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T
Teaching Tone to Teenagers
(Curriculum for the 9th Grade
Common Writing Assignment)

Stephanie D’Cruz, Grant High School

Ben Grosscup, Madison High School
Christine Jenkins, Lincoln High School
Keri Troehler, Renaissance Arts Academy

June 2007

Draft

Funded by Portland Public Schools

 RATIONALE
This unit was created to help support the teaching of the 9th grade common writing
assignment. It was designed around the following:

Essential Questions:
 How do writers express their thoughts and feelings?
 What tools do writers use to create tone within a piece of writing?
 As a student, what am I trying to achieve through my writing? How can I become
a stronger writer through the knowledge and use of these tools?
Enduring Understanding:
 Writers use a variety of stylistic techniques to engage and persuade their readers
 Different types of writing requires different techniques
 Writing can capture and reflect moods and feelings as strongly as other media
such as music and art.

No matter how many years of service we have each given to Portland Public Schools,
every one of us had to experience walking into a classroom for the first time. Our filing
cabinets were empty or full of inherited materials with typeface faded from the deep
purple of a fresh ditto sheet to pale lavender barely visible to the naked eye.
Bookshelves were bare and dusty. Desk drawers had yet to acquire random scribbled on
notes, broken pieces of chalk, and too many pens that would no longer write. Perhaps
we clutched in our sweaty hands a binder of things we had created in graduate school
that had not even been given a trial run. If we were lucky, an experienced teacher would
take us under his or her wing and help us at least through the first couple of days, but
many of us were handed a set of keys, a book list, and quietly abandoned to our fate.
The name “Linda” would be heard on the breeze as teachers “in the know” would talk
about their classes at lunch or under their breaths during faculty meetings. It would take
at least one professional development day, usually scheduled just around Halloween,
until we learned about “Curriculum Camp” and the Reading/Writing handbook.

With these early teaching days in mind, we set out to create curriculum that would allow
a brand new teacher to walk into a classroom, hands empty, and be able to at least meet
the district requirement of the common assignment paper. Lessons needed to fulfill this
task can be found in the packet provided. All of the reading can be found in Holt’s
Elements of Literature, Collection 7 “Poetry” and Collection 8 “Evaluating Style,” and the
writing instruction is included in Write Source, texts that will be available to all students
and their teachers. All a new teacher needs to do is to follow the calendar provided and
every student who is willing to do the work regardless of school or skill level can produce
the paper.

However, we understand that it is a rarity to hire new Language Arts teachers and so
this curriculum can easily be adjusted to meet the needs of a teacher who has been
knocking about Portland for a while. Passages from a current text can be easily slipped
in to replace any of the suggested literature. Editing can be accomplished using a
favorite technique. The calendar can be expanded or contracted to compensate for time
restraints.

With that being said, we wish you good luck and god speed!

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Table of Contents

Rationale…………………………………………………………………………….....…. 1
Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………… 2
Prompt and Visual Overview……….…………………………………………………… 3
Calendar……………………...…………………………………………………………… 4
Criteria and Standards for the 9th Grade Writing Assignment ……………….………5
Introducing Tone: Mood through Music………………………………………………... 6
Music and Mood Graphic Organizer…………………………………………………… 7
Setting Activity………………………………………………………………………....…. 8
Getting Tone through Art…………………………………………………………………9
Image Directory…………………………………………………………………………... 10
Personal Response to Imagery Graphic Organizer………………………………...... 11
Creating Tone: Character, Setting, and Imagery Graphic Organizer………………..12
Word Chart Activity……………………………………………………………………… 14
Graphic Words Graphic Organizer……………………………………………………... 15
Poetry Activity #1………………………………………………………………………… 16
Literary Elements Graphic Organizer…………………………………………………. 17
Poetry Activity #2………………………………………………………………………… 18
Evaluation Style Assessment…………………………………………………………… 19
Quiz………………………………………………………………………………………... 20
Quiz Answer Sheet with Standards Link……………………………………………..... 21
Understanding Tone & Imagery through Comparing and Contrasting……………... 22
Tone Comparison Chart…………………………………………………………………. 24
Poetry of Place (Extension Activity)……………………………………………………. 26
Poetry of Place (Handout)………………………………………………………………..27
Understanding Tone (Optional Assessment)……………………………………….… 28
Organizing Your Essay Graphic Organizer……………………………………………. 31
Writing Section of the Unit: Thesis Statement………………………………………… 32
Writing Section of the Unit: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion…………………….33
Revision Chart……………………………………………………………………………. 34
Conventions Convention…………………………………………………………………35
Final Activity………………………………………………………………………………. 36

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9th Grade Common Assignment Prompt
Using a passage from a literary text, (i.e. poem, short story, novel,
play) write an analytical essay that answers the following question:
“What is the tone of the piece, how is this tone achieved, and what is
the impact on the reader?” Use one to four literary elements and/or
literary devices, and specific examples from the text to support your
thesis.

