1. Lesson 1 – Adv. Comp Skills
Reading for Literal Comprehension

2. Focus on Accurate Reading
Rosa Parks Passage
Straightforward style of writing
Confidence and comfort?
Very literal
Awareness of the what the authors means
Clear imagery
Historical References
Focus on Accurate Reading

3. The Brinkley reading demonstrates how specific details provide the reader with a clear sense of meaning.
Names, dates, locations, and other CONCRETE information make the short passage on Parks’s childhood seem very familiar to us.
The second paragraph that focuses on her house, is especially rich in detail.
Rosa Parks - Continued

4. Describes with commentary the writer’s earliest years.
Is Douglass more engaging?
He is writing directly, and intimately about himself
What characteristics make the piece meaningful?
Concrete – specific details
What is the general idea?
Language
Narrative of the Life…

5. Douglass Continued Effective use of narrative style – telling a story
Experiences become real for the reader because he provides names and places
Just by naming something, i.e. Lee’s Mill, he brings the place to life.
Douglass Continued

6. Make a list of as many concrete facts about your life as you can
Birthday
Place of Birth
Hometown
A place you love
A place you hate
Favorite sports team
Favorite color
Favorite car
Pet
Your parents
Your neighbors
Your best friend(s)
Details Activity

7. Now, replace every specific, concrete detail with basic information.
I was born on October 4th at Aultman Hospital, in Canton, Ohio.
I was born in the fall in Northeast Ohio.
I drive a black Jeep Liberty.
I drive an SUV.
Try this now…

8. The Impact of Author’s Choices
The Analytical essay invites you to explore the impact of the author’s choices, and discuss those with your potential audience
Diction
Syntax
Tone
Purpose
Douglass’s essay prompts you to think about the author’s purpose within the particular features of the essay
i.e. his mother’s history
You must ask yourself, “Why did the author include this information?”
Doing this will help you read with/for much deeper understanding.
The Impact of Author’s Choices

9. Looking at the Essay Prompts
The excerpt from Douglas Brinkley’s biography of Rosa Parks begins with a description of the house in which the subject was born and the religious background in which she grew up. Read the passage carefully, paying attention to the details the author chose to include in both those sections. Then write a well-organized essay in which you show how the author’s choice of details communicates his attitude toward his subject. Do not summarize the passage.
Looking at the Essay Prompts

10. Looking at the Essay Prompts
Frederick Douglass’s autobiography begins with a description of his early years as a slave. Read the passage carefully, and then write an essay in which you explain the writer’s purpose in recounting the details of his early childhood. Support your observations with details from the narrative. Do not merely summarize the passage.
Looking at the Essay Prompts