Introduce your language arts class to connotation, denotation, and diction. Middle schoolers identify and differentiate between the connotative and denotative  meanings of words by analyzing the fictitious sports team names. Learners discuss team names and the mental images they convey. They create logos to illustrate the connotations of team names. Look for the rest of the three-instructional activity unit "Three Lessons for Effective Word Choice," of which this resource is a part.