Terms and Learning. Your Turn

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1 WEEK ONE / Pages /15 WoW - Metaphor Concrete or Shape Poem The shape of the text contributes to the poem. Frequently called visual poetry. Free Verse A poem that has no regular rhyme or rhythm (meter) Metaphor and Simile Comparison of two dissimilar things. Simile uses the word like or as. The Story 1. What passion to Josh and JB share with their father? Do you have something similar in your family? If so, what is it?. 2. What does the nickname Filthy McNasty mean to Josh s dad compared to the meaning for his mother? Which interpretation does Josh prefer? 3. Use 1 piece of evidence from text to show that Michael Jordan is JB s favorite basketball player. (Remember to include the page number.)

2 1. Name two poems that are free verse. 2. Name two poems that are rhymed. 1. Copy three words from this week s reading that represent concrete poetry. 2. What do the italics represent in the poems Josh Bell and How I Got My Nickname? 3. What simile and/or metaphor does Josh use in Josh Bell to describe himself? Did you get it? Josh and JB are twins. Josh wears his hair in dreadlocks so people can tell him apart from his bet-loving twin. Can you ind the poem in which Josh reveals that he wears dreads? Write the name and page number below. Reread Basketball Rule #1 on page 20. This metaphorical comparison of basketball with family repeats throughout the novel and is an important element in the relationships that form. Make a prediction of what might happen later in the story based on this irst rule?

3 WEEK TWO / Pages WoW - foreshadow Foreshadowing a warning or indication of a future event Rhyme scheme. In a rhyming poem, you can identify the pattern, or scheme, using letters. The same letter is used for rhyming words. For example: Mary had a little lamb. (A) Its fleece was white as snow. (B) And everywhere that Mary went, (C) The lamb was sure to go (B) (Notice that the two B s show the rhyme snow and go.) Sensory Language Words that evoke the ive senses. Imagery sensory language that is visual. You see something. Often used with metaphors. (This and sensory language are often used interchangeably.) Analogy A comparison between two things, often to improve understanding of one of them. The Story 1. Create a quick comparison/contrast graphic organizer for Josh and JB. List 3 things in each box. Similarities Differences

4 2. We see our irst de inition on page 29 cross-o-ver. Why might the author be writing de inition poems about speci ic words in the story? Make an inference. 1. Choose Ode to My Hair, page 33, or The Show, page 30. Write the letters of the rhyme scheme for one of these poems. Example: the scheme for Mary Had a Little Lamb is A,B,C,B. 1. Write three examples of sensory language from the poems this week (page #, too). 2. The poem Missing, page 43, is an analogy. Which two things are being compared? 3. Find three similes and/or metaphors. Write them. Include the page #. Did you get it? 1. There is some subtle, but important foreshadowing this week. Why do you think Mom might be watching what Dad eats at the restaurant and be worried about how much salt Dad eats? What might this foreshadow? 2. What do Josh s dreadlocks symbolize?

5 WEEK THREE/ Pages WoW - idiom Narrative Poem a poem that tells a story. Alliteration repeated irst consonants in a series of words: super silly stuff Idiom A saying meant to be taken by its connotative (implied) rather than denotative (actual/dictionary) de inition. Example: It s raining cats and dogs. Onomatopoeia a word that sounds like what it describes. Example: buzz The Story 1. How are Dad and Mom different in their feelings and actions in response to Dad s hypertension? What might Dad s attitude foreshadow? 2. Josh calls JB s new girlfriend Miss Sweet Tea. How does he feel about her and her relationship with his twin? Is his nickname nice or mean? 1. The Crossover is a narrative poem (a story told through poetry). Remember the elements of iction plot, character, con lict, theme, and setting. Pick two of these elements to describe from The Crossover.

6 1. Which poem is an example of alliteration? Hint: The irst letter in the words is s. 2. In Conversation, page 91, Dad tells Josh that talking to his brother would be like pushing water uphill with a rake. What is the connotative meaning of this idiom? 3. Which word in Josh s Play-by-Play, page 67, represents onomatopoeia? Did you get it? 1. This week s reading ends with Basketball Rule #5 When you stop playing your game, you ve already lost. Who might this rule apply to in the story? Make a prediction about what the consequence of not playing your game will be? 2. Think about Josh s actions this week he covers for JB and Miss Sweet Tea, getting in to major trouble because of it, he feels ignored when he is talking to his twin, and Dad tells him nothing can be done about JB s infatuation with her. What is the con lict in this story line? Can you relate? How do you predict Josh will solve his problem in the climax of the story?

