WORD CHOICE: Considering Connotations

Essential Question: What do words do?

Understanding: By offering implicit meaning, tone stimulates the audience to read a piece of
literature as serious, comical, spectacular or distressing.

Materials
- Powerpoint
- Synonyms strips
- Pos/Neg sheet
- Elastic headbands
- Descriptive word cards
- Tape
- For Rent worksheet

I. Building Background (10)

A. Class Definition
1. Students will be introduced with two slides of facts. In pairs, students will discuss
why they think these things happened.
2. Students will turn to the person next to them and share their answers, as a class
we will discuss our thoughts as we come up with a working definition for
connotation.
a) WORD
definition (denotation)
Exact meaning of word by the dictionary definition
connotation
The meaning we give a word based on human reaction,
feelings, experiences
3. Plug how considering connotations when working with word choice will help
students set a tone for their writing
a) Discuss how positive and negative connotations make the word say
more.
II. Learning Activity (30)
A. Quick think-pair-share
 1. Students will decide meanings the two synonyms on the word slides as they come
up, students must decide which is positive and which is negative.
2. As a class, discuss how we all know these things because of our experience of
seeing them used or using them ourselves.
a) As most of these will have a majority consensus, we will talk about how
society shapes words. Since we all live in the same society, we all have
similar ideas of words. That words are malleable, they evolve.
b) Explain how even though two words may have similar dictionary
definitions, they can have different meanings because of their
connotations
give example synonyms
3. guage understanding 1-5 on hands before moving on
B. Organizing Chart
1. In partners, students will be given strips of 12 words and a pos/neg chart, they
will be asked to pair them into synonyms and place them in the positive or
negative college
a) discussion after:
did any groups get different answers?
did anyone disagree with their partner about a word?
Talk about how our ideas are not always as extreme as others
based on experiences, the pos-neg is a spectrum
Draw the spectrum on the board
C. What Am I? Game - Conversation game
1. Rules and procedures:
a) Students will each have a word strapped to their forehead
b) Students cannot explicitly tell each other what is on their cards.
c) Once students guess their card, they must go up to the board and tape it
on the spectrum where they think it fits to get a new card
d) If students are struggling with their card, they may switch it out for a new
one once they have talked to at least 3 students
e) Adjustments:
words could also be listed on the board students can use them as
guidance for guessing.
III. Assessment (15 min)
A. Reviewing the spectrum
1. Students will point out words that mean the same thing to see the visual of them
being on different sides of the positive/negative spectrum
 B. Pull up a picture of an odd place to live (like the little old lady who live in a boot) and
pass out Charming Studio Apartment Ad.
1. Students will create a for-rent ad for this space using as much positive language
as they can to make it appealing
2. The spectrum of words should be left up for reference

Positive Negative

assertive cheap mushy

curious angry timid

reserved hyper sentimental

strong-willed shy pushy

scrawny inexpensive hipster

egotistical cowardlystubborn

nosey energetic thin

self-confident stylish upset

 CHARMING HOME FOR RENT
$ /month

Detailed description of the space:

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House features:

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