How to Teach an Author's Style to Middle Schoolers
Different from junior high schools which cater to grades 7 through 9, middle schools are comprised of classrooms filled with 6th through 8th graders. Middle schools are situated between elementary and high school grades, and the student body consists of young adolescents. One of the core classes in the secondary school curriculum of which middle schools subscribe to is language arts. In this course, students are taught how to develop their sense of author's writing style.
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Things You'll Need
- Stylistic device lessons
- Various genres of writing
- Literature from different authors
Instructions
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Help students understand stylistic devices. When students are attempting to achieve a certain writing style, different devices make it possible to convey moods, images and meaning. Knowing how to properly use and identify one of the many different stylistic devices available to them in their own writing when educating middle school-aged students in how to develop various writing styles, it is essential that they.
Stylistic devices include literary elements, such as simile, metaphor and personification. Although stylistic devices like onomatopoeia, irony, sarcasm and alliteration are also taught in high school, middle school students benefit from adding these elements into their writing.
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Explore writing styles of different poets and authors. The literary world is filled with writers who have accomplished many feats in writing. Even if a teacher has a middle school language arts class of students who are writing neophytes, recognizing the stylistic devices used by different authors is a plausible lesson for any class.
For instance, during the Halloween season, the works of Edgar Alan Poe comprise some of the most widely used poems and stories read by middle school students. Once the students have completed reading Poe is a perfect time to infuse the lesson with their own attempts in achieving his writing style through the usage of alliteration, imagery and onomatopoeia.
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Focus on specific genres. Different genres of writing require the usage of different literary and stylistic devices. One example is the short story genre, which allows students to comprise a piece of writing that is filled to capacity with as many devices their story will allow. The poetry genre also makes room for a multitude of devices that can be used in one poem as short as one stanza. No matter what genre middle school students are being taught, learning author's style is another educational opportunity.
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References
Resources
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