Write out a description of the classroom.

Entry Task 9/11/15

Materials needed today: Journal, writing utensil, and the interview scheduling half sheet.

Talking About Voice Write down the following definitions in your Unit 1 Assessment 1 vocabulary:

● Voice is a writer’s/speaker’s distinctive use of language to express ideas as well as his or her personae.

● Tone is a writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject. Tone is conveyed through the person’s choice of words and details.

Voice includes:

• Diction: word choice intended to convey a certain effect.

• Syntax: sentence structure; the arrangement of words and the order of grammatical elements in a sentence.

• Imagery: the words, including specific details and figurative language, that a writer uses to represent people, objects, actions, feelings and ideas descriptively by appealing to the senses.

Literary TermJUXTAPOSITION

the arrangement of two or more things for the purpose of comparison.

This can be done using syntax, arranging the sentences, creating comparison connection

between two opposite things/places/situations.

Adaptation of 1.2: Talking About Voice

CLASS DISCUSSION: After each example description of pizza, we will make inferences about the speaker’s personae due to his/her voice.

● It’s yummy. I like it when the cheese is really gooey. My mom makes it for dinner on the weekends. When it’s too hot, I have to wait for it to cool. Mom says if I don’t wait I will burn my tongue. I like the way pizza smells. When I smell pizza cooking it always makes me want to eat it right up!

What inferences can you make about this one?

• As long as not one speck of gross disgusting animal flesh comes anywhere near my pizza, I can eat it. I prefer pizza with mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach. Goat cheese is especially nice too. A thin, whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables makes a satisfying meal.

Tone: Attitude towards subject.

• Ms. Boyce’s room is room 204. The walls are beige. There are a few posters on the wall that are mostly ignored. The desks are arranged in two levels of a “u.” Ms. Boyce has two desks: one at the front and center where she teaches from, and one in the front but off to the side where she keeps her stuff. There are two bookshelves with books in the room. There is one black filing cabinet. The room often smells like sugar or vanilla. It’s an English classroom.

Example 2

• Ms. Boyce’s room is room 204. The beige walls are dirty, and hole ridden. There are a few childish and boring posters on the wall that are ignored by anyone with a brain. The desks are packed into the room creating an inoperable maze. Ms. Boyce has two desks: one at the front and center where she “teaches” from, and one in the front- but off to the side- where she keeps her junk and copious amounts of food. There are two bookshelves with books, that no one will read, in the room. The room reeks of some form of vanilla, attempting to mask the musty scent of dust.

Example 3• When you walk into room 204, your entire being is struck with the

divine smell of vanilla. The desks are all neatly arranged, with a clear flow to the room. Under the window are tables with multiple bins stuffed with student papers. The front of the room is Ms. Boyce’s domain: with two desks, a bookshelf of text books, and a supply table- something that benefits us all. The sheen of the white boards draw attention to the daily agendas, calendars, and reminders for the 9th graders who file into her room 5 days a week. The touches of personality include the strategically placed Seahawk and Mariner decorations, as well as the personal photos and signs pinned to Ms. Boyce’s bulletin board. The organization and atmosphere of the room lets everyone know that, in this room, the expectations are high, and the learning is rigorous.

Trade description paragraphsClose read and mark the text for diction, syntax, and imagery that contributes to voice. Underneath the description:

1) What inferences can you make about the writer’s personae based solely on what is in the description?

2) What can you conclude about the tone of the writer? (Writer’s attitude about the class based on what was written). What evidence is there to support your tone claim?

Discuss your findings

• Discuss what you were able to infer, and what you determined in terms of tone.

• Writer: were they accurate? What about your writing gave them the correct/incorrect perspective?

Literary Terms: FORESHADOWING

a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come

later in the story

Discuss with elbow partner

• How could each of your classroom descriptions be used as foreshadowing? What type of event would it foreshadow based on the tone it contains?

Using an appropriate tone…

• On the Interview Scheduling Sheet…• Write out an explanation of the assignment,

and what you hope to accomplish. This will then be used to ask your interviewee for permission to interview, record, and share his/her story.

(If you’ve already asked your interviewee, please still take this opportunity to practice writing with a clear and focused tone).