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Coming of Age
Ryan Schuster
A unit plan based on the different rituals of transitioning into adulthood
12th Grade English
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Table of Contents
Rationale…………………………………………………………...……3
Assessment/Rubrics………………………………………………….….5
Lesson Overview……………………………………………………….7
Lesson 1……………………………………………………………........8
Lesson 2………………………………………………………………..12
Lesson 3………………………………………………………………..18
Lesson 4……………………………………………………………......20
Lesson 5……………………………………………………………......22
Lesson 6……………………………………………………………......24
Lesson 7……………………………………………………………......26
Lesson 8……………………………………………………………......28
Lesson 9……………………………………………………………......31
Lesson 10……………………………………………………………....34
Works Cited………………………………………………………….39
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Rationale
When does someone make the transition between being a child and being an adult? Most
people would answer that the transition happens some time during the adolescent years of an
individual’s life, most notably “the teen age years.” Typically the event known as “Coming of
age” can be identified by a series of social rituals or events that an individual must go through
before being recognized as a true adult. There is a wide array of literary genres that involve a
“Coming of Age” event; but there is one genre of literature that is entirely devoted to celebrating
instances of “Coming of Age” and that is Young Adult Literature. One of the traits of Young
Adult Literature is that the main character(s) of the story have not yet reached adulthood.
Because of this many high school students are attracted to these texts because it depicts a
character that they can relate to. Young Adult Literature is a fairly new genre in comparison to
other texts. The book that gave birth to the Young Adult genre is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
The main character of this story is “Ponyboy” who is 14 years old and goes through a series of
events that most adolescents can’t help but read on in awe. The second text I intend to use is To
Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee where the main character, Scout, begins the novel at age 6.
Although she is young, Scout gives readers a glimpse of what it was like to live during the Great
Depression and how the rituals that denote maturity have evolved since then. The last text I
intend to use is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky which is a contemporary
work when compared to the others. This text serves the purpose of identifying the rituals we
have today that mark the entrance into adulthood.
What I am looking for my students to ponder when reading these texts are questions such
as “What does it truly mean to come of age?” “Can I relate to the characters in these stories?”
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“What qualities about these characters change when they make the transition from childhood to
adulthood?” “How have the coming of age rituals evolved from years ago?” and the big question
to ponder is “What are some coming of age rituals of my generation?” My aim is that this unit
plan will not only help my students fall in love with literature again but also to give them a set of
positive role models to look up to in these texts.
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Due Date: November 18th, 2011
Over the past few weeks we discussed what the coming of age experience is like and how
it changes over the generations. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Outsiders reflect the coming of
age rituals of the 1930s and the 1960s and have since then inspired other authors to write a more
contemporary version of the literary genre. In the form of a five paragraph essay, compare the
coming of age experience to either To Kill A Mockingbird or The Outsiders with a novel of your
choosing. The novel of your choosing must contain a main character under the age of 18 and
must have been written within the past 25 years. Your paper must be at least 4 pages long and
include at least 4 sources. Each source must be cited at least once according to MLA format.
Some suggestions for this assignment are:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chobsky
Walk Two Moons – Sharon Creech
The Hunger Games series – Suzanne Collins
Shade’s Children – Garth Nix
Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling
The curious incident of the dog in the night – Mark Haddon
Looking for Alaska – John Green
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
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Grading Rubric
"A" Quality
Work
Organization
30%
Assigment is
chronologically
ordered and includes
an introduction,
atleast three body
pragaraphs and a
conclusion.
"B" Quality
Work
Assignment digresses
slightly,
chronologically but
includes an
introduction, three
body paragarpaghs
and a conclusion.
"C" Quality "D" Quality
Your
Work
work
Grade:
Assignment
follows an
unorthodox pattern
and includes an
introduction, three
body paragraphs
and a conclusion.
Assignment
lacks order and
is missing either
an introduction,
a body
paragraph or a
conclusion.
Knowledge of
Knowledge of
material is
Knowledge of the
material is apparent sufficient.
Comprehension material is
and thoroughly
impeccable and
thought out. Citations Citations are cited
evident. Citations are support the arguement correctly but do
40%
not support the
cited correctly.
but are cited
incorrectly.
arguement.
Knowledge of
material is
lacking.
