reminders **Turn in your Where I’m From Poem into the black basket. Staple your defining moment chart to the back of it. Vocab Quiz Unit 7A – Friday, 9/22 Need a copy of Of Mice and Men by 10/11 Thought for the Day:

Independent reading Independent Reading

Diction… Diction refers to the author’s choice of words. Words are the basic tools of the writer. Just as the painter uses color and light or a musician uses sounds and rhythms, a writer uses words. In order to write well, you have to find the PERFECT word.

The Perfect Word… Is clear, concrete, and exact Says exactly what you want it to say Is specific Creates a picture in your mind Example – You don’t hang around the house; you mope around the house. Is NOT a dead word; those words are overused, tired, and have lost their freshness.

Forbidden Words good thing nice really pretty very beautiful terrible fine bad thing really very terrible wonderful a lot

Looking Deeper into Words Words do not just have meaning; they have Denotation and Connotation Denotation is the LITERAL meaning Connotation is the FEELING of the word

Diction in Action… -- Louis Sachar, Holes Read and Think: Write About It: What picture do you get in your mind when you read the second sentence? How would the meaning of the sentence change if we changed some of the words? For example: Kate could see her searching through the cabin, emptying drawers, and taking things off of the shelves of cabinets. A redheaded woman was there with Trout. Kate could see her rummaging through the cabin, dumping drawers, and knocking things from the shelves of cabinets. -- Louis Sachar, Holes

Theme Theme: the writer’s main message/central idea How do I identify theme? In the text, ______________ (title of text), there are messages about _____________. (identify topics) The message about _____________ (topic) is... EX: In Romeo and Juliet, there are messages about love. The message about love is that it is a powerful and even dangerous emotion that can take over people and even destroy them.

Theme: Your samples Trust is the belief of reliability in something. The message about judgement is to not cloud your mind with preconceptions. The message about moving is that you have to adapt to another culture. The message about stereotypes is that judging someone can lower their self-esteem. The message about stereotypes is you don’t know if they are true until you find out for yourself. The message about stereotypes is that they don’t always hold up. The message about stereotypes is that it is unfair to judge people based off of prejudice.

Funny in Farsi CEI Write a CEI that answers the question: What is the defining moment for the author? You will turn this in today! When you finish your CEI, start reading “Kaffir Boy” – p.123 Think about his defining moment. Consider the use of dialogue – what does it help do?