Timeline of unit (duration 4 weeks)

Music Poetry Short Story Writing Read-around
Tone

Art Quiz Tone Assessment Submit

Concepts Relating to Tone Writing

Imagery Writing Process
Characterization Thesis
Setting Introduction Strategies
Diction Body with Evidence
Simile Conclusion Strategies
Metaphor Conventions

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Suggested Calendar

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Introduction of Tone: Continue Mood through Bring in the Art: Introducing Poetry: Poems: Character and
Music Getting Tone through Diction and Imagery setting
Mood through Music Art
(Possible two day Introducing Setting: Word Chart activity Poetry analysis activity
activity) Setting Activity (Diction) #2

Poetry analysis activity

#1
Evaluating Style: Assess Introducing the short Short Story #2 Understanding Tone Continue Poetry of
their understanding and story: Address the continued (Optional Assessment) Place Activity
re-teach missing elements w/ a short
concepts piece as a class. Poetry of Place Activity
Short Story Activity #1

Then move to groups.

Short Story Activity #2
Assess knowledge of Pick poem or story from Thesis statement mini- Introduction Strategy Drafting and revising
the elements that the pieces already read lesson: Crafting the activity: using the rubric
contribute to tone. and discussed or thesis using tone as a Finish Frame and start
choose a new piece. model (see 594 in Write drafting introduction and
Assign Common Read/reread and Source). body.
Assignment and share brainstorm elements
the rubric using graphic organizer Write thesis and Mini-lesson on
continue brainstorming. Paragraphs
Start filling out OYEGO
Mini-lesson on peer Lab to type Lab to type Proofread and edit Read Around
revision
Continue revising using Conventions Convention Final draft due
the rubric with a peer

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 Criteria and Standards for
The 9TH Grade common assignment

Teaching Writing Craft Literacy Standards

Criteria Outline/ Lessons
Strategies
Reading Song Lyrics Standard 1 Decoding and
Comprehension Graphic Organizer Word recognition
Literary Elements
Graphic Organizer Standard 2 Listen to and
read info, narr, and
Organizing Your
literary text
Essay Graphic
Organizer
Standard 3 Vocabulary
Word Connotation
Chart
9.3.4 Figurative
Journal Prompts
expressions,
Visual and
comparisons, and
Auditory
analogies
Confirmation
9.3.7 Denotative and
Read Around
connotative words
Assessment
9.7.4 Writing strategies
and elements of author’s
craft
9. 9.2 Make assertions
with evidence
9.9.3 Draw inferences and
generalizations w/ textual
evidence
9.9.6 Characterization
9.10.1 Lit Devices and
functions

Writing Pre-Writing Understanding the Standard

Comprehension: Journal Writes Rubric 9.12.1,9.12.2,9.12.3,
Free writes 9.12.4,9.12.5,
9.12.6 Six writing traits
Tone Literary Drafting 9.12.6.1-6.4 Conventions
Analysis Graphic Thesis Statements 9.13.5 Expository writing;
Organizers Introduction response to literature
Free writes Paragraphing 9.13.7 reflective writing
Brainstorming Embedded Quotes
Citing Sources
Revising Conclusions
“Conventions’
conventions”
Peer/Self Editing

Publication/ Read Around Standard 9.16.1, 9.16.3,

Sharing 9.18.8

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Introducing Tone and Mood Using Song

Standards: 9.10.8, 9.10.10

Essential Question: How do artists create a sense of mood?

Enduring Understanding: Students will understand the idea of tone and mood through
the lens of popular music.

Materials:
Song Lyrics Graphic Organizer Handout

Sequence of Events: 1- 2 class periods

Day One
1. Introduce the idea of mood by brainstorming with students all the possible moods a
person could be in. Do this as a whole class and write a large list of moods on the
board or divide the class into small groups and have each group come up with 10 or
so adjectives to describe mood.
2. Ask students to pick three different moods and create a five-song play list for each
mood. Prompt students with questions like: Which songs do you listen to when you
are trying to get pumped up for a game? Angry with a friend? Relaxing on the
beach? Waxing nostalgic about middle school? Just broke up with boyfriend or
girlfriend?
3. Share play lists and have students explain the reasons why they picked a particular
song for the play list. Hopefully answers will naturally lead into a discussion about
theme, characterization, diction, imagery, rhythm, and beat – all the different choices
a musician makes to create a mood. After performing close readings of songs, it
won’t be such a big leap for students to examine how literary elements create the
tone of poems and short fiction pieces.
4. For homework that night, have students find the (school-appropriate) lyrics for one of
the songs they listed on their play lists. The next day in class students will perform
close readings of the song looking specifically at word choice, imagery, setting and
figurative language.

Day Two
1. Have students read over song lyrics and underline all the words or phrases that they
think contribute to the tone or mood of the piece.
2. Pass out Graphic Organizer (See handout) and emphasize that students pick out
quotes and specific words from their songs. This exercise will act as a lead in to
looking closely at word choice as preparation for writing essays at the end of the unit.
You could use a song of your choice as an example if you wish.
3. After students have completed the organizer, lead the whole class through a
discussion of how the writer of the song created a sense of mood. Prompt them to
look at specific word choices and literary elements. How do all these add up to
create a sense of mood in the song?
4. You could also have students volunteer to play their song and explain all the different
elements that create the mood.

