“Across the Wide Dark Sea”

1. “Across the Wide Dark Sea” By Jean Van Leeuwen Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

2. Summary Slide • Connotation/Denotation • Create Mental Images • Purpose • Connotations/Denotation • Reference Sources • Characterization • Analogies • Jean Van Leeuwen • Websites Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

3. Connotation/Denotation • Denotation is the literal or dictionary meaning of a word. • Connotations suggest feelings or shades of meaning. The emotional or cultural meaning attached to a word. • Writers may use connotation to persuade and may show bias by the words they use. Good readers understand this, and can judge a writer’s intent by the choice of words. • The words home, house, residence, and dwelling all have the same denotation, but the connotation of each word is very different. • Denotation: Where a person lives at any given time. • Connotation: • Home: cozy, loving, comfortable • House: the actual building or structure • Residence: cold, no feeling • Dwelling: primitive or basic surroundings • Factual writing should generally make more use of denotation; fiction, poetry, or persuasive writing may make more use of connotation. Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

4. Creating Mental Images Creating mental images can help clarify meaning and make a selection much more enjoyable to read. When there is a lot of new information or vocabulary to absorb, visualizing the information can make it easier to remember and understand. Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

5. Purpose This is a historical fiction story. The story takes place in the past. It talks about people, places, and events that did or could have happened. Read to discover what the voyage of the Mayflower was like 400 years ago. Try to identify the real time and places versus the made-up events. Read pp. 602 – 619, “Across the Wide Dark Sea.” Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

6. Connotation/Denotation • The denotation of a word is its dictionary definition. Many words have more than one denotation; for example, horn and trip. • Knowing denotations helps readers understand the meaning of what they read. • Connotation refers to additional feelings and ideas that the word suggests. A word may have a positive or a negative connotation. • Example: The dog was thin. Replace thin with: slender, skinny, emaciated. Is the connotation positive or negative? • Authors use connotations of words to create or sharpen mental images. • Do the underlined words in the following sentences have a positive or negative connotation? Why? Replace the underline words with words that have different connotations. Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

7. Connotation/Denotation Practice • The room was cramped. • The wind howled. • I huddled against my father. • Snowflakes danced in the wind. • She was frantic as she looked for her keys. • His clothes were immaculate. Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

8. References Sources Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

9. Reference Sources Atlas, Texas • How far from Houston, Texas, is Dallas, Texas? • Who was voted baseball’s most valuable player last year? • What is the life span of a hippopotamus? • In what county is Chicago, Illinois, located? • Who are the current senators from the state of Arkansas? • How are the lenses in a microscope arranged? • How do prisms create a rainbow effect? • What states border the Atlantic Ocean? Almanac, baseball Encyclopedia; hippopotamus Atlas; Chicago/Illinois Almanac; Arkansas/Senators Encyclopedia; microscope Encyclopedia; prism Atlas; Atlantic Ocean/United States Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

10. Characterization Authors can develop characters in three ways: • By direct information from the author • Information from the character • Information from other characters Because the story is told from the narrator’s point of view, we don’t have direct information from the author. In this part of the story, the narrator describes a conversation with his father. I can tell that the father cares for his son, because he answers his question thoughtfully. The narrator describes his father as “calm and sure.” He says his father’s faith gives hi faith. This tells me that the narrator respects his father. Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

11. Characterization • Rank the characters from the most highly developed to least highly developed. BOY FATHER SAILOR WHO FELL MOTHER BROTHER Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

12. Analogies • Rigging is to sailboat as pedal is to ______. • Chilly is to warm as furl is to ____________. • Nestled is to huddled as fury is to _________. • Vast is to small as shout is to _____________. • Beams are to wood as sails are to _________. • Lurked is to hid as weep is to _________. • Settlement is to house as forest is to_______. bicycle flatten anger whisper cloth cry tree Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

13. Jean Van Leeuwen Grew up I small town, Rutherford, New Jersey “Tomboy” when outside “Bookworm” when inside Studied journalism at Syracuse University Has two children that have inspired many of her books Lives in Chappaqua, New York Teaches Writers’ Workshop for adults Volunteers in a first grade classroom Enjoys working in garden, playing tennis, and listening to music Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

14. Websites • About the Author: Jean Van Leeuwen • Skills Rocket: Text Structure: Connotation/Denotation • Test Tutor: Connotation/Denotation • Test Tutor: Locate Information: Reference Sources • Grammar Practice Park: Perfect Verb Match • Grammar Gold: The Perfect Tenses Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”

15. Credits • Harcourt Trophies – Distant Voyages, Chicago: Harcourt, 2003. • MacMillan Connections – Landscapes, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987. Created by RKL Theme 6: American Adventure “Across the Wide Dark Sea”