Core Skills Analysis
English
Will met with his English teacher, read Barrett Smith’s essay “The Value of Being Confused,” and responded to questions that required him to refer to the text. This work helped him practice locating relevant details and using what he read to shape answers, while considering the essay’s ideas about confusion. He also completed a handout on denotation and connotation, learning to distinguish a word’s literal meaning from the feelings or associations it can suggest. Together, the reading and vocabulary work strengthened Will’s close-reading and word-choice analysis skills.
Tips
Tips Turn the essay’s central idea into a short discussion: Will can identify a moment when confusion might lead to a question or discovery, then support his thinking with a detail from the text. Invite him to select several words from the essay and compare their dictionary meanings with the feelings they evoke. For an experiential extension, have him interview a family member about a time a confusing challenge led to learning, then write a brief account that uses precise, thoughtfully chosen language. He could revise the account by replacing neutral words with alternatives that create different connotations and explain the effect.
Book Recommendations
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey: A practical guide for teens that encourages reflection, self-understanding, and learning from challenges.
Learning Standards
- 9.DSR.1.B: Reading and responding to an essay supported comprehension of informational text.
- 9.RI.1.A: Text-dependent responses offered practice identifying and explaining ideas developed in an informational text.
- 9.RI.1.C: The denotation-and-connotation handout connected to analyzing how word choice can affect meaning and tone.
- 9.RV.1.D: Distinguishing literal meanings from associated feelings directly aligned with analyzing the connotations of words.
Try This Next
- Create a two-column word chart: list selected essay words, then record each word’s denotation and possible connotations.
- Write three text-dependent questions about the essay and answer each with a relevant detail from the text.
- Rewrite a short passage using words with different connotations, then describe how the tone changes.