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Name:________________________
Music and Mood Graphic Organizer

Song Title: _________________________ Artist:_________________________

Why did you pick this song for your play list? What kind of overall mood does the artist
create in this song?

Word or phrase How it makes me feel…

Explain how the music of the song – the rhyme scheme, the beat and the vocals –
influences the overall mood or tone of the song?

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Setting Activity*

Standards: 9.3.4, 9.3.7, 9.7.4, 9.9.6, 9.10.1, 9.10.10

Essential Question: How does setting affect tone

Materials List
Paper or writing journals for students
Pens/Pencils for students
Chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead

Sequence of events

1. Introduction: Today we are going to examine how tone is affected by setting.

Setting: the time or place of a piece of literature
(See “Handbook of Literary Terms” beginning on page 1133 in Holt Elements of
Literature)

2. On a piece of paper or in their journals, ask students to create a list of rooms in a

house.

3. Share out with the class to create a class list on the board. Some rooms in a house
could include: kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, etc. Ask student to copy
down the list.

4. Ask the students the following question: In thinking about rooms in a house, how
does your voice shift from one room to another? Is there a room where you use a
softer voice? A louder voice? A place to talk about private things? Have the students
write their ideas next to each room on their list, then pair share, then report out to the
group.

5. Expand this idea to public places. Independently, either on paper or in journals, have
the students list a variety of places such as movie theaters, playing fields, school
hallways and classrooms, libraries, etc. Ask the students the same question as
above and follow the same process.

6. After the class has created the lists, have students work in pairs or independently to
write out an “Ah ha” statement about how setting can affect tone. What do they know
now that they didn’t know before? Share out with the class. Students an keep this
writing in a work journal or writing portfolios for future reference.

Optional activity: Working in groups, students can create location posters that reflect the
different tones used in different public locations.

For more ideas and activities on setting including differentiating instruction, please refer
to page 60-61 in Elements of Literature.

*Inspired by Carolyn Goodwin

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Getting to Tone through Art

Standards: 9.9.2, 9.9.3, 9.10.1, 9.10.9

Enduring Understandings: Students will understand how an artist uses various

elements, such as setting, characterization, and imagery to create tone.

Materials List:
“Personal Response to Image” handout
“Creating Tone…” handout
Collection of images (See attached directory).

Sequence of Events:

1. Choose one of the images from the Image Directory, display for entire class to see.

2. Pass out the “Personal Response to an Image” handout. Have students log their
reactions to the art, including what they see and the emotion or feelings they have
about the piece.

3. Large group debrief about the art. Discuss: “How does the artist manage to impact
our emotions and reactions?” Begin to discuss the concept and definitions for
setting, character and images/imagery. Brainstorm working definitions and post in
the classroom.

4. Break students into small groups. Give each group a photo or piece of art and a
“Creating Tone…” handout. Have students analyze the setting, character, and
imagery present in each piece and how those elements help them identify the overall
tone of the piece.

5. Debrief Question: How do character, setting, and imagery work together to create
tone?

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Image Directory

The following are a list of websites to access photographs and images

used during the Opening Acts. These are merely suggestions. There are
also a number of images in the Holt Elements of Literature that would be
easily accessible.

Setting
”Eight Huts in Haiti” by Roosevelt*

“The Kiss on the Sidewalk” by Robert Doisneau

http://www.ackland.org/art/exhibitions/seasonsofparis/lebaiserdutrattoir.html

“The Girl Standing Near the Window” by Salvador Dali

http://dali.uffs.net/galerie/pictures/1925_the_girl_standing_near_the_window_01.j
pg

“Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth

http://www.britannica.com/ebc/art-15297

Imagery
“Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali
http://www.usc.edu/programs/cst/deadfiles/lacasis/ansc100/library/images/341bg
.jpg

“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso

http://www.mala.bc.ca/~lanes/english/hemngway/picasso/guernica.htm

“No. 301 (Reds and Violet over Red/Red and Blue over Red)[Red and Blue over Red]”
by Mark Rothko*

Character
“The Mona Lisa” by Leonardo DaVinci
http://www.portlandart.net/archives/300px-Mona_Lisa.jpg

“The Scream” by Edvard Munch

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg

“Our Washerwoman’s Family – New Mexico” by Bert G. Phillips*

*Transparencies provided in Holt Elements of Literature Fine Art

Transparencies.

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Name__________________________________________________

Personal Response to an Image

What I see… Makes me feel…

How does the artist impact your emotions and reactions?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name__________________________________________________

Creating Tone - Character, Setting and Imagery

What I see… What that tells me…

Characters – Who is in the painting?
What do they look like?

Ex., a young girl, she has a slight smile on She might be happy because she is smiling.
her face.

Setting – Where is this? What time of

day is it?

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What I see… What that tells me…
Images – Are there figures and shapes?
What are they? What colors are used?

