1. PERSONAL RESPONSE TO TEXTS English Language Arts

2. How to write a Personal Response  When you write a personal response, often you will find  Three to four texts thematically related, usually a poem, an excerpt from a short story or novel and a photograph

3. How to write a Personal Response  Spend time examining & thinking about the question closely before looking at the excerpts  Read the assignment closely  “The Assignment” section always includes a brief summary of what the excerpt is about – use those prompts while reading the texts & highlight sections that BEST illustrate those themes

4. How to write a Personal Response  Choose ONE excerpt to respond to  Choose a PROSE form (anything but poetry)  critical essay, personal commentary, any form of commentary (social, political etc.), journal entry, travel journal, letter, newspaper article, play, short story, eulogy

5. Confused?  What happens if you do not understand the question?  Use the dictionary in Microsoft Word and break down the question as best as you can. Practice this with every assignment

6. Connecting & Understanding Poetry

7. Connecting to & Understanding Poetry  Understanding the Poet’s Purpose  CONTEXT: information that surrounds the passage  ask the question: What is the…background? the plot? the situation?  TONE: the poet’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject or audience  determined by…words, phrases, poet’s feelings on the subject

8. Connecting to & Understanding Poetry  MOOD: State of mind or feeling created in the reader by the poem  created by…words and phrases, the situation or the subject matter  THEME: the central idea or message of poem  Thematic statement is the general point about some aspect of life or human condition expressed by the poet.

9. Connecting to & Understanding Poetry  If you select the poem, you may  choose ONE line as your reference point or prompt  choose ONE or TWO stanzas as your reference point or prompt  choose the speaker’s situation to relate to or analyze  choose the overall mood/theme/moral of the poem

10. Understanding & Connecting Short Story or Novel

11.  Excerpts from novels and short stories are usually character driven and focussed.  Spend some time examining the character(s) and his/her life experience.  Make sure you know his/her conflict.  Relate his/her life experience to the question.

12. Short Story or Novel  Appearance. Write/list/find the character’s physical description. The descriptions can be specific words or phrases that describe what he/she looks like.  Personality. Write/list/find descriptions of feelings, beliefs, personality traits, fears, obsessions, or desires.  Relationships. Write/list/find descriptions of how the character relates to others.  Personal History. Write/list/find what the character’s past life was like.

13. Connecting & Understanding Visuals

14. When examining the photograph, think about... Composition – the arrangement of visual elements within a picture. Focal point – the area in a picture where the eye is immediately drawn.

15. Be sure to... 1. Identify the purpose of the visual and the genre (ad, photograph, poster, etc.) to which it belongs. Is the artist trying to appeal to your feelings, your senses, your intellect? 2. Read any text accompanying your work – captions, titles, explanatory notes, etc. This can yield valuable information. The title of the work may tell you something about its intended message. How does the text contribute to the meaning of the work?

16. Brainstorm...  Reflect on the image by brainstorming:  5 W’s  who  what  when  where  why  how

17. Questions  What is the picture about?  What can the viewer see?  Who are the characters in the picture?  What is happening to the characters in the picture?  When and where was the picture taken.  Why was the picture taken?

18. (and the symbols behind them) COLOURS

19. WHITE~  purity, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity

20. RED~  Passion, strength, energy, fire, love, arrogance, danger, blood, and war

21. BLUE~ Seas, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquility, calmness, coolness, confidence, loyalty, royalty, and nobility

22. GREEN~  Nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, good luck, and envy

23. YELLOW~  Sunlight, joy, happiness, earth, optimism, intelligence, summer, and hope

24. PURPLE~  Envy, sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, and nobility

25. ORANGE~  energy, balance, heat, fire, enthusiasm, and autumn

26. BROWN~  Calm, depth, natural organisms, nature, richness, dirt, dullness, and filth

27. BLACK~  mysterious, sophisticated; gloomy and threatening

28. Respond critically, personally or creatively  Critically: write an essay...  Make sure it has a...  Beginning  Thesis (the opinion you are going to prove)  Body  Prove thesis with details/specific examples from your own life or from events around the world (history)  Conclusion (a summary of what you believe)

29. Respond critically, personally or creatively  Personally: write an essay...  Make sure it has a...  Beginning  Thesis (the opinion you are going to prove)  Body  Prove thesis with details/specific examples from your own life only. Perhaps the visual reminds you of your favourite childhood memory or difficult events in your life. Regardless, be sure to be very clear about every detail so that the reader understands your reflection.  Conclusion (a summary of what you believe)

30. Respond critically, personally or creatively  Creatively: write a story, journal entry, script etc...  Make sure it has a...  Beginning, Middle & End  Explain ONE event that reflects the visual specifically with strong detail and information  Be careful NOT to make too much happen; write only 1 journal entry  Focus on the picture and the moment  Don’t be too short OR too long  MAKE IT BELIEVABLE & REALISTIC

31.  All images obtained from “google images” via public domain