By: Kristyn McArdle and Katelynn Dopp
Background Information
Unit: Young Adult Fiction Novels and Stories
Grade Level: 9th
Time allotted for the lesson: 1 class period
Objectives:
1. Students will use observation and
prediction skills after viewing the covers of
the novel to asses what the novel may be
about without reading any of the text.
2. Students will read and discuss the short
prologue of the novel, then they will define
and analyze the important parts of the
passage. This activity will be led by the
instructor.
Common Core State Standards
 Common Core State Standards:
1. RI.9-10.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and
analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or
purpose
2. W.9-10.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured
event sequences.
3. L.9-10.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
4. SL.9-10.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
•
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of
agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their
own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the
evidence and reasoning presented.
Introductory Activity
Dear Dr. Fujiyana,
By now, you have probably heard
that I’m dead. This means I won’t be
attending this year’s regional science fair,
which is a great disappointment to me as
I’m sure it also is for you. At the time I
died, I felt I was starting to make real
progress with those earthworms.
I really enjoyed your class and
continue to follow along from the place
where I’m now living I now find myself.
Dissecting the pig looked pretty interesting,
and I thought I might try it. Unfortunately,
there aren’t any dead pigs here for me to
dissect.
I was disappointed not to see you at
the funeral as you were my favorite
teacher, even including middle and
elementary school. Not to give you a hard
time or anything, Dr. F 
Yours,
Elizabeth Marie Hall, 5th Period Biology
How can fifteen-year-old Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and
embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different
from a life lived forward?
Prologue Worksheet
 Point of View- noun
 the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated
by the narrator's outlook from which the events are depicted
and by the attitude toward the characters
 Personification- noun
 the attribution of a personal nature or character to inanimate
objects or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.
 Prologue- noun
 a preliminary discourse; a preface or introductory part of a
discourse, poem, or novel.
Prologue Activity
Homework
Write a one page story, or rewrite an
event from the point of view of an
animal.
Papers must be typed in 12 point
Times New Roman font, and double
spaced.
Works Cited
 Dictionary.com. "Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.
<dictionary.reference.com/>.
 Zevin, Gabrielle . "Elsewhere - Summary - Book
Drum." Book Drum. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.bookdrum.com/books/elsewhere/978031
2367466/summary.html>.