Lesson Developed by Josiah Shoup

 What are some things that you have done to fit in?  What are some things that you have seen other people doing to fit in?  Do people ever go too far trying to fit in? Explain…

  Writer  Public Speaker  Muslim Minister  Civil Rights Activist  Changed his name from Malcolm Little because that was his slave name.

 Written in collaboration with Alex Haley, a famous black writer.  Published in 1965, the same year that Malcolm X died.  The short story “Hair” is one small part of the larger book.

 Fiction or nonfiction? Answer: Nonfiction.  What’s the difference between an autobiography and a biography?  A biography is a book about a person’s life that is written by somebody else.  An autobiography is a book about a person’s life that is written by the person himself or herself.

 What was the tone of his voice? Confident? Proud? Friendly?  What was the tone of his words? Angry? Assertive? Uplifting?

 Tone is the writer’s attitude towards the audience, the subject, or a character.  Writers rely on word choice and details to communicate their tone.  Readers must piece together these clues to infer—or make an intelligent guess about— the writer’s feelings.

 Two student volunteers will take turns reading the story on page  The rest of the class will read along as the two students read aloud.

1. What details in the first two paragraphs make you think that young Malcolm is excited about getting his first conk? 2. What details in in the fifth paragraph show you that Malcolm and Shorty are close friends? Pay close attention to the dialogue.

3. What is the tone of the writing once Malcolm has put the conk in his hair? What words or details lead you to believe this? 4. What is the tone in the final paragraph? Notice that all four of the “Words to Own” from this story are located in the final paragraph. What effect does that specialized vocabulary have on the author’s tone?

 Gather into Groups of Four.  There are eight questions, so each student is responsible for completing two of them. 1. Infer the tone of each quotation. 2. Write the words and phrases which support your inference. 3. Write your name, so we can give you credit.

1. Do you recognize any of the people in this movie? Who are they? 2. What is the main ingredient of hair relaxer? 3. What harmful effects can this chemical have on you? Or on a Coke can? 4. What are some reasons why people want to use hair relaxer? 5. What is the tone of this film? Give examples of details that support your choice. 6. What is the purpose of this film? How is it similar to the purpose of the story “Hair”?

 Return to your quick write paragraph.  Read back over what you wrote at the beginning of class.  Write down the following things: 1. Infer what the tone of your own writing is. 2. Write down the words and phrases which support your inference.