What We Say Matters Diction in AP Preparation American Studies - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
What We Say Matters Diction in AP Preparation American Studies English Sara E. Jones - Illinois Writing Project 2018 Context: An Acronym Definition What is AP? Advanced Placement is a series of high-stakes tests owned by
Diction in AP Preparation American Studies English
Sara E. Jones - Illinois Writing Project 2018
What is “AP”?
tests owned by College Board that cover many
associated college classes.
AP English Literature focuses exclusively on traditional literary analysis.
these lessons with freshmen, too!), who are largely math- and science-focused people. You’ll see math and logic crop up in my instructions, especially in step-by-step processes.
foundational conversation using Accountable Talk (Michaels et. al): Does the language we use matter? Invariably, the kids decide that it does matter.
days of work.
want my students to remember are in ALL CAPS.
discuss how powerful (negatively) it can be to use hate speech, because it takes three or four lessons for that to percolate through enough of the class’s consciousness for it to spontaneously arise. I could plan it, but I’ve found that it’s much more pointed when it arises naturally.
Pulling Back the Curtain:
human beings first must build schema, which are the basic units of knowledge. By making learning explicit, we begin the process of creating these “understandings” (qtd. in McLeod).
away a file marked “English Stuff,” but there’s no drawer in the cabinet for files that start with an E, and no drawer for files that start with an S, what are you going to do?
The Bowling Ball Theory (MKO, ZPD, scaffolding, and intellectual bravery)
“someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept” (the MKO). The “difference between what a child can achieve independently and what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner” is the ZPD, where “the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given, allowing the child to develop skills they will then use on their own” (qtd. in McLeod).
The Spiral Theory (revisiting work, metacognition, and celebrating your victories), aka The Diamond
iterative revisiting of topics, subjects, or themes throughout the course. A spiral is not simple repetition of the topic taught. It requires also the deepening of it, with each successive encounter building on the previous one.” It requires, 1) students to revisit topics taught, 2) increasing levels of difficulty, 3) new learning related to previous learning, and 4) the competence of students
Metacognition is All
become consciously aware of their mental activity and are able to describe it and discuss it with others. Such conversation enables teachers to make their invisible cognitive activity visible and enables teachers and students to reflectively analyze and assess the impact of their thinking processes” (Schoenbach et. al 26).
The Basketball Theory (practice prevents you from looking foolish!) “Teachers should think of practice not as rote repetition, but as deliberate, goal-directed rehearsal paired with reflection on problem-solving processes… That is, teachers should always design practice activities with the goal of transferring knowledge to new and more complex problems” (Brabeck).
Language and Identity are Inextricably Bound
individual speakers express their choice of identity by their choice of language… Through such “acts of identification” or “acts of identity,” speakers signal their degree of affiliation with one sociocultural group or another… revealing through their personal use of language their sense of social and ethnic solidarity or difference” (Le Page & Keller 181).
information,
tailor transmission of information so it will achieve the desired effect,
speaker/writer as it is the listener/reader
manipulate your audience’s perceptions of you and the world.
At the end of every class period, I prompt students to open their composition notebooks and write notes about what we’ve done that day. The first two or three times, I help them, then I let them help each other. By the third week, they complete the task on their own!
Using a number line to assist students in understanding the difference between a positive, negative, and neutral word.
simple words like “house,” “laugh,” or “car.” Look for a noun that has a large number of synonyms. Once you have a little confidence, or if you have a class that is flat, branch out to
and they have a large store of synonyms that are negative, which makes it a challenge: How do you talk about something negative without hurting people’s feelings?
(This works well for refining words with which the kids are in the “using but abusing”stage!)
meaning, like “weeping” or “stink.”
personal experience. Give them markers and let them fill the board, making a word web.
“denotation” and “connotation.”
Safran Foer in which Alex, whose knowledge of English is almost entirely denotative. Have the class read it. Discuss the differences between denotation and connotation in a few examples.
like “is” or “some,” carrying little to no connotation, and some are WEIGHTY words like “slap” and “glittering,” carrying enormous connotation. Students stand up and pair off.
has more WEIGHT? Figure out a way to show which word has more WEIGHT. You must match up with at least ten different people.
while their counterpart is skinny. Some will make pucker faces while others will make big round eyes.
that use LIGHT words.
write “Teacher.” Under that heading, they list words that they only use in the presence of teachers. I offer “isosceles,” then they come up with 10-20 words. The second column is “Friends.” I offer “‘sup,” then suggest that curse words are OK. The third column is “Authority.” I offer “Sir,” then they finish the list.
at the end: Can words move from one list to another? What makes a word fit in a particular list? What does using a particular word say about the person who uses it? What happens if you use a word from one list with a person on another list?What does being able to use academic language in an academic language say about you? What does refusing to use or being unable to use academic language in an academic setting say about you?