Citations are not
cited correctly
nor do the
support the
arguement.
The assignment
contains
significant clarity
errors which
distract from the
message of the
assignment.
Assignment
objectives and
goals are
consistently
vague and
include multiple
digressions.
Clarity
30%
The assignment
The assignment
contains recurring
contains minimal
clarity errors but the
clarity errors but
errors do not detract
does not detract from
from the overall
the overall message
message of the
of the assignment.
assignment.
Overall Grade: _____
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Lesson Overview
Lesson #6
Learning Styles
Lesson #7
Written Word vs.
Spoken Word
Lesson #4
Interpret Literary
Techniques
Lesson #5
Generation
rituals
Lesson #8
Finding
symbolism
Start of new unit
Lesson #1
Introduce The
Outsiders
Lesson #2
Coming of Age
definitions
Lesson #3
Comparing
Cultures
Lesson #9
Interpreting
symbolism
Lesson #10
Final Paper
workshop
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.3.12.B. Identify and analyze characteristics of genres (satire, parody, allegory, pastoral
that overlap or cut across the lines of genre classifications such as poetry, prose,
drama, short story, essay, and editorial.
1.6.12.A. Listen critically and respond to others in small and large group situations.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will experiment with different ways of learning educational material.
2. Students will interpret a scene from a movie and demonstrate that scene in front of the
classroom.
3. Students will distinguish how literature is changed from the written word to the spoken
word.
Technology needed: None
Resources: Handouts provided below
Lesson type: Discussion
Outline:
Introduction: have students follow the directions on the board.
Content and Pedagogy
1. Students sit in assigned seats. Teacher takes attendance of who is present. (1
minute)
2. Teacher will give brief introduction of the course and direct the students on
how to complete the tasks for the day. (3 minutes)
3. Teacher will “count off” students by integers of 3 and assign them to specific
group areas. (1 minute)
4. Area one will have students working independently by writing journal entries
about what they define literature to be. (10 minutes)
5. Area two will have students plan a reenactment of a scene of their choosing
from a list of popular/contemporary movies. (10 minutes)
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6. Area three will work collectively as a group to solve the logic puzzle “Where
does the Zebra Live?” (10 minutes)
7. After each station has been completed the class will meet back up and perform
their re-enactments for the rest of the class (5 minutes).
8. Upon completion of the reenactments, the students will discuss the activities
they completed. They will discuss the different activity styles themselves and
how literature is affiliated with these activities. (10 minutes)
9. (Back up material) Students will analyze the reenactments and identify what
genre characteristics each reenactment is composed of (X minutes)
Key Questions
1. What is my dominant/preferred learning style? (Interpersonal/Logical,
Intrapersonal/Linguistic or Bodily-Kinesthetic/Interpersonal/Spatial)
2. How is literature changed from the written word to the spoken word?
3. What are some common forms of literature I am familiar with?
Closure
Class Discussion about the activities and how they relate to literature as a whole.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment will be in the form of the journal where students will have written
a general idea of what they believe to be the definition of literature. In that definition they
will have given a wide variety of examples they believe literature to be.
Homework
No Homework.
Reflection:
Were students able to notice the subtleties of the activities? (All the movies were inspired
by books, writing is a more reliable way to portray ideas than spoken words, literature comes in a
variety of forms even outside of school, etc.)
How did students deal with the time constraints? Were they rushed or confused with the
matericals?
Future Lesson Plan: What are the characteristics of literature and what forms can it take?
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Where does the Zebra Live?
There is a neighborhood with five houses. Each house is
a different color, containing a tenant of a unique nationality.
Each tenant has a preferred drink, a preferred brand of
cigarettes that they smoke and each owns a unique pet. Your
objective is to answer the following questions:
What house drinks the water?
Where does the Zebra live?
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Answer Key
House
1
2
3
4
5
Yellow
Blue
Red
Ivory
Green
Color
Nationality Norwegian Ukrainian Englishman Spaniard Japanese
Tea
Milk
Orange juice Coffee
Drink
Water
Kools Chesterfield Old Gold Lucky Strike Parliament
Smoke
Fox
Horse
Snails
Dog
Pet
Zebra
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Movie Re-enactments
Choose a scene from one of the following movies and
reenact the scene as a group. The chosen scene must
incorporate every member of your group but not all group
members must be characters (they can be narrators or parts of
the scenery too). I am not grading this activity based upon
accuracy but instead I am looking for a well thought-out and
enthusiastic performance where the number one rule is to
have fun!
