Pre-AP English: The 5-S
Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Author: Connie Shelnut
Modified for G10 ACC class, SMIC
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Why Pre-AP and the 5-S Strategies?
 To introduce AP terminology and analysis
strategies gradually.
 To provide the building blocks for writing
success to ALL college bound students.
 To provide teachers and students tools to
efficiently target important components of poetry (or
prose) for analysis.
 To provide teachers and students a structure to
develop close reading skills in all grade levels and
all subjects.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Section I Goal:
• To apply three basic literary terms
(Diction, Syntax and Imagery)
used in passage analysis to a short
poem to gain a deeper sense of
how, through close reading, such
terminology can focus and deepen
the quality of any analysis.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Opportunity by Edward Sill
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle , and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears – but this
Blunt thing!” he snapt, and flung it from his hand,
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Activity #1 with the poem Opportunity
• Circle words that you think are significant or
important and ask yourself why this use of
diction is important.
– Diction – an author’s choice of words, i.e. denotation,
connotation, slang, etc.
• Underline places in the passage that contain
significant syntax and ask yourself why it is
important. What does it do?
– Sentences (Syntax) – types, functions, patterns
• Put an asterisk over words or phrases that evoke
imagery. Ask yourself what creates this imagery.
– Imagery – descriptive words that appeal to the five
senses
• Discuss with group and share results.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Section II – Goal:
• To review basic literary terms most
often used in analysis
• To become acquainted with the 5-S
Strategies for Passage Analysis and
reflect on the skills that effective
close reading entails.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Basic Terms for Passage Analysis
Can you define these terms?
•
•
•
•
Allusion –
Crux –
Dialogue –
Figures of Speech – comparisons such as
similes, metaphors, and personification OR
tropes such as allusions, apostrophes,
oxymorons and hyperboles
• Imagery –
• Irony –
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Basic Terms for Passage Analysis
• Allusion – reference to a famous person or fictional
character, assuming the reader knows the connection
• Crux – the most crucial line(s) in a poem or prose
passage that shows the main point
• Dialogue - conversation between two or more
characters set off by quotation marks
• Figures of Speech – states something that is not
literally true in order to create an effect, i.e.
– comparisons such as similes, metaphors, and
personification OR
– tropes such as allusions, apostrophes, oxymorons
and hyperboles
• Irony – surprising, interesting or amusing contrast
between reality and expectation
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
Basic Terms for Passage Analysis
Can you define these terms?
• Meter – the rhythmic pattern of poetry: iambic,
anapest, dactyl, trochee and spondee; and number of
measures: tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter, etc.
• Mood – feeling created by the passage or poem
• Motif – a thematic pattern repeated in the passage
• Organization – the means by which the passage is
presented: chronological, thematic, etc.
• Plot – the sequence in which the author arranges the
story events – developed by conflict, flashback,
foreshadowing, suspense
• Point of View – from whose view is the passage
related – note any shifts of speakers
• Punctuation – dashes, commas, italics, etc.
• Sentences (Syntax) – types, functions, patterns
• Sentence Variety – short, long, openings, order
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Basic Terms for Passage Analysis
• Setting – the place and time period of the story
• Sound Devices – alliteration, assonance, consonance,
onomatopoeia, rhyme, rhythm
• Style – a writer’s typical way of expressing himself,
including his choice of diction, syntax and imagery
• Syntax Techniques – anaphora, antithesis, ellipsis,
juxtaposition, parallelism, repetition, inversion, rhetorical
question, punctuation, etc.
• Symbolism – a physical object that stands for an idea,
i.e. our flag represents American ideals
• Theme – the unifying idea of the story that answers the
question, “What is the work about?”
• Tone – author’s attitude toward the subject (shown by the
diction used) – any shifts are very important
• Voice – the speaker or narrator telling the story, 1st, 2nd or
3rd person, omniscient, etc.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• 1. Discover the key sentences. Preview the
passage by reading the first sentence, the
last sentence, and by skimming the text in
between to determine the scope of the work.
By carrying out this step first, you gain an
overview that allows for effective pacing.
• 2. Discover the speaker. Look for such things
as the number of speakers and the narrator’s
point of view – this is most often either firstperson (omniscient, limited omniscient, or
objective). Unless otherwise specified,
analyze from the speaker’s vantage point.