Through setting, characterization, and imagery, what tone does the author create in the piece of art?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Word Chart Activity

Standards: 9.3.4, 9.3.7

Enduring Understandings: Students will understand how word choice reflects the writer’s
(or speaker’s) attitude.

Materials List: Graphing Words handout

Sequence of Events:
This activity can be condensed or drawn out, depending on student need.

1. Begin by having students create written responses to the following quote:

“Change your language, and you change your thoughts.” --Karl Albrecht
What is meant by this quote? How does your language reflect your thinking?

Share responses with large group.

2. Mini-Lecture:
o Informal and Formal language – We use certain types of words and ways
of speak and writing to fit where we are and who we are communicating
with. For example, when you are in a job interview you would use formal
language. However, when you are hanging out with your friends, you
probably use more slang words and informal language.

o Positive and Negative Connotation – Words can evoke positive and

negative feelings or reactions. They can also reflect the speaker or
writer’s feelings or reactions towards the subject they are discussing.

o Neutral language – Some words are considered fairly neutral.

3. Give each student a “Graphing Words” handout.

4. Write the following list of “neutral words” for the class to see.

Money Proud
Marriage Social
Police Officer Activist
Boy Democrat
Girl Educated
Republican

Choose one of the words, have students generate synonyms for the word that would be
considered Formal, Informal, Positive and Negative. Place them on the chart. Go
through a few examples, and then have students work to generate more words.

5. Debrief question: What have you learned about word choice? How are word choice
and tone connected?

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Name_______________________________________

Graphing Words

Formal

Negative Positive

Informal

15
Poetry Activity #1

Standards: 9.3.7, 9.3.4, 9.7.4, 9.9.6, 9.10.1, 9.10.10

Essential Questions (Applicable to entire Poetry section of this unit):

How do diction and imagery affect tone?

Enduring Understanding:
Students will understand how the writer’s diction affects the tone of a piece of
literature.

Materials:
Word Chart Activity Instructions
Word Chart Activity Graphic Organizer
Holt Elements of Literature
Literary Elements Graphic Organizer

Sequence of Events:
1. Introduce day’s lesson plan and connect it to the previous lessons.

2. Run the “Word Chart Activity” as a warm-up to the day’s activities. Be sure to inform
the students how we have certain connotations with words, and those connotations
affect how we read text.

3. When finished with the Word Chart Activity, hand out the Literary Elements Graphic
Organizer. Have students turn to “Tiburon” (Holt, p. 506). Read the literary focus on
similes. Be sure to make the connection that similes are created through diction. It
is important to do this because the students will be referring to the diction of the
piece when writing their common assignment later in the unit.

4. Read “Tiburon” silently. Then read it out loud. Collectively, fill out the Literary
Elements Graphic Organizer, using direct language from the poem. The teacher
should guide this activity, pulling ideas from students. By analyzing this short piece,
students can see how much a short section of a longer poem can contain.

5. Next, turn to “Folding in Won Tons” (Holt, p.509). Use another Literary Elements
Graphic Organizer. Read the poem silently once, and then read it out loud. Have
students individually fill out the graphic organizer. On this organizer, students have
an option of how they will be assessed. They can choose to do the base four
elements (Setting, Imagery, Characterization, and Diction) for minimum credit, five
elements, including simile, or six elements for a top score, including simile and
metaphor. Both simile and metaphor are addressed in the pre-readings next to the
poems.

6. Have the students report out their findings at the end of the period.

7. Finally, try to collectively establish a tone for “Folding in Won Tons.” This is essential
in getting them to understand what tone is and how they can address it when they
analyze their poems in the next lesson.

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Name: ________________________
Literary Elements Graphic Organizer (LEGO)

Text Title: ___________________________

Find three to five examples of each literary element and write them in the boxes below.

Imagery: Language that appeals to the Diction: A writer’s choice of words

senses

Setting: The time and place of a story Characterization: The process by which a
writer reveals character

_____________: _____________:

Putting It All Together: Pick one of the literary elements above and write a paragraph
that explains how the author uses that literary element to create a specific tone. Use at
least two specific examples from the text in your answer.

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Poetry Activity #2

Standards: 9.3.4, 9.3.7, 9.7.4, 9.9.6, 9.10.1, 9.10.10

Materials List:
Holt Elements of Literature
Poem #1”Boy at the Window” By Richard Wilbur Page 527
Poem#2 “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” By William Wordsworth Page 533
Literary Elements Graphic Organizer for each student

Sequence of Events:

1. Introduction: Today we will be working with poetry in the same way as we did as a
group yesterday. However, today you’ll be working with different poems and in
smaller groups. Please open your books to page 527.

2. Reading
 Students will read poem #1 silently.
 Class will then read aloud as a read around. (Please turn to page 533)
 Students will read poem #2 silently.
 Class will then read aloud as a read around.

3. Introduce, hand out, and explain/remind students of the Literary Elements Graphic
Organizer.

4. Count students off by 2s or use another method of division so you have equal
number of kids working with each poem. One group will work with poem #1 and one
group with poem #2.