Movie Choices:
Lord of the Rings
Narnia
Harry Potter
The Three Musketeers
Twilight
Forrest Gump
Friday Night Lights
Speak
The Green Mile
Lord of the Flies
Willy Wonka
Dances with Wolves
Schindler’s List
Of Mice and Men
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.3.12.C. Analyze the effectiveness of literary elements used by authors in various
genres.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will identify the different genres of media and compare it to literary works.
2. Students will point out how spoken adaptations differ from their written word counterparts.
3. Students will critique the differences of written word and spoken word literature.
Technology needed: None
Resources: Reusing the handouts from the previous lesson
Lesson type: Discussion
Outline:
Introduction: have students follow the directions on the board.
Content and Pedagogy
10. The teacher will take attendance for that day (1 minute).
11. After attendance, the teacher will ask the class to individually pick two
movies and compare and contrast the two movies using the assigned
worksheet (7 minutes).
12. Students, via random selection, will be asked to share their work with the rest
of the class. (5 minutes)
13. Two Student volunteers will be selected for an activity (1 minute).
14. One student will be timed to speak for 1 minute in front of the class and tell
the class what they did after class yesterday. The other student will do the
same activity but instead will write their story on the board. (3 minutes)
15. The class will then discuss how the written word differs from that of the
spoken word using the work sheets. (15 minutes)
16. The teacher will open up the discussion to literature and how the movies
distort or modify the original written version and ask the class to give any
examples that they know of (8 minutes).
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17. The teacher will put in front of the class a picture of The Outsiders cast and,
based on physical descriptions, the students must identify who the specific
characters are. (9 minutes)
18. The teacher will give the correct identities of the characters and will ask the
students what descriptions were spot on and what descriptions were
inaccurate. (2 minute)
19. The students will turn in written word vs. spoken word handout at the end of
class.
Key Questions
4. Even though they are completely different works, how does genre allow for works to
be associated?
5. In what ways is literature transformed from when it is written and when it is spoken?
Closure
Students will be exposed to the future readings within the class.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment will be collected in the form of completed handouts.
Homework
No Homework.
Reflection:
Would it have been better to have students pick the movies they compared or would it
have been better to have assigned the movies to the students?
How insightful were the students in the discussions?
Future Lesson Plan: What are the characteristics of literature and what forms can it take?
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Movie Re-enactments
Choose a scene from one of the following movies and
reenact the scene as a group. The chosen scene must
incorporate every member of your group but not all group
members must be characters (they can be narrators or parts of
the scenery too). I am not grading this activity based upon
accuracy but instead I am looking for a well thought-out and
enthusiastic performance where the number one rule is to
have fun!
Movie Choices:
Of Mice and Men
Narnia
Harry Potter
The Three Musketeers
Twilight
Forrest Gump
Friday Night Lights
Speak
Lord of the Flies
To Kill a mockingbird
Willy Wonka
Lord of the Rings
Dances with Wolves
The Outsiders
The Green Mile
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Name_______________
Date_______
Compare and Contrast Diagram
______________________
Unique to movie #1
Similarities
_______________________
Unique to movie #2
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Name___________________
Written Word
Date________
vs.
Spoken Word
What is gained?
What is gained?
What is lost?
What is lost?
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.1.12.A. Apply appropriate strategies to construct meaning through interpretation and to
analyze and evaluate author’s use of techniques and elements of fiction and nonfiction for
rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
Motivational Device: Being able to share one’s opinion in class and debate controversial
material.
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will give in their own words what it means to be a teenager.
2. Students will discover the genre of Young Adult Literature.
3. Students will break down the components of this new genre of literature.
Technology needed: None
Resources: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
Lesson type: Discussion/Lecture
Outline:
Introduction: have students follow the directions on the board.
Content and Pedagogy
20. Students will quietly answer the question “What does it mean to be a
teenager?” and write down their thoughts (7 minutes)
21. The teacher will open a discussion among the students to share their thoughts
on being a teenager today.(5 minutes)
22. The teacher will lecture about The Outsiders and how it is known to be the
forerunner of Young Adult Literature while students take notes. (15 minutes).
