Visiting the zoo

Program Area

This activity has been designed to be used in conjunction with the exercises on connotation in Rhyme and Reason. It best follows a study of Connotation and Mood which includes the study of the poem “Jaberwocky” by Lewis Carrol. It was written to contribute to the Grade 9 Language program.

Learning Outcomes

Teaching, learning and evaluation will focus on the student’s ability to:

• Form an association between the sounds of words and their connotations;
  
• Increase his/her vocabulary of connotative words;
  
• Write a poem using connotative words.
  

Background

“Writers of nonfiction usually make direct statements; poets usually show us pictures.” One of the effective ways of showing the reader a picture is by the use of connotative words—words which have a suggestive or associative significance. A word may suggest meaning by the sound of the word itself. Words such as “crash” or “crack” imitate the sound of something breaking or snapping. Other words, such as “peaceful” and “ease” connote a softness because they are read slowly and the letters sound soft.

Classroom Activities

1. Students are taken on a trip to a Zoo. They take with them the Activity Sheet entitled “Visiting the Zoo.” This activity requires students to:
   a) Match invented words to the appearance of animals;
   b) Invent their own words for the description of animals;
   c) Invent words for animal sounds;
   d) Match animals to sound connotations.
2. Back in the classroom, put the names of the animals as headings on the chalkboard and list the words suggested by each student to describe the animals. Discuss which words are most effective in their description.
3. Students use the words which they have learned or invented to create a poem based on the animals they saw in the zoo. Best results are obtained if a relatively short period of time is allowed for this first draft. Students should be encouraged to write freely and to perfect their work after all of their ideas are down on paper. Students should be encouraged to focus on sound, rather than rhyme and rhythm.
4. Students are asked to volunteer to read their poems to the class.
   

Timing

Students should be allowed as much time as needed to complete the activity sheet. Allow 30 min in class to list and discuss the words which students have selected for animals. Allow 20 min for students to produce a rough draft of a poem and then 15 min for reading the rough drafts. Poems may be polished and completed for homework.

Resources

Metcalfe, John and Gordon Callahan. Rhyme and Reason. Toronto: McGraw Hill, 1968.

Cross-disciplinary Links

Art—Students may illustrate their poems.

Student Activity Sheet

YKCOWREBBAJ

sevot yhtils eht dna ,gillirb sawT`
ebaw eht ni elbmig DNA eryg diD
,sevogorob eht erew ysmim llA
.ebargtuo shtar emom eht DNA

She puzzled over this for some time, but at last a bright
thought struck her. `Why, it's a Looking-glass book, of course!
And if I hold it up to a glass, the words will all go the right
way again."

This was the poem that Alice read.

JABBERWOCKY
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
`Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jujub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum gree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wook,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
`And has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Calloh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

NB. This text comes from the Project Guterberg public domain version of Lewis Carroll’s work.

This exercise is designed to improve your understanding of word sounds and their connotations and to increase your vocabulary of connotative words. Words such as “crack” or “crash” imitate the sound of something breaking. The sound of these words provides meaning in addition to the literal meanings of the words. Other words, such as “ease” and “sloth” connote slowness because they cannot be read quickly.

A. Imagine that you are a judge of words to be entered into the English dictionary. Which word of those listed best describes the appearance of the animal:

• hippopotamus: furly, minch, bricht, sloamey, lumphrus.
  
• giraffe: wilp, lork, koosie, lillip, scine.
  
• snake: noom, chipple, slumbion, tipple, slissy, poamey.
  
• polar bear: sloomp, chit, ormp, blitty, serce.
  

B. Select four animals and invent a word for each which “sounds” like the appearance of the animal.
eg. peacock—fillowy

C. Select four animals and invent a word to describe the sound that each of the animals makes.
eg. elephant—schroom

D. When you have access to a dictionary, look up the meanings of the following words and name the animal you feel is most closely associated with the word:
hiss
chortle
sloven
lithe
agile
slick
furtive
mellifluous
massive

Place a checkmark next to the words which have “sound connotation” (the sound of the word itself adds meaning beyond the dictionary meaning).

Assignment

Use any of the words which you have invented and real words in part D to create a poem about animals. Do not worry about making your poem rhyme or the rhythm used in each line. Concentrate on using connotative words as effectively as possible.