February 17, 2010

Brainteaser

insult + injury

What phrase do these words and symbols represent?

Housekeeping

• Hand in your prewriting/outline for the topic “My proudest accomplishment.”

• Website – your accounts have been created and you should have received an e-mail telling you how to access the webpage.

“Traffic? What Traffic?” - Vocabulary

• hustles (v. to hustle)– hurries

• core (n.)– centre

• outlying (adj.)– far from the centre

• cataclysmic (adj.)– really destructive; disastrous

• exhortation (n.)– advice or strong encouragement(v. to exhort – to give advice)

“Traffic? What Traffic?” - Idioms

• “It all boils down to this” – it all leads to this; it all comes to this point

• VANOC – Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee.

“Traffic? What Traffic?”

Comprehension QuestionsPlease answer these questions in complete sentences.

Topic vs. Message

Topic =

• general subject

• can usually be expressed in a word or phrase

Ex: commuting during the Olympics

Message =

• theme or point of view

• what the author believes about that topic

A: It might be easier to take the bus than drive during the Olympics

Answering Literature Questions

Purpose • to show the teacher you have understood and

thought about what you’ve read. So• Your answer should be clear and contain

enough detail that someone who is not familiar with the story could understand your points.

How to Answer Literature Questions

1. Begin your answer with a complete sentence that clearly reflects or restates the question and your overall answer.

Q: What is the overall topic of this article?

A: The overall topic of this article is commuting in Vancouver during the Olympics.

How to Answer Literature Questions

2. The first time you refer to the story or article, the characters, or the writer, you should use the title or their name . After that you can use “the story,” “the author,” “he,” “she,” etcetera.

Q: What are the reasons the author (Patrick Brethour) gives for driving?

A: Breathour gives several reasons that he likes to drive. First, he states. . . .

How to Answer Literature Questions

3. You should answer the question using your own words, paraphrasing the events and details of the story.

NOT: He states that the train schedule doesn’t mesh with his work schedule.

BUT: He states that the West Coast Express schedule doesn’t match his schedule.

Copying the words from an article or story without using quotes or giving credit is considered plagiarism and is a serious cheating offence.

How to Answer Literature Questions

4. You should write in the present tense, as if the story is still going on, or the writer is still writing it.

Ex: The author says that . . .

Ex: Breathor states . . .

How to Answer Literature Questions5. Support your answer with specific details from the

article or story.

Ex: Breathour gives several reasons that he likes to drive. First, he states that the transit schedule doesn’t “mesh” with his. He also feels he needs the vehicle to run errands during the day. Overall he feels driving is “easier, more convenient and cheaper.”

Once again, these details should be in your own words. If you want to use some exact words from the story to support your answer, these must be in “quotation marks” to show they are the author’s words.

break

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

The most general way to categorize literature is as either fiction or non-fiction.

• Fiction is made-up stories. It includes short stories, novels, and plays.

• Non-fiction is writing based on facts, but can include some opinion. It includes, news articles, essays, biographies, etc.

The Main Idea

Writers of both fiction and non-fiction, especially shorter works, are trying to communicate one main idea to their audience

• In fiction, we call this the “theme”

• In non-fiction, we call this the “thesis”

• Sometimes the main idea is stated directly

• Other times the reader must “infer” it

The Main Idea (Cont’d.)

• “Clues” that will help you find the thesis are– the title– the organization– transition words– examples

Dealing with Unfamiliar Words

All readers come across unfamiliar words when they read

• On first reading, if you understand the “gist” of what is being said, then try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context (the words around them).

• On second reading, highlight important points, make notes, and look up unfamiliar words

Unfamiliar Words - Examples

• As we passed the rotting garbage, we tried covering our noses to keep out the vile stench.– Vile (adj.) = terrible, really bad (evil)– Stench (n.)= bad smell

• When his father asked, “And where do you think you’re going?” the teenager looked back at him sullenly.

• Sullen (adj.)= resentful, unsociable, sulky• Sullenly (adv.)

Practice

Use context and word form to help figure out the meaning of the underlined word.

1. It was serendipity (n.) that I came across that article. I wasn’t even thinking of my research project when I found it, but it has just what I need.

• good luck (chance), good fortune, lucky, • serendipitous (adj.) - fortunate

Unfamiliar Words (Cont’d.)

• You can also figure out meaning by looking “inside” the word

• Look for familiar prefixes, suffixes, and roots– Prefix: a word part (affix) added to the beginning

of a root word to create a new meaning– Suffix: an affix added to the end of a root word to

create a new meaning– Root: the basic form of the word

Unfamiliar Words - Example

• indeterminate (adj.)– in = prefix that makes the root negative– determine = root that means “to find facts about

something”• So, “indeterminate” probably means • “impossible to know or find out”• The store is closed for an indeterminate period.• Haitians have an indeterminate future.

Unfamiliar Words - Example

• Naysayer (n.)– nay = prefix, negative, usually means “no”– Say = root, means to speak something– er = suffix, shows someone who does something

• So, a “naysayer” is a person who . . . • . . . says no to something; in other words, he

or she speaks against something

“All Grown Up and Still in Tow”

• This is a non-fiction article.

• Any questions about the words in the title?

• What does the title suggest the article might be about?

All Grown Up and Still in Tow

• On your own paper, without the use of a dictionary, do the brief vocabulary quiz.

• Refer back to the article to help you understand the meaning of the word.

• Put your name on the paper.

All Grown Up and Still in Tow

1. cringe

c) move away in fear or embarrassment

2. euphemism

b) more polite way of saying something

3. catapult

a) throw suddenly

4. inevitable

a) unavoidable

5. morsel

b) small piece

All Grown Up and Still in Tow

6. painstakingly

d) taking care to do things right.

7. infuriated

b) very angry

8. enlightened

d) having achieved understanding

9. navigate

d) direct or find the way to something

10. peril

d) danger

All Grown Up and Still in Tow 11. indifferent

b) not caring about something

12. choreograph

b) determine movements, how something is done

13. triumph

a) win, defeat someone or thing

14. anomaly

c) unusual occurrence

15. negotiate

c) try to reach agreement

All Grown Up and Still in Tow

• Add up the correct answers to get your total out of 15.

• Take a look at your mark. Congratulate yourself for all the words you were able to understand without looking at a dictionary!

All Grown Up and Still in Tow

• So, when reading stories try to guess the meaning from the context. Only look up unfamiliar words on your second reading or when you are answering questions.

• On the other hand, always look up words in directions and questions . Be sure you understand what the question is asking before you attempt to answer it!

Homework

• Do the following comprehension questions on p. 264.

• 1, 2, 3, 6, 7.• Review the slides about “Answering Literature

Questions” before you write your answers.• Due Monday• 10 marks