Fighting Words
In social studies, more than any other subject area, students have to become attuned to the connotations as well as the denotations of words. In describing various events, the point of view of the writer colors the reporting and interpretation of these events, and this point of view is usually evidenced by the words used. To help students become sensitive to word choice and to review important vocabulary, give students lists of words/terms and have them indicate with a plus, check, or minus sign whether they think the word generally has positive, neutral, or negative connotations, respectively. After students complete this activity separately, have them get together with peers and discuss their decisions. This is an activity in which you want them to use the evaluate thinking process. Don’t expect everyone to agree, because their point of view will affect their decisions. But, considering the different connotations of common social studies terms will help them be more critical readers and better understand and retain the word meanings. Here are some starter words/terms. Pick similar words from your units.
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liberal hawk reactionary |
conservative dove pro-choice revolutionary hillbilly candidate |
Stars and Stripes AFL-CIO pro-life capitalist feminist third world |
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