In this update students understand author’s purpose and the choices they can as writers make to position their audience and prepare them for the resolution of their narratives. Words with negative connotations are deliberately chosen by the author to prepare the reader for the conclusion and to foreshadow the coda. This Overt Instruction Update uses The Bike by Gary Soto which may be substituted by another text.

Publishing details: Soto, G. (1990). A Summer Life. New York: Laurel-Leaf Books.

It may be downloaded from Amazon as an ebook. The complete text is available on the web at sites such as ebookbrowse and many other sites.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• Tell Me a Story: A Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences or Events
  

CCSS Focus

R.7.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings.

W.7.3d: Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

W.7.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

This activity includes overt instruction about "showing rather than telling" in describing and developing characters. The students complete the example from The Ugly Duckling and then complete a chart based on their own narrative.

Students can work with a partner to discuss which response best describes the reactions of the Ugly Duckling. The discussion is important to scaffold thinking and to encourage students to find evidence in the text. Each student should complete the chart either electronically or hand written. For accountability, students may be required to submit the completed charts to the teacher through Submissions in Community. The second chart will be a useful reference as students develop their narratives in Creator.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• A Journey: A Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences or Events
  

CCSS Focus

RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g.' a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

RL.6.3: Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

W.4.3b: Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events and show the responses of characters to situations.

W.5.3b: Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.

W.6/7.3b: Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events and/or characters.

W.8.3b: Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events and/or characters.

This activity can be adapted to any text.

Purpose

'Nail that Character' is an excellent activity to develop students' vocabulary in a competitive and interesting way. It is a comprehension strategy which encourages and supports students to read and re-read the text closely by providing a clear purpose for reading. The vocabulary generated by this game, and the reasons given for their inclusion, will enable students to be very specific about how they describe characters and help them to develop an understanding of specificity.

Teaching Tips

While students are still completing their reading, break up the lessons by looking at characterisation. The 'Nail that Character' guide in MyRead provides detailed teaching tips to implement this strategy. On the navigation bar go to 'How' and scroll down. Make dictionaries and thesauruses available to students or they could use a thesaurus on a computer.

As students explore vocabulary to describe characters, encourage them to be very specific about the words they select. Finding evidence to support the words they select will enable them to justify/explain just how precise they are.

CCSS Focus

RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

L.9-10.4c: Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.

Specificity and Positioning an Audience

Purpose

In this activity the focus is on critical literacy. Its purpose is to develop an understanding in students that they can select words to position an audience to think positively or negatively about a character. This is important to making linguistic choices in their own writing. It will also scaffold descriptive writing and writing essays/expository texts dealing with characterisation.

Teaching Tips

Refer to Youtube clips in Activity 1, particularly how the participants in the Survivor and Big Brother clips introduced themselves as good or evil.

Provide some examples of synonyms for words that students selected in 'Nail That Character'. They could focus on Katniss or as an extension, they develop their own list of synonyms to describe another character.

Use the examples about Katniss to prompt students to consider how some words are more specific as well as important to position an audience to think positively or negatively about a character.

Ensure student agency by allowing students to collaborate and select the perspective - positive or negative - to write about. The reflection in the Comment is essential for metacognition.

CCSS Focus

RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

L.9-10.4c: Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.

L.9-10.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

L.9-10.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.9-10.5a: Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

L.9-10.5b: Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

L.9-10.6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

In this activity, students reflect on a short excerpt from a narrative in order to understand how they can make their writing more descriptive by asking the reader to infer characterization. Using description is also important to develop the point of view of the character.

Encourage students to add more words such as "intimidated" to their "Interesting Word FIles".

The answers are provided so that students just need to add them to the third column. This may be done individually or through discussion with a partner or in a small group. Rather then completing a chart, the students can discuss their responses with a partner.

CCSS Focus

RL.6.6: Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

RL.7.6: Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

RL.8.5: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

W.6/7.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop, experiences, events, and/or characters.

W.8.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop, experiences, events, and/or characters.

Writing narrative can help students to learn literary techniques more deeply. For instance, while students might learn the definition of a simile while reading a class-assigned novel, narrative writing presents an opportunity for students to create their own similes and to see these figures of speech as integral to the creation of meaning.

In this activity students explore figures of speech in context by annotating The Bike by Gary Soto. They may annotate a printed version of the model text, labelling, highlighting and underlining the figures of speech, and referring to their annotations in their discussions.

They also deepen their understanding of metaphors by analyzing visual metaphors, and then finding and posting links to visual metaphors they discover on the internet.

This Overt Instruction Update uses The Bike by Gary Soto which may be substituted by another text.

Publishing details: Soto, G. (1990). A Summer Life. New York: Laurel-Leaf Books.

It may be downloaded from Amazon as an ebook. The complete text is available on the web at sites such as ebookbrowse and many other sites.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• Tell Me a Story:  Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences or Events
  

CCSS Focus

W.7.3d: Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

L.7.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.7.5a: Interpret figures of speech in context.

