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Lesson 4

We will read an additional, more challenging movie review of Hidden Figures to learn more about the language of film criticism and to examine and emulate mentor sentences from the review.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I closely read and analyze a complex text?

  • Can I use a variety of strategies (e.g., context clues, word study, and vocabulary resources) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, phrases, and figurative expressions?

  • Can I analyze and emulate powerful and interesting sentences in a complex text?

Texts

Core

  • Multimedia
    • Excerpts from Hidden Figures, Theodore Melfi, Fox 2000 Pictures, 2016

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “‘Hidden Figures’ Is a Subtle and Powerful Work of Counter-History,” Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2016

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will do a close reading of a new movie review to identify its perspective and the central claims of its critical responses to the movie Hidden Figures.

With a partner, read and annotate the review "‘Hidden Figures’ Is a Subtle and Powerful Work of Counter-History" by Richard Brody, noting new or unfamiliar vocabulary words and considering the following questions:

  1. According to the review, what is the movie about?

  2. Does the author think the story the movie tells is worth telling? Does the author think the movie tells the story in a way that is compelling and successful? Why or why not?

  3. What is a central evaluative claim made by the author about the movie? In what ways do you agree or disagree with this claim?

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will reread the review of Hidden Figures and use the Vocabulary in Context Tool to determine the meaning of Unknown words.

Work with your partner to determine the meaning of the following words, which can also be found on the Vocabulary List:

  • clarion (para. 1)

  • derisive (para. 1)

  • ambient (para. 2)

  • dilapidated (para. 6)

  • bureaucracy (para. 11)

  • upbraided (para. 12)

  • meritocratic (para. 12)

  • apogee (para. 14)

  • elision(para. 14)

Some of these words’ definitions can be figured out by context clues; others cannot. Determine when you can use context and when you will need to find a vocabulary resource.

Discuss each word and the strategy you will use to determine its meaning:

  • Use context clues to determine the meaning of words that have enough context in the passage to provide the meaning.

  • Use another strategy for the words that do not have context clues.

Write down the words and their definitions in a section of your Vocabulary Journal for this article.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will analyze the structure of a sentence from the review to determine how examining the sentence deepens our understanding of the author’s critical analysis of the film.

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. As you read the texts in this unit, use your Mentor Sentence Journal to compile sentences that stand out to you. These sentences might be interesting, or they might represent a strong example of a particular language-use concept you have learned. You can use these sentences, as well as those from other units, to build a writer’s toolbox, wherein you have a number of techniques at your disposal to use when writing.

Use the Working with Mentor Sentences Tool to work through the following mentor sentence from "‘Hidden Figures’ Is a Subtle and Powerful Work of Counter-History":

The movie's emphasis on individual action and achievement in the face of vast obstacles is both beautiful and salutary, but its near-effacement of collective organization and political activity at a time when they were at their historical apogee—for that matter, its elision of politics as such—narrows the drama and, all the more grievously, the characters at its center.

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

Use your deconstruction analysis of the sentence to write your own, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentence is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentence with your peers.

Step 8

Identify another sentence from the text that you find interesting in terms of its language and sentence structure.

Copy the sentence into your Mentor Sentence Journal and explain what makes it an interesting or strong example of language use.

Activity 4: Discuss

Having examined the language and sentences of the review more closely, we will discuss its central claims and compare its perspective to those of the other reviews we have read, and to our own responses as audience members and critics of the film Hidden Figures.

In a full-class discussion, consider the following text-specific questions about the review "‘Hidden Figures’ Is a Subtle and Powerful Work of Counter-History."

  1. What is the perspective from which Richard Brody seems to be viewing the movie? How does his perspective compare to the perspectives of other critics we have read?

  2. What are some central claims about the movie that Brody makes? How might we paraphrase what he is saying?

  3. To what degree does each of us agree or disagree with Brody’s evaluation of the movie? Why?