English Signpost Notes

Name__________________________

Signpost Notes

Directions: Using the slideshow posted on Canvas, take notes about each signpost, read the signpost question, and record your thinking as the class views examples. Most importantly, answer the signpost follow-up question. You must memorize the follow-up questions!

Aha Moment: A character’s realization of something that shifts his actions or understanding of himself, others, or the world around him.

Look and listen for phrases like “Suddenly, I understood . . .”, “In an instant I knew . . .”

Tough Question: Questions a character raises that reveal his or her inner struggles.

Look and listen for phrases expressing serious doubt or confusion.

Words of the Wiser: The advice or insight a wiser character, who is usually older, offers about life to the main character.

Memory Moment: A recollection by a character that interrupts the forward progress of the story. The ongoing flow of the narrative is interrupted by a memory that comes to the character, often taking several paragraphs to recount before we are returned to events of the present moment.

Contrasts and Contradictions: A sharp contrast between what we would expect and what we observe the characters doing; behavior that contradicts previous behavior or well-established patterns. Can also apply to the setting.

Again and Again: Events, images, or particular words that recur over a portion of the novel. A word is repeated, sometimes used in an odd way, over and over in the story. An image reappears several times during the course of the book.