1. Denotation and Connotation
Word Choice

2. Read the words and definition in each row
Read the words and definition in each row. Which word in each row do you think is more positive?
Word # Definition of Both Words Word #2
Slender Sized thinner than average Scrawny
Odor A smell or scent Fragrance
Acquaintance A person known by another Friend
Leisurely Unhurried, Slower pace Lazily
Youthful A young age Immature

3. “Pause” by Nikki Grimes
The sky is slate
and the world is a cold
and slushy place till
Kiara stops by Video Haven,
sunshine in jeans
and knee-high boots. …
“Catch you later,”
I tell her,
and she blows me a kiss
warm enough to melt
every patch of ice
On the planet.
Gotta watch out
for the sun.
Slate- a bluish gray color positive/negative
Sunshine- direct light from positive/negative
the sun unbroken by clouds
Melt- become liquified by heat; positive/negative
To become more tender or
loving
What impact does the author’s word choice have on the tone of the poem?
What impact does the author’s word choice have on the mood of the poem?
How does the author’s word choice impact the development of Kiara in the poem?
How does the author’s word choice impact the setting?
Tone- Author’s word choice impacts the tone by showing how the narrator's feelings change from dreary to a warm.
Mood- Author’s word choice impacts the mood by contrasting the atmosphere the narrator describes after the visit from the girl.
Development of character- author's word choice impacts the development of the character by showing how the narrator perceives in an admiring way
Setting- the author’s word choice impacts the setting by describing it in an gloomy way

4. Exit Ticket: Monday
Label the following words as positive, negative, or neutral:
Mansion
Shack
Dump
Home
House

5. “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave
I rise.
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
Shame- feeling of humiliation positive/negative
caused by the consciousness
of wrong behavior
Terror- extreme fear positive/negative
Hope- the feeling that what positive/negative
is wanted can be had or that
Events will turn out for the best
What impact does the author’s word choice have on the tone of the poem?
What impact does the author’s word choice have on the mood of the poem?
Tone- the author’s word choice provides a contrast to feelings of the narrator.
Mood- the author’s word choice develops a liberating or inspiring mood by showing the confidence of the narrator.

6. “Uncle Henry lives in a house deep in the woods.”
Exit Ticket: Tuesday
“Uncle Henry lives in a house deep in the woods.”
The word “house” has a neutral connotation. Replace the word with a synonym that has a negative connotation. Explain how the word you chose impacts the tone of the sentence.

7. “Sympathy” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his chest sore,-
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings,-
I know why the caged bird sings!
Bruised- injured as a result positive/negative
of striking or pressing
Free- not under the control positive/negative
of something or someone
Flings- to throw or hurl positive/negative
purposefully
What impact does the author’s word choice have on the tone of the poem?
What impact does the author’s word choice have on the mood of the poem?
Tone- The author’s word choice describes the desperation felt by the bird to want to free of his cage.
Mood- The author’s word choice develops a sorrowful mood by detailing the experience of the bird.

8. Exit Ticket: Wednesday
“He’s such a dog!”
Is the connotation of the underlined word positive or negative?
What is the meaning of the word as it is being used in the sentence?

9. “I recognized the familiar smell of my roommate’s cooking.”
Exit Ticket: Thursday
“I recognized the familiar smell of my roommate’s cooking.”
The word “smell” has a neutral connotation. Replace the word with a synonym that has a positive connotation. Explain how the word you chose impacts the tone of the sentence.

10. Exit Ticket: Friday “I bought a cheap shirt at the store last week.”
The word “cheap” has a negative connotation. Replace the word with a synonym that has a positive connotation.
Explain how your word choice impacted the tone of the sentence.