5. In pairs, student will work through their assigned poem and fill in the boxes on the
Literary Elements Graphic Organizer. They should be building on prior knowledge
and be able to fill in at least four boxes. Please note that there are additional blank
boxes for teachers to use as desired.

6. Once their charts are filled, pair up pairs, one #1 group with one #2 group, and have
the students compare their poems.

Optional: Students should then debate which poem is more effective in creating tone
and why. They should use specific examples from the text.
7. Groups can then report out to the whole class. Remind students that this is the time
to fill in any missing information.
8. Students should then write a half page reflection describing what they now know
about how diction and imagery affect tone.
9. Have student place sheet in their folders/journal/portfolios for future use.

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Evaluating Style Assessment

Standards: 9.3.4, 9.3.7, 9.7.4,9.9.2, 9.9.3, 9.9.6, 9.10.1, 9.10.8, 9.10.10

Materials List:
Evaluating Style Quiz
Answer Key
Holt Elements of Literature CD ROM

Notes to Teacher:

The following “Evaluating Style” assessment was created using the Holt “Test
Generator” found on the Holt Elements of Literature CD ROM. You may use the “Test
Generator” to edit the questions, add questions, or remove questions depending on the
material you have covered.

19
 Name_______________________________________

Evaluating Style

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. A writer’s style includes all of the following elements except —

a. sentence structure c. figures of speech
b. subject matter d. word choice

____ 2. In what way does the sentence The celebration will commence at 7:00 P.M. differ from The party
will begin at 7:00 P.M.?
a. The language in the first sentence is more formal than that of the second sentence.
b. The first sentence uses technical language, but the second sentence uses slang.
c. The structure of the first sentence is more poetic than that of the second sentence.
d. The second sentence appeals to the reader’s emotions, but the first sentence does not.

____ 3. Describing a puppy as playful rather than disobedient suggests a tone that is —
a. Affectionate c. critical
b. Angry d. respectful

____ 4. The mood of a literary work is —

a. its hidden message c. the main event in the work
b. the feeling it evokes d. its theme

____ 5. The image of an empty house set in the woods creates a feeling of —
a. Power c. loneliness
b. Hope d. enthusiasm

____ 6. What is tone?

a. A type of figure of speech
b. A form of poetry
c. The changes that occur in a character
d. The attitude represented in a piece of work through the writer’s choice of words, images,
and descriptions.

____ 7. Which of the following items is not a type of supporting evidence?

a. Statistics c. Facts
b. Main idea d. Quotation from a literary work

____ 8. Setting refers to...

a. An inaccurate example that does not support an opinion
b. The time or place of a story of play.
c. A guess that is based on predictions, not facts
d. An author’s attempt to deceive the reader by withholding information

____ 9. Describing a character as pale and gaunt suggests a tone of

a. Happiness c. fear
b. Joy d. sickly

____ 10. Which of the following synonyms has the most negative connotations?
a. Group c. assembly
b. Crowd d. mob

20
Evaluating Style
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE Oregon State Standards

1. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.16 (style)

2. ANS: A PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.13 (sentence structure) | 9.1.7.16

(style)
3. ANS: A PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.19 (tone) | 9.3.4 (denotation and
connotation)
4. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.3 (setting and mood/atmosphere)

5. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.8 (imagery)

6. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.5 (dialect)

7. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.2.2.5 (evidence)

8. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.2.1.2 (identifying cause and effect)

9. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.3.5 (derivation/etymology/word origin)

10. ANS:D PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.3.4 (denotation and connotation)

21
Short Story Activity #1 and #2
Understanding Tone and Imagery By Comparison and Contrast

Standards: 9.8.1, 9.9.2, 9.9.3, 9.10.8, 9.10.9

Materials: All selections from Holt Elements of Literature

“How To Eat a Guava” p.625
“The Tropics in New York” p.627
Passage from “Marigolds” p.142-143
Holt One Stop Planner CD ROM
“Comparing Tone” handout

Sequence of Events: 1-2 Class periods

Activity: Students will examine “How To Eat a Guava” as a whole class, learning to
evaluate a writer’s style. After performing a close reading of “How To Eat a Guava” and
reviewing key literary elements such as imagery, diction, figurative language, etc,
students will then move to comparing and contrasting the tone of different selections on
their own.

Each of the three selections for this activity revolves around memories from childhood.
The “Marigolds” story is excerpted as the first page gives a clear sense of tone.
If time allows, however, teaching the entire story is an excellent way to teach symbol and
explore a “coming of age” theme.

1. Prompt students to consider the different emotions that you might experience while
remembering events from the past – melancholy, joy, nostalgia, sorrow, fear, etc.

2. The Holt text has numerous pre-reading strategies to introduce students to the “How
to Eat a Guava.” Some ideas include having students quick-write about eating their
favorite food describing all the sensations they experience while eating it. You could
also bring in various fruits for students to eat and then describe that experience using
as many senses as they can. Refer to pages 624-626 in the Teacher’s Edition.

3. Read “How To Eat a Guava” out loud, stopping to point out Santiago’s use of vivid
imagery. There are audio versions in both English and Spanish available on the Holt
Audio CD.

