“Seventh Grade,” by Gary Soto Class Notes  Meixsell/Gordon/ Brinton

 Elements of Story/ Literary Devices 1. Tone details and word choices used to convey feeling in a work of literature. 2. Theme also called the Thematic Focus. This is the primary/central moral of the story. Examples: Thematic Focus for “Song of Myself,” by Walt Whitman and “I’m Nobody,” by Emily Dickinson Enjoying Your Place in the World

Thematic Focus for THIS story… Fitting In 

Important Vocabulary Elective: an optional class  He loved art, so he chose Oil Painting Class as his elective. Other forms: electives Scowl: looking angry or irritated. “Duckface”  Grumpy Cat is famous for his scowl. Other forms: scowling, scowls, scowled

Ferocity: wild force, fierce  The horse broke through the gate with such ferocity. Siberia: a large region in Northern Russia known for its harsh winters and lack of population.  The biologist decided to work in Siberia so that she wouldn’t have any distractions. Conviction: strong belief  John was passionate about his debate and he showed conviction during his presentation. Other forms: convictions, convicted, convict (relating to alternate meaning: criminal, prisoner) RL.7.4

Evidence of Tone: Informal/Relaxed/Humorous ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Citation ____________________________________________ RL.7.1

Evidence of Theme/Thematic Focus What is the theme? ______________________________________ Evidence 1 __________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Citation ____________________________________________ Evidence 2 _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Evidence 3___________________________________________________ _ RL.7.1 & RL.7.2