23. Students will analyze the genre of the text and name texts that fit that genre.
(5 minutes)
24. Teacher will briefly lecture about the social classes involved in the text and
how they influence the storyline. (3 minutes)
25. The teacher will pass out a copy of the poem “Nothing Gold can stay” and the
students will read the poem aloud to the class. (2 minutes)
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26. The students will analyze the poem and offer up their own individual
interpretations. (13 minutes)
Key Questions
6. What is it like being a teenager? And if it is the same experience then how are we all
so different from one another?
7. What does social class say about an individual?
8. What is the meaning behind the poem “Nothing Gold can Stay?”
Closure
Silent reading until the end of class.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment will be taken through the poetry analysis of the students.
Homework
Read the first 3 chapters in The Outsiders.
Reflection:
Was the lecture too long and drawn out? How did students stay focused?
Can students recognize the factors that contribute to one’s self image?
Future Lesson Plan: What determines a “Coming of age” experience?
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.1.12.A. Apply appropriate strategies to construct meaning through interpretation and to
analyze and evaluate author’s use of techniques and elements of fiction and nonfiction for
rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
Motivational Device: Being able to share one’s opinion in class and debate controversial
material.
Instructional Objectives
1. Encourage students to distinguish what “Coming of Age” means to them.
2. Students will recall and summarize the previous readings from the night before.
3. Students will identify how the characters in the story are progressing in their “coming
of age” experience and compare these progressions to their own, personal examples.
Technology needed: None
Resources: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Jigsaw learning sheet.
Lesson type: Discussion/Lecture
Outline:
Introduction: have students follow the directions on the board.
Content and Pedagogy
27. Students will quietly answer the question “Define what “Coming of Age”
means to you.” and write down their thoughts (7 minutes)
28. The teacher will open a discussion among the students to share their thoughts
(10 minutes)
29. Students will briefly recall what happened in assigned reading from the night
before (approximately 3 minutes)
30. Students will be given a character chart and split into groups. Students will
count off 1 through 5 and coordinate with their assigned group members (3
minutes)
31. Groups will synthesize ideas and identify events in the opening chapters that
illustrate whether the character has come of age or not. (12 minutes)
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32. The students will then discuss with the class their findings and compare and
contrast the different characters. (10 minutes)
33. The teacher will assign the next reading and allow time for the students to
read quietly.
Key Questions
9. Define what “Coming of Age” means to you.
10. What do you consider to be a “Coming of Age” experience?
11. Is a “Coming of Age” experience objective or subjective?
Closure
Silent reading until the end of class.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment will be taken through handouts as well as class participation.
Individual assessment will be assessed through the written thoughts to the opening
question. The material will then be integrated into the following lesson the next day.
Homework
Read the next 3 chapters in The Outsiders. (Chapters 4-6).
Reflection:
Did the discussion flow fluidly or was there stagnation?
How did the groups function? Was there an even contribution or “hijacking” going on?
Future Lesson Plan: What factors influence the “Coming of Age” experiences?
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.1.12.D. Demonstrate comprehension/understanding before reading, during reading, and
after reading on a variety of grade level texts to support understanding of a variety of literary
works from different cultures and literary movements.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will outline the cultural experiences of American culture.
2. Students will differentiate the cultural “coming of age” experiences with that of the
Nigerian culture from a summary of the text Things Fall Apart.
3. Students will generate other factors that influence the differentiation of the “coming of
age” experience of an individual.
Technology needed:
Resources: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Online summary of Things Fall Apart:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/things/summary.html in handout form.
Lesson type: Discussion/Facilitate
Outline:
Introduction & roll call
Content and Pedagogy
34. Students will quietly answer the question “What factors influence an
individual’s coming of age experience?” and list their thoughts (5 minutes)
35. The teacher will open a discussion among the students to share their ideas and
ask them to briefly explain how it influences an individual. (10 minutes)
36. The teacher will collaborate with the class and distinguish the influences that
act upon Ponyboy (approximately 10 minutes)
37. Students will be given time to read a summary of the book Things Fall Apart
and focus in on the character of Okonkwo. (5 minutes)
38. The teacher will collaborate with the class and distinguish the different
influences that act upon Okonkwo. (10 minutes)
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39. The students will identify the core values of the two cultures based upon the
two differing characters. (10 minutes)
Key Questions
12. How does culture influence an individual’s “coming of age” experience?
13. What are the core values of being an adult? Being a child?
14. Is coming of age more “Individual centered” or “Society centered”?
Closure
The teacher will close the class by assigning the nightly homework.
