WIZARD OF OZ American FairyTale Literary Terms & Writing Skills New
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Unit 2 of the 8th grade curriculum guide is on pages 3-9.
The following class notes and homework assignments are listed in reverse chronological order. Students can review the most current classwork and homework assignments and then scroll down to previous assignments.
Class Notes and Homework
Tuesday December 22:
1. Periods B (first period), E (lunch period), and F (Just before the afternoon Holiday Concert):
Snowstorm Make-up -CompleteComparative Analysis: 1938 MGM Wizard of Oz and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
d. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is our next novel. It is challenging and the assignments are challenging. Think ahead. It is on-line. Read it during the December break and give yourself an advantage in January and February.
Film and Novels: Chapter Overview - 1938 MGM Wizard of Oz
Monday, December 21 and Tuesday December 22:
Comparative Analysis: 1938 MGM Wizard of Oz and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
Friday, December 11th:
Many students were out of class today for good reasons: participating in the geography bee and participating in the holiday concert. It makes sense under these circumstances to provide an educational review during class. Those students who were in class benefit from a positive classroom experience; those who were out of class can make-up this review easily - and not feel punished for participating in wonderful experiences.
Review: Chapters 13 through 22.
Reminder for Monday:
We will be working with the laptops for three days. Using a laptop means coming to class prepared.
Cautionary Tale: Those who are not prepared will be scheduled to complete work after school
Thank you to all. You have been kind to me and attentive to your academic studies even though I have laryngitis. I know a few of you took advantage of the situation for a while by taking too much time at the beginning of class to settle down, but you regrouped and responded well to redirection. Remember that we have the use of the laptop cart tomorrow and have adjusted our reading schedule, so we can use the laptop cart. I know some of you are reading ahead and that is great! For those of you who are following the schedule exactly, know that chapters 1-22 are due by Friday.
Homework:
Complete your draft on graph paper and begin your illustration on white drawing paper.
Today you will have time to begin the graphing of your Chapter 11 illustration. We will use classic media strategies and include math graphing strategies along with your knowledge of symmetrical and asymmetrical design. Read the passage you must illustrate:
“Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful houses all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joined together were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun. The window panes were of green glass; even the sky above the City had a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green.”
Understand the literary term, imagery. We have discussed this literary term in each of our readings since September.
Imagery: Words and phrases that create vivid sensory experiences for the reader. Most images are visual, but imagery may also appeal to the senses of smell, hearing, taste, or touch.
Descriptive writing: Imagery is a tool writer's use. Writer's use words and phrases that create vivid sensory experiences for the reader. Writer's use these words and phrases to describe the setting and mood of stories; writer's use these words and phrases to describe the protagonist and characters in a story.
Imagery is an important concept for author's and for reader's.
Begin drafting your illustration of the passage about Emerald City.
Know that you will transfer this draft to white drawing paper once you have a clear understanding of the image on the graph paper.
Know, too, that this is a strategy illustrators often use when developing illustrations for media productions.
Monday, December 7:
Preview of the weeks before our December break:
1. We will read/discuss two chapters a day; the irony drafted essay is due Monday and the imagery/mood/style drafted essay is due Friday.
Monday, December 7: Chapters 13 & 14 (irony drafted essay)
Tuesday, December 8: Chapters 15 & 16
Wednesday, December 9: Chapters 17 & 18
Thursday, December 10: Chapters 19 & 20
Friday, December 11: Chapters 21 & 22 (imagery/mood/style drafted essay)
2. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, December 14, 15, and 16:
The laptop cart is ours for three days, and you must type your final copies of the three drafts you have already completed. Remember that you earn a laptop by coming to class prepared. PREPARED means that you have a free-write in your journal for each essay, and the drafted essay and the rubrics you used to edit your drafted essay. The drafted essay is typed font 10, 1.5 spacing, justified margins or 3- four hand-written sides of college ruled notebook paper.
Essay 1 - Symbolism (Check your class notes and/or scroll down to Tuesday, December 1 for more details.)
Essay 2 - Irony (Check your class notes and/or scroll down to Friday, December 4th for more details)
Essay 3 - Imagery/mood/style (Check your class notes and/or scroll down to #4 of today's notes for more details)
3. Remember that 6 after school days are pare of this assignment and there are no excuses accepted. Part of getting ready for high school is advocating for yourself, thinking ahead, organizing assignments and making use of school resources.
