I am currently having my students look at the language in their novel understand why Harriet Beecher Stowe had such an impact on the Civil War with her book. I got this idea from Houghton Mifflin.
The objective is for students to explore the language in the text to show how the author uses it to influence their thoughts on slavery.
The materials that you need to do this lesson (which can be adapted to any novel being taught - that is why I like it so much) are the novel being read and a copy of the Use of Language Worksheet. I will put the link to the worksheet here, but it cannot be changed in any way. You will also need to keep the copyright information at the bottom of the page. That is the condition for use by Houghton Mifflin. This assignment should take about 2-3 days. If your students are not on task, the assignment can be made to be due at the end of the hour.
Students need to work in groups. This works really well with literary circles. Each group is to choose one chapter of the book and select words and phrases that are specific to the theme of that novel. In my case, it is slavery. The students should look at how the author creates different moods and feelings about that theme. The groups should be given time to look at their chapter, working together to answer the questions from the worksheet. The address for the worksheet is http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/5/unit/act6.2blm.html. The conditions for use are listed there.
Once the worksheet is finished, students are to write a report about the chapter they chose using specific words and examples from the book. The groups then report out to the class about their chapter and how the language may have influenced the people in 1851 to believe that slavery was wrong.
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2 comments:
Making meaning from language, especially in works using older or unfamiliar phrasology, can be very difficult for students. Activities such as yours really help students understand the message or point of view a particular author is trying to convey.
I think its a great idea to ask students to look at language within a novel. I often ask kids to find figurative language - I'll give them a list, like 10 similes, 10 metaphors, 5 examples of hyperbole, etc.... They're amazed at how easy they are to find, we have great discussions about the effect on the work as a whole, and then they recognize those things when they see them on their standardized tests.
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