Curriculum critique1

English Enhanced Scope and Sequence

Lesson Skill: Understanding connotation

Strand Reading--vocabulary SOL 6.4 7.4 8.4

Materials

• Copies of Lincoln’s “The Gettysburg Address,” available online

Lesson

1. Have students read through “The Gettysburg Address” for broad comprehension. Then, have them reread the first paragraph carefully and identify all words with positive connotations and all words with negative connotations. Have them list the words on a T chart, like this:

Negative Positive new nation dedicated equal

2. Have students continue with the remaining paragraphs. After paragraph two, their charts might include the following:

Negative Positive

battlefield new nation dedicated equal dedicated Proper

3. Be sure students include repeated uses of the same word (e.g., dedicated). After paragraph three, their charts might resemble this:

English Enhanced Scope and Sequence

Negative Positive

testing new nation battlefield dedicated

not equal struggled dedicated

Poor power proper unfinished work brave

dead consecrate (shall not)died in dedicated

vain great task honored dead nobly advanced

4. Once students have finished the re-reading and word analysis, have them identify the column of words that contains greater emotion, greater meaning, and therefore greater impact.

5. Discuss ways the use of other words (synonyms) for the words in the positive column might have affected the impact of Lincoln’s speech (e.g., leaders for fathers or goal for great task).

6. Have students write a summary of their reactions to the word choices Lincoln made for this famous speech.