Remember that 1 after school day is one of the final copy typing days. Once again, think ahead. If you need extra time typing, plan to stay after school next Tuesday when I have the laptop cart in our room. Once again - no excuses. You were given the original assignment the Monday after our Thanksgiving break. You were asked back then to "figure out" what you need from me to complete this assignment on time. Just for the record - TeamTime is not a time that you can work on this assignment. All teachers have been mandated to use TeamTime for MCAS math prep.
Notes on Imagery Composition: Chapter 11 #1 - draft due Thursday, December 10th.
Please complete your illustration on 81/2 X 11 inch paper so we can bind it in your autobiography. If you need drawing paper that size, I will cut whatever you need, but see me before Thursday.
1. Imagery:
Definition:
Imagery: Words and phrases that create vivid sensory
experiences for the reader.Most
images are visual, but imagery may also appeal to the senses of smell, hearing,
taste, or touch.
Directions:
Illustrate the imagery described in the
following excerpt from L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Illuminate the imagery you see in
your imagination.You may
use mixed media for your illustration.Mixed media is a combination of graphite pencil, colored pencils,
crayons, oil pastels, watercolor, cut and paste collage, montage effects,
and/or photographs. W. W. Denslow illustrated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Go back to your notes about the
techniques and materials the 19th and20th century illustrators used when illustrating
novels like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Which ones will work best for you within the
time period you have to complete this investigation.
Example:
“Even with eyes protected by
the green spectacles, Dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the
brilliancy of the wonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful houses
all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They
walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were
joined together were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the
brightness of the sun. The window panes were of green glass; even the sky above
the City had a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green.”
Choose one of the characters, identify the ironic facet of their personality using three examples from the novel, and demonstrate your understanding of irony by explaining the irony in the characters personality. You might need two or three paragraphs. Transition to your next paragraph and a comparison of the ironic side of your personality using at least one detailed example from your own life.
Theme title, skip a line and then 3/4 page, font 10, 1.5 spacing, justified margins (standard novel fonts)
Chapter 7 # 1. Irony:
Definition: A literary term referring to how a person, situation, statement,
or circumstance is not as it would actually seem. Many times it is the exact
opposite of what it appears to be.
Example:
"I
am terribly afraid of falling, myself," said the Cowardly Lion, "but
I suppose there is nothing to do but try it. So get on my back and we will make
the attempt."
The
Scarecrow sat upon the Lion's back, and the big beast walked to the edge of the
gulf and crouched down.
"Why
don't you run and jump?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Because
that isn't the way we Lions do these things," he replied. Then giving a
great spring, he shot through the air and landed safely on the other side. They
were all greatly pleased to see how easily he did it, and after the Scarecrow
had got down from his back the Lion sprang across the ditch again.
Dorothy
thought she would go next; so she took Toto in her arms and climbed on the
Lion's back, holding tightly to his mane with one hand. The next moment it
seemed as if she were flying through the air; and then, before she had time to
think about it, she was safe on the other side. The Lion went back a third time
and got the Tin Woodman, and then they all sat down for a few moments to give
the beast a chance to rest, for his great leaps had made his breath short, and
he panted like a big dog that has been running too long.
a. If the lion is a coward, than
how can he overcome his own fear?
“You gain
strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop
to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Chapter 9 # 1. Irony:
Definition: A
literary term referring to how a person, situation, statement, or circumstance
is not as it would actually seem. Many times it is the exact opposite of what
it appears to be.
Example a:
“As it came
nearer the Tin Woodman saw that running before the beast was a little gray
field mouse, and although he had no heart he knew it was wrong for the Wildcat
to try to kill such a pretty, harmless creature.”
a. If the Tin
Woodsman has no heart, how is it possible for him to act with compassion?
Example b:
The
field mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short; and coming
slowly up to the Woodman it said, in a squeaky little voice:
"Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving
my life."
"Don't
speak of it, I beg of you," replied the Woodman. "I have no heart,
you know, so I am careful to help all those who may need a friend, even if it
happens to be only a mouse."
"Only
a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly. "Why, I am a
Queen--the Queen of all the Field Mice!"
"Oh,
indeed," said the Woodman, making a bow.
"Therefore
you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, in saving my life,"
added the Queen.
