Day 3 – Diction, Syntax & Film

TKAM

LG & Agenda• LG: As a litterateur, I can

identify plot, characters, and examples of diction and syntax in a nonprint text to support my comprehension of To Kill A Mockingbird.

• Agenda: • Energizer• Diction & Syntax Notes• Film• Discuss Imagery, Diction &

Syntax• Exit Slip• Book distribution

Entering the Classroom

• Take out your PreNB, a writing utensil, TKaM viewing guide and your research questions.

• Take out your outside reading book and your TKaM film viewing notes.

•Write down the independent practice.

• Please put away any electronic devices.

Good Morning!• Learning Goal: As a litterateur, I can identify plot, characters, and examples of diction & syntax in a nonprint text to support my comprehension of To Kill A Mockingbird.

•Energizer:1) In the film, what characters have we met? What

similarities are you seeing between Maple Valley & Maycomb? What exposition have we seen so far?

2) Decide which definition of imagery fits the movie. Bullet 3-4 specific details from the film to support your conclusion.

Oh yea…•Our approach to literary analysis:

•Theme + Tone = Literary Analysis

•Today = Diction and Syntax

Plot + Tone Diction + Syntax + Imagery

Diction

Narrowly defined, diction is simply the speaker or author’s word choice.

Diction is then typically divided into two components: vocabulary and syntax.

What the Smartypants means by vocabulary…

•Vocabulary, in connection to diction, means:•The degree of difficulty•The complexity of the words•How abstract the words are•The formality of the chosen words•The origin of words chosen (native/foreign, Latin/Germanic, etc)

•Some critics describe this “vocabulary” in terms of the “level” of the language used.

And how exactly is diction different than syntax?

Syntax is the arrangement – the ordering, grouping, and placement –

of words within a sentence.

•When we talk about syntax, we generally talk about two things: •How complex the sentence is •How fragmented the sentence is

Examples

“I rode across the meadow”

“Across the meadow I rode”

What have I altered?

“I rode across the sea of grass.”

“I rode across the meadow.”

Round two: What’s altered?

“I rode across the meadow.”

“Rode I across the sea of grass?”

Different Diction & Syntax = Different Types of Literature

“Rode I across the sea of grass” “I rode across the meadow.”

•This combination of unusual syntax and diction is a feature that often differentiates poetic diction from that of prose.

•When authors use such diction and syntax, that’s when a novel is referred to as “poetic.”

Partner Discussion

• Share your notes: •What new characters did we meet today? What are they like?•What did you add to your notes about the characters we met last class? •What rising action has occurred in the film so far?

•Discuss the diction and syntax the characters use in the script:•What did you hear in the film that sounds strange or different to you?•What words do they say that are different from ones we use today?

Independent Practice

• You should have been reading your new outside reading book this weekend – keep that reading up!

• Start (slowly) reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

• You’ll need to T2T TKaM, so that means…• One T2T per page• Don’t be lazy and only mark/highlight. • These are going in the grade book.