No, Nah, Yep, Yes!

1. No, Nah, Yep, Yes! A Lesson on Audience

2. Step 1: Before Viewing • Ask students if they know what “audience” means. • Ask if they have ever been part of an audience. What does it mean to be in the audience. • This year, my students defined “audience” as people who watch, hear, or read something.

3. STEP 2: View the Literary Model • After defining “audience” through a class discussion, show video clip from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. • The clip I chose is at the end of the train scene when Mr. Poe takes the kids after they are almost killed. • However, this film has a multitude of scenes that show code switching, or talking and acting differently for different audiences

4. Step 3: After Viewing On the board, write the following questions for consideration while viewing the clip: 1. What are Count Olaf’s audiences? • What changes as he addresses each audience? • Once I show the clip, we discuss these questions. • I write student responses on the board and ask that they copy these down for future reference. • If it doesn’t come up, I guide students to the realization that we chose different details, different language, and different tones depending on audience.

5. Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period Response to Lemony Snicket clip

6. Step 4: Learning to Do • After the discussion, I ask students to complete an activity and share it with a partner. Students who wish to do so may share their finished products whole class. • The scenario: You have gone away to college. You have a new girlfriend/boyfriend. You are to write three letters home, discussing this new love in your life. The audiences are: your best friend, your parents, and your spiritual advisor.

7. Step 5: Feedback and Revision • Once completed, students share their letters with a partner and use the guiding questions to evaluate each letter and how it changed between audiences. • Then we read the letters to the class and guess who the audience is for each one based on clues like details and word choice. • Finally, we chart the results. How do we correspond differently on the same topic to different people?

8. Step 5: Feedback and Revision • After writing the 3 letters, we talk briefly about the difference between informal and formal language. • Formal—”dressed up,” proper English and grammar, no slang, academic vocabulary • Informal—”casual,” slang, abbreviations, nicknames, acronyms, curse words, grammar not as important—think email, IM, and chatting • I also give notes on code-switching, and we talk about the ways we ALL act differently depending on who we are around, speaking in different registers—like how we might treat our younger brothers or sisters when are parents or there and when they’re not, how we act around our boyfriends and girlfriends and how we act around our friends, etc.

9. Chart from Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period after letter writing activity

10. Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period Dear Pastor, I hope you are doing ok because I am ok. I write you this letter because I have something very important to tell you and I hope you understand me. I know you remember that boy when we went in the church last time, well, me and him we are friends—more than friends. We are feeling something else, I know you understand the word love. We love each other and we would like to talk to you in person. I hope you understand us. Jesus loves you. Love, Carolina

11. Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period Hey, watz How R U Liz I am fine I hope U R 2. I know that U taking a vacation with your family, but a lot of things R going on here I was going to weight when U coming back to tell U something very important. Liz, U don’t know how happy I am because guess what? Do U remember the boy that I like he ask me if I can be his girlfriend and my answer was yes because I like him too. I am so happy because of that. Let me tell U he is so fine big kissy lips, nice but. He’s nice to me and I can’t get enuf. I hope U are doing OK U know that I miss you, I hope you coming back soon. Take care yourself. I have a lot to tell you when I C U. C-Ya

12. Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period Hey: Dad, How R you? I hope you doing ok my lovely daddy. I miss you dad but I hope you coming back soon. I have a lot to tell you dad, but I am going to tell you something that make me happy. I hope it does you, too. Please don’t get mad. Just understand me. You know that I love you. Do you remember the boy that you met last month? I told you that I like that boy. He ask me if I can be his girlfriend. I am so happy. Please dad don’t get mad with me. I hope you give me permission to go out with him. Please??? Please come back soon. Don’t get mad. Love you so much, Your D.

13. Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period Hey Imigrante. I met the girl in my school, she got a big a** with some big boobs too. She looks so hot, too. She wants me bad and I am going to let her have me. Dear Pastor Jon, I met this one girl in my class. She wants me to go out with her. I really want to but I am a good Christian boy. I have to make sure she is a good Christian girl. Hey Dad. I met a girl in my class. She is smart and she wants me to be her friend. She is so hot too, so I think we will be friends.

14. Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkner’s 4th Period Mama, Hello, mama. How are you doing? I am writing this letter to you because I want to tell you about my girlfriend. She is a beautiful girl. She is very smart. She is tall. Ok, mama. I got to go because I got to go study with my beautiful new girl in the library. I hope very soon for you to meet my girlfriend and to accept her into the family. Yours—Juan What’s up loco, how are you? I want to tell you that I have a new girlfriend, and my girlfriend is more beautiful than yours. My girlfriend is tall and beautiful and my girlfriend have the chiches bigger than your girlfriend. I see you loco. Hey, Father. I have met a new girl. She is strong in the church and has good beliefs. She keeps me out of trouble. I’ll be seeing you soon. -Juan

15. Invitation to Write • After a thorough examination of the idea of audiences, including talking about how different magazines cater to different people, etc., and after giggles and laughs from reading the letters, students proceed to do one of two writing assignments. They write a speech to a graduating class defining success, or they write a letter to an important person—(both assignments are attached.) These assignments are self and peer evaluated to determine if the writing is appropriate for the audience. • Since this mini-lesson was done AFTER the 10th grade writing test this year, I decided to do the letter to an important person since it is more authentic. We will actually be mailing these letters upon completion.