January 2017 Mrs. Platzman’s Newsletter Grade 2 Your second graders have been very busy “filling my bucket” as we have been reading together this past month. We had the opportunity to explore the literary device of alliteration together. This is the repetition of the same letter (or sound) at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. We listened for examples of this in poems by Shel Silversein (always a crowd favorite). We learned that alliteration can sound like “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” but that it can also be used more subtly than that. Since the season warrants it, we decided to do a “sense map” of the wintertime. Jotting down ideas about what winter sounds like, looks like, feels like, we then turned these observations into alliterative forms, to then be used in a “Winter Poem.” On the horizon: We are starting to read a book entitled Apples to Oregon which is billed as a “nearly tall tale.” To put this is context we need to understand what a “tall tale” is. Based on a short introductory reading of “Paul Bunyan” we determined that some of the characteristics of this type of story is a style of writing which includes exaggeration and humor. Reasons to Use Alliteration To Create Mood: The repetition of “b”, “j” and “ch” sounds create a discordant effect. The use of the letter h, on the other hand, can create a soothing effect. To Help You Remember: Some common slogans and sayings use alliteration to help them stick in our memory. Also, some companies use this device so that we remember the names of their businesses: Dunkin’ Donuts, Burt’s Bees. To Make Us Laugh: Nursery Rhymes and tongue twisters make ample use of alliteration to signal to us that what we are about to read is meant to be silly or funny. Cartoon characters often use names like “Mickey Mouse” or “SpongeBob SquarePants” for this same reason. You can reach me at any time at [email protected]