Note anything that gives a clue about the
speaker’s attitude
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• 3. Discover the situation. What is
happening? State the situation in one
clear sentence. Be sure to examine the
title of the piece and its relevance to the
situation.
• 4. Discover the major shifts in structure,
syntax, or diction, such as wording that
evokes certain connotations and sudden
changes in tone, attitude of the author,
sentence length, rhythm, punctuation, or
patterns of imagery. Find areas of the
passage where you can locate the most
dramatic changes, and closely annotate
them.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• 5. Discover obvious concentrations of
unusual or otherwise significant syntax
and its purpose.
• Look for changes in sentence length,
sentence order, use of punctuation, and
typographical elements such as italics,
sentence inversion, or rhetorical
questions, etc. that create emphasis.
• Mark the predominant syntax. Often it
will guide the reader to the part of the
passage that conveys the most
meaning – the crux.
• Section II – Activity #4 with
the poem, Opportunity
• Shifts are the clues to meaning that
students must recognize to
successfully “decode” writing.
• Participants should brainstorm
ways that shifts occur – for
instance, changes in sound is a
helpful beginning.
• Using the list of terms as a guide,
work at each table to find shifts in
the poem and the effect produced.
Activity #5 with the poem, Richard Cory
• Listen to the Simon and Garfunkel
rendition of the Richard Cory
poem.
• Read the E. A, Robinson poem,
Richard Cory, aloud. A second
and even a third reading aloud is
helpful to students unused to or
afraid of poetry.
• Write out your responses to the 5S’s of the poem on page 13 and
share with your group.
Richard Cory by E.A. Robinson
Whenever Richard Cory went down town
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich – yes, richer than a king,
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
5-S Strategies for Passage
• Now thatAnalysis
you have analyzed Richard
Cory, the significance of the narrator’s
point of view should become evident.
Think about how the poem/song would
change if it were written from another
pint of view – that of Richard Cory.
• Activity #6 – Creative Writing
• Assume the character of Richard Cory
and explain what has happened from
your own (his) point of view. Begin with:
My name is Richard Cory and…
• Do a group read-around and select the
best one to share with the whole group
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• There are 3 basic rules for Poetry or
Prose Analysis:
• All of the details within the poem must be
accounted for in the interpretation – none
should contradict the interpretation.
• The best interpretation is that which requires
the fewest assumptions – but that allows for
reasonable and logical inferences to be made
from word clues.
• When you run out of supporting evidence
from the poem, stop interpreting – some things
may be left unknown. We cannot know why
Richard Cory killed himself, just that he was
distraught enough to do so.
5-S Strategies for Passage
• Activity #7 Analysis
– Poetry Analysis
•
Sometimes poems offer multiple challenges in analysis. Storm
Warnings by Adrienne Rich (page 15) is an excellent piece
for covering all points of the 5-S Strategy.
• As you begin to read, underline the first and last
sentences and skim in between to get the main
idea.
• Then read the poem more carefully before you go
on to answer all of the questions at the end.
• When finished, discuss your findings at your table.
• Discuss specific supporting quotations that back up
your assertions.
• After the table discussion, each table will be
assigned at least one question for an open forum
discussion, depending upon the number of
participants.
• Select a recorder to note and explain your answers
to the whole group
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Section IV
– Purpose: To demonstrate how the 5-S
Strategies may be applied to prose analysis
• Activity #8 – Tone
• Read the excerpt from Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (page
20) and apply the 5-S Strategies for analysis by
answering the 5-S questions.
• The author of this passage has created a tone of panic
through the words he uses. Give examples of the diction
that creates the mood of panic.
• Creative Writing Situation:
• You have escaped from the plane; however, you are still
under the water. Write what happens to you next, and
continue the mood of panic and terror set by the author.
• Concentrate on your use of diction and syntax to create
your tone. End your composition by changing to a mood
of calmness and relief.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Section IV – Activity #9 – Prose Analysis
• Read the excerpt from A Day In the Life of a
Writer by Tess Slesinger (page 23) and answer
the 5-S questions.
• In this passage, packed with literary and
rhetorical devices, students may conduct an
analysis by using a single paragraph in isolation –
this is because each one has different elements
and its own unique syntax.