In this activity students start brainstorming possible topics for their narratives. Students may elaborate on these when they learn about sequencing events and when they start their writing projects.

This activity also focuses on building students' confidence to post in Community and to engage in online discussion with their peers. This knowledge sharing may stimulate topics and ideas for students to add to their narratives.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• A Narrative about an Unforgettable Experience or Event
  

CCSS Focus

SL.4/5/6/7/8.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4/5/6/7/8 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.4.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow upon information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

SL.5.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.

SL.6.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

SL.7.1c: Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.

SL.8.1c: Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations and ideas.

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to understand that writers make deliberate choices in their writing to achieve specific purposes, e.g. descriptive writing. This will support students when making choices in their character descriptions in the multimedia project. The Update could serve as a model for descriptive sentences in other texts.

Teaching Tips

Noun Group Activity

In the activity on noun groups model two examples and then ask students to practice the skill of writing descriptive sentences on as many characters in the novel as possible. The simple sentence is in capital letters to show that it can exist independently of the adjectives and adjectival phrases and clauses.

Noun groups enable students to write more complex sentences as they describe people, places and things. A noun group may just involve adjectives and the noun, e.g. The tall provocative looking girl ..........

An extended noun group includes adjectival phrases and adjectival clauses.

• While adjectives precede a noun, adjectival phrases and clauses follow the noun.
• If they are removed the sentence still makes sense.
• Adjectival phrases begin with prepositions - by, with, from, to, at, up, next to etc. They answer the question of where or with what.
• Adjectival clauses begin with who (for people), which (for things), that (for people and things).
• These are used more frequently in written language than in spoken language.

The triangle activity is based on a description of cats in Derewianka, B. (2011). A New Grammar Companion for Teachers. Newtown: e:lit. p.42.

CCSS Focus

RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases (and visuals) as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices (visuals) on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

L.9-10.1: Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

L.9-10.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

L.9-10.6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

In this activity students experiment with creating lexical chains and deepening their understanding of how language choice can create mood in a text. They will generally enjoy the creative and scaffolded activity of rewriting existing sentences in a text with a more positive/negative tone. Reading the language suggestions of other students, building on their ideas, collaborating, and using a thesaurus will also expand their thinking and their vocabulary.

CCSS Focus

RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

L.9-10.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

L.9-10.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.9-10.5a: Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

L.9-10.5b: Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

L.9-10.6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

In this Overt Instruction Update students plan a narrative on paper. They can transfer these ideas to Creator, using the Structure tool to outline their work.

As they plan their narratives in this module, encourage students to refer to the Rubric in Creator as a guide. Also they can draw upon the ideas they have developed through the Community Updates such as narrative structure, and similes and metaphors.

Use peer discussion to scaffold thinking in the brainstorm.

The Brainstorming Ideas tool in the Writer’s Toolkit provides a more detailed introduction to this method of generating ideas, including ways in which students might brainstorm individually using the Creator space in Scholar, and in groups using Community.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• Tell Me a Story: A Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences or Events

CCSS Focus

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one ... ) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

In this activity, the focus is on developing students’ understanding that the pacing of an adventure story moves quickly to create tension and excitement. Using a single paragraph to study closely is useful to focus students’ attention on how to pace a narrative.

Description is included through action verbs from which the reader can infer character traits of the main character. For example, students will be able to infer character traits of the main character, Robinson Crusoe, such as he is brave, thinks quickly, has good survival skills, but is also heartless or perhaps pragmatic about the taking of human life. Using a single paragraph is useful to focus students’ attention on how to pace a narrative.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• An Adventure Story: Writing Action-Packed Narratives

CCSS Focus

W.6/7.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing and description, to develop experience, events, and/or characters.

W.8.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description and reflection to develop experience, events, and/or characters.

This Writer’s Tool is mainly informational, defining First, Second and Third Person, providing examples, and how they can be used to present a point of view or perspective. The focus is on learning about the choices a writer can make for a particular purpose or effect. Grammar, taught in context, becomes a resource to create particular effects such as adding formality and authority to students’ writing. The Comment is included to prompt students to reflect on the information when writing a particular text type.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• Me the Expert: An Informative/Explanatory Text about Something I Know Well

CCSS Focus

W.6.2.e: Establish and maintain a formal style

L.6.1a: Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective).

This activity explicitly names the structure of a narrative in order for students to learn about sequencing experiences and events in a narrative.

Students can work with a partner to discuss which quotes are most appropriate to illustrate the aspect of the narrative structure. The discussion is important to scaffold thinking and to encourage students to find evidence in the text. Each student should complete the table, either electronically or hand written. Students may refer to their completed charts and annotated texts when they write their own texts. However, for accountability, students may also be required to submit them to the teacher through Submissions in Community.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• A Journey: Writing a Narrative about a Real or Imagined Experiences or Events

CCSS Focus

W.4/5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events, using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

W.6/7/8.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events, using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well structured event sequences.