At
that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as their little legs
could carry them, and when they saw their Queen they exclaimed:
"Oh,
your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you manage to escape the
great Wildcat?" They all bowed so low to the little Queen that they almost
stood upon their heads.
"This funny
tin man," she answered, "killed the Wildcat and saved my life. So
hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish."
b. Saving any mouse was an act of compassion. This is ironic for one, who does not
have a heart. While the Tin
Woodsman thought he was saving a field mouse, there is irony in the fact that
the Tin Woodsman saved the Queen of the Field Mice. Please explain, why.
Example c:
"Is
there anything we can do," it asked, "to repay you for saving the
life of our Queen?"
"Nothing
that I know of," answered the Woodman; but the Scarecrow, who had been
trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffed with straw, said,
quickly, "Oh, yes; you can save our friend, the Cowardly Lion, who is
asleep in the poppy bed."
c. The Scarecrow
thinks carefully about what the field mice can do to help them, and mentions
saving the Lion. It is ironic for
one who does not have a brain to think carefully.
Thursday, December 3:
Homework:
a. Chapters 1 through 12 complete before you get into class tomorrow.
a. Continued information about explicit and implicit reading strategies
b. Chapters 11 and 12 read and discussed during class.
Note: All classes: Chapters 1 - 12 complete before class tomorrow.
c. Discussion:
Using the back bulletin board as a storyboard of sorts, all assignments were blocked out so students could see the relationship between each assignment and each page in their autobiographies. Students were reminded that if they have gotten behind in their work, than they must use the December holiday to get back on task.
Wednesday, December 2:
Homework
a. Finish reading chapters 9 & 10.
b. Study prepared notes for chapters 9 & 10.
c. Revise your journal entry from Monday's class if you have not already done so. Pick up a writing rubric and edit your work Think ahead and be prepared for December 14, 15, and 16. We have the laptop cart and will be typing our final copies then. Remember! If you do not come to class with your journal entry, your revised journal entry (font 10, 1/5 spacing, justified margins, and your edited rubric, than you do not sign out a laptop until you do come prepared. This assignment included four times that you could stay after school for extra help. Make use of these times and do not use your time and energy with excuses.
1. Use your journal to study today's class notes. Study chapters 7 and 8 in the prepared class notes.
2. Revise the journal entry that you completed during class. Some of you completed this entry yesterday, and some completed it today.
You may use this revision as part of the written exam on December 14th. It must be revised and typed font 10, 1.5 spacing, justified margins. Do not forget to edit this revision using the composition rubrics. On December 14th you will bring your revision and the rubrics to class, and then type your final copy using the information you recorded on your rubrics to make the appropriate edited corrections.
c. Refer to your prepared class notes for Chapter 2: If you lost your prepared notes than scroll down to Tuesday, November 24th. Don't forget to print another copy for yourself.
1. Foreshadowing and Symbolism (chapter 2 - prepared class notes)
Define the literary term, “symbol.”
Symbol: A person place or thing that represents something beyond itself. Symbols can succinctly communicate complicated, emotionally rich ideas. (ex: heart = love, flag = courage)
Define the literary term, “foreshadowing.”
Foreshadowing: Foreshadowing is a prediction about a future event or occurrence.
Example:
“Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room.”
Note: This is a classic “darkness to light “ symbol that foreshadows a happy ending. The dark foreshadows the trials Dorothy must overcome, and the “bright sunshine” foreshadows the happy ending. “dark” and “bright sunshine” are symbols,
Directions for your class journal entry:
Discuss the significance of the symbols in this quote.
“Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room.”
Monday, November 30
Homework:
Revise journal entry completed during class.
Classwork:
a. Identify simple recall information from chapters 1-5.
Know that simple recall information is the information you remember when you use explicit reading skills.
Example:
Question: Who is the protagonist in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
Answer: Dorothy. If you read chapters 1-5, then you know the answers. You do not have to think very hard. All you have to do is remember the information.
b. Understand higher order thinking skills or implicit reading skills.
Example:
Writing Prompt: Works of literature often feature characters with the ability to inspire or lead others. Dorothy does inspire and lead Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion.
In a well-developed composition, describe how Dorothy inspires and leads Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion. Explain why Dorothy's abilities to inspire and lead are significant to the theme of this fairy tale. Explain why Dorothy's abilities to inspire and lead are significant in our lives.
