LESSON FOUR: Author’s Style
In a paragraph, students evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s repetition of the word “intense” throughout the story “Gary Keillor.”
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS
R2C Evaluate the effect of author’s style and complex literary techniques.
R2A Locate, interpret and apply information in title, table of contents, glossary, and recognize the text features of fiction, poetry and drama in grade-level text.
LESSON MATERIALS
§ Sources of Literature
o “Gary Keillor”, and Night
§ Supplies
o Chart paper
o Sticky notes
o Formative assessment scoring guide
§ Handouts provided
§ Words to know
o repetition
o style
Students evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s repetition of a word in his short story. Scoring guide provided.
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Suggestion |
Page 85 of Night, (Chapter Six), the section when the father and son are fighting sleep and the freezing conditions, contains many repetitions of the words “sleep” and “dream” and would be suitable for use here. Use selection based on the reading schedule prepared for students. |
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Divide students into three groups. Group one uses the index to locate a given story in the text; group two uses table of contents to locate the story. Group three uses any other method to locate the story other than those allowed by the first two groups. Tell students it is a race to see who can locate the story first and give the “GO” signal. First place is recognized. Then change method of location for each group and give students a different story title. Once again the race is held and the winner recognized. Reassign location methods and conduct the race a third time. Then facilitate a discussion on which method of locating a story is most effective
2. Instruct students to locate the story “Gary Keillor” in their texts using the most effective method of location. Once students have located the story, ask them to locate the story’s title. In one or two sentences, students should speculate on the story’s content based on the story’s title and other text features such as pictures, divisions, captions, fonts, headings, etc.
3. Using Kagan’s Numbered Heads cooperative grouping strategy, students share their speculations. Students then read the story. After students have finished reading, lead an informal discussion concerning the students’ speculations and their accuracy. Discussion will include difficulty of interpretation of the story’s title and appropriateness of title.
4. Continue discussion by telling students that choosing a title for a selection is part of the author’s style of writing. Sometimes an author does not want the title to reveal the story’s content. The author wants other stylistic devices to enhance the content. Ask students if they recognized the author’s use of humor in the selection and tell them use of humor is also part of the author’s style. Label one example of humor found in the story and evaluate the example’s effect on the story. Brainstorm complex literary techniques with the students. As students brainstorm, write each literary technique on a piece of chart paper. In a think aloud process, locate a literary technique in the story and evaluate how the example enhances the story’s effectiveness.
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Idea |
You may review literary techniques such as foreshadowing, mood, tone, point of view, etc. |
5. Tear off chart paper containing headings of literary techniques and post them around the room. Give each student two sticky notes and instruct students to look for one example of humor and one literary technique example in the story. Students should locate those examples and record each on a sticky note. Students can then place all their examples of literary techniques and humor on charts provided and labeled appropriately. Students then do a gallery walk to view all the examples on the charts. Facilitate an informal discussion on author’s style, beginning with evaluation of the effectiveness of Keillor’s use of humor and continuing to the effectiveness of his use of complex literary techniques.
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Strategy |
Before completing the guided practice paragraph, students must be finished reading “chapter” six of the novel Night. Complete this lesson at the appropriate time in the reading schedule prepared for students. |
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Questions for Students |
After reading Keillor’s story, how would you describe his style of writing? How does Keillor’s style compare with the style used by Hemingway, Faulkner, Edwards, Whitman, or other authors (teacher can use any authors students have previously studied)? |
6. Given a selection from Night, students evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s style and are scored using the scoring guide below. In a variation of Kagan’s Rally Robin, students circle up and take turns sharing their paragraphs with their peers, checking each other for accuracy. Provide students with this prompt, “In chapter six of Night the author frequently uses the words ‘sleep’ and ‘dream.’ In a paragraph, evaluate the effect of the author’s repetition of these words. Use details and/or examples from the text as support for your evaluation.”
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Strategy |
In the informal discussion address stylistic devices such as sentence length and structure as well as literary techniques. Use tone, mood, foreshadowing, point of view, etc., in the place of repetition in the student prompt. |
Scoring guide
2 points = Response includes a complete and reasonable evaluation of the effect of the author’s repetition of the words “sleep” and “dream” and uses details and/or examples from the story as support.
1 point = Response includes a reasonable evaluation of the effect of the author’s repetition of the words “sleep” and “dream” but details are overly general or simplistic OR only one supporting detail is given.
0 points = Other