LESSON THREE: A Raging Tide – Identifying Dialect
LESSON DESCRIPTION
This lesson focuses on identifying dialect in poetry, prose and nonfiction.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS
o R2B The student should be able to identify and explain figurative language, particularly dialect, in poetry and prose. CA2, 1.5, 1.6
o R2C The student should be able to identify and explain figurative language, particularly dialect, in nonfiction. CA3, 1.5, 1.6
LESSON MATERIALS
Sources of Literature
o Selections from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/7193)
o Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi
Supplies
o Overhead, chalkboard, Smart Board, NotePad
o Lesson Three Formative Assessment Scoring Guide
Handouts provided
o Lesson Three Formative Assessment Prompt
Words to know
o dialect
o figurative language
o graphic organizer
Students read the lyrics to “Riverside Slide” and create a graphic organizer to record examples of dialect from the song and explain what each means or write the word or phrase in Standard English as appropriate. Scoring guide provided.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Introduce the lesson regarding dialect by explaining to students examples of such that they experience in their own life, such as soda vs. pop vs. a particular brand name.
2. Return students’ attention to “stabboard” and “labboard,” as discussed in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in the previous lesson. Define dialect on the blackboard, overhead, Smart Board, NotePad, etc. Students record the definition in their notes.
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Strategy
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According to the Communication Arts Grade Level Expectations Glossary of Terms from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, dialect is defined as “a representation of the language spoken by the people of a particular place, time, or social group.” Regional dialect is spoken in a specific geographic region, and social dialect is spoken by members of a specific social group or class. |
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Technology Connections |
Display the definition of dialect on an overhead, Smart Board, NotePad, etc., for students to copy into their notes. |
3. Students work in pairs or small groups to identify other examples of dialect in the Twain passage. Distribute copies of Chapter XVIII of Twain’s Life on the Mississippi for further practice identifying both jargon and dialect (as well as slang, to be discussed in lesson 4). Students share their work with the class, adjusting their responses as necessary and leading students in translating each example of dialect into Standard English.
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Technology Connections
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Selections from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are found at http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/7193 and Life on the Mississippi is found at http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/245 |
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Strategy
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Display a copy of the passage on the overhead, Smart Board, NotePad, etc., to facilitate discussion. |
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Questions for Students |
What other examples of dialogue can you find? What would each of these words, phrases or sentences mean in Standard English? |
4. For the formative assessment, distribute copies of the lyrics to “Riverside Slide,” by C.W. McCall, Bill Fries and Chip Davis, and explain that this passage ties to the unit’s theme of rivers. Students read the passage and list of examples of dialect in it. Students also explain what each means or write the Standard English form of each word or phrase as appropriate. Students record their responses in a graphic organizer, such as a t-chart or web (see Lesson Three Formative Assessment Prompt provided). Scoring guide provided.
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Assessment
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Students read the lyrics to “Riverside Slide” and identify and explain examples of dialect, recording their responses in an appropriate graphic organizer. |
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Technology Connections |
The lyrics to “Riverside Slide”, by C.W. McCall, Bill Fries and Chip Davis, are also found at: http://www.cw-mccall.com/works/wilderness/slide.shtml |