Goals:
Learn about figurative and descriptive language through quotes found in The Slave Dancer. Analyze professional writing and recognize how vivid descriptions change the story. Realize the importance of vivid imagery and begin to use it in the student’s own writing.
Peer review, revise, and rewrite their work, thus learning the process of proofreading.
Work with other students cooperatively and effectively to analyze the text to find descriptive and figurative language. (only if the research, book analyzing, is done in groups).
Resources:
A classroom set of The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (1970). New York, N.Y. Yearling Books. (ISBN: 0-440-22739-9) Internet access for research on Paula Fox (if desired).
Computer lab or word processor access, if desired, for typing up final drafts.
Time:
Not including the time it will take for the students to read the novel, this lesson will require approximately 3-5 hours of class time, depending on how far you chose to go with the editing and publishing stages of the character sketch.
Procedure:
1. Discuss how similes and metaphors are used in writing. During this time the students should discuss how similes make descriptions in the text more vivid and interesting. Give various examples of similes and metaphors. What would the writing be like without these? How do they change the writing? (The examples should not be from The Slave Dancer). 2. Have the students find examples of similes and metaphors that Paula Fox uses in The Slave Dancer. These selections of the text offer vivid images for the reader to imagine and picture the story.
3. Have the students list their findings on the board. (This section of the lesson can also be done in groups). Each group can be assigned to a particular chapter or section of the book looking for similes and metaphors that provide vivid images for the reader to envision the story. The group can then list their findings on the board and discuss why they chose those examples with the class. A member from each group will be designated to write their findings on the board.
EXAMPLES: Jessie describes his thirst by saying his mouth was "as dry as ashes" (p 78).
Purvis describes Jessie’s complexion by saying he is "as white as salt" (p 82)
4. Once the students have found an adequate amount of examples (10-15) of figurative language (similes and metaphors) in the novel, discuss what the story would be like without these types of vivid descriptions and images of the characters. How would the story change? Why are these descriptions so very important? Why would the author use them in the story?
5. Take out some of the descriptive words in the sentences on the board, how do they change? What is different?
6. Have the students identify additional descriptive language (not only similes and metaphors) that Fox uses to create and define the atmosphere of the novel. She uses adjectives like, murky (52), darkening (47), blurred (69), and turbulent (53). Have the students list these on the board as well. How do these types of words change the story? What kind of images do they create?
7. Have each student or group of students create a list identifying descriptive or figurative words and phrases that create an atmosphere. Compose a class list of these types of words that can be used in the writing of the students.
8. After the students have finished identifying and listing the figurative and descriptive phrases of their own and those used in the book, instruct the students to choose a particular character from the story and think of their own similes and metaphors. To begin the brain storming process, students should draw a character map of their ideas. The character’s name can go in the center and phrases and words describing the character can go around the name. Encourage the students to think of how they would describe the character to others.
9. When the students are finished mapping their ideas about the character they chose, they can begin to write a short character sketch on their character. At this point you might want to explain what a character sketch is and how it affects the way the character is portrayed in the story and may also affect how others feel about the particular character. (See following page for description sheet).
10. Have the students develop a rough draft of their character sketches.
11. When the rough drafts are completed, divide the students up into teams of four to six students. These teams will be used for a writers circle activity. Each student will share his or her work with the other members of the group. The students should read their work out loud to the group members. As each student is reading, his or her classmates will fill out a peer evaluation sheet. This sheet will serve as an assessment of the group members feedback to the teacher and will also help the student being critiqued to improve his or her writing. Compliments, suggestions, questions, problems, and additional feedback will then be given to the writers from their peers. Each group member should be required to give at least one verbal comment or suggestion to the reader about his or her sketch to begin the discussion in the group.
12. At this point, the revised character sketches should be rewritten or typed (depending on facilities) for final submission.
Assessment:
1. Each student will turn in an individual or team list prior to the making of the class list or descriptive and figurative language they found in the book that they will be able to use in future writings. ( For a successful assignment, the students must turn in their lists prior to doing the class list. These will be checked to see if they understand the concept of similes and metaphors and were able to identify them in the story.) 2. The students will each turn in the rough draft of their character sketch (which must be signed by peers to indicate it was proofread) with the final copy. (For a successful completion of this aspect of the assignment the students must have made revisions to his or her story and the story should have been proofread several times.) See writing assignment rubrics.
3. Each student will turn in a peer-evaluation sheet of the rough draft of each of their fellow group members. This sheet will contain the suggestions that were discussed during the group feedback time.
4. The final copies of the students’ character sketches must include the elements present in a character sketch (these are identified in the character sketch handout) and must also demonstrate the understanding of how to use similes and metaphors in writing by using similes and metaphors correctly in their sketches.
Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:
1. Language arts: Using information from the novel to determine the personality of a character. Inference: determining, by events in the story, what type of person a character would be. Writing skills, grammar, language development, communication and sharing ideas and opinions with other students. Editing mistakes and oral reading. 2. Social Studies: History of the Slave trade.
3. Science: Wind: Weather, navigation.