Parent Tips: Practice 4.4.1

In Practice 4.4.1, we ask kids to notice that specific words may carry just as much emotion as an exclamation mark. Kids who have completed Levels 2 and 3 will already be familiar with pathos, one of the core rhetorical tools popularized by Aristotle back in Ancient Greece. When we use pathos in our writing and speaking, we are wielding and provoking emotion in our audience to persuade them of our point. There are many ways to use pathos in writing. We can tell a moving story; use evocative words; structure our words to build momentum and energy toward a call to action; use well-placed interrupting punctuation that draws attention to something especially meaningful; and, yes, use emotional formatting.

In this practice, we want kids to notice that word choice carries emotional weight. Though kids know that calling someone a bad name almost always provokes an emotional response in the real world, most haven’t made the connection between this vivid example and the concept of words, in general, having emotional valences. In fact, the idea that words have this power can be a startling revelation. “Why did that person get so upset that I said that their face was ‘ruined’ in the fire? I obviously meant ‘burnt.’” Adults know that “ruined” carries a much stronger emotional weight than “burnt.” Kids have to learn this life lesson, on and off the page. So, Practice 4.4.1 is a Big Brain Leap.

Big Brain Leaps are rarely cut-and-dried lessons, and Practice 4.4.1 is no exception. People will have different emotional reactions to specific words, and kids in particular are in the process of learning the complicated spectrum of word valence. So, if your child struggles between highlighting none or all of the words in the exercise or giving up entirely, ask them to slow down and think about lining up all the words in the sentence from driest to most emotional, and then highlighting only the words at the far end of the emotional side of the spectrum. If your child finds this practice easy, ask them to color code the words in each sentence from least to most emotional; they might enjoy the challenge.

Note: If your child didn’t complete Levels 2 and 3 of June Writers Academy, they will benefit from watching Lesson 2.9: Opinions and/or Lesson 3.1: Audience to learn more about pathos and other core rhetorical tools.