Language as Power: Inspiring Student Agency through Great Literature Handouts

Transcription

1 Language as Power GREAT MINDS WIT & WISDOM Language as Power: Inspiring Student Agency through Great Literature Handouts NCTE 2017 Annual Convention Ann Brigham Great Minds Amy Holbrook Mad River Local Schools Ashley Wittmer Mad River Local Schools Copyright 2017 Great Minds

2 Language as Power COPYRIGHT STATEMENT Published by Great Minds.. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the copyright holder, except in cases of noncommercial use for educational purposes.

3 Language as Power > Handout 1 Handout 1: Text Analysis Directions: In the following passages, analyze how those seeking power or influence use language as a tool. Passage 1 from Animal Farm by George Orwell Comrades! he cried. You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and applies (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades, cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back? Orwell, George. Animal Farm Signet Classics, 1996, pp What is Squealer s goal in this speech? Page 1 of 2

4 Language as Power > Handout 1 Passage 2 from John F. Kennedy s Inaugural Address And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Kennedy, John F. Inaugural Address. 20 Jan John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Web. Accessed 29 Aug What is President Kennedy s goal in this excerpt from his speech? How does President Kennedy use language to reach his goal? Page 2 of 2

5 Language as Power > Handout 2 Handout 2: Elements of Effective Speaking Directions: As you listen to the speech, note the techniques the speaker uses to communicate fluently and expressively and how they impact the listener or viewer. Technique Pauses Notes Phrasing: Emphasis on specific words or phrases Pacing: Variation in speed Volume Tone Facial expressions Body language Page 1 of 1

6 Language as Power > Handout 3 Handout 3: Argument Writing Directions: Refer to the following as guidance to understand how Animal Farm and related texts can be used to illuminate key aspects of argument writing. Key Terms Word claim reason evidence alternate claim opposing claim Meaning A debatable statement that can be proven by evidence and reasoning A statement that explains or justifies an action or belief The body of facts and information that proves that a belief is true or supports that a claim is valid One of two or more claims; an alternative to a stated claim A counterargument that contradicts a claim Analyzing Squealer s Milk-and-Apples Argument Using CCSS Guidance Claim Reasons Evidence The milk and apples should not be shared equally among all animals but should instead feed the pigs alone. The pigs need to preserve their health. The management of the farm depends upon the pigs, so they must stay healthy. If the pigs are not healthy and can t run the farm, Mr. Jones will come back. Milk and apples are necessary to pigs well-being. ( [T]his has been proved by Science. ) Are the reasons sound? Do they support the claim? Is the evidence accurate, relevant, and sufficient? Sentence Frames for Acknowledging Alternate or Opposing Claims Introduce the Other Claim On the other hand, one could argue Disprove the Other Claim However, the evidence suggests that Although it is true that The evidence clearly shows that Others might argue that Overall, though, a stronger argument can be made that Page 1 of 1

7 Language as Power > Handout 4 Handout 4: A Process for Learning Craft Directions: Reference this chart as a resource for speaking and writing instruction. In Wit & Wisdom the crafts of speaking and writing are taught in a careful succession of four Craft Stages Examine, Experiment, Execute, and Excel that gradually leads students to mastery and independence. The chart includes a general description of the teaching and learning at each stage as well as examples of this sequence applied to teaching the skill of acknowledging alternate or opposing claims. Craft Stage Craft Question Description of Student Action Counterclaims Example Examine Why is [specific skill] important? Analyze an exemplar of a writing or speaking skill to recognize criteria for quality communication. Analyze examples of how Squealer acknowledges and addresses opposing or alternate claims. Analyze an exemplar of a formal argument in which the writer addresses opposing or alternate claims. Experiment How does [specific skill] work? Practice and hone the target writing or speaking skill in a scaffolded task. Read an evidence-based argument, and anticipate opposing or alternate claims. Write a sentence or two that acknowledges or addresses those claims. Execute How do I use [specific skill] in [specific task]? Employ the skill independently in text-based writing or speaking. Write a formal argument that includes acknowledging alternate or opposing claims. Excel How do I improve my use of [specific skill]? Revise and revisit speaking or writing, cultivating mastery of the target skill. Review the formal argument, paying attention to the acknowledgment of alternate or opposing claims. Revise by focusing on, for example, relevance, precision and concision, or clarity of logic. Page 1 of 1

8 Language as Power > Handout 5 Handout 5: A Multi-Year Study of the Power of Language Directions: Refer to the following chart as one example of a coherent multi-grade curricular plan to study the power of language. Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Topic A Hero s Journey Language and Power The Poetics and Power of Storytelling Essential Question What is the significance and power of the hero s journey? What is the power of language? What is the power of storytelling? Texts Myths Novel Novel-in-Verse The Odyssey (retelling), Gillian Cross Ramayana: Divine Loophole, Sanjay Patel Table The Hero s Journey Outline, Christopher Vogler Essay A Practical Guide to Joseph Campbell s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Christopher Vogler Article Pixar Artist Sanjay Patel Gets Personal with Sanjay s Super Team, Rebecca Keegan Videos The Mythology of Star Wars, Bill Moyers and George Lucas What Makes a Hero? Matthew Winkler Animal Farm, George Orwell Advertisements Serena Williams Rise, Andre Stringer Soda ads Architecture and Sculpture The Temple at Abu Simbel The Great Sphinx of Giza Article How Advertising Targets Our Children, Perri Klass Book Review In 1946, the New Republic Panned George Orwell s Animal Farm, George Soule Historical Account Excerpts from Friedrich Engels, Revolutionary, Activist, Unionist, and Social Instigator, Cricket Media Posters Images of pro-stalin propaganda Speeches and Videos I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King, Jr. Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy Address to the United Nations Youth Assembly, Malala Yousafzai The Crossover, Kwame Alexander Literary Nonfiction The Man Made of Words, N. Scott Momaday Paintings The Block, Romare Bearden Children s Games, Pieter Bruegel the Elder Poetry Nikki-Rosa, Nikki Giovanni Sometimes Silence Is the Loudest Kind of Noise, Bassey Ikpi Scientific Accounts This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It), Benedict Carey Your Brain on Fiction, Annie Murphy Paul Speech The Danger of a Single Story, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Videos Sometimes Silence Is the Loudest Kind of Noise, Bassey Ikpi The Human Soul Distilled, Kwame Alexander Major Writing Type Narrative writing Argument writing Narrative writing Page 1 of 1