Theme:“Recitatif:”English
Focus Lessons 10.10-10.14
Monday: Warm-Up!: 10/19
What is the TONE
or feeling of this
photograph?
What is the
SUBJECT or
who/what of this
photograph?
What do you think
the MAIN IDEA of
this photograph is?
Draw with me…
This is your text. A text is whatever you are
reading.
 Plot
 The sequence of
events
You Remember!
PLOT
 Tone
 The mood or
attitude in a text
 The feeling a reader
should have when
reading
PLOT
TONE
 Subject
 What the text is
about
 The GIST of it:
Who, What, When,
Where, Why
PLOT
SUBJECT
TONE
 Theme
 The big idea about
life and human
nature that the
writer is trying to get
across
 Most themes are not
told directly in the
text
THEME
PLOT
SUBJECT
TONE
 But how do we find
the theme if the author
doesn’t say it directly?
 The author wants you
to think about it!
 Here are some big
clues…
 Think about the title
 Look for important
statements made
about big ideas
 Think about the ways
characters change
throughout the story
and lessons they learn
Let’s Practice!
 http://www.pixar.com/shorts/bdn/tale.html
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwcfZC7wJJY
“Recitatif:” Act I: 203-211
Written by Toni Morrison
-Born 1931
-Famous for writing African-
American Literature
-Known for writing using epic
themes
-Has won the Nobel Prize and
Pulitzer Prize for literature
-Has won almost every award
for book-writing possible
Overview
“Recitatif ” tells the story of two young girls who
share a room in an
orphanage for a few months in the 1950s. As they
grow up, move to neighboring
towns, marry, and have children, the girls (now
women) meet
unexpectedly several times. Near the end of the
story, they take opposing
sides in a protest about busing students to distant
schools to promote racial
integration. Although Toni Morrison tells us that
one girl is white and the
other is black, she is not clear about which is
which.
Overview
 “Recitatif ”
 A musical term for “in-
between” talking and
singing during an opera
 Written in five acts
over the course of the
girls’ lives
 From the Latin root, recite
 To repeat from
memory
Overview of 1960’s
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSlvw-
vEsEI&feature=related
Tuesday: Warm-Up! 10/11
Subject?
Tone?
Theme?
Get out your notes! Let’s define the
terms together…
Let’s Practice!
 http://www.youtube.com/user/TheodorSeussGeisel?blend
=21&ob=5#p/a/u/2/dZmZzGxGpSs
“Recitatif:” Clarifying 203-211
 Who is the Bozo?
 Who is Maggie?
 What do we know about Maggie?
 Why are Roberta and Twyla in St. Bonny’s
orphanage?
 What are their mothers like?
Initial Predictions
Roberta
Twyla
 Race?
 Race?
 Why?
 Why?
Jimi Hendrix
-Musician
-Gained fame shortly
before his death in 1970
-Remembered as one of
the most influential
musicians of his era
-http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=2h2ywNdG4
5I
Read“Recitatif:” Acts II and III
211-219
 Be sure to begin identifying
Plot elements; setting, rising action
Tone
Subject (Gist)
Wednesday: Warm-Up: 10/12
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xg3vE8Ie_E&ob
=av2e
 Watch this music video to determine…
 Plot?
 Tone?
 Subject?
 Theme?
“Papa Who Wakes up Tired in the
Dark” by Sandra Cisneros
 Use our the visual
on the back to
identify the theme
 Justify your answer
by underlining the
parts of text that
supports the theme
Use these clues to guide you as you
search for the theme
 Think about the title
 Look for important statements made about
big ideas
 Think about the ways characters change
throughout the story and lessons they learn
“Recitatif:” Clarifying Acts II & III
 What is Twyla’s life like in Act III?
 Where does she live?
 What is her family like?
 How would you describe her financial status?
 Roberta’s?
 What does Roberta remind Twyla about from the
orphanage?
Continuing Predictions
Roberta
Twyla
 Race?
 Race?
 Why?
 Why?
Desegregation
“Recitatif:” Read Act IV: 219-225
 Be sure to finish identifying
 Plot elements; setting, rising action
 Tone
 Subject (GIST)
Thursday: Warm-Up: 10/13
“A Smart Cookie” by Sandra Cisneros
 Identify the theme in
this vignette
 Justify your answer by
citing an example
from the text and
explaining it
Use these clues to guide you as you
search for the theme…
 Think about the title
 Look for important statements made about
big ideas
 Think about the ways characters change
throughout the story and lessons they learn
“Recitatif:” Clarifying Act IV
 How do Twyla and Roberta run into each other
again?
 What does Roberta tell Twyla about Maggie?
 Why did Twyla make a picketing sign?
Continuing Predictions
Roberta
Twyla
 Race?
 Race?
 Why?
 Why?
“Recitatif:” Read Act V: 225-227
Friday:Warm-Up: 10/14
 Recitatif
 A musical term for
“in-between” talking
and singing during an
opera
 From the Latin root,
recite
 To repeat from
memory
 Think about the title
 Look for important statements made about
big ideas
 Think about the ways characters change
throughout the story and lessons they learn
Concluding Thoughts
Roberta
Twyla
 Race?
 Race?
 Why?
 Why?
Group Discussion
 Take a vote! What do you think?
 Why do you think Morrison never tells us which
girl is white and which is black?