Formative Assessment
The answers to the writing prompt will be collected and assessed.
Homework
Read the next 3 chapters in The Outsiders. (Chapters 7-9)
Reflection:
Were the students able to explain their answers or were they simply guessing?
Were students staying on topic?
Future Lesson Plan: What are the literary techniques that are used in The Outsiders?
Schuster 24
Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.1.12.A. Apply appropriate strategies to construct meaning through interpretation and to
analyze and evaluate author’s use of techniques and elements of fiction and nonfiction for
rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will select excerpts to detect the literary techniques used by the author.
2. Students will utilize the techniques in their own writing.
3. Students will use peer evaluation to assess whether or not they learned the material.
Technology needed: none
Resources: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
Lesson type: Discussion/Facilitate
Outline:
Introduction & roll call
Content and Pedagogy
40. The teacher will pass out a handout with 10 selected excerpts from the story.
(1 minute)
41. The teacher will question the class on what literary technique is being
employed by the author in each excerpt (14 minutes)
42. Students will choose 5 techniques and write 2 paragraphs on any topic,
employing the 5 chosen techniques(approximately 10 minutes)
43. Upon completion students will split up into pairs and evaluate the work of
their peers. The teacher will facilitate the process. (10 minutes)
44. A randomly selected group of students will present their work to the rest of
the classroom. (10 minutes)
45. For the remainder of the class period students will read silently to themselves.
(10 minutes)
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Key Questions
15. What literary techniques are used in The Outsiders?
16. How do these techniques impact the story line and in what way?
17. Am I able to utilize this technique in my own writing?
Closure
Silent reading and assigning further reading.
Formative Assessment
The presenters of the material will be assessed by how well they utilized the techniques
in their own work. Those who did not present will be assessed by the critiques that are given.
Homework
Read the next 3 chapters in The Outsiders. (Chapters 7-9)
Reflection:
Were the students able to correctly identify the literary techniques?
How well did they integrate the techniques in their own writing?
Future Lesson Plan: How does the “coming of age” experience differ by time period?
Schuster 26
Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.1.12.D. Demonstrate comprehension/understanding before reading, during reading, and
after reading on a variety of grade level texts to support understanding of a variety of literary
works from different cultures and literary movements.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will recall the previous knowledge of the American cultural experience.
2. Students will detect the similarities and the differences between the time period of the
stories The Outsiders and To Kill a Mockingbird.
3. Students will argue how modern day culture and values have progressed from the two
texts.
Technology needed: Projector
Resources: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee.
Lesson type: Lecture/Discussion
Outline:
Introduction & roll call
Content and Pedagogy
46. Upon the completion of the text the teacher will pass out a quiz to assess the
student’s ability to summarize The Outsiders. (10 minutes)
47. Students will reproduce prior knowledge about the American cultural
experience. (5 minutes)
48. Students will point out how the “coming of age” experience has evolved from
Ponyboy’s time period. (5 minutes)
49. The teacher will display 3 figures, each representing a time period. Students
will identify them to be Modern, the late 50s (The Outsiders) and the late 30s
(To Kill a Mockingbird). (2 minutes)
50. The teacher will ask the students to describe what they think life was like
growing up in the 1930s. (5 minutes)
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51. The teacher will introduce the text To Kill a Mockingbird to the students and
lecture about the background information of the text. (10 minutes)
52. The students will then predict how Scout’s “coming of age” experience will
differ from that of Ponyboy’s. (8 minutes)
53. With the remaining time that is left students will silently read (5 minutes) and
will be tasked to read the first 2 chapters of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Key Questions
18. How have the values of societies changed and how has it impacted the coming of age
experience?
19. What influential factors of the time period impact the living experience?
20. Has American society been developing positively or negatively since the 1950’s?
Closure
The teacher will close the class by assigning the nightly homework which is to read the
first 2 chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Formative Assessment
The quiz on The Outsiders.
Homework
Read the first 2 chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird. (Chapters 7-9)
Reflection:
How did the students react to the examples?
