General
Who is the main character?
Gary Paulsen
What does Gary want to learn more about at the end of chapter 1?
Nature
What is and author's word choice?
The intentional words the author uses in a text to convey a particular emotion, feeling, tone, or theme.
The sun blazed mercilessly overhead, scorching the cracked earth until it seemed to groan beneath the heat. Even the trees drooped, their leaves curling in surrender to the relentless sky.
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Answer: Oppressive or harsh
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Answer: “mercilessly,” “scorching,” “groan,” “surrender,” “relentless”
What fruit was once called a “love apple”?
The tomato 🍅
Woodsong is written in this point of view.
1st Person
Gary describes this as an act of "almost unbelievable violence"
The wolves eating the deer alive.
What is an author's tone in a text?
The author's attitude towards that topic they are writing about; usually conveyed through word choice.
Grandma’s kitchen always smelled of cinnamon and warm bread. Laughter bubbled up from every corner, and even the creaky floorboards seemed to sing a welcoming tune.
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Answer: Warm or nostalgic
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Answer: “cinnamon,” “warm bread,” “laughter,” “welcoming”
What is the only mammal that can truly fly?
A bat 🦇
There is a consistent theme of Beauty versus this.
Brutality
Gary shouts this to the wolves when he sees them attack the deer.
Leave her!
Why is it important to identify the authors tone in a text?
It helps you better understand why they wrote the text, why their opinion is important, and how they want you to respond to their text.
The carnival lights winked playfully, and music spilled from every direction. Children darted between booths, their giggles mixing with the smell of cotton candy and fried dough.
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Answer: Joyful or playful
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Answer: “winked playfully,” “giggles,” “cotton candy,” “music spilled”
What is the name of the world’s largest ocean?
The Pacific Ocean 🌊
Who is the protagonist?
Gary Paulsen
Gary tells the reader that wolves don't know this.
That they are wolves.
Why is word choice important to showing the author's tone?
Word choice shows the connotation, or feeling, of specific words, and it serves as a hint to how the author feels. Especially because you can't hear the author's actual voice, so you need to look for clues in the word choice.
He trudged through the hallway, eyes fixed on the floor. Lockers slammed shut around him, and whispers followed like shadows he couldn’t shake off.
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Answer: Lonely or dejected
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Answer: “trudged,” “eyes fixed on the floor,” “whispers,” “shadows”
Which planet in our solar system has the most moons?
Saturn 🪐
Woodsong is this type of nonfiction novel.
Gary blames his ignorance of nature on these types of movies.
Disney
What is mood in a text?
The courtroom was silent as the jury filed back in. Every cough and shuffle sounded thunderous, and the defendant’s hands trembled as he gripped the edge of the table.
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Question 1: What is the tone of this example?
Answer: Tense or suspenseful
Question 2: What word choice helped you understand the tone?
Answer: “silent,” “thunderous,” “trembled”
In the board game Monopoly, what are the four railroad properties?
Reading, Pennsylvania, B&O, and Short Line 🚂