ALEX Learning Activity

This resource is the after activity for interpreting rhetorical style and meaning in literature. The resource asks the students to compose a five-paragraph written response to interpret the meaning of "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by formulating a response to the final question posed by the author in the short story. The five paragraphs will incorporate documented textual evidence from the short story to support the student's interpretation of the answer to the author's final question in the text.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

The student will compose a five-paragraph response using textual evidence of the rhetorical style from the final paragraphs of Frank R. Stockton's "The Lady, or the Tiger?" to support his or her interpretation of the answer to the final question of the text:  Which came out of the door, the lady, or the tiger?

1.  The teacher will present the students with the Interpreting Rhetorical Style Part 3 resource.

2.  The teacher will guide the students through the reading and understanding of the assignment parts.

3.  The teacher will present the students with a copy of Interpreting Rhetorical Style Part 3 Grading Rubric, making sure to point out each area of grading on the rubric.

4.  The teacher will give the students 45 minutes to complete the assignment.

5.  The students will use their notes compiled during the guided reading of the text and during the cooperative learning exercises in Parts 1 and 2 of the Interpreting Rhetorical Style in Literature activities to create their paragraphs for this activity.

6.  The teacher will circulate the room while the students are composing the five-paragraph response to make sure students are working appropriately and to answer any questions which may arise.

The teacher will assess the five-paragraph composition using the Interpreting Rhetorical Style Part 3 Grading Rubric.  

1.  Teachers should make copies of the Interpreting Rhetorical Style Part 3 resource to distribute to students. This resource can be copied for a physical handout, or it can be uploaded to Digital Learning Spaces for student access.

2.  Teachers should make copies of the Interpreting Rhetorical Style Part 3 Grading Rubric to distribute to students. This resource can be copied for a physical handout, or it can be uploaded to Digital Learning Spaces for student access.

This resource works best when paired with the Interpreting Rhetorical Style Parts 1 and 2 activities, so that the students participate in a guided reading of the short story and so that the students work in cooperative groups to evaluate the author's rhetorical style in the final paragraphs of the text.

Rhetorical Style and Meaning in Fiction: Part 1

Interpreting Rhetorical Style Part 2