Language and Meaning in Literature

In this unit you will learn to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. Then, you review using commas after introductory words or phrases. Finally, you will continue reading the novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

· I can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.RL.5.4

Academic Talk

Use these words and phrases to talk about the text.

figurative language

metaphor

simile

personification

mood

Figuring out the meanings of figurative language in literary texts will help you better understand and enjoy such texts.

To get started, watch the following video about figurative language.

Writers often use figurative language to help us imagine familiar things and events in new and sometimes strange ways.

· A simile uses the words like or as to compare two things that are not alike.

· A metaphor also compares unlike things, but does not use like or as.

· Personification gives human qualities to nonliving things.

Writers often use figurative language to produce a mood, or feeling.

Let’s review the meanings of the terms literal and figurative. These terms are opposites: literal means "exact" and figurative means "not literal" or "representing an idea."

EXAMPLE: "The cool breeze kissed my cheeks as I stepped outside."

Is this literal or figurative? The literal meaning doesn't make sense because a breeze doesn't have lips to kiss with, so it is figurative. But why phrase it this way? Well, a kiss is a nice thing. This language hints that the cool breeze feels nice on my face. Plus, you know what a kiss on your cheek feels like, so you can picture just how the wind feels.

Let’s Practice!

Read the poem below.

from Rain in Summer

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!

How it clatters along the roofs,
Like the tramp of hoofs
How it gushes and struggles out
From the throat of the overflowing spout!

Across the window-pane
It pours and pours;
And swift and wide,
With a muddy tide,
Like a river down the gutter roars
The rain, the welcome rain!

The sick man from his chamber looks
At the twisted brooks;
He can feel the cool
Breath of each little pool;
His fevered brain
Grows calm again,
And he breathes a blessing on the rain.

QUESTION: Consider what you’ve learned about figurative language. Use the chart below to help you think about figurative language in “Rain in Summer”.

Hover your cursor over the box to see if you correctly identified what the figurative language means.

QUESTION: Explain how the figurative language shows the change in the rain over time. Use examples to support your response. (use the chart above to help you)

Did you explain how the figurative language shows the change in the rain over time?

Did you include quotes from the text to support your inference?

Did you use introductory phrases to make your writing flow?

Independent Practice

Read the following passage “Bringing Baby Home”

CommonLit | Bringing Baby Home | Free Reading Passages and Literacy Resources

Word Study

· I can use common, grade appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.

English words come from many languages, including Greek and Latin.

A root is a word part that usually can’t stand alone as a word. Sometimes one root is added to another root to make a word. Affixes are word parts such as prefixes and suffixes that are added to roots to make words. Knowing what affixes and roots mean can help you figure out the meanings of words. As you learn Greek and Latin roots and affixes, your vocabulary will grow.

During the course of this class, you will be learning Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes- each unit a new one will be added to the chart below.

Rupt is a root that means “break/burst.” For example: erupt. Erupt means “to explode.”

Prefix	Suffix	Root	Meaning	Examples	Additional Information
semi-			half	semicircle, semicolon
super-			above/on top of/beyond	superhuman, supersonic
multi-			many/much	multicolor, multifamily
poly-			many/much	polygon, polysyllable
tele-			distant/far	television, telephone
mis-			bad or badly/wrong or wrongly	misbehave, misread, misspell
inter-			between	intercept, interview, interstate
mid-			middle	midnight, midweek
sub-			under, beneath, below/secondary	subway, subsoil, substitute
deca- deci-			ten	decathlon, decade, decimal, decimeter
milli- mille-			1,000	millennium, millimeter
kilo-			1,000	kilogram, kilowatt
centi-			100	centimeter, centipede
	-able -ible		can be done	enjoyable, sensible, likable	-able ending words have roots that can stand alone. enjoyable -ible ending words have roots that cannot stand alone. sensible
	-ian -an		one having a certain skill/relating to/belonging to	electrician, magician, American, suburban	usually a noun
	-ship		condition of/skill	championship, friendship, hardship, leadership	usually a noun
	-ist		one who does a specific action	artist, tourist	usually a noun
	-logy -ology		science of/study of	biology, geology
	-ism		act of/belief/ practice of	patriotism, idealism, absenteeism	usually a noun
	-ence -ance		act/condition of	persistence, excellence, assistance, importance	usually a noun -ence and -ance sound alike because of the schwa -ence is used somewhat more often than -ance.
	-ess		feminine	actress lioness	usually a noun
		max	great	maximum maximize
		meter metr	measure	diameter odometer metric perimeter
		photo	light	photograph telephoto photocopy
		port	to carry	portable transport
		phobia phobic phobe	irrational fear or hatred/one who fears/hates	aquaphobia claustrophobic technophobe	There are names for more than 500 phobias, most of which come from the field of medicine
		rupt	break/burst	bankrupt rupture disruptive	FYI: Erupt means to explode. (The volcano erupted.) Irrupt means to rush or burst in. (The police irrupted into the hideout.)

Language Lesson: Commas After Introductory Elements REVIEW

· I can use commas to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentences. L5.2b

· I can use commas to set off the words “yes” and “no.” L5.2c

Watch the following video about using commas to separate introductory elements.

Good writers vary the beginnings of their sentences to make their writing more interesting. When you write, use a comma (,) to set off an introductory word or phrase from the rest of the sentence.

*RULE*	*EXAMPLE*
Use a comma after introductory words such as yes and no.	Yes, Victor was looking forward to the race in Chile. No, it wouldn't be easy to run across the Atacama Desert.
Use a comma after a dependent clause that comes at the beginning of a sentence. A dependent clause can begin with a subordinating conjunction such as while or because.	While on the plane ride to Chile, Victor thought about the race. Because he had trained hard, he was in great shape.
Use a comma after a prepositional phrase that comes at the beginning of a sentence.	Under the blazing sun, more than 100 people would race for seven days.

When you read a sentence, ask if the beginning word, clause, or phrase can stand on its own. If it cannot, you should put a comma after the word, clause, or phrase.

REMEMBER: A dependent clause is a clause that cannot stand on its own and often begins with a subordinating conjunction. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and can tell how, where, when, or what kind.

HINT: Some sentences begin two preposition phrases in a row. There is usually a comma only after the second prepositional phrase.

Example: Under the shade of a tree, the runner rested.

Let’s Practice

Independent Reading

· I can read and comprehend literature independently and proficiently. RL5.10

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry: Reading Assignment - Chapter 9

Read Chapter 9

Log your reading time in the Log Entry Question.