UNIT: DENOTATION & CONNOTATION

LESSON PLANS: Introduction, Practice, Application, Poetry, Night, ui!

A. CDE STANDARDS: 9 & 10 Reading/Language Arts
1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development
1.1 Identify and use the literal and fiurative meanin of !ords
1." Distinuish bet!een the denotative and connotative meanins of
!ords and interpret the connotative po!er of !ords.
B. OBJECTIES
Students !ill#
Define and e$plore the concept of connotation
%$amine ho! !ord choice affects meanin
&ractice and apply the concept of connotation
LESSON PLAN: IN"ODUCTION
Denotation: the dictionary and literal meaning of a word
Connotation: the emotional / contextual / cultural meaning attached to a word; shades and
degrees of meaning
E#A$PLES:
%& 'o(e, 'ou)e, "e)idence, D*elling
Denotation: These words all mean a place in which someone lives.
Connotation:
Home: cozy loving comforta!le security images or feelings of people
you associate with it
"t could also opposite ##depending upon a person$s experiences.
%Traditionally the connotation is &cozy loving' etc. and a reader
should !e aware of this and other connotations in a reading
passage.(
House: the actual !uilding or structure
)esidence: Cold no feeling
Dwelling: primitive or !asic %picture a cave etc.(
*. +agrants people with no address homeless
+agrants: nuisance
,eople with no address: official neutral !usinessli-e
Homeless: o!.ect of pity/charity not as negative as vagrant
/. 0verweight vs. fat
1. 2o! vs. career
3. 4tudent vs. scholar
5. Doctor vs. physician
6. )ich vs. wealthy
7. "mmigrant vs. alien
8. 9lien vs. illegal
LESSON PLAN: P"ACTICE
)ead the following sentences.
Annette *a) )urpri)ed& Annette *a) a(a!ed& Annette *a) a)toni)hed&
:. ;hat is the general meaning of each of the three sentences a!out 9nnette< Do the words
&surprised' &amazed' and &astonished' have approximately the same denotation<
*. ;hat additional meanings are suggested !y &astonish<' ;ould one !e more li-ely to !e
surprised or astonished at seeing a ghost<
/. ;hich word in each pair !elow has the more favora!le connotation to you< Circle your
answer.
o Thri+ty , penny,pinching
o Pu)hy , aggre))i-e
o Politician , )tate)(an
o Che+ , coo.
o Slender , ).inny
1. The closer a word is to descri!ing what an individual !elieves a!out him/herself the more
positive the euphemism !ecomes. Thus:
" am a genius / =ou are a nerd / He is a show#off
" am a !rilliant conversationalist / =ou &tal- a lot' / 4he &never shuts up'
DENOTATION & CONNOTATION UI/

Which connotation is more positive? ;rite the answer %the word( in the >>>>>>>>>

:. 0ur trip to the amusement par- was >>>>>.
a( fine
!( wonderful

*. >>>>>>> people rode on the roller coaster.
a( ?rave
!( @oolhardy

/. ;e saw >>>>> animals in the animal house.
a( fascinating
!( weird

1. 4ome of the mon-eys made >>>>> faces.
a( hilarious
!( amusing

3. Averyone had a >>>>> on his or her face on the way home.
a( smile
!( smir-

Which connotation is more negative?

5. ;e !ought >>>>> souvenirs at the amusement par-.
a( cheap
!( inexpensive

6. " ate a >>>>> sandwich.
a( soggy
!( moist

7. Bi-e >>>>> us to go to the funny house.
a( nagged
!( reminded

8. " didnCt li-e the >>>>> on the .esterCs face.
a( smir-
!( grin

:D. "t made me feel >>>>>.
a( uneasy
!( frightened

Which is the best answer?

