Today we added depth to our imagery skills by slanting our description to match our moods.
1. Students first filled out a questionnaire about their grouping preferences. If you were gone, download it here and fill it out: Grouping Preferences.
2. Next, students underlined imagery connected to the five senses in their homework from last night. We shared a sentence of taste, touch, hear, smell, and see.
3. Then, students received W3: Slanted Imagery examples / Slanted Imagery Graphic Organizer.
4. We then discussed how we would describe our desks if A) we loved school, or B) we didn’t like school. It’s still the same desk — we’re just describing it differently. Love school? It’s cool and smooth, an almond color, with a crisp sound when you rap it. Don’t like school? It’s hard and cold, plasticy beige, with fake wood grain. Same desk — different descriptions. The description matches your feeling. That’s slanted imagery!
5. Next, we examined Thomas Cole’s “The Oxbow.” Students filled out their graphic organizer (the back of W3) based on the picture in small groups. Then, volunteers came up to elicit and write down what the class said.
6. Then, we wrote a two-minute description of the scene from either the positive or the negative point of view using as many words from that side of the chart as possible.
7. Finally, students got to choose what to do for homework. Choice 1: I don’t quite feel like I’ve mastered imagery, so I’m going to revise my imagery writing I did for today to include more slanted imagery and more action from the scene. Choice 2: I feel like I’ve really got a handle on this imagery thing, so I’m going to write another scene from my memoir using lots of slanted imagery.
HW: See #7. Due tomorrow. This should be 1-2 pages long (though you may always write more in the memoir unit!)
ALEXA GARVOILLE 