4. Look particularly at the images of the ripe guava vs. the green one. (See pg. 628,
question # 6 in Holt for a particularly useful chart comparing the images of each
guava.) See Holt Reading Solutions (pg.275-282) for ideas about helping ELL and
Special Education students. You could also use the “Poetry of Place Spirit Read”
strategy (see handout in curriculum packet) as a way for students to pull out
examples of the way Santiago uses vivid imagery in her writing.

5. Pay close attention to the shift in tone that happens at the end of the piece (See Holt,
pg. 628, questions 7-8).

22
6. Once students have identified -in either discussion or writing- the key images and the
tone of “Guava,” they are ready to identify the tone of two other pieces on their own.

7. Pass out the “Comparison Chart” handout (See curriculum packet) and have
students fill out “Guava” section and discuss as a model.

8. Next, students should be ready to work independently. They should read the
selection from “Marigolds” and “The Tropics in New York” and fill out the comparison
chart.

9. When the students begin to write their paragraphs on the “Tone Comparison”
handout, you can refer to pages 632-633 in Holt or pages 562-576 in Write Source
for detailed instructions on writing a paragraph. Students could also fill out one
section of the OYEGO (see handout) before they write the paragraph.

10. If you need further assessment of student’s understanding, you can use the multiple-
choice quiz on “How To Eat Guava” and “The Tropics in New York”. (See Handout
“Guavas in the Tropics”) You can scramble and edit questions using the Test
Generator on the Holt One Stop Planner CD ROM.

Additional Resources: Consult Holt Resources for Teaching Advanced Learners (p.151-
153) for lesson plans on “The Tropics in New York” and the use of imagery and tone.

Optional Creative Extension: Have students capitalize on their understanding of how

writers use imagery to create a sense of mood and place by creating their own “Poetry of
Place” poems. See attached description from “Reading and Writing Strategies,” 2nd
Edition, pg.115.

23
Name: _______________________________
Tone Comparison Chart

In each of these three pieces of literature, the authors are remembering their childhoods.
Each piece, however, has a different tone. Fill out the boxes below using specific words
and phrases from the text.

Title Feelings about childhood Words and phrases

memory that reveal these feelings

“How To Eat a Guava”

P. 625

“The Tropics in New

York”

P. 627

Passage from“Marigolds”
P. 142-143

24
 Does the tone of any of these selections change? Pick one piece and describe
how and where the tone shifts or changes.

 Write a well-constructed paragraph that describes the tone of one of the above.
Be sure to use specific examples from the text and refer to at least one literary
element – characterization, imagery, word choice, theme, point of view, metaphor
or simile.

25
 Poetry of Place*

Place can be a physical landscape, the sweep of the land, the vegetation,
waterways or buildings. It can inform your state of mind, create or reflect
feelings, identify your background, ethnicity and even social class. Certain
places may hold memories of specific events.

Choose a place that is important to you and create a poem using images and details
from the text that show the place and that reveal your feelings for that place.

EXAMPLES:

Home The Tropics in New York

by Robert Winner by Claude McKay
My heart and my bones wince. Bananas ripe and green, and gingerroot
It’s so damn sad-looking Cocoa in pods and alligator pears,
and ugly, the Bronx And tangerines and mangoes and grapefruit,
driving past those small hills Fit to the highest prize at parish fairs.
blighted for miles with bleak
six-story desert-like apartment Set in the window, bringing memories
buildings – the landscape I come from. Of fruit trees laden by low-singing rills
It’s so damn ugly in its torment And dewy dawns, and mystical blue skies
of knifings and fires. I forgot In benediction over nun-like hills.
I was happy there sometimes
in its damp and dingy streets, living my life My eyes grew dim, and I could no more gaze;
with the five continents of the word A wave of longing through my body swept,
in my mind’s eye. And, hungry for the old, familiar ways,
I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.
Maybe it was beautiful before us:
the coast with no landfill
a bluffed peninsula of swamps and forests,
a wilderness that became another wilderness
- beds and linoleum, school books,
musty hallways, laughter, despondency –
unremembering earth, a riverbed
millions flowed on, clinging briefly
to some masonry, then gone…

*Adapted from Reading and Writing Strategies

26
Spirit Read* into Poetry of Place

Standards: 9.10.10

Enduring Understandings: Students will understand how word choice and imagery
support the tone and/or theme of a piece of poetry. Students will understand how to
create a visually rich poem.

Materials List:
Poetry of Place handout

Sequence of Events:

1. Direct students to look at “Home” or “The Tropics in New York.” Have students
highlight the words and specific images that stand out to them in the text. The
highlighted text should be at least one word, but no longer than 3-4 words.

2. Post and discuss the criteria for a good spirit read:

 Read aloud short phrases or words
 No commentary
 Strive or elegance:
 Try to connect with what was just read
 Repeating phrases is okay
 Silence is okay

Ask someone to model reading aloud just a short phrase with no commentary.

3. One person starts the group off by reading a phrase; the other participants search for
a phrase they’ve highlighted that matches or connects in some way with the phrase
just heard. This process continues until there are no more phrases people want to
share aloud.