Response: To respond to this writing prompt you must use facts which are simple recalled information. You are not just remembering, you are applying your own reasoning skills. You are supporting your reasons with facts. Responding to a writing prompt is a challenge. You are using your critical thinking skills, your higher order thinking skills and you are using your implicit understanding or reasoning skills.
We/You read chapters 1-4 and most of 5 during class today. You have chapters 4 and 5 to read for Monday.
Study your notes for chapters 1-5.
Tuesday, November 24th:
1. Homework:
Periods B, D, A/E - Homework due Monday, November 30th
Note: I strongly advise each student to read the remaining chapters by Monday, November 30th. Study the chapter notes. Study and memorize the list of subordinating conjunctions. Online chapters: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/wizoz10.html
Period C - Homework due Monday, November 30th:
Read the chapters we did not finish reading during class. (Chapters 1-5 are due Monday, November 30th.)
Cautionary Tale: We began reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz this week. The novel is in the public domain and can be found online. Students have been given the choice - read the remaining chapters online before Monday or borrow printed copies of chapters 1-5 and read the chapters before Monday, November 30th. Materials are available for the asking. Online chapters: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/wizoz10.html
b. The public domain means that the novel and the chapters are online.
c. Period C: We began reading the Wonderful WIzard of Oz today. Chapters 1-5 are due Monday, November 30th.
d. Periods B, D, A/E: Read the chapters we did not finish reading during class. Study the prepared notes for Chapters 1 through 5. I have listed the notes below, just in case you forgot everything in school. The notes are listed by chapter and the chapters titles are highlighted in pink. The URL for the online novel is listed below each chapter title.
What is an appositive? Why is it an important tool for you as
an author?
An appositive is a
grammatical tool used by an author to clarify and/or describe the noun.
Example:
“Dorothy lived in the midst
of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt
Em, who was the farmer's wife.”
Note: Uncle Henry is a proper noun. The noun clause ‘who was a farmer’ acts as an appositive to clarify and describe the proper noun, Uncle Henry.
2. Grammar:
What is a subordinating
conjunction? What is a complex
sentence?
A subordinating
conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of
the relationship among the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s).
The most common subordinating
conjunctions are "after," "although,"
"as," "because," "before," "how,"
"if," "once," "since," "than,"
"that," "though," "till," "until,"
"when," "where," "whether," and
"while."
Example:
“When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked
around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. “
3. Punctuation:
Define the term, “semicolon.”
A semicolon is a punctuation mark (;) indicating a
pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that
indicated by a comma.
Example:
“They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left
them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they
were gray also.”
4. Figurative language:
Simile
Define the literary term,
“simile.”
Simile: A
comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (often like or
as) is used. For example, ‘She
stood in front of the alter, shaking like a freshly caught trout.’ (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
“After the first few whirls
around, and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she were
being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle.”
5. Writing tools:
Description and Repetition
L. Frank Baum repeats the
word “gray” to describe not only the setting, but also the characters’
appearances and the characters’ personalities. He makes us, his audience, feel the “gray’,” but keeps
our interest by describing Dorothy’s laughter. This contrast between the repetition of the “gray’ and
the bright spark of “laughter” is a tool author’s use.
Example:
“When Dorothy stood in the
doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray
prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat
country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. The sun had
baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running
through it. Even the grass was not green, for the sun had burned the tops of
the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen
everywhere. Once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint
and the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as
everything else.
“When Aunt Em came there to
live she was a young, pretty wife. The sun and wind had changed her, too. They
had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had
taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were gray also. She was
thin and gaunt, and never smiled now. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first
came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child's laughter that
she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy's merry
voice reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder
that she could find anything to laugh at.
“Uncle Henry never laughed.
He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. He was gray
also, from his long beard to his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn,
and rarely spoke.
“It was Toto that made
Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings.
Toto was not gray; he was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small
black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. Toto
played all day long, and Dorothy played with him, and loved him dearly. “
Symbol: A person place or thing that
represents something beyond itself.
Symbols can succinctly communicate complicated, emotionally rich ideas.
(ex: heart = love, flag = courage)
Define the literary term,
“foreshadowing.”
Foreshadowing: Foreshadowing
is a prediction about a future event or occurrence.
Example:
“Dorothy
sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the
bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room.”
