Author's Use of Language

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.

I love to have the students act out various scenes from the novels we have read. The students have to decide which scene, which characters, and how best to depict the scene using their own imaginations and ingenuity. It has been really fun and educational in the scenes they choose and the characters they assign themselves to protray. I have been amazed at the expressions and the interpretation of the story by the students.
This lesson usually takes one class period and the students own time to be totally prepared. The props are very sparse as each group may pick a different scene and time is a restriction. Students are divided into small groups, they choose the scene and the characters, and use the novel for the dialog. I really enjoy seeing the students act out the stories in this manner. It makes the novel come alive for them.