4. Be sure to debrief the activity.

 What was the experience like?
 What did the extracted words or phrases tell us about the overall tone of the
piece?
 How did that activity help you to better understand the text?

5. Consult the Poetry of Place activity from “Reading and Writing Strategies” to move
students into a poetry writing exercise.

*Adapted from Expeditionary Learning

27
 Guavas in the Tropics

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selections “How to Eat a Guava” and “The
Tropics in New York.”

____ 1. Why does the author write about a guava in “How to Eat a Guava”?
a. She is particularly fond of colorful foods.
b. Guavas remind her of her mother.
c. She wants to tell us that there will soon be no guavas left.
d. It is a fruit from Puerto Rico, where she grew up.

____ 2. Why doesn’t the author of “How to Eat a Guava” buy guavas in New York City?
a. They cost much too much.
b. She believes that guavas are good for children, not adults.
c. Guava is the fruit of her childhood, not her life as an adult.
d. She prefers to buy fruit that is grown locally.

____ 3. The first stanza of “The Tropics in New York” describes —

a. fruits and other foods sold at fairs in the tropics
b. the scene the speaker sees outside of a window in New York
c. the speaker’s childhood in the tropics
d. feelings the speaker has about life in New York

____ 4. In the second and third stanzas of “The Tropics in New York,” the speaker is —
a. in the tropics c. looking through a window
b. having a dream d. in a store

____ 5. From the last line of “The Tropics in New York,” you learn that the speaker —
a. eats well no matter where he lives c. dreams about places he might visit
b. misses his old life in the tropics d. does not see as well as he once did

Literary Focus
The questions below refer to the selections “How to Eat a Guava” and “The Tropics in New York.”

____ 6. In “How to Eat a Guava,” the author says, “You hear the skin, meat, and seeds crunching inside
your head, while the inside of your mouth explodes in little spurts of sour.” This image appeals to
the senses of —
a. smell and touch c. sight and hearing
b. hearing and taste d. touch and smell

____ 7. Which word does not describe the tone of “How to Eat a Guava”?
a. loving c. nostalgic
b. mournful d. delighted

____ 8. Which word describes the tone of “The Tropics in New York”?
a. frivolous c. loving
b. lighthearted d. heartbroken

____ 9. The images and sensory details in “The Tropics in New York” mostly relate to the sense of —
a. sight c. touch
b. hearing d. taste

28
Guavas in the Tropics
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.2.1.13 (monitoring your reading or

comprehension)
2. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.2.1.13 (monitoring your reading or
comprehension)
3. ANS: A PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.2.1.13 (monitoring your reading or
comprehension)
4. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.2.1.13 (monitoring your reading or
comprehension) | 9.1.7.15 (speaker)
5. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.15 (speaker) | 9.2.1.13 (monitoring
your reading or comprehension)
6. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.8 (imagery)
7. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.19 (tone)
8. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.19 (tone)
9. ANS: A PTS: 1 OBJ: 9.1.7.8 (imagery)

29
Name__________________________________________

Organizing Your Essay

Main Topic

Key Point Key Point Key Point

Direct Quote/Supporting Evidence Direct Quote/Supporting Evidence Direct Quote/Supporting Evidence

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

Elaboration Elaboration Elaboration
________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________

SO WHAT?

31
Writing Section of the Unit

Standards: 11, 9.12.1, 9.12.2, 9.12.3, 9.12.4, 9.12.5, 9.13.1, 9.13.5

Essential Question:
How does organizing your thoughts help you prepare to write a finished piece of
writing?

Enduring Understanding:
By organizing our thoughts, we can be better prepared to create a finished piece
of writing.

Materials:
The Write Source
The Holt Elements of Literature
The One Stop Planner
The Student Consumable Workbook
Organizing Your Essay Graphic Organizer
Students need to have a completed Literary Elements Graphic Organizer
Revisions Chart

The writing section of this unit is designed to help the students accomplish the common
assignment prompt. The bulk of the lessons will come from the materials that the
district has adopted. Here is a guideline of resources that are contained within the Holt
and the Write Source materials. The Write Source materials (267-289 for extensive
coverage) and (594-597 for quick overviews) are an excellent resource.

The time that this takes will depend heavily on your population. Revise the calendar to
fit the needs of your students.

Sequence of Events:

Thesis Statement

1. Take out the Write Source book and provide an overview of the four pages.
2. Return to 594 and look at how to construct a thesis statement. There is
additional information on page 266. Review the models that the book provides.
3. Have students take their Literary Elements Graphic Organizer (LEGO) for the
poem or story that they will be analyzing and come up with an opinion that
answers the question posed in the common assignment. One way to do this is to
have the students follow these steps.
A. Have students answer the last question of the LEGO for three literary
elements of the story. Then take those three opinions and have them
craft an opinion on the overall tone of the poem or the passage from a
story.
B. Be sure to have the students check their thesis against the checklist in
the Write Source pg. 594.
C. The teacher should check off that the thesis is acceptable before the
student begins working on the body of the paper.

