MS. BURKE'S ELA PAGE



Text StructuresLiterary Texts Name: __________________________________________________________________________________Part 1 – Do NowDirections: We are going to review point of view before we start talking about text structure. Read the paragraphs below. Identify the points of view and then explain how you determined that answer. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Kevin and Juno were sitting on a park bench together. Neither of them was smiling. After a long period of silence, Kevin said, "This isn't going to work. I mean, you're a dog person and I'm a cat person." Juno nodded. A tear rolled down her face. Kevin went on, "If we got married and bought a house, what kind of pet would we get? Some kind of cat-dog? Somebody's going to be unhappy." Juno began sobbing and said, "Ok, let's just end it now. Have fun with your slobbery dogs." She jumped off the bench and ran into the woods.What point of view is this being told from? (Circle one.)FirstThirdHow do you know? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The dew on the grass made my running shoes damp. It didn't bother me. The sound of my feet hitting the street formed a rhythm, a steady pattern of light thumps. I timed my breathing with the rhythm. These sounds filled my head. I thought of nothing other than the next step and keeping my tempo. I soared over the sidewalks like concrete clouds.What point of view is this being told from? (Circle one.)FirstThirdHow do you know? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Look at Eleven. What point of view is this being told from? (Circle one.)FirstThirdHow do you know? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part 2 – Notes Directions: We are going to take notes about text structure. This is important in all types of texts, but we will focus on literary texts today. Text structure refers to how a text is written or organized. Think of the structure of a building. It is carefully designed and every piece is put together with a purpose in mind. The same is true of literary texts. We will focus on five different types of text structure, but there are many more. Today we will look at:SequenceAlternating Points of ViewForeshadowingParts of a WholeFlashbacksSequenceWhen someone writes a biography, or the true story of someone else’s life, they start with that person’s birth and end with that person’s death (or most recent life event). This means the biography is told in chronological order, or in the order in which the events happened. Sometimes, though, authors choose to write play with sequence. They may go back and forth between events in a random order. Sometimes, authors will even start at the end and work their way back! Usually, readers will get hints in the story. This could include dates, times, or even famous events. Authors will also expect readers to make inferences, too, using what they already know about the characters and the story. Whether a story is told in chronological order or with another type of sequence, keep in mind that the author has a reason why he or she does this. Alternating Points of ViewSometimes authors like to present information from the points of view of different characters. We call this alternating points of view. The author has decided to explain how one character feels about the story or even how events unfold from the perspective of different people in the story. Readers will get help deciding whose point of view the story is being told from. We get clues from things like pronouns (I, us, he, she, them), but usually an author will help us by including the name of the character who is telling the story at the beginning of a section or chapter. Like sequencing, authors choose to tell a story from alternating points of view. This is done with a specific purpose and usually helps the reader make predictions about the story as it unfolds. ForeshadowingJust like author’s like to give clues about sequencings and point of view, they also give hints about the plot of a story. This is called foreshadowing. As someone readers, he or she begins to collect bits of information about the characters, setting, and conflict. Readers become story detectives and good readers will make predictions as they go. One way that authors help readers to do this is by including foreshadowing. The interesting thing about foreshadowing, is we are not given any big sign that says, “Foreshadowing is happening!” These are small hints that we sometimes won’t even notice until the story is over. They make a story more interesting and (you guessed it) they are placed in a story on purpose! Parts of a WholeMany books are written, but never published. Those you do read, either in school or for pleasure, are released to the public with great care. This means that each word, sentence, paragraph, and chapter of a book is carefully chosen. We call these components (words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc.) parts of a whole (the book). Like a table cannot stand without its legs, a story cannot be told without the pieces that the author wants to include. All parts are important and included with a purpose. FlashbackSometimes a story will be told in chronological order but will have one or two scenes that go back in time. Usually a character thinks back or imagines something that that has already happened to him or her. This is called a flashback. Authors include flashbacks to tell readers more about story elements, especially a character or a conflict. Readers can learn about a character’s backstory and learn about why he or she may do something in a story. They won’t just include any information, though. Flashbacks are in stories with a purpose to provide more information about a character’s past or motivation. Part 3 – PracticeDirections: You will use your notes and your copy of Eleven to answer questions about the five types of text structure you learned about today. You are given an example from the story. You must read it and explain its importance in the last column on this page. (You can use another sheet of paper if you need more space.) Type of Text StructureExample from ElevenImportanceSequenceEleven’s events are told out of order. For example, Chapter 5 begins at “9:45 a.m.” (p. 38), while Chapter 6 begins at “8:44 a.m.” (p. 42). The author tells readers this at the start of each chapter. Why does the author, Tom Rogers, tell his story out of order? How might this be important to the story? Alternating Point of ViewEleven is told in third-person point of view. The first five chapters of Eleven, tell Alex’s story. Beginning at Chapter 6, though, there are alternating points of view as we begin learning about “the Man in the White Shirt.” The author tells the readers this at the start of each chapter. Why does the author have alternating points of view in this book? How might this be important to the story? ForeshadowingChapter 1 of Eleven begins with someone “flying a plane.” Readers later learn that the main character, Alex, is not flying a real airplane, but is playing a video game. Readers do not learn this until the beginning of Chapter 2. Why does the author include this example of foreshadowing? How might this be important to the story? Parts of a WholeEleven’s opening line reads, “All his life, A-Dawg wanted to be a hero” (p. 1). Remember, A-Dawg is Alex’s pilot name on his video game. How does this one line contribute to the rest of the story that you have read so far? FlashbackGo to page 11 of Eleven. Reread the section about Nunu’s doll, Lolly. This begins at the top of page 11 and ends on page 12 with the line “And that’s when Alex knew that Jordan McCreevey was going to make his life a living hell.” Why does the author include this flashback? How might this be important to the story? Part 4 – Exit TicketDirections: Read the question below and really give it some thought. Write down your answer in the space provided. Through chapter 5, Eleven is told from third-person point of view, but we really only know how Alex thinks and feels. This is called third-person LIMITED point of view since readers are limited to the perspective of only one character. Do you think the author should include the thoughts and feelings of more characters in this book? How might the story change if we knew more about his mother’s thoughts and feelings? His father’s thoughts and feelings? Jordan’s thoughts and feelings? ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download