Are the students picking up on the central focus yet?
Future Lesson Plan: What makes To Kill a Mockingbird so Controversial?
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
1.2.12.C. Examine the author’s explicit and implicit bias and assumptions, beliefs about a
subject, use of fact and/or opinion, and/or the author’s argument or defense of a claim as related
to essential and nonessential information.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will recognize what textual symbolism looks like.
2. Students will analyze the meaning behind the textual symbolism.
3. Students will justify the reasons why the symbolism is relevant to the storyline.
Technology needed: None
Resources: To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee.
Lesson type: Discussion/Groups
Outline:
Content and Pedagogy
54. The teacher will ask the class to summarize last night’s reading (2 minutes).
55. Students will be prompted to discuss the relevance of the court scene and what
it says about the author of the text and the time period. (12 minutes)
56. Students will be assigned one of five excerpts and must individually interpret
what they think the excerpt means using the assigned work sheet. (10 minutes)
57. Students will meet up in groups of fives, each representing a different excerpt,
and share their interpretations with their group members. (5 minutes)
58. As a class the students will combine interpretations and come to a final
conclusion of what each excerpt symbolizes. (10 minutes)
59. The class will discuss how these symbolic interactions influence Scout in her
“coming of age” journey. How do these symbolic interactions influence our
own coming of age rituals? (11 minutes)
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Key Questions
1. What role does symbolism play in the Coming of Age experience?
2. How does symbolism affect the message of a text?
3. Is it possible to misinterpret symbolism?
Closure
Have students question the role symbolism plays in the modern day coming of age
experience.
Formative Assessment
Written answers to the Interpretive Excerpts writing prompt
Homework
Continue with the readings by reading chapters 21-23 in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Reflection:
Were the students able to identify other examples of symbolism I may have over looked?
Are students able to make interpretations of the excerpts or are they struggling with the
interpretations?
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1. Why is Mayella insulted when Atticus refers to her as “Miss Mayella”?
2. What is the significance of having Scout, Jem and Dill witness to trial from
the balcony?
3. Why is the courtroom disgruntled with Tom’s reason for helping Mayella
Ewell with her chores?
4. What does Miss Maudie mean when she compares Tom’s trial to a “Roman
Circus”?
5. Why does Mr. Raymond need to pretend to be an alcoholic? What does his
false alcoholism say about the environment he lives in?
Schuster 31
Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
R11.A.1.3.2: Cite evidence from text to support generalizations.
R11.A.1.3.1: Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from text.
R11.B.2.1.1: Identify, explain, interpret, describe, and/or analyze examples of personification,
simile, metaphor, hyperbole, satire, imagery, foreshadowing, flashbacks and irony in text.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will construct their own symbolic definition of what a “mockingbird” is.
2. Students will be able to identify and classify the “mockingbirds” in the text.
3. Students will recognize the “Mockingbirds” in their own lives.
Technology needed: None
Resources: To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee. Worksheet provided below and a clean sheet of
paper to draw on. Art supplies will be included as well.
Lesson type: Discussion/Groups
Outline:
Content and Pedagogy
60. Through discussion, the students will discuss amongst themselves what the
saying “You shouldn’t kill a mockingbird” means and what a mockingbird
represents. They will list the characteristics on the provided worksheet. (10
minutes)
61. The students will identify characters in the story that can be personified as
“mockingbirds” and through comparison will classify particular
characteristics a character must have in order to be considered a Mockingbird.
These characters will also be listed on the work sheet. (8 minutes)
62. Students will be asked to think outside the box and apply their new found
knowledge to the outside world and examine if there are any modern day
celebrities or figures who fit into the Mockingbird archetype. (10 minutes)
63. Students will draw either a character from the novel or a real live person who
they believe to be a mockingbird. (10 minutes)
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64. The students will give a brief presentation of their drawing to the class and
argue why that character is believed to be a Mockingbird.(8 minutes)
65. The students will start on their homework which is to answer the question “Is
the mockingbird stage a part of the coming of age ritual or is it an obstacle on
our journey into adulthood?” (4 minutes)
Key Questions
4. What qualities make up a Mockingbird?
5. Why is the novel titled To Kill a Mockingbird? How much significance does
the title have on the overall message of the text?
