No, Nah, Yep, Yes!

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No, Nah, Yep, Yes!

• A Lesson on Audience

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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.

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STEP 2 View the Literary Model

• After defining audience through a class
  discussion, show video clip from Lemony Snickets
  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

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Step 3 After Viewing

• On the board, write the following questions for
  consideration while viewing the clip
• 1. What are Count Olafs 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 doesnt come up, I guide students to the
  realization that we chose different details,
  different language, and different tones depending
  on audience.

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Mrs. Faulkners 4th Period Response to Lemony
Snicket clip
Audiences Words Tone of Voice Actions
Count Olaf to children Calls them names like monkey, just wants money mean evil Locked them in car with train coming Made them work
Count Olaf to Mr. Poe poor orphans Ill give them a good home. Tries to be nice Pretends to care Pretends to be a good guardian But talks about the inheritance
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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.

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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?

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Step 5 Feedback and Revision

• After writing the 3 letters, we talk briefly
  about the difference between informal and formal
  language.
• Formaldressed up, proper English and grammar,
  no slang, academic vocabulary
• Informalcasual, slang, abbreviations,
  nicknames, acronyms, curse words, grammar not as
  importantthink 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
  registerslike how we might treat our younger
  brothers or sisters when are parents or there and
  when theyre not, how we act around our
  boyfriends and girlfriends and how we act around
  our friends, etc.

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Chart from Mrs. Faulkners 4th Period after
letter writing activity
Parents Friends Preacher/Spiritual Advisor
Somewhat formal, somewhat informal Might mention looks Discusses family background Discusses how the person makes you better Discusses actions and grades Informal Uses slang Uses abbreviations Uses nicknames Uses cuss words Uses acronyms like BFF LYLAS, etc. Details about looks, body, making out Details differ between boys and girlsabout love, boysabout sex Formal How girl/boy actsnice she/he is Christian She/he makes me act better No mention of looks
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Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkners 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
  friendsmore 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

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Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkners 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 dont 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. Hes nice to me and I
  cant 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

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Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkners 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 dont 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 dont get mad with me.
  I hope you give me permission to go out with
  him. Please??? Please come back soon. Dont
  get mad.
• Love you so much,
• Your D.

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Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkners 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.

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Sample Letters from Mrs. Faulkners 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.
• YoursJuan
• Whats 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. Ill be seeing you soon.
• -Juan

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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.