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Lesson 4

We will interact meaningfully with the vocabulary words we wrote down for homework, learn and apply terms related to diction, complete a sentence analysis of Chapter 2, and engage in our first mentor sentence activity.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I apply correct and effective quotations to communicate ideas and achieve intended purposes?

  • Can I recognize and interpret the use of diction to deepen my understanding of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?

  • Can I explain why mentor sentences are powerful and how I might emulate them in my own writing?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, Crown Publishing Group, 2010

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss – Write

We will interact with the words we wrote down for homework in our Vocabulary Journal to cement our understanding of their meaning.

Join your small group and compare the words you wrote down in your Vocabulary Journal. Select one word from each group’s Vocabulary Journal and respond to the vocabulary exercises as directed by your teacher.

Activity 2: Discuss – Read – Write

We will familiarize ourselves with key words that relate to diction to add understanding to our study of the author’s word choice.

Step 1

Choose one of the people from the list below. Embody that character, and ask for directions to the school’s cafeteria or library, using their words and persona:

  • a parent or guardian

  • a teacher

  • a friend

  • an elected official

  • a sibling or relative

What do you notice about how each character speaks? What about the words they use in this particular situation? These choices are influenced by two aspects: the situation and the speaker. Writers make these same choices based on the subject or situation they are writing about and their own personal writing style. This choice of words is called diction.

Step 2

Access your Author CraftNote-Taking Tool and examine the terms under the section Diction and Tone. As a class, discuss any questions you have about certain terms.

Refer to your evidence you have written down on your Author CraftNote-Taking Tool.

For each piece of textual evidence,label your notes with one or more of the terms. Compare labels with your group members. Discuss any difficulty in labeling an example or any differences among the group’s labels.

Activity 3: Read – Write – Discuss

We will deepen our understanding of key terms related to diction and tone.

Step 1

In your groups, create a 4x4 chart with the following column headers:

  • Connotation

  • Dialect

  • Colloquial

  • Jargon

As a group select one quotation from the book that is an example of that type of diction and write it down on the first row or each column. On the second row, provide a one-sentence analysis that answers one of the following questions:

  1. How is this type of diction related to the speaker?

  2. How is this type of diction related to the situation?

  3. What effect does the author’s use of this type of diction have on the reader’s understanding of the text?

Step 2

Switch charts with another group. Examine the group’s quotations and analysis. Write a one-sentence analysis that answers one of the questions that the original group did not answer.

  1. How is this type of diction related to the speaker?

  2. How is this type of diction related to the situation?

  3. What effect does the author’s use of this type of diction have on the reader’s understanding of the text?

Step 3

Switch charts with a third group. Examine the group’s quotations and analysis. Write a one-sentence analysis that responds to the remaining unanswered question.

  1. How is this type of diction related to the speaker?

  2. How is this type of diction related to the situation?

  3. What effect does the author’s use of this type of diction have on the reader’s understanding of the text?

Step 4

Return the chart to the original group.

In your group, review what your peers have added to your chart. Use their ideas to make revisions to your Author CraftNote-Taking Tool.

As you continue to read the texts in this unit, pay attention to the diction that is being used. Think about the author’s intended effect with their choices.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss – Write

We will complete a close sentence analysis of chapter 2 in order to understand how a key person is represented in the text.

Step 1

In Chapter 2, you learn that the house Henrietta Lacks grew up in was called a "home-house" (p. 18). In your Learning Log, respond to the following questions about this term:

  1. What label would you use for this word from the diction terms? Why?

  2. What are the connotations of the word?

  3. What do you learn about Henrietta Lacks from this word choice?

Discuss your answers with your group and pick one idea to share with the class. During the discussion, add to or modify your answers as you deepen your understanding.

Step 2

Once you have finished your discussion, find three sentences from Chapter 2 that show how the subject, Henrietta Lacks, is presented in the text. Use the following guiding questions to focus your analysis:

  1. What do you notice about the writer’s choice of words? What stands out?

  2. What do you notice about the sentence? What stands out? What do you notice about the punctuation of the text?

  3. What do you notice about the writer’s attitude toward the subject? Toward the reader?

  4. What important details about the topics or important persons are included?

Discuss your answers with your group and pick one sentence and analysis to share with the class. During the class discussion, add and revise your notes as you deepen your understanding of Henrietta Lacks.

Activity 5: Read – Discuss – Write

We will discuss and analyze Rebecca Skloot’s sentences, analyzing the diction and sentence structure, and write sentences that mimic her structure, style, grammar, and punctuation.

Step 1

Reading like a writer involves studying how an author writes and determining why the author makes specific writing choices at the paragraph and sentence level. Understanding what those writing choices mean and deconstructing how the author made those choices can help you emulate those choices in your own writing practice and diversify your range of writing strategies.

Follow your teacher’s direction regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentences you will analyze. Use the Working with Mentor Sentences Tool to work through the following steps for each mentor sentence:

Step 2

Read the sentence aloud. Unpack any unfamiliar vocabulary using your vocabulary strategies. Then, determine what the sentence is saying, and paraphrase the sentence to convey its meaning based on your initial understanding.

Step 3

Deconstruct the whole into parts. Split the sentence up into parts as directed by your teacher; sometimes your teacher will give you the parts, and sometimes you will have to split the sentence on your own. Complete the following for each part:

  • Determine the parts of speech and function.

  • Note other observations about the part, such as examples of effective diction or changes in verb tense or point of view.

Step 4

Follow along as your teacher reviews the relevant grammatical terms and concepts of specific phrases and clauses, punctuation, syntax, mood, and tone.

Step 5

Analyze the concepts. Review, discuss, and revise your deconstruction notes. Then, respond to the following questions:

  1. Which parts make up the main clause? The main clause is the main subject and predicate that expresses the central idea of the sentence. Write down the sentence, underlining the main clause.

  2. How do the other parts of the sentence (e.g., phrases, clauses, modifiers) enhance the main clause?

  3. How could you restructure this sentence so that it relays the same message to the reader? What is the impact of the different structures on your understanding?

  4. What revisions need to be made to your initial paraphrasing now that you have increased your understanding of the sentence?

Step 6

Analyze mood, tone, and meaning. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How is this mood created?

  2. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How is that tone conveyed?

  3. What does this sentence contribute to the author’s ideas in the text? How does it expand your understanding of the text or author?

Step 7

Follow your teacher’s directions about choosing one or two mentor sentences to mimic. Use your deconstruction analysis of your chosen sentences to write your own, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentences is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentences with your peers.

Activity 6: Read – Write

For homework, we will read chapters 3–4 in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

For homework, read and annotate Chapters 3-4 in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Respond to the following text-specific questions in your Learning Log, citing evidence from the text to support your answers.

Chapter 3

  1. What do you learn about the connection between Henrietta Lacks and George Gey?

Chapter 4

  1. What more do we learn about George Gey in this chapter?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.