::. ;hich is worth more<
a( something old
!( something antiEue

:*. ;hich is !etter<
a( to !e s-inny
!( to !e slender

:/. ;hich would you rather !e called<
a( thrifty
!( cheap

:1. ;hich would a vain person !e more li-ely to do<
a( stroll
!( parade

:3. ;hich is more serious<
a( pro!lem
!( disaster

:5. ;hich is more polite<
a( sip a drin-
!( gulp it

:6. ;hich would you !e if you hadnCt eaten for several days<
a( hungry
!( starving

:7. ;hich would you !e after a wal- in the mud<
a( filthy
!( dirty
LESSON PLAN: POET"0
4ince everyone reacts emotionally to certain words writers often deli!erately select words that
they thin- will influence your reactions and appeal to your emotions. )ead the dictionary
definition %DAF0T9T"0F( !elow.
coc. roach 1.o.2 roch23, n. any of an order of nocturnal insects usually
!rown with flattened oval !odies some species of which are household
pests inha!iting -itchens areas around water pipes etc. G4panish
cucarachaH
:. ;hat does the word coc-roach mean to you<
*. "s a coc-roach merely an insect or is it also a household nuisance and a disgusting
creature<
II4ee what meanings poets ;ild and Borley find in roaches in the following poems.
Roaches
Jast night when " got up
to let the dog out " spied
a coc-roach in the !athroom
crouched flat on the cool
porcelain
delicate
antennae pro!ing the toothpaste cap
and feasting himself on a go!
of it in the !owl:
" -illed him with one unprofessional
!low
scattering arms and legs
and half his !ody in the sin-...
" would have no truc- with roaches
crouched li-e lions in the ledges of sewers
their !lac- eyes in the dar-ness
alert for tasty slime
!reeding Euic-ly and without design
la!oring up drainpipes through filth
to the light;
" read once they are among
the most antediluvian of creatures
surviving everything and in more primitive times
thrived to the size of your hand...
yet when sin-ing asleep
or craning at the stars
" can feel their light feet
pro!ing in my veins
their whis-ers ni!!ling
the insides of my toes;
and nec- arched
feel their patient scram!ling
up the dar- tu!es of my throat.
##,eter ;ild
from Nursery Rhymes for the Tender-hearted
4cuttle scuttle little roach#
How you run when " approach:
Kp a!ove the pantry shelf
Hastening to secrete yourself.
Bost adventurous of vermin
How " wish " could determine
How you spend your hours of ease
,erhaps reclining on the cheese.
Coo- has gone and all is dar-#
Then the -itchen is your par-;
"n the gar!age heap that she leaves
Do you !rowse among the tea leaves<
How delightful to suspect
9ll the places you have tre--ed:
Does your long antenna whis- its
Lentle tip across the !iscuits<
Do you linger little soul
Drowsing in our sugar !owl<
0r a!andonment most utter
4ha-e a shimmy on the !utter<
Do you chant your simple tunes
4wimming in the !a!yCs prunes<
Then when dawn comes do you slin-
Homeward to the -itchen sin-<
Timid roach why !e so shy<
;e are !rothers thou and "
"n the midnight li-e yourself
" explore the pantry shelfM
##Christopher Borley
"eread the dictionary de+inition&
/. ;hich of the denotative characteristics of a coc-roach !oth poets include in their poems<
1. ;hat characteristics does ;ild give his roaches that are not in the dictionary definition<
3. ;hat additional characteristics does Borley give to roaches<
"n each poem the insect acEuires meaning !eyond its dictionary definition. ?oth
poets lead us away from a literal view of roaches to a nonliteral one.
5. ;hich poet succeeds in giving roaches favora!le connotations<
6. ;hich poet comes closer to expressing your own feelings a!out roaches<
LESSON PLAN: P"ACTICE 4 APPLICATION
Preparation
:. During this lesson three students demonstrate the sentence "She walked into the room."
?efore you !egin the lesson prepare these students !y as-ing them to wal- into the room
in a particular manner:
o 9s- one student to wal- in Euic-ly as if she is late. 4heCs not to run !ut she
should seem rushed and hurried.
o 9s- another student to wal- in at a fairly normal speed !ut as if she is very happy
and pleased. 4he might !ounce in or float in dreamily.
o 9s- the last student to wal- in very slowly as if she really isnCt interested in the
class and has plenty of time to get into her seat.
In)truction and Acti-itie)
:. ;rite the following sentence on the !oard or overhead pro.ector N4he wal-ed into the
room.N
*. Discuss the meaning of the sentence. ;hat can we really tell a!out what the student did<
