reef. Visitors can explore rain forests or go snorkeling.

1. Write the purpose of this nonfiction piece. (Why was it written?)

2. Name one text feature you see. Explain how it helps to guide your thinking.

3. Name the text structure of this paragraph. Explain how you know. (Key words? Something else?)