9th Grade Literature Summer Assignment 2017 Welcome to 9th Grade Literature! Students enrolled in the freshman literature course at Shiloh High School will practice the process of reading. This process begins with a focus on important patterns and vivid language found within a text. For this summer’s assignment, you will engage with a version of Lorraine Hansberry’s much celebrated play, A Raisin in the Sun. Although you will not need to draw conclusions about the play (yet), you will need to create a display that shows some of the important elements found in Act I. Carefully review the information below for details of this assignment. Directions 1. Read and/or watch a version of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. 2. Review the elements of DIDLS, which is an acronym that you will use throughout the school year to help you remember some of the basic elements for evaluating the tone of prose and poetry. Use the information on the next page to help you review DIDLS, and if you’d like, check out the review offered in these two videos: DIDLS Tone or DIDLS http://bit.ly/2pOc5t1 http://bit.ly/2qiRUYe

3. Create a display showing details that you noticed about each component of DIDLS in Act I of the play. Your display can range from a chart on printer paper to a poster. Be creative, but make note of the following important information: • •

Your display should list at least one observation and at least quote from the text to support your observation. Your display should include three images that connect with your observations.

Alignment to AKS Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as A1 inferences drawn from the text. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and A4 conative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in D34 presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Note: If you have questions or need assistance with the summer reading assignment before school begins, please email one of the 9th Grade Literature teachers listed below: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

DIDLS: A Tool for Analyzing Tone in Literature What does it mean? Diction: the connotation of the word choice

D

I

D

Tip: connotation refers to the idea or feeling that a word inspires in a reader. For example, think about the connotations of the words proud and conceited, or fat and plump. Each pair of words have similar definitions, but they make readers feel different ways. Images: vivid appeals to understanding through the senses Tip: When an author uses a vivid appeal, he or she includes details that appeal to the five senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, sound). For example, consider this line from a famous love poem: My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun. In this line, the author wants you to know that his mistress’s eyes are dull, or not bright. They do not shine like the sun. If you can picture this, then the author has appealed to your sense of sight. Details: facts that are included or implied Tip: You might be wondering if there is a difference between details and images. Guess what? There is! Details are different from images because they don’t have the same strong appeal to the senses. Language: the overall use of language

L

S

Tip: Language can be used in multiple ways. It can be formal, scientific, slang, or even specific to a specific field. For example, a student-written biology report might include formal language, but a biology textbook would probably include more jargon and scientific language. Sentence Structure: the way that structure affects the reader’s attitude

Questions to Ask Yourself What words does the author choose? Why did the author choose a particular word? What is the connotation of the word the author chose? Why didn’t the author choose a different word?

What images does the author use? What does the author focus on in a sensory way? What kinds of images does the author include? Are they vibrant? Prominent? Plain?

What details does the author include? What details does the author imply? What details does the author leave out? Are there connotations of the details that the author chooses to include?

What is the overall impression of the language the author uses? Does the language used reflect anything about the author? How would you describe the language? Is it plain? Ornate? Simple? Clear? Poetic? What are the sentences like? Are they simple? Complex? How would you describe the sentences? Are they choppy? Flowing?