Author Paul Fleischman gives each of his novel’s narrators a particular way of putting words together and a way of choosing which words to use. As you might have learned in an earlier lesson, this approach helps create the voice of the narrator. It can make a narrator seem more real and also more interesting, which encourages readers to keep reading.

Which Seedfolk narrator did you find the most interesting so far? Whose story was most entertaining, surprising, or thought-provoking? That narrator’s voice, including his or her word choices, was probably part of what you found engaging.

Take a closer look at the words that matter most for your favorite narrator. Locate your file containing this module’s journal assignments, paste the prompt below at the end of the document, and label the entry with this lesson’s title. Then, follow the directions below.

Journal

Look through the chapter narrated by your favorite Seedfolks character so far. Make a list of words that help identify who that person is and what is important to them. For instance, you could select the words cat, herring, and paradise for Sam. For Virgil, you could list vacation, shovel, and locket. Keep looking until you have a list of at least 10 words.

When you have completed your word list, save your journal file and keep it open to use later in this lesson.