LESSON PLAN DOCUMENT

Document: Analyzing Word Choice in Ray Bradburys The Veldt Class Description: Grade 7 English Document Number: LP-3200.002 Page 1 of 9 Teacher: LaBuda Date: N/A

1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 1.2 1.3 This lesson is given to a 7th grade class. The lesson will take two class periods. Students are being introduced to word choice and the difference between emotional meanings and dictionary definitions. They have already had a little experience with alliteration, and weve previously talked about how pieces have made them feel emotionally. We are now going to look at words more closely.

2.0 CONTENT OJBECTIVES Students will: A. B. Determine the literal meanings of words using the dictionary. Analyze the mood and tone of The Veldt by determining the connotative and figurative meanings of words and phrases used throughout the story.

C. Determine how changing words in the story affects the mood and tone of the piece. D. Carefully choose words in independent projects. E. Analyze emotional meanings of words independently, in small groups, and in class discussions.

3.0 LANGUAGE OJBECTIVES Students will A. B. Read Ray Bradburys The Veldt (popcorn style). Discuss Bradburys word choice and how it affects the overall mood of The Veldt .

C. (For Homework) Read the second half of The Veldt and circle words that have a strong emotional meaning. D. Unpack the emotional meanings of words through group work. E. (For Homework) Write an essay in which they pay close attention to their diction, using precise words and phrases to enhance the meaning and depth of their writings.

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 2 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

4.0 NEVADA STANDARDS 4.1 Writing Standard 3d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. Reading Standard for Literature 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the affect of rhymes and other repetitions of sound (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

4.2

5.0 KEY VOCABULARY Students will need to have an understanding of the following terms. 5.1 Alliteration. The repetition of the same letter sounds at the beginning of words that are next to each other. Connotation. The idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning (e.g., the word discipline has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression). Denotation. The literal or primary meaning of a word, straight out of the dictionary. Tone. Tone in literature refers to the general character or attitude of a piece of writing. Veldt. The Veldt (also Veld) is an open, uncultivated country or grassland in southern Africa.

5.2

5.3 5.4 5.5

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 3 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

6.0 TEACHING STRATEGIES 6.1 6.2 6.3 Group Work Independent Work Guided Practice 6.4 6.5 Class Discussions The Eight (subtly) in Discussions

7.0 LESSON SEQUENCE (DAY 1) 7.1 7.1.1 Warm Up/Class Opening Activity Students will be introduced to the concept of word choice by listening to a happy song. Students will be asked to pay special attention to the lyrics while listening to the songs. [1] Display the lyrics to Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows by Lesley Gore (via overhead projector or smart board on which student comments can be written) and then play the song. It will help if the lines are numbered. Ask students to take note of what lines or words stood out to them and how those lines or words made them feel. Ask students to share what they wrote and write their comments on the projected lyrics. Ask why certain words made them feel happy (e.g., use Sunshine). Have a few student volunteers look up a few of the words in the dictionary (e.g., Sunshine means: direct sunlight unbroken by cloud, but does not necessarily mean cheerfulness) Have students define the words emotionally (e.g., Sunshine might emotionally remind students of bright, cloudless days and playing outside). Compare the dictionary definitions and the emotional definitions (connotation and denotation). It is not important that students memorize the terms, but it is important that they realize that there are two meanings or each word. If certain words were changed, (e.g., Sunshine became Light or Lollipops became Candy Canes) would that change how the song makes you feel? Talk about the sound of the words: are there any words or phrases that just sound happy? Point out instances of alliteration in the song.

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 4 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

7.2

Direct Instruction [1] Briefly give formal definitions for alliteration, definition, (optional) connotation, (optional) denotation, and tone (see Definitions section). Briefly give some background information on Ray Bradbury.

Instructor

[2] 7.3 7.3.1 Activity

This Lesson Plan uses The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. [1] Pass out The Veldt to the students. Ask students what they think the story will be about. If no one knows what veldt means, ask for a volunteer to look it up and ask the students to revise their predictions, since they had probably thought about the science fiction background of the author. Display the text of The Veldt on a projector, but cover it up before reading starts so that you dont ruin the surprise! Hand out a small stack of Post-Its to each student. Instruct students to keep an eye out for words in The Veldt that stand out or seem unusual. When they come across such a word in the reading, write it at the top of the Post-It. On the bottom of the Post-It, draw the feeling or thought that the word elicits. Drawings can be elaborate, or just happy or sad faces to reflect the positive or negative connotation of the word. For example:

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rusty

= (

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Have the students begin reading aloud popcorn style. Have students pause between paragraphs and look for words. Right before the Hadleys enter the nursery, stop the reading and share some of the Post-Its. Have the student share why they think certain words might have had an emotional effect on them. If it will not damage the surface that the text is projecting onto, let the

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 5 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

students physically stick their Post-Its onto the text of the story. Otherwise, the instructor can add student comments to the projector sheet. [7] Ask students to share what they know about the story so far (students should be able to guess that the story is set in the future) and what they think will be in the nursery. Continue reading as a class. Stop every few paragraphs and articulate questions associated with the eight. Ask monitoring questions, ask students to make predictions as the story goes on. Ask students to share some of their Post-its,

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[10] Continue this process until 10 15 minutes are left in the class. 7.4 Discussion [1] Talk about the piece as a whole. Look at the post-its on the board, and ask about how the tone of the story is taking shape with these words. Are the Post-Its mostly positive or negative? Does that match up with the overall tone of the piece? Why or why not? Identify the line of the story with the most Post-Its or comments and write the exact line from the text into the Quotes column. Ask for volunteers to put some of the comments into complete sentences that explain why this quote contributes to the overall tone of the piece. Make sure that the students understand that this word is negative is not enough of an answer. The Comments column should explain why the reader perceives the word as negative.

