English Language Arts Lesson Plan Chrissy Harmon HS ELA Grade 11

1. Activator: Comics/Storyboarding —-> The
GREATNESS OF THE INDIVUDAL
STANDARDS: 11.RL.9, 11.RI.7. 11.RI.5
Objective Compare vs. Contrast Emerson & Whitman’s use of Conotation and
Annotation
TITLE: Whitman & Emerson Date: Nov 12 2015
student
engagement
Activator: Examine What You Know —->
Conotation Exercise
Read & Annotate Whitman and Emerson
Standard: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings
Fill out Worksheets in Groups on Connotation
and Annotation

2. WHAT GREATNESS DO YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU AND
HOW DOES INDIVIDUAL GREATNESS BECOME SEEN
BY OTHERS?
Activator:
THE GREATNESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL
English
11
HARMON
The greatness of the invidual is a theme in Whitman’s poems. Like all
poets, his poems reflected the times in America.
Whitman was OPTIMISTIC, and the lines of his poems
were long and rambly, full of expansive tone like
the prevailing mood he saw in his thriving country America
in the 1800’s.
He loved musical sounds and rhythms that words
can create and called his poems “songs”.
Learn More
THEME
FACT

3. Compare your responses to Emily Dickinson’s observations about
these subjects in her poems.
Mini-Lesson
Connotation/Denotation
English
11
HARMON
Your Definition
Emotions You
Connect to the Word
Person, Animal, Object, or
Situation the World Brings
to Mind
Hope
Success
Death
____________

4. Examples:
tax cut vs. tax relief
ex: anti-abortion vs. pro-life
Positive
Connotation
Denotation
Negative
Connotation
Mini Lesson: DEFINE IT
DEFINITION OF Connotation refers to the feelings and emotions that accompany a
word.
While words have literal meanings or Denotation, they also have feelings and
emotions that are associated with them.

5. Example
Denotation
Explicit Meaning
Connotation
Implicit Meaning
Groups: Write down 3 examples of your own in
groups/share
the implicit meaning behind words/dictionary meaning
ex: tax cut vs. tax relief
ex: anti-abortion vs. pro-life
English
11
HARMON

6. Wrap Up: Connect to Self
How can we take some of
Whitman and Emerson’s
ideas
and apply them to our own
lives?