The most fun you’ll ever have…
Consider the Connotations
 Denotation = dictionary definition, literal meaning
 Connotation = another meaning it suggests, positive or
negative
Positive or Negative??
Word
savage
exquisite
sappy
painstakingly
romantic
isolated
Positive/Negative
Group work
With a partner, finish the rest of
“Consider the Connotations” and
complete the back of the worksheet
- A “Remoat” Vacation
Let us review
 Mood – the atmosphere a story brings to the mind of a
reader – how it makes you feel
 How does an author create mood?
 Setting
 Word choice – think about connotation
 Figurative language
 Imagery
What is the mood
of this painting?
How does it make
you feel?
Model
It was December – a bright frozen day in the early
morning. Far out in the country there was an old Negro
woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along the
path through the pinewoods. Her name was Phoenix
Jackson. She was very old and small and she walked slowly
in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side
in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a
pendulum in a grandfather clock. She carried a thin, small
cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept
tapping the frozen earth in front of her.
How would you describe the atmosphere of this scene?
On your own
 Complete the reading passage and questions in Part A:
Analyze Setting and Mood
Let us review
 Tone – the attitude a writer takes toward a subject or
character
 Can often be described in one word – playful, sarcastic,
humorous, sentimental, angry
 How does word connotation play a part in determining
tone?
Model
Over the last three decades, fast food has infiltrated every
nook and cranny of American society. An industry that
began with a handful of modest hot dog and hamburger
stands in southern California has spread to every corner of
our nation, selling a broad range of foods wherever paying
customers may be found. Fast food is now served at
restaurants and drive-throughs, at stadiums, airports,
zoos, high schools, elementary school, and
universities, on cruise ships, trains, and airplanes, at
K-Marts, Wal-Marts, gas stations, and even hospital
cafeterias.
How would you describe the tone of this passage?
Practice
 Complete part A on your own
 GAME TIME – Name that tone
Fact, Inference, and Opinion
 Fact – a statement that has been or can be proved to be true
Miss Lovell is 22 years old.
 Inference (assumption) - a logical conclusion made from
verifiable facts
Miss Lovell’s hair is straight today, so she must have woken up early
this morning.
 Opinion (value statement) – a statement that is believed but
cannot be proved, “should” and “ought” are often included in
these statements.
Miss Lovell should dye her hair purple.
So how do you tell which is which?
 It’s hard!!
 People often say things as if they were facts or
inferences when they are really just opinions.
** Helpful hint – When someone will not explain what
facts they used to come up with their conclusion, they
are often just giving their opinion.
Activity
 “Beleve” It or Not – Letter to the Editor
 Complete parts A, B, and C of the Exercises for
Author’s Purpose: Why do authors
write?
1.
2.
3.
Inform
Persuade
Entertain
1. To inform
 explain, give directions, illustrate, or present
information
Inform
Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is
really easy. First, gather your ingredients
(bread, peanut butter, jelly) and two knives.
Spread the peanut butter on one slice of
bread and your jelly on the other. Put the
bread together and enjoy!
2. To persuade
 by expressing an opinion to convince readers
to think/feel/act a certain way
Persuade
 Art class should be longer than all other
specials. There never seems to be enough
time to get our pictures done. If we had more
time in art class everyone would do a better
job on their pictures and we would learn
more. Art is very important and we should
have the time we need to finish a project.
3. To entertain
 is to illustrate a theme,
event or story that
conveys a mood.
Entertain
 Once upon a time there was a little boy who
loved to play soccer. He would run as fast as
he could to the ball, but every time he got
there and tried to kick it he would miss. He
started to think he wasn't very good at
soccer, but he didn't give up. His hard work
paid off and one day he scored the winning
goal for his team.
1. If the author is telling a story, his purpose
is probably to _____________.
Entertain
2. If the author is giving opinions, his
purpose is probably to _____________.
Persuade
3. If the author is telling facts, his purpose is
probably to _____________.
Inform
4. If the author is giving sensory details, his
purpose is probably to __________.
Describe
Name that purpose!
 Jim was unable to get to sleep. When he went to bed he
cried. Tomorrow is his birthday party and it is going to be
ruined. How can we go sledding with no snow? The next
morning, when Jim got out of bed and ran to the window,
he shouted with glee, "The snow has fallen and we can go
sledding!" Jim was happy because now he can have his
birthday sledding party.
Name that purpose!
 There are three lights on a traffic light. The
top light is red and that means stop. The
middle light is yellow and that means
caution. The bottom light is green and that
means go.
Name that purpose!
 If you want to become a better reader you need to read
often. Research supports that children need to read
frequently to be able to read fluently and to be able
read high frequency words. All students will benefit
by reading at least 20 - 30 minutes per day. Make it a
point and read more often!
Author’s Bias
 Author’s bias is a personal and largely unreasoned
judgment either for or against a particular person,
position, or thing; a prejudice.
 BIAS IS USED TO SWAY AN AUDIENCE ONE WAY
OR ANOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Types of Bias
 Neutral

When an author reports the facts, no opinions at all.
 Negative

When an author attempts to convince you that something is
BAD
 Positive

When an author attempts to convince you that something is
GOOD
Clues that an author is using Bias
 States Opinions
 Word Choice
 Uses Loaded Words
 Words that express emotions
 Creates images (lots of juicy words)
 Faulty Reasoning
 Coming up with crazy reasons for things
 Making things up
Where do we see bias most often?
 Commercials
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 Columns in the newspaper or on the internet
 Opinion Blogs
VS.
 Sources are references and evidence a writer
uses in his or her research that influence and
support their work.
 Examples of Sources:
 Books – Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by
Benjamin Franklin
 Articles – The LA Times, Time Magazine
 Journals
 Interviews
 Pictures
 To provide authenticity/credibility to research
 To provide compelling support for one’s topic or
argument
 Organized citing allows one’s sources to be verified by
the readers
 Citation limits plagiarism
 Proper citation saves the writer lots of academic and
legal problems
 Libraries
 Online Scholarly Journals
 Internet Websites
 Newspapers
 Video Collections (ex. Documentaries)
 The Community (ex. Local government offices like city
hall)
 Known author
 Part of a respected academic community
 Ex. Associated with Universities
 Rely on research
 Printed by established publishing companies
 Objective
 Part of information centers
 Are extremely biased
 No author
 Independent blogs (not all of the time)
 Though convenient, .com and .org websites can often
be unreliable but there are exceptions (ex. Time
Magazine)
 Lack evidence and are purely opinion based
 Do not cite their own sources
 Anyone can add information to it – Wikipedia