,oint out to students that the sentence is rather !land !ecause we cannot visualize
anything a!out the action.
/. 4end the three students youCve prepared into the hallway and as- them to enter one at a
time following your instructions.
1. Thin- aloud as you revise the sentenceOwrite your new version under the original as
each student enters so that you have four sentences on the !oard once all the students
have entered:
How could we replace the ver! so that we get a !etter understanding of the person
entering the room< "f " change the sentence to N4he rushed into the roomN how do the
ver!Cs connotations help to see not only what she loo-ed li-e !ut also what type of
person she is< 0r may!e " should say that N4he hurried into the roomN< "Cm not sure.
Bay!e "Cll write !oth.
0-ay here comes another student. N4he wal-ed into the roomN doesnCt really capture
what sheCs doing either. Hmm. ;hat a!out N4he !ounced into the room.N 0r instead of
.ust the ver! may!e " should add an adver! that tells the reader more: N4he !ounced
happily into the room.N 0-ay. ThatCs !etter.
Jast student. ;ow. 4heCs wal-ing very slowly. Joo-s li-e she doesnCt even want to !e
here. " wonder if " should revise the sentence to say N4he meandered into the room.N 0r
may!e add an adver! and leave the ver! alone: N4he wal-ed slowly into the room.N
3. 0nce youCve created three revised sentences as- students to thin- a!out the differences
!etween the original sentence and the new versions. ,ay particular attention to the way
connotation and word choice changed the meaning.
5. 9s- students to suggest other ver!s for the sentence and discuss the related connotations.
,ossi!le words include the following: strutted slithered pranced oozed and marched.
9s- students to consider how the ver! choice affects the mental image that we form of
this person and how effective word choice can affect writing. "f time allows students
might dramatize some of these word options as well.
6. ;hen you are confident that students are prepared to consider the word choice in their
own writing as- students to choose a paragraph in their writerCs .ournals or a paper that
they are wor-ing on to revise paying particular attention to connotation.
APPLICATION
"f students need more examples !efore revising their own writing wor- as a whole class
or in small groups to revise several paragraphs for more vivid detail. =ou can either use
the Connotation )evision handout %9TT9CHAD( or as- a student to volunteer a passage
from his or her writing for the class to consider.
7. 9s- students to rewrite the paragraph to create a vivid effect so that the reader can see
what is happening and see the setting where the action occurs.
8. Bonitor student progress to ensure that writers are comforta!le with the tas-.
:D. 0nce the mini#lesson is complete as- students to explore the pieces that they are writing
%)A40K)CA: )A9DA)$4/;)"TA)$4 F0TA?00P( for additional places where they
can add more vivid details. 4tudents may wor- during their in#class writing time or
complete the revisions as homewor-.
Connotation Revision Passage

It was a hot day. The sun was shining and the insects were humming.
He located the tracks and began to follow them.
The tracks went up a small hill. He walked up the hill, prepared to
shoot at any second. Something made a noise in the bushes and he stopped
to listen. He pointed, but did not shoot. A squirrel climbed up a tree, stopped
to look at him for a second, and then climbed out of sight.
He breathed heavily for a moment, and then looked back at the tracks,
which went into the underbrush up ahead. He walked toward the bushes and
then knelt down to see where the tracks went. He found himself looking into
the eyes of a big snake. The snake stuck out its tongue, and then crawled
away. He began to crawl through the bushes, following the tracks.
The underbrush opened out into a large clearing with a big tree in the
middle. The tracks went across the clearing. He walked across and sat under
the tree. The sun was shining and the insects were buing. The breee blew
and he felt it on his face.
He got up and followed the tracks back into the forest. He stepped over
logs, ducked under branches, and climbed over rocks. The tracks stopped at
a stream. He bent over and got a drink. Suddenly he felt a shadow over him
and looked up. The bear was standing over him. He grabbed his camera,
aimed, and shot several pictures.