Note: This is a classic
“darkness to light “ symbol that foreshadows a happy ending. The dark foreshadows the trials Dorothy
must overcome, and the “bright sunshine” foreshadows the happy ending. “dark” and “bright sunshine” are
symbols,
2. Dialogue
Define the literary term,
“dialogue”.
Dialogue is
conversation between two or more people that advances the action, is consistent
with the character of the speakers, and serves to give relief from passages
essentially descriptive or expository. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
Dorothy looked, and gave a
little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam
the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with
pointed toes.
"Oh, dear! Oh,
dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay. "The
house must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?"
"There is nothing to be
done," said the little woman calmly.
"But who was she?"
asked Dorothy.
"She was the Wicked
Witch of the East, as I said," answered the little woman. "She has
held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her
night and day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the
favor..
"Note: Notice the
punctuation used for the dialogue.
3. Symbol
While we can guess that the
shoes have a special meaning and are a symbol, at this point we do not know
what they symbolize. Authors
involve their audience and ask their audience to be involved in the story.
Notice that the shoes are
silver in L. Frank Baum’s story, but they are ruby red in the 1938 MGM
movie. What other differences do
you notice?
Example:
"She was so old,"
explained the Witch of the North, that she dried up quickly in the sun. That is
the end of her. But the silver shoes are yours, and you shall have them to
wear." She reached down and picked up the shoes, and after shaking the
dust out of them handed them to Dorothy."
4. Protagonist’s journey:
Sometimes this is called a
“heroic journey,” because Dorothy will be tested and must overcome trials
before she gets back to her aunt
and uncle.
Example:
"I am anxious to get
back to my aunt and uncle, for I am sure they will worry about me. Can you
help me find my way?"
5. Foreshadowing and
Symbolism
Compare this passage with
the passage in number one.
This passage reminds us, the
audience, that Dorothy will have to overcome trials before she reaches her
happy ending.
Example:
"You must walk. It is a
long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark
and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep you from
harm."
6. Personification
Personification
is a form of metaphor in which something that is not human is given human
characteristics. For example, The weather is smiling on us today.
Look at the word “personification.” What word do you see? (person)
a. Personification
"The cyclone had set the house down very gently--for
a cyclone--in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty."
This
is an example of personification, because the cyclone is given human or people
characteristics. Think about
it. A person can set something
down gently, not a cyclone. L.
Frank Baum is asking us to imagine a monster that picks things up and sets them
back down.
b. Personification
"A little way off was a small brook, rushing and
sparkling along between green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to
a little girl who had lived so long on the dry, gray prairies."
This is another example of personification. A brook is a stream of
water. People can murmur in a
grateful voice, but a brook cannot.
L. Frank Baum gave the brook people characteristics to add depth and
interest to his story. You will do
the same in your writing.
Dorothy ate a hearty supper
and was waited upon by the rich Munchkin himself, whose name was Boq. Then she
sat upon a settee and watched the people dance.
When Boq saw her silver
shoes he said, "You must be a great sorceress."
"Why?" asked the girl.
"Because you wear
silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch. Besides, you have white in your
frock, and only witches and sorceresses wear white."
"My dress is blue and
white checked," said Dorothy, smoothing out the wrinkles in it.
"It is kind of you to
wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the color of the Munchkins, and white
is the witch color. So we know you are a friendly witch."
b. What do silver shoes
symbolize?
c. What do the colors blue
and white symbolize?
d. Why did Dorothy carefully
choose the blue and white frock to wear on her journey?
2. Foreshadowing and Symbols
Once again we, the audience,
are reminded of the “darkness and light” symbol.
Example:
“The country here is rich and pleasant, but
you must pass through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end of
your journey."
3. Personification
Define the literary term,
“personification.”
Personification:
A form of metaphor in which language relating to human action, motivation, and
emotion is used to refer to non-human objects or abstract concepts. For example, The weather is smiling on
us today. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
“While Dorothy was looking
earnestly into the queer, painted face of the Scarecrow, she was surprised to
see one of the eyes slowly wink at her. She thought she must have been mistaken
at first, for none of the scarecrows in Kansas ever wink; but presently the
figure nodded its head to her in a friendly way.”
4. Character:
Define the literary term,
“character.”
