Ethereal Issues
How do the things that are important to us
create the person we are and influence the
person we will become?
Classroom
• Seniors
• English 12 or Contemporary issues portion of
Bible Lit. and Contemporary issues course
• Can be adapted to work with World Literature
Standards
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Reading Comprehension 2.2: Analyze the way in which clarity of meaning is affected by the
patterns of organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of the main ideas, syntax, and
word choice in the text.
Writing 1.2: Use point of view, characterization, style, and related elements for specific
rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
Writing 1.5: Use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.
Writing 1.7: Use systematic strategies to organize and record information.
Writing Applications 2.3a: Explore the significance of personal experiences, events,
conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies.
Literary Response and Analysis 3.2: Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a
selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim.
Literary Response and Analysis 3.3: Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the
author’s style, and the “sound” of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes
or both.
Learning Outcomes
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Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to analyze the way in which importance is established by the patterns of
organization, repetition of main ideas, and word choice in various texts (See Grades 11&12 Reading
2.2).
2. Students will be able to use point of view, characterization, and style for specific rhetorical and
aesthetic purposes in order to display their exploration of personal goals (See Grades 11&12
Writing 1.2).
3. Students will be able to use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways through the use of a series
of short pieces which, when placed together, will explore a single unifying idea (See Grades 11&12
Writing 1.5)
4. Students will be able to use systematic strategies in order to analyze a piece of writing in relation
to an alternative text [Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs] (See Grades 11&12 Writing 1.7).
5. Students will be able to write reflective compositions, which explore the significance of personal
experiences, events, conditions, and concerns in order to create a diagnostic and personal
trajectory for their own person (See Grades 11&12 Writing Applications 2.3a).
6. Students will be able to analyze the ways in which the theme or meaning of a selection
represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support their interpretation (See
Grades 11&12 Literary Response and Analysis 3.2)
7. Students will be able to analyze the ways in which tone, mood, and the “sound” of language
achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes and apply these strategies in their own writing
(See Grades 11&12 Literary Response and Analysis 3.3).
Texts
Primary Text: The Stranger by Albert Camus
Summary: A young man buries his mother,
shuns a female lover, defends his mistressbeating friend, and kills a man without
experiencing any of the expected internal
conflicts. One might consider him a genuine
sociopath yet something about his outlook
on life gives the reader pause in passing
judgment.
Also Works With: Hamlet, Macbeth, or King
Lear by William Shakespeare
1984 by George Orwell
Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt
Supplemental Texts
The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall
The spoiled nephew of an oil tycoon must
complete extraordinary tasks, which build
upon his character in order to receive his
inheritance.
Note: This text is a very easy read. It is not to
be used for analytical value but rather as a
starting point for a few of the activities and
as an aid in getting the students thinking
about life questions.
Supplemental Texts
Supplemental Texts
• “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut: In a world where
compulsory equality of intelligence is enforced, a couple sits and
watches TV. They watch the world’s smartest and thus most
dangerous man gunned down without even realizing he is their son.
• “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff: A seasoned book critic
mouths off to a cliché bank robber. He is subsequently shot in the
head. The bullet travels through his brain forcing synapses to fire.
He flashes back to an afternoon on a baseball field in his youth,
where the simple misuse of words actually gave him joy.
• “War is Kind” by Stephen Crane: A cleverly crafted poem that
explores a side of war that most choose not to talk about.
• “A Theory of Human Motivation” (excerpts) by A.H. Maslow: An
article, which explores a hierarchy of human needs and the
motivations that drive them.
Prompt
“Manual of Me”
You Trajectory Piece
Personal Motto Piece
Golden List Piece
Family Motto Piece
Assembly Instructions
Song of Significance Piece
Personal Scenarios Piece
Heirloom Piece
Role Model Collage Piece
Last Day Itinerary Piece
Activities
• Maslow’s Hierarchy Write-ups: During one of the first lessons of the unit
we read excerpts from “A Theory of Human Motivation” During this lesson
students create their own graphic organizer of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs. They are then assigned 5 Write-ups. These are 1 page reflections
which analyze any text we read (besides the primary text) through the lens
of Maslow’s theories of human motivation. These write-ups can focus on
either characters within the texts or on the authors of the texts. The texts
are arranged in such a way that doing these write-ups gets harder as the
unit progresses. There are a total of 8 opportunities for these write-ups so
students benefit from getting them done early.
• Quickwrites: Every lesson for the first three and a half weeks has a
quickwrite. These quickwrites are all intended to either help the students
reflect on the primary text or consider another aspect of the essential
question. Some are also designed to help them with creating their
“Manual of Me” project.
Lessons
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Mood Separation Word Hunt Lesson The class will be split up into four
large groups. One portion of each group will be given the task of creating a
timeline for the chapter which shows the major events. They will put each
of these on the board. Other members of the group will be given sections
of each chapter in which they will find every adjective, every noun, and
possibly every verb. These will eventually be counted and placed on the
board with the corresponding timeline. The purpose of this is to give the
students a visual representation of a specific craft choice made by the
author. Discussion or writing follows.
• Gift Day: Students will start with a quickwrite which provides a transition
from their reading to the supplemental material. We will discuss the
events of the text and Meursault’s reactions to them briefly. We will then
move on to read two excerpts from Jim Stovall’s The Ultimate Gift. The
character in this novel is going through a few trials of his own, and the
students will mimic these trials first, by creating a “golden list” of ten
things they are thankful for, and second, by creating a “last day itinerary.”
Lessons
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Learning the ABCs to Making Meaning: The session will begin with
a quickwrite that is designed to get the students thinking about
family. The students will then be given the essay “Son of Mr. Green
Jeans.” Each group will be assigned a section of the essay. For this
section each group will write a “talks about” phrase of 5 words or
less, and a “says about it” phrase of a sentence. These phrases will
be shared with the class. The class will discuss common themes,
subjects, and ideas. The teacher will take notes for them on the
board. They will use these observations to come to some
conclusion about what the author is trying to say with the essay.
The teacher will help the class generate family-based themes and
topics on the board. They will then be given the task of creating
their own alphabetical list about family, which explores some bigger
message.
• This essay is available on the internet