Second Nine Weeks
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Once you can find the topic, you are ready to find
the main idea. The main idea is the point of the
paragraph. It is the most important thought about
the topic.
To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this
question: What is being said about the person,
thing, or idea (the topic)?
The author can locate the main idea in different
places within a paragraph. The main idea is
usually a sentence, and it is usually the first
sentence. The writer then uses the rest of the
paragraph to support the main idea.
Reading Keys Online Practice
link
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Before an author can reach his or her audience, they have to find
them. That means understanding who they are, what their
expectations are, what they bring to the author’s writing, and what
the author wants them to take away.
Author’s ask themselves these questions when they sit down to
write:
Who is my audience?
What do I want them to know, believe, or feel after they read it?
When and where will they read it?
Why will they read it?
Online examples and quiz
Link
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Author's Purpose Basics
The author's purpose is basically the reason he or
she chose to act in a particular way, whether that's
writing the passage, selecting a phrase, using a
word, etc. It differs from the main idea in that
author's purpose not the point you're supposed to
get; it's the why behind the author picked up a pen
or selected those words in the first place.
Author’s Purpose Practice link
A close reading of anything requires you to pick up on
important details and to clearly understand exactly what
it is you are looking at. Sometimes this requires you to
reread the same thing multiple times. If you are taking a
test, you will need to read a passage at least two times in
order to answer specific questions. Click on the link
below to see how well you closely read things.
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Link to Close Reading Practice
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Link  go here for practice.
To improve the clarity of your writing, it is important to remember the
balance of your sentence structure. Here are 3 rules:
1. Parallel Structure should be used when elements are joined by coordinating
conjunctions:
Incorrect: I am allergic to the dog’s hair and how it smells.
Correct: I am allergic to the dog’s hair and its smell.
2. Parallel Structure should be used when writing elements in the form of a list
or a series:
Incorrect: The class valued respect, honesty, and being on time in a teacher.
Correct: The class valued respect, honesty, and promptness in a teacher.
3. Parallel Structure should be used when comparing or contrasting elements
(A is better than B – X is less than Y):
Incorrect: James enjoys reading more than to write.
Correct: James enjoys reading more than writing
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Denotation is a word’s dictionary definition.
Connotation is the feelings and associations surrounding a
word. These could be based on history, or social feelings.
There are positive, neutral, and negative connotations.
*Positive connotation: Being on the track team has made
Alan slender and
lean. (attractively thin)
*Neutral connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan
thin.
*Negative connotation: Being on the track team has made
Alan skinny and
scrawny. (unattractively thin)
Excellent worksheet practice  link
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An allusion is a reference, within a literary work, to another work
of fiction, a film, a piece of art, or even a real event. An allusion
serves as a kind of shorthand, drawing on this outside work to
provide greater context or meaning to the situation being written
about.
Common places allusions are pulled from:
The Bible, Greek and Roman Mythology, Shakespeare, historical
events
examples: It has rained so long that it seems as though it has
rained for 40 days and nights. (This is reference to Noah's Arc
which is a well-known event.)(Bible)
Harriet Tubman was called the Moses of her time. (Bible)
The girl’s love of sweets was her Achilles Heel. (Greek mythology)
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There are many tones a writer can take. For example: serious, humorous,
romantic, silly, tragic, ironic, lyrical (melodic and poetic), earnest,
sentimental, pompous, mocking, apologetic, and many more.
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Practice 1:
"Freedom," John Ruskin
You will send your child, will you, into a room where the table is loaded
with sweet wine and fruit - some poisoned, some not? You will say to
him, "Choose freely, my little child! It is so good for you to have freedom
of choice; it forms your character-your individuality! If you take the
wrong cup or the wrong berry, you will die before the day is over, but
you will have acquired the dignity of a free child."
What is Ruskin’s tone in this passage (consider his apparent feelings
about young children having freedom)?
A) sincere/honest
B) sarcastic/mocking C) joyful/rejoicing
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There are many tones a writer can take. For example: serious, humorous,
romantic, silly, tragic, ironic, lyrical (melodic and poetic), earnest,
sentimental, pompous, mocking, apologetic, and many more.
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Practice 2:
The Way Things Work, David Macaulay
The kind of nuclear reaction that happens inside a nuclear reactor is
called nuclear fission. The fuel is uranium or plutonium, two very heavy
elements which have many protons and neutrons in their nuclei. Fission
starts when a fast-moving neutron strikes a nucleus. The nucleus cannot
take in the extra neutron, and the whole nucleus breaks apart into two
smaller nuclei.
What is Macaulay’s tone in this passage?
A) uncertain/confused B) scared/apprehensive C) factual/unbiased
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There are many tones a writer can take. For example: serious, humorous,
romantic, silly, tragic, ironic, lyrical (melodic and poetic), earnest,
sentimental, pompous, mocking, apologetic, and many more.
Practice 3: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
"I am not mad," [the monster] cried energetically, "the sun and the
heavens, who have viewed my operations, can bear witness of my truth. I
am
the assassin of those most innocent victims; they died by my
machinations. A thousand times would I have shed my own blood, drop
by drop, to have saved their lives; but I could not, my father, indeed I
could not sacrifice the whole human race."
The speaker in this passage is the monster. What is the speaker’s tone?
A) sorry/remorseful B) angry/vindictive C) humorous/happy
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Autobiography
Memoir
Speech
Journal
Informational text is:
◆ text whose primary purpose is to convey
information about the natural and social
world.
◆ text that comes in many different formats,
including books, magazines, handouts,
brochures, CD-ROMs, and the Internet.
Informational text is not:
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For more information: LINK
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Link for additional help
A stanza is a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical
unit in a poem; a verse. It really means STOPPING PLACE.
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Meaning: bad
Click on the link for word root flashcards using
the word “mal”
LINK
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This has two meanings
1. “with” conforming or connecting to
2. “against” in contrary to
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Flashcards LINK
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RepetitionAdvertisers use repetition in two ways: Within an ad or advocacy
message, words, sounds or images may be repeated to reinforce the main
point. And the message itself (a TV commercial, a billboard, a website
banner ad) may be displayed many times. Even unpleasant ads and
political slogans work if they are repeated enough to pound their
message into our minds.
Emotional words
Contrast
Rhetorical question
Emotional words
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Can use fear to promote a "solution.” Ads that use
fear to sell us products claim to prevent or fix the
problem. Politicians and advocacy groups stoke
our fears to get elected or to gain support.
Sentimental images (especially of families, kids
and animals) to stimulate feelings of pleasure,
comfort, and delight.
Example: If you love your children, you will buy
Tobias Children’s Life Insurance.
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Compare and Contrast-The viewer is led to
believe one product is better than another,
although no real proof is offered.
Rhetorical questionThese are questions designed to get us to
agree with the speaker. They are set up
so that the “correct” answer is obvious.
("Do you want to get out of debt?" "Do
you want quick relief from headache
pain?" and "Should we leave our nation
vulnerable to terrorist attacks?" are all
rhetorical questions.) Rhetorical questions
are used to build trust and alignment
before the sales pitch.
Link to more information
A main clause sometimes called an independent clause must contain
a subject and a verb as well as express a complete thought. It can stand
alone.
Dependent clauses cannot stand alone and contain a subordinating
conjunction.
VIDEO HELP
ONLINE QUIZ Practice
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Documentation is the way in which you give credit
to the sources that you use, and the guidelines that
show you how your paper should look. MLA is used
in English, APA is used in Psychology, and Chicago
used in Social Science.
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MLA video
APA
Chicago
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For more information: LINK
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