Character
Character: A
person who takes part in the action of a story, novel or play. Sometimes characters can be animals or
imaginary creatures, such as beings from another planet or even inanimate
objects, personified. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Protagonist
The protagonist
is the main character in a script, novel, or traditional literature story.
Four Methods an
Author Uses to Craft a Character:
There are four
basic methods:
a. A writer may
describe a character’s physical appearance.
b. A character’s
nature may be revealed through his/her own speech, thoughts, feelings, or
actions.
c. The speech,
thoughts, feelings or actions of other character’s can be used to develop a
character.
d. The narrator
can make direct comments about a character. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
“Dorothy leaned her chin
upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow. Its head was a small
sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted on it to represent
a face. An old, pointed blue hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was
perched on his head, and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes,
worn and faded, which had also been stuffed with straw. On the feet were some
old boots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and the
figure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up its
back.”
What
method did L. Frank Baum use to craft the scarecrow in this passage?
Theme: A central
idea, primary action, or abstract concept that is made concrete through
representation in person, action, and image. No proper theme is simply a subject or an activity. Like a thesis, theme implies a subject
and predicate of some kind – not just vice for instance, but some such
proposition as, “Vice seems more interesting than virtue but turns out to be
destructive.” Sometimes the theme
is directly stated in the work, and sometimes it is given indirectly. There may be more than one theme in a
given work. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
"Tell me something
about yourself and the country you came from," said the Scarecrow, when
she had finished her dinner. So she told him all about Kansas, and how gray
everything was there, and how the cyclone had carried her to this queer Land of
Oz.
The Scarecrow listened
carefully, and said, "I cannot understand why you should wish to leave
this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call
Kansas."
"That is because you
have no brains" answered the girl. "No matter how dreary and gray our
homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any
other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home."
The Scarecrow sighed.
2. Personification
Example:
"`I wonder if that
farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner. Any crow of sense could see
that you are only stuffed with straw.' Then he hopped down at my feet and ate
all the corn he wanted. The other birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came
to eat the corn too, so in a short time there was a great flock of them about
me.”
3. Foreshadowing and
Symbolism
Example:
"Toward
evening they came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close
together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick. It was almost
dark under the trees, for the branches shut out the daylight; but the travelers
did not stop, and went on into the forest."
Irony: A literary term referring to how
a person, situation, statement, or circumstance is not as it would actually
seem. Many times it is the exact opposite of what it appears to be. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
"It must be
inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully,
"for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, you have brains, and it
is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly."
Note: It is ironic that a
character, who does not have a brain, can think these thoughts.
2. Characterization
Define the literary term, “characterization.”
Four Methods an
Author Uses to Craft a Character:
There are four
basic methods:
a. A writer may
describe a character’s physical appearance.
b. A character’s
nature may be revealed through his/her own speech, thoughts, feelings, or
actions.
c. The speech,
thoughts, feelings or actions of other character’s can be used to develop a
character.
d. The narrator
can make direct comments about a character. (www.doe.mass.edu)
Example:
“One of the big trees had
been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in
his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were
jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not
stir at all.”
3. Anecdote:
Definition:
An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident
or person.
Example: The tin woodsman’s
story is an anecdote.
Monday, November 23rd
Homework:
Period C: Students are finished narrative and descriptive paragraphs today in the library and will begin L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz tomorrow.
Periods B, D, A/E
Students study prepared notes for Chapters 1 through 5. Most of these notes review literary terms and grammatical terms discussed and practiced during first quarter. A few terms are new: for example, appositive, hero's journey, and irony.
Classwork:
Period C: Students are finished narrative and descriptive paragraphs today in the library and will begin L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz tomorrow.
Periods B, D, A/E
Students highlighted and added details to the typed notes for Chapters 1 through 5. Most of these notes review literary terms and grammatical terms discussed and practiced during first quarter. A few terms are new: for example, appositive, hero's journey, and irony.
Friday, November 20th
1. Homework due Monday, November 30th: Students should study a chapter every night.
Class Notes for the Introduction written by L. Frank Baum
1.
Definition - Genre:
Genre
is a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized
by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. (see attached ‘study guide’)
Example:
“Folklore,
legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for
every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories
fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal.”
2.