• Consider how the paragraphs differ from one
another. Give an overall statement to describe
the major characteristics each: OR…
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• When creating an “Analysis” prompt for
students to address, don’t forget –
• “Analysis” comes in two varieties:
– The “What – How” type that requires the
student to identify a “What”, such as the
author’s attitude or purpose, or the effect
of the passage upon the reader, and “How”
the author achieved the “What”, such as
with the rhetorical strategies of diction,
syntax, imagery, personification, irony,
satire, humor, punctuation, allusion, etc..
– The “Compare – Contrast” type that
requires the student to read two passages
and compare them for similarities and
differences in such areas as noted above in
the “What” and “How” discussion.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• An Example Prompt of the “What
– How” sort:
• Read the excerpt from “A Day in
the Life of a Writer”. Then, analyze
the author’s attitude toward the
subject of the passage (what) and
its effect upon the reader (what).
Discuss the rhetorical strategies
used to achieve both (how) and
(how).
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
 Students should begin their
paragraph or essay with a claim
that broadly answers the “what”
and the “how”, then go on to
prove it with evidence and explain
what is revealed.
 Of course, students are expected
to provide specific examples
from the text of the poem or
passage to support both the
“what” and the “how” that they
claim is true.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Section IV – Activity #10 – Prose Analysis
• The following passage contains wording that
connotes speed, but the syntax does not
enhance the effect of diction.
• Think of some syntactical tools you could use
– i.e., punctuation, repetition, or clauses and
phrases linked together in different patterns
and orders.
• Then experiment with syntax to create a
fast pace, so the reader feels the rush of
the wind and the racing vehicle. Change
any diction that you feel would add to the
pacing.
• Share your ideas with your table group and
choose one sample to read aloud to the whole
group.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Around the bend sped the yellow
racecar. Sparks darted from the
wheels. The car tilted slightly at
the bend. Roaring was
everywhere. The driver felt the
whoosh of wind flatten the skin on
her face. She navigated yet
another hairpin turn and kept on
zooming around the track. The
wheels appeared to hover above
the ground. The crowd soon
became dizzy with motion.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Section V – Purpose:
• To demonstrate the use of the 5-S
Evaluation Form to assess the student’s
skill in using the Analysis Strategies
• To explore the merits of partner-pair
peer correction.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Section V – Activity #10 – Assessment
• Hypothetical Student Response using the 5-S
Strategies in response to the Hatchet excerpt
• Key Sentences – In the first two sentences – a
person begins to chop at the limb of a tree with
a sense of purpose. In the middle part-- the
young man hears a plane in the distance and it
seems to be coming for him. In the final two
sentences – the person is running in a panic to
be seen by the pilot.
• Speaker – the passage is told from the third
person point of view, omniscient narrator. The
person being described is contented as he
works and then is in a panic after hearing the
plane in the distance.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Analysis
• Situation
– A young man attempts to
make a bow for himself when he hears
the sound of a plane engine; the sound
causes him to believe he may be
rescued and so he frantically runs back
to his camp in order to signal the pilot.
• Shifts – There is a shift from the mood
of tranquility to one of chaos with the
words “and he knew it then.”
Immediately following those words, a
sense of panic begins as a young man
runs toward his camp. The major shift
occurs with the fragment, “A plane!”
•
5-S Strategies for Passage
• Syntax – The
sentences in the first two
Analysis
paragraphs are written in natural order, making
statements about what is happening.
Paragraph 3 uses many figures of speech,
“whine” and “roar”, onomatopoeia, “a persistent
whine, like insects”, and simile. Paragraph 3
also uses much repetition of the word “and”,
building on what the young man is doing while
contrasting what is beginning to go on in his
head as he recognizes the sound of the plane.
Paragraph 4 begins with a sentence fragment,
“A plane!”, and that exclamatory fragment is an
epiphany for the young man, illustrating his
emerging sense of excitement. Paragraph 5
reveals the young man’s sense of panic, and his
tremendous desire to succeed. The shorter
words used in paragraph 5 suit the rapid action
that is taking place. Again, there is much
repetition of the word “and”, which shows the
panic the boy is feeling as he moves quickly to
reach his camp.
5-S Strategies for Passage
Excellent Good Needs Work
Analysis
Sentences
-accurate
forecast
-examples
Speaker
-accurate
forecast
-pt of view
effect
Situation
-accurate
-connect to title
Shifts
-examples
-thorough
-devices
Syntax
-examples
-discussion
-connection
Crux
-main message