MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH INSTRUCTION: Unit 4, Lesson 3 1

Focus of the lesson: distinguishing fact from opinion, analyzing details for relevance and accuracy, describing how word choice and language structure convey an authors’ viewpoint

1. FACT AND OPINION

Read the information on fact and opinion that can be found at the following website:

Interpreting What You Read

ACTIVITY 4-3-1

Complete the quiz on distinguishing fact and opinion that can be found at the following website:

Tutorial: Fact and Opinion

2. ANALYZING DETAILS FOR RELEVANCE AND ACCURACY

Questions to ask when evaluating the relevance and accuracy of information are:

1. Is the information relevant—that is, directly related to the topic, the main idea being developed about the topic, and the author’s purpose?

2. Is the information current, or is there more recent information?

3. Is the information credible? Can it be verified by a trustworthy source?

4. Is the information complete, or has the author tried to influence the reader by including only those facts that support his/her position?

ACTIVITY 4-3-2

COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY ON EVALUATING DETAILS ON PP. 2-5 OF THIS LESSON.

ACTIVITY ON EVALUATING DETAILS FOR RELEVANCE AND ACCURACY

DIRECTIONS: Read the article “Eating Meat Is Bad for You.” Then answer each question that follows.



ANSWER EACH QUESTION ON THE PAGES THAT FOLLOW. SUPPORT YOUR ANSWERS WITH EXAMPLES FROM THE ARTICLE.

POSSIBLE ANSWERS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

· YES

· NO

· CANNOT BE DETERMINED

· PARTIALLY


1. Is the information relevant—that is, directly related to the topic, the main idea being developed about the topic, and the author’s purpose?

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2. Is the information current, or is there more recent information?

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3. Is the information credible? Can it be verified by a trustworthy source?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


4. Is the information complete, or has the author tried to influence

the reader by including only information that supports his/her position?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is your overall opinion of the trustworthiness of the article? Why?

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3. DESCRIBING HOW WORD CHOICE AND LANGUAGE STRUCTURES CONVEY AN AUTHOR’S VIEWPOINT

Essentially, an author’s viewpoint is revealed through the connotations of the words he/she uses.

We studied denotation and connotation in Unit 1, Lesson 4. To review:

· Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."

· Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger. For example: “Only the lowest kind of snake could do something so cruel!”

Look, for example, at the following statements describing Paris Hilton:

1. The slender heiress, clad in a form-fitting frock, began to weep when her sentence was pronounced.

2. The skeletal celebutate, dressed in a skin-tight tube, began to blubber when her sentence was pronounced.

ACTIVITY 4-3-3

COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY ON WORD CHOICE ON PAGE 7 OF THIS LESSON.

ACTIVITY ON WORD CHOICE

DIRECTIONS: Practice shifting your viewpoint so that you can describe the same object or experience both favorably and unfavorably. You can do this by first using words with a positive connotation and then switching to words with a negative connotation.

Choose two of the six topics below, and for each of the two write a short description that is favorable and a short description that is negative. (Think about the Paris Hilton examples.)

1. Describe the last vacation you took.

2. Describe a meal in a fast food restaurant.

3. Describe a TV show or movie you saw recently.

4. Describe a group of three or four teenaged girls walking through the mall.

5. Describe a neighbor’s cat or dog.

6. Describe the first car you ever owned.