7 WEEK FOUR/ Pages WoW - symbolism Tone the author s attitude towards the story. What the author thinks/feels? Mood the emotional response created in the reader. Example: hopeful, Irony The opposite of what is expected, often with a surprising or humorous effect. Situational Events are the opposite of what was expected. Example: A pest control company is infested by roaches. Verbal When someone says the opposite of what they mean. Often sarcastic. Example: The owner of the pest control company says, Awesome! when he sees the roaches Dramatic When the reader knows something the character doesn t. Example: The roaches are a robot spies sent by a competing company. Symbolism using one thing to represent another. Example: a heart = love The Story 1. On page 98, Josh says And I understand more than she thinks I do. What does he mean by this? Make an inference: How does Josh feel about about Dad s health? 1. The author s tone changes in this section to re lect Josh s emotions and responses. Describe this new tone. What mood does it bring to the previously hopeful story? (Hint: It helps to use adjectives from the story.)

8 2. In Second Person, page 114, Josh makes a point of using the second person you instead of the irst person I. How is Josh feeling about his relationship with JB? How does the author s use of you and his deliberate naming of the poem set the mood for this poem? 1. Which of the three types of irony is represented when Josh pretends to be JB on the phone with Alexis (Miss Sweet Tea)? 2. Which adjective in JB and I, page 111, represents verbal irony? Hint: Josh is being sarcastic. 3. What does the apple symbolize in The Main Reason I Can t Sleep, page 121? Did you get it? 1. The Tipping Point is a book about how things can build up until one small moment at which point things change drastically, tipping into something new. Author Kwame Alexander likely chose to add the scene with the older man reading the book in Third Wheel ( pg. 116) as foreshadowing. What two con licts have been identi ied for Josh that are reaching a tipping point? 2. Kwame Alexander has said Game Time 6:00 PM was just a story and not intended as a comment on racial injustice, that this is simply how it is for him as an African American. Can you empathize with this idea? What sorts of assumptions do people make about you?

9 WEEK FIVE/ Pages WoW -hyperbole Hyperbole over exaggeration meant to have the connotative rather than denotative meaning. Example: I ll die if I don t get the part in the play. The Story 1. Basketball Rule #, pg. 146, is about rebounding. What is Josh trying to rebound from? 1. What are some of the hot Cheeto words from Foul, page 151, that help create the metaphor of Dad as a storm? 1. How is the poem pro-fuse-ly, pg. 154, verbal irony? 2. Why is the line, Sometimes it s the things that aren t said that kill you in Mostly Everyone, page 156, an example of hyperbole? Did you get it? 1. Why was Dear Jordan, page 159, written in two columns?

10 WEEK SIX/ Pages WoW -tone (in literature) List Poem A poem written as a list. Can be as simple as adjectives or complex as metaphors. The Story 1. Why does Josh say, And the word we never sounded sweeter on page 189? 1. Things I Learn at Dinner is a list poem. What sorts of lists poems might a poet write? Why would the poet choose those things? Did you get it? 1. Josh is no longer Filthy McNasty and Jordan is no longer JB. The two have slowly shed these nicknames over the course of the story. What does this symbolize? 2. In es.tranged, pg 187, what does Josh mean when he says I think I was estranged from myself, if that s possible.

11 WEEK SEVEN/ Pages WoW -meter (in literature) Rhythm Also called meter. The beat of a poem, similar to music. There are many different types of meter for poetry. These are based on stressed (said more forcefully/long) and unstressed (with less force/short) syllables. Groups of syllables are called feet. One common form of meter is iambic pentameter, which has ive feet, each with an unstressed and stressed syllable. In the example, a curved line is an unstressed syllable and a slash is a stressed syllable. These marks are called scansion 1. Try your hand at scansion with At Noon in the Gym with Dad. The irst few lines are done for you. People watching Players boasting Me scoring Dad snoring Crowd growing We Balling

12 Did you get it? There is a lot to talk about at the end of The Crossover. Why was Josh angry with his Dad in the hospital? Did you notice the return of the nicknames? Why did that happen? Why did Josh play in the inal game? What is the signi icance of the inal scene and the inal crossover? Great writers do more than tell great stories. They write using all the tricks of writing igurative language, elements of iction, poetry. I hope this book has given you a window into how rich and complex a great novel can be. There are more wonderful books out there waiting to be discovered. Go ind one. WEEK EIGHT The Crossover Reflection TEST Students who have completed their packets each week will do a discussion test. For those who have not. Write a short, first person review of The Crossover (no more than 3 paragraphs, but be sure they are FULL paragraphs.) Include your thoughts about the writing techniques and themes in the book. Things to Consider : How did Alexander make you care about his characters? How did techniques such as foreshadowing and igurative language improve the book? How does Alexander reach a young audience? Did the book make you any more willing to read? Why or why not? Things to add : quotes from your favorite poems, examples of the elements of iction used in the book, examples of igurative language and types of poems.

a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind it literal or visible meaning Allegory

a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind it literal or visible meaning Allegory the repetition of the same sounds- usually initial consonant sounds Alliteration an