The Swan at Edgewater Park
Isn't one of your prissy richpeoples' swans Wouldn't be at home on some pristine pond Chooses the whole stinking shoreline, candy wrappers, condoms in its tidal fringe Prefers to curve its muscular, slightly grubby neck into the body of a Great Lake, Swilling whatever it is swans swill, Chardonnay of algae with bouquet of crud, While Clevelanders walk by saying Look at that big duck! Beauty isn't the point here; of course the swan is beautiful, But not like Lorie at 16, when Everything was possible—no More like Lorie at 27 Smoking away her days off in her dirty kitchen, Her kid with asthma watching TV, The boyfriend who doesn't know yet she's gonna Leave him, washing his car out back—and He's a runty little guy, and drinks too much, and It's not his kid anyway, but he loves her, he Really does, he loves them both— That's the kind of swan this is. —Ruth L. Schwartz
1. Read the poem. 2. Re-read the poem, underlining at least five but no more than ten WEIGHTY DICTION examples. 3. How does the narrator feel about what’s going on in the poem? Does it SHIFT from the beginning to the end? What makes you think so?
President Bill Clinton's "I Have Sinned" Speech: This speech (sample offered below) was delivered by President Bill Clinton at the annual White House prayer breakfast on September 11, 1998, in the presence of several ministers, priests and his wife, Hillary Rodham
President Clinton on the grounds of perjury and his affair with a former White House intern. I agree with those who have said that in my first statement after I testified I was not contrite enough. I don't think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned. It is important to me that everybody who has been hurt know that the sorrow I feel is genuine: first and most important, my family; also my friends, my staff, my Cabinet, Monica Lewinsky and her family, and the American people. I have asked all for their forgiveness... But I believe that to be forgiven, more than sorrow is required - at least two more things. First, genuine repentance - a determination to change and to repair breaches of my own making. I have repented. Second, what my bible calls a ''broken spirit''; an understanding that I must have God's help to be the person that I want to be; a willingness to give the very forgiveness I seek; a renunciation of the pride and the anger which cloud judgment, lead people to excuse and compare and to blame and complain.
message in this piece. After discussion, ask students to choose different diction in this piece in order to change the attitude of the narrator. Read-alouds are hilarious!
1. Choose something you either LOVE or HATE (be merciful on yourself and choose a noun). Write the noun you chose at the top of the paper. 2. In the space provided, make a list of 6 WEIGHTY WORDS that relate to or describe your object. 3. Pass your paper to the left. When you receive someone else’s paper, read the noun and the list of related words. Add TWO MORE WEIGHTY WORDS to the list that are appropriate to the author’s topic. 4. Hand the paper back to the original author. 5. Now that you have your paper back, use the list to write a poem NO MORE THAN FOUR LINES LONG. You may add words and change endings, but you must use ALL EIGHT WEIGHTY WORDS. The noun you chose is the title.
words that have different VALUE (positive, negative, or neutral) and write a new poem.
with different tones, make a checklist that answers this question: In what way did the author of each of these poems manipulate diction to achieve differing tones? (Don’t forget that you can comment on POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, and NEGATIVE authorial choice, on the relative WEIGHT of the words, and on DENOTATION and CONNOTATION)
How might we build this awareness of both the connotative value of language and the intersection between identity and language in younger students? How do we convince our students that the languages they speak outside school, no matter the culture or country from which they spring, are equally valid, in that they offer social and economic opportunities and limitations, just like academic English? Given the understanding above, in a quavering economy that may or may not offer them a living when they graduate, even with a college degree, how do we encourage our students to put forth the effort to learn academic English? How do we engender in our students the joy that we (English teachers) find in the play that’s possible with language?
Works Cited Brabeck, Mary, et al. “Practice for Knowledge Acquisition (Not Drill and Kill).” American Psychological Association,
Le Page, Robert Brock, and Andree Tabouret-Keller. Acts of Identity: Creole-Based Approaches to Language and
Harden, R. M., and N. Stamper. “What is a Spiral Curriculum?” Medical Teacher, vol. 21, no. 2, 1999, pp. 141-143., doi:10.1080/01421599979752. McLeod, S. A. (2014). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html. Michaels, Sarah, et al. “Deliberative Discourse Idealized and Realized: Accountable Talk in the Classroom and in Civic Life.” Studies in Philosophy and Education, vol. 27, no. 4, 2007, pp. 283–297., doi:10.1007/s11217-007-9071-1. Schoenbach, R., Greenleaf, C., & Murphy, L. (2012). Engaged academic literacy for all. In Reading for understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship improves disciplinary learning in secondary and college classrooms, 2nd edition (pp. 1–6). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Tugend, Alina. “The Role of Mistakes in the Classroom.” Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation, 6 Sept.