6. Are these mockingbirds still present in the modern day world?
Closure
.
Formative Assessment
The drawings are used as a formative assessment as well as the Mockingbird handout.
Homework
Answer the question “Is the mockingbird stage a part of the coming of age ritual or is it
an obstacle on our journey into adulthood?”
Reflection:
Do the students have all the knowledge they need to complete the final assignment?
Schuster 33
Name______________
Date______
What does it mean to be a Mockingbird?
Characteristics of a Mockingbird:
Mockingbird Characters in the novel:
Mockingbird Characters in Real life:
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Ryan Schuster
Time of Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes
Pennsylvania State Standards (Grade 12)
R11.A.1.3.2: Cite evidence from text to support generalizations.
R11.A.1.3.1: Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from text.
1.5.12.E: Revise writing to improve style, word choice, sentence variety, and subtlety of
meaning after rethinking how questions of purpose, audience, and genre have addressed.
R11.A.1.4.1: Identify and/or explains stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting
details from text.
Motivational Device:
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will generate a thesis of their own using their acquired knowledge.
2. Students will plan out their supporting evidence from the text.
3. Students will synthesize their acquired knowledge and apply it to other textual works.
Technology needed: None
Resources: To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Lesson type: Discussion/Groups
Outline:
Content and Pedagogy
66. The teacher will hand out the final assignment handout. (1 minute)
67. The teacher will ask the students to identify what makes a good essay while
the teacher lists these components on the board (5 minutes)
68. Students will work independently to create their own theses (5 minutes)
69. Students will suggest to the teacher some examples of a strong thesis while
the teacher reviews and critiques the suggestions. (4 minutes)
70. Upon completion the teacher will hand out a literary devices hand-out for the
students to complete in pairs. (5 minutes)
71. Upon collection of the literary devices handout, the teacher will review the
literary devices with the students and collectively they will give examples of
each device in either To Kill a Mockingbird or The Outsiders. (10 minutes)
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72. Students will then split up into groups of four and fill out a Venn diagram
comparing the main characters of both stories, Ponyboy and Scout. (8
minutes).
73. Students will share their results with the rest of the class any ideas or
examples they have found. (6 minutes)
74. The teacher will open up a discussion with the students to ask any kind of
questions they may have pertaining to the covered texts or the assignment
itself. The students have 1 week to complete the assignment.(6 minutes)
Key Questions
7. Is my thesis statement clear and precise or is it too general?
8. Do I have evidence in either text to support my thesis?
9. Will I be able give examples of literary devices in my work?
Closure
Asking questions about the assignment and/or readings.
.
Formative Assessment
The drawings are used as a formative assessment as well as the Mockingbird handout.
Homework
Work on final assignment which is due 1 week from today (November 18th)
Reflection:
Do the students have all the knowledge they need to complete the final assignment?
Were the students able to formulate precise theses or did they need a little bit more work?
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Due Date: November 18th, 2011
Over the past few weeks we discussed what the coming of age experience is like and how
it changes over the generations. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Outsiders reflect the coming of
age rituals of the 1930s and the 1960s and have since then inspired other authors to write a more
contemporary version of the literary genre. In the form of a five paragraph essay, compare the
coming of age experience to either To Kill A Mockingbird or The Outsiders with a novel of your
choosing. The novel of your choosing must contain a main character under the age of 18 and
must have been written within the past 25 years. Your paper must be at least 4 pages long and
include at least 4 sources. Each source must be cited at least once according to MLA format.
Some suggestions for this assignment are:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chobsky
Walk Two Moons – Sharon Creech
The Hunger Games series – Suzanne Collins
Shade’s Children – Garth Nix
Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling
The curious incident of the dog in the night – Mark Haddon
Looking for Alaska – John Green
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
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Name______________
Literary Devices
Metaphor –
Simile –
Symbolism –
Hyperbole –
Allegory –
Alliteration –
Pun –
Paradox –
Personification –
Foreshadowing –
Date_________
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Name____________
Date_________
Determine what experiences are unique to Ponyboy, unique to Scout
and shared by both. Use this diagram to draw ideas and
examples that you can later use in your own writing.
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Works Cited
Pennsylvania Department of Education. "Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening: Grade 12."
SAS: Standards Aligned System. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , 2010. Web. 2
Dec.2010