32
Introduction

1. Turn to page 595 in Write Source. This page gives a nice overview of crafting an
effective introduction to an essay. Have students use the Holt as a resource to
finding out potential information about the author or the piece for potential
background information (Holt, p. 269). These are other potential starting
strategies for the opening:
A. An anecdote
B. Fact or Figure
C. Quote

2. Have the students craft an introduction using the strategies recommended in

Write Source. If you want to look at some models of strong introductions, See
Write Source, p. 259, 269 and Holt, p. 633.

3. Have students check introductions against the structure that is outlined in the
Write Source, p. 595 for completion.

Creating the Body

1. Have the students use their LEGO to create the body paragraphs of their essay.
Use the Holt, page 633, to illustrate effective body paragraphs. Also, Write
Source, page 270-271, provides another example of quality body paragraphs.

2. This step is a differentiated step for students who are having a hard time seeing
the transfer of content from the LEGO to the essay. Have student utilize the
Organizing Your Essay Graphic Organizer (OYEGO). They should place their
topic and opinion in the space provided at the top of the graphic organizer. Then
have the students transfer their main literary elements from the LEGO to the
OYEGO. In the Holt on page 633, they illustrate this graphic organizer with an
example. The graphic organizer looks different; however, the OYEGO constructs
the information so that it looks like a paragraph. Once students have filled out
the three key point, quote, and elaboration piece, they can transfer the
information into prose format.

3. Have students proofread and revise paragraphs to see if they fit the model that
the Holt provides for the body framework on page 633.

Conclusion

1. Use either page 272 or 596 in Write Source or 633 in the Holt. Both have
excellent overviews of writing a conclusion. You will need to direct the students
to be sure they are crafting their conclusions to address the prompt.

2. Have the student check their paragraphs against the suggested models in the
books.

Peer Revision
Use the attached revision chart with students to revise either in pairs or individually.

33
 Revision Chart

Writer’s Name_________________ Editor’s Name____________________

Questions Do This Changes to make

Does the introduction grab __ Put a check mark by
the reader’s attention? sentences that capture the
Does it clearly state the reader’s attention.
author and title of the __ Circle the author’s name
piece? and the title of the piece.
Does the thesis list the __ Draw a wavy line under
focus element(s)/device(s) the focus element(s) and/or
and key points the analysis device(s) and key points to
will discuss? be discussed.
Does each body paragraph __ Number each key point.
discuss one key point? __ Star each topic
Begin with a topic sentence.
sentence?
Are the key points __ Underline supporting
supported with specific evidence for each key
evidence from the text and point.
student analysis? __ Double underline
student analysis.
Is the entire essay clearly __Bracket and label each
organized including an section of the essay.
introduction, conclusion,
and at least three main
body paragraphs?
Does the paper show a __ Highlight each
strong understanding of embedded quote.
conventions? For example, __ Put a box around the
does each sentence begin citation. Note if it is
with a capital letter? Is correctly cited.
there appropriate ending __ Place an arrow over
punctuation? Are where the quote and the
embedded quotes properly student writing meet.
cited and blended? __ Circle any punctuation
errors.

34
Conventions Convention*

Standards: 9.12.6

Enduring Understandings: Students will understand how editing for conventions makes
their writing stronger.

Materials List:
Common Assignment Rubric
Dictionaries
“Proofreader’s Guide”, Write Source, pp. 604-671

Sequence of Events:

1. Review Writing Traits (See “Introducing the Traits”, Write Source, p. 40)

2. What is the definition for conventions? (See “Understanding Conventions”, Write

Source, p. 52-53)

3. Read together from the Common Assignment Rubric criteria for Conventions, paying
direct attention to the Expert and Practitioner benchmarks.

4. Re-teach or review the specific convention elements the students will be editing for,
i.e. comma usage, quotation marks, etc.

5. Arrange 4 students at a table. At each table there will be two editors and two authors.
Each table will edit for one specific convention, i.e. commas, spelling and usage,
quotation marks, end punctuation, etc. (It is best if you have taught various mini-
lessons around these over time).

6. Review Norms and Guidelines for the Conventions Convention.

 Only the authors write on their papers (editors should not even have writing
utensils.)
 Only the author’s paper is on the table.
 The editors read out loud to the authors.
 Use the manuals and support materials as references.
 If you can’t figure something out, ask the other editor and it becomes table
talk.
 Editor writes what they edited for and initials the margin of the paper when
he/she is finished.

7. At each station, the editor will read through the paper. Students will rotate from
station to station when the teacher calls time. Once they have traveled around the
room, their paper will have been edited for each specific convention.

8. Debrief Question – What did you learn about editing for conventions?

*Borrowed from Expeditionary Learning Writing Institute

35
Final Activity

Congratulations! You have accomplished your task. At this point each student should
have a finished paper to submit for your reading pleasure. Before the students hand the
papers to you, have the students celebrate their work by sharing it with their peers. This
can be done small groups or a class-wide read around where students could share out
their best sentence or paragraph. Once the read around is completed, praise students
for their hard work. Then review the central concepts that you have covered.

FIN

36