9.12 - Tone and Diction in Night

We started today's class with another round of the tone and diction game "Creeper or Keeper."

Before playing the game today, we also discussed how the term "mood" may be helpful in discussing these songs.

Mood - How the tone (the speaker's attitude) makes the reader feel about the action in the story.

We then listened to Bjork's cover of the Frank Sinatra song "Like Someone in Love."  (Video below)

Everyone then had a chance to respond to the following "Creeper or Keeper" game question in their writing journal:

Based on the speaker’s use of tone and diction do you feel he is a creeper or a keeper?

Explain your response by referring to and quoting specific parts of the song.

We then discussed and annotated the song as a class. Our results were:

(click to enlarge)

With a result of 12-1 the class decided that the speaker of the song was a keeper.

We then returned to looking at the Elie Wiesel quotes students posted on the wall last class. In looking at these quotes, students place a sticky note on a quote indicating what they thought the tone of the passage was. 

Then, each person chose a quote that they felt was really powerful (it could be the one they contributed or another quote) and responded to the following prompt in their writer's journal:

Analyze Wiesel’s tone and diction in this passage.

Talk about how they relate to his purpose in writing this book (see the writing in your writing journal from Tuesday about purpose).

Evaluate how succesful he is (does he achieve his purpose)?

Everyone had the rest of the period to respond to this prompt.

Responses should be about half a page and should include discussion of tone and diction (just like we've been doing in "Creeper or Keeper").

Homework:

Finish responding to the prompt about tone and purpose in Night for homework.

Continue to read in Night according to the class reading schedule.

When you come across a new fact / piece of information / perspective, summarize it on a sticky note and put the note in your book.