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7.5

Homework Assignments [1] [2] Continue reading The Veldt and circle any strong words that you feel are emotionally happy or emotionally sad. Underline any instances of alliteration you see. Try to figure out if using alliteration makes you feel a certain way.

Students

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 6 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

8.0 LESSON SEQUENCE (DAY 2) 8.1 Warm Up/Class Opening Activity [1] Play a clip of Star Trek from EPISODE, in which Dr. Moriarti from Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes books travels from the holo-deck to cause trouble on the Starship Enterprise. Ask students if they visualized the nursery like this or some other way. Have them share the way that they visualize the story with others. Explain that Ray Bradbury also created the world of Star Trek.

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[2] 8.2 Discussion [1]

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Ask students to come up with a tone word for the overall piece. If there are disagreements, talk them out. Did some sections of the story differ radically in tone from the rest of the piece? Did the diction change when Peter and Wendy entered the story? Evidence? They should have circled words to back up their ideas.

8.3

Activity [1] [2] Give each group/table of students a large piece of butcher paper and markers. Give each student a word on a piece of paper. Words within groups dont necessarily have to go together, but having words with the same connotation will make the finished products more cohesive Ask students not to share their words with other members of the groups. On the butcher paper and without talking to anyone, draw something that your word makes you think of, but you can t draw the word itself. For example, the word vulture might make you think of (and draw) the grim reaper or the desert; the word sneaky might make you think of (and draw) a thief or nighttime. After 10 minutes, instruct students to rotate tables. At your new table, look at the pictures drawn on the butcher paper, discuss the pictures, andas a groupwrite down the words that you think inspired the pictures.

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 7 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

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After 5 minutes, tell the students to rotate tables. Look at the words and pictures on the butcher paper, and draw something that all of these words and pictures make you think of. Feel free to discuss your drawings with your peers. After 10 minutes, ask students to return to their original tables. Share the original words with the class and see if the new words and drawings reflect the feeling of the first words. Why or why not? What made students think of the things they drew.

Instructor

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8.4 8.4.1

Conclusion and Homework Assignments This lesson concludes with a medium-term assignment; students will have a week to do the homework. [1] Ask a few students to summarize what they have learned about tone and diction. Students should have gotten the idea that the words they choose to write with can bring up a whole slew of other ideas and images; word choice matters and each word is packed with connotative or emotional meanings. Explain the following project ideas: A. Ray Bradbury describes the nursery in vivid detail. Write an essay about your favorite place to be. What did you do there? Pay careful attention to the words you choose. Try to make your reader feel a certain way by using the things we learned in class about word choice, definitions, and alliteration. Draw or paint a setting (real or imagined) and focus on trying to create a certain mood. After you have created this drawing, think of an overall tone word for your art, and then make a list of words that you would use to describe this setting that would evoke a certain emotional response from your reader. Please remember that drawing can take a lot of time: I suggest that you draw on 8 x 11 paper or smaller.

Instructor

[2] Projects

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C. In the Class Opening activity from the beginning of the week, we listened to Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows, which had a very positive sound. Choose a song that you like, or use Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows to complete this assignment. After closely reading the lyrics, rewrite the song to have a different tone. If the song is happy, change the words to make it sad or angry. If the

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 8 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

song is sad, change the words to make it happy or fearful. Remember: when you change the words, pick words that mean the same things, but have different emotional meanings. D. When he describes the nursery, Bradbury gives the room finite dimensions (40 x 40 x 30), but describes it as being much larger. George and Lydia mention that they need binoculars to see what the lions are eating in the distance. In this assignment, use a shoe box or other small container to create a diorama that has some sort of spatial distortion (you can use 1-point perspective to make objects in the background appear farther away or make objects in the room seem unusually large to make the space appear crowded). Use space to create a tone; how does the feeling you get from a vast space compare to that from a cramped space? Think about how the mood of the African veldt compared to that of Rimas jungle. When you have created this diorama, write a short description of the tone you have created with the space and how you accomplished it. 9.0 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS 9.1 To effectively teach this subject, the instructor needs the following items: A. B. Projector sheets of song lyrics Means to play a song for the class-opener.

C. Means to play a movie clip for the class-opener D. Projector sheet of Ray Bradburys The Veldt E. F. Post-It notes Word cards to hand out to student groups

G. Markers H. Butcher Papers 9.2 In addition to required classroom supplies, students will need the following items: A. A copy of Ray Bradburys The Veldt

10.0 ACCOMODATIONS None.

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Document: Analyzing Diction in The Veldt Document Number: LP-3200.001 Page 9 of 9 Class: Grade 11 (Composition and Rhetoric)

11.0 REVIEW/ASSESSMENT 11.1 Student projects will be graded based on Grading Rubric. 11.2 Students will have to start identifying the affects of word choice in reading assignments. 12.0 REFLECTION 12.1 Note any changes that need to be made to the lesson for future reference.