W.4/5.3a: Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

W.6.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.7/8.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.4/5/6.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

W.7/8.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from and refelcts on the narrated experiences or events.

In this update, students revise narrative structure of orientation, complication, rising action, climax, and resolution, identifying the sequence in Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse (The Project Gutenberg EBook of Aesop's Fables). There are also other online versions. Other texts that the students have read, viewed or are currently studying may also be used.

As an extension they could also consider texts that do not follow a traditional structure in order to deepen their understanding of narrative structure, and explore possibilities for their own writing. For example, a narrative might start with the resolution and go backwards.

Students could also annotate a text by labelling, highlighting and underlining aspects of the text’s structure.

A survey based on The Lion and The Mouse is also available.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• Tell Me A Story: Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences or Events
  

CCSS Focus

W.6.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.7.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.8.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introdu

Students learn about the conventional structure of a narrative and then analyze the structure of a text' to understand how authors innovate on this structure. The comment develops students' understanding further by considering the structures of other narratives, and the importance of using and innovating on this structure. Students may use the completed chart for reference as they write. Alternatively, for accountability, they may submit the charts to Submissions in Community.

CCSS Focus

RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

SL.9-10.1d: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding, and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

This survey may be used to revise or reinforce understanding of narrative structure. It will also provide the teacher with more information about students’ understanding.

Publication details: The Project Gutenberg EBook of Aesop's Fables, by Aesop.

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

This survey occurs in:

• Childhood Memories: A Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences or Events
  

CCSS Focus

W.7.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.7.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

This activity provides a mentor text and explicitly names the structure of a narrative in order for students to learn about sequencing experiences and events in a narrative. It explores this in the context of the five word narratives.

A word file is included for students to elaborate on their own five word stories. Suggestions of transition words are also included to support students to sequence their own narratives. Students may refer to their completed charts when they write their own texts. However, for accountability, students may also be required to submit them to the teacher through Submissions in Community.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• A Narrative about an Unforgettable Experience or Event
  

CCSS Focus

W.4/5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events, using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

W.6/7/8.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events, using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

W.4/5.3a: Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

W.6.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.7/8.3a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

W.4/5.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

W.6.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

W.7/8.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

This activity supports students to explore vocabulary and spelling in context, and practice their scanning reading strategy.

Ask students to set up an ‘Interesting Words’ file. This can be a digital file or a vocabulary/spelling journal that is a record of frequently used words, personally significant words, topic or domain specific words. To use this file effectively, students need modelling and overt instruction through ‘think alouds’ in which the teacher pretends to be a student as he she/he tries to work out the meaning of a word from context, looks up sources to define words, and uses spelling strategies. This overt instruction can be with a whole class or small groups, and should be limited to five to 10 minute sessions. Students may work collaboratively with their peers to discuss definitions and spelling strategies, and do partner testing of spelling words. This will enable the teacher to offer further individualized support and focused mini lessons for students who require it.

Model how to use contextual clues such as looking at words, phrases and sentences that immediately follow the word, which might provide a definition through a restatement, example, contrast, comparison, cause/effect relationship or condition. A word's position or function in a sentence can be a clue. Transition words such as similarly, on the other hand, and if can also be clues.

Model and display spelling strategies such as using spelling patterns, generalizations, sounding out, chunking, visual memory, and analogy. Use ‘think alouds’ to identify and highlight the difficult part or special feature that will help students to remember how to spell a particular word. Teach students to use a Look, Say, Cover, Visualize, Write, Check strategy in partner testing of spelling words.

Use word study to explore word origins and discover generalizations about English spelling. Word study also increases specific knowledge of words – the spelling and meaning of individual words. Focus on word origins, base words, prefixes, suffixes, morphemes and uncommon plurals.

This Overt Instruction Update occurs in:

• A Journey: Writing a Narrative about Real or Imagined Experiences of Events

CCSS Focus

L.6/7/8.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4/5/6/7/8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.4.4a: Use context (e.g., definitions, examples or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

L.5.4a: Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

L.6/7/8.4a: Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

L.4/5/6/7/8.4b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g.,telegraph, photograph, autograph (grade 4); photograph, photosynthesis (grade 5); audience, auditory, audible (grade 6); belligerent, bellicose, rebel (grade 7); and precede, recede, secede (grade 8)).

L.4/5.4c: Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of keys words and phrases.

L.6.4c: Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.

L.7/8.4c: Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.

L.6/7/8.4d: Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

L.4.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

L.5.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).

L.6/7/8.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

RL.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).

RL.5.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

RL.6/7/8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative and technical meanings (grades 6-8); analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone (grades 7 & 8), including analogies or allusions to other texts (grade 8).