Students struggle with analyzing texts, so this lesson provides students with a way to more efficiently analyze a text for tone (diction, imagery, and details). This skill will help students more successfully analyze a variety of texts and give students a framework for understanding tone, a highly tested skill.

Tone: The speaker's or author's attitidue toward (1) the subject and (2) the audience.

Diction: The connotation (emotional feel) of the word choice.

Imagery: Vivid appeals to the various senses.

Details: Facts either chosen or omitted by the author or speaker.

DID Strategy: A strategy to analyze for tone that examines diction, imagery, and details of a text.

Students will analyze the literal, figurativve, and implied elements of a text. This awareness will be made evident by developing interpretations that interate attention to explicit and implicit elements of the text.

30 minutes.

Board of choice (whiteboard, chalkboard, interactive board, etc.)

Projector (optional)

Poetry Analysis Activity Worksheet

Tone Vocabulary List

"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa

W:	The teacher will explicitly state the instructional objective and will communicate the overall goal of this lesson within the context of the academic year. Students will be asked to access background knowledge. Teacher will work with students in pairs to achieve instructional goal.
H:	Students will be initially engaged through a reflective writing activity. The teacher will continue to hook students through use of discussion, partner work, and quick but rigorous activities.
E:	The teacher will engage students through use of think-pair-share, partner work, and whole-class discussion.
R:	Students will use active reading strategies (annotation through the DID strategy), discussion protocols (think-pair-share) and writing strategies (GIST activity, teacher modeling, guided practice) with appropriate scaffolds as they progress through this lesson.
E:	The lesson will extend into a Socratic Seminar that uses this poem, along with Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and an informational text about war memorials, as the reading material.
T:	The teacher provides guided notes throughout the assignment. Groupwork also facilitates differentiation and varying complexity of task demands.
O:	The lesson is designed to help students practice a strategy that will be used throughout the academic year. The lesson should occur toward the beginning of the year, as the complexity of tone analysis requires repeated exposure to the strategy. This lesson can easily be lengthened into a multi-day assignment.

1. Ask students to think about three emotions they have felt when facing a difficult situation. Have students list these emotions.

2. Set a two-minute timer, during which students will choose one of their listed emotions and write on it. Students also have the option of drawing, listing, jotting more about the chosen emotion, but they must work for the full two minutes.

3. Students pair up and share their two minute writing with one another. Teacher asks a few students to share with class.

4. Teacher introduces poem to the class and explains that this poem is about a person facing a difficult memory from his past. Teacher explains that we will first read the poem for understanding, then analyze the poem, specifically for tone, so we can better understand the explicit and implicit elements of the text.

5. Teacher reads poem aloud while students read along. After poem is finished, students take 30 seconds to jot down initial reactions.

6. Students partner up and re-read poem, looking for the basic "plot" of the text. Teacher asks students to complete a 20-word GIST activity to summarize the poem.

7. Two or more students share their GIST with the class. Teacher assesses for understanding of literal element of the text.

8. Teacher explains that the deeper meaning of the poem is where we will shift our focus. This will be accomplished through tone analysis. Teacher defines key vocabulary words (tone, diction, imagery, and details), and provides examples for students.

9. Teacher outlines DID strategy and goes over the steps with class. Teacher models identifying one example each of diction, imagery, and details.

10. In pairs, students identify three examples each of diction, imagery, and details.

11. Teacher, with class, synthesizes findings into a cohesive paragraph the properly cites examples of diction, imagery, and details from the text that support the overall tone.

12. As an exit pass, students write their strongest piece of textual evidence (properly cited) on an index card.

GIST: Assesses for understanding of text and ability to summarize

DID Strategy: Assessed for ability to analyze for tone

Name: __________________________

Date: _______________

Poetry Analysis Activity: “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa

Part I: Writing On Demand

Listing Space	Writing Space
1.       2.       3.

 

 

 

Part II: What’s the Gist?

In exactly 20 words, summarize the poem. Write one word on each line, and be sure to form complete sentences in this activity.

*I have given you the first two words to ensure you don’t confuse the poet for the speaker.

The		speaker

 

 

 

Part III: Tone Analysis through the DID Strategy

Key Terms/Definitions:

Tone: The speaker’s or author’s ____________________ toward (1) the subject and (2) the audience.

Diction: The connotation (_________________    ___________) of the word choice.

Imagery: Vivid appeals made to the various _________________.

Details: _____________ either chosen or omitted by the author or speaker.

Tone is best examined through the understanding of Diction, Imagery, and Details in a piece of written prose or poetry.

 

 How do you analyze for tone?

You use the DID Strategy!

1. Identify the overall GENERAL tone of the piece. Is it negative or positive?

2. Underline any examples of DICTION that support your tone.

3. Circle any examples of IMAGERY that support your tone.

 

4. Squiggle under any examples of DETAILS that support your tone.

 

5. After finding textual evidence to support your positive/negative tone, look for a more specific tone word. Use the TONE VOCABULARY LIST to choose the most specific tone word.

 

6. Synthesize your findings in approximately 3 sentences. Be sure to cite at least one example each of diction, imagery, and details that support the identified tone.

 

 

1       5         10         15         20         25         30

“Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa   My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. I said I wouldn’t, damnit: No tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. I turn this way—the stone lets me go. I turn that way—I’m inside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial again, depending on the light to make a difference. I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke. I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap’s white flash. Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall. Brushstrokes flash, a red bird’s wings cutting across my stare. The sky. A plane in the sky. A white vet’s image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I’m a window. He’s lost his right arm inside the stone. In the black mirror a woman’s trying to erase names: No, she’s brushing a boy’s hair.

 

 

	In approximately three sentences, summarize the tone of “Facing It.” Be sure to use textual evidence to support your argument.

 

Tone, Infer, Textual Evidence, Analyze

Kerri Ward

July 26, 2015