Definition - Allusion
Reference
to something specific without actually calling it by name; for example, “I
haven’t eaten since yesterday, and I cannot wait for lunch.”The person is alluding to the fact that
they are hungry.Reference to
historical, literary, scientific topic/event/person: the author expects you to
use your ‘learned knowledge’ and add depth to your reading comprehension.
Example:
“The
winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish
hearts than all other human creations.”
Who
is Grimm and Anderson?
How
does your knowledge of Grimm and Anderson add depth to your reading
comprehension?
3.L. Frank Baum identifies fairy
tales of old and ‘modernized fairy tales’ in his introduction of the Wonderful
Wizard of Oz.Explain the
significance of Baum’s remarks.
Example:
“Having
this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was
written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized
fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and
nightmares are left out.”
Note:
Notice
the use of the word ‘story’ and the punctuation used to identify the
title.Why is this significant to
notice?
The
punctuation for the title of a story is quotation marks.
The
punctuation for the title of a novel is the underline.
Punctuation
is a secret code.It is a method
for an author to send a message to the audience.
2. Class
L. Frank Baum's Introduction to his novel published in 1900. He talks about the difference between fairy tales of old (1500's-11800's) and modern (1900) fairy tales.
"Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales
have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a
wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly
unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more
happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.
"Yet the old time fairy tale, having served
for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's
library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales"
in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with
all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point
a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore
the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly
dispenses with all disagreeable incident.
"Having this thought in mind, the story of
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to please children of
today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the
wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out."
This week we were mandated to teach MCAS math while students were visiting the high school. Monday and today were used as directed and the remaining classes reviewed first quarter literary and grammatical terms before students previewed the connection between a documentary about the stories people told describing a hurricane and an American fairy tale about a girl trying to get home after a tornado.
Thursday, November 19th: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Fairy tales were introduced Tuesday, October 13th and then we completed our work with primary sources and documentaries. Why? The documentary
was The Hurricane of '38. As students, you quickly made the connection made the connection between your New England experience with N'or Easters
and hurricanes; Dorothy's kansas experience with tornadoes. Our understanding of hurricanes made it possible for us to connect to and empathize with
Dorothy's experience with tornadoes.
We explored first-hand oral tradition historical accounts and used the documentary of The Hurricane of '38 as our primary resource. We empathized with
people who shared their stories and will be able to empathize with people in the midwest when we here accounts of tornadoes. We learned a bit about the
world in 1938. We learned that L. Frank Baum's Wonderful WIzard of Oz was first published in 1900, but was released by MGM Studio as the film,
Wizard of Oz, in 1938. We learned that oftentimes history plays a role in literature and the kinds of documentaries produced. 1938 was an explosive time
in the history not only of the United State, but also in world.
Today, we will begin ready this fictional account first told as a bedtime story to Mr. Baum's children, then published, and finally produced and released as a
film. We began this year discussing oral tradition story-telling and it seems that we are back to this tradition. If you pay close attention, you will find that the
stories in your autobiography begin with stories you have heard or have told. I am asking you to write these stories down. As we read and write this year
you will learn about who you are and the Department of Education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be pleased to know that we have attended
to the Massachusetts Frameworks for English Language Arts
Wednesday, October 14th through Thursday, October 29th:
See: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.
c. Review the background information on this page. It is the same information we previewed in class.
2. Class:
a. Review the following information:
b. Saturday, October 10th:
We have finished Myths: The Lion King Unit
All compositions and student projects were finished and filed in your Rubrics Folders on Wednesday October 7th. Advocate for yourself if you did not complete the assigned work or if you would like more time and individual assistance. I will meet with you Tuesday after school.
Inservice Days for Teachers are Thursday, October 8th and Friday, October 9th.
There is no school on Monday, October 12th, Columbus Day.
c. The Curriculum:
1. The week of October 13 we will look at weather-related storms and begin with something we all know in Massachusetts: hurricanes.
3. 1925 Silent Wizard of Oz and 1939 MGM WIzard of Oz
The Week of October 19th we will preview the 1939 MGM product of the Wizard of Oz and explore novels as film, scenes as paragraphs, parenthetical commentary, and how the social and political climate of the time influences authors or not.
The week of Halloween we read the short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving.
4. L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Illustrations by W. W. Denslow
We begin our study of the classic American Fairy tale, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz the week of November 2nd and continue to make comparisons between the 1925 and 1938 films and L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel throughout the month of November.
