I learned a lot from you and your project. It’s exciting to think about
how your students’ motivation levels will be affected by starting your
year off with a Simpson’s episode and how that motivation will then
affect comprehension.
I added a citation on the 3 act slide: Graphic from The Foundations of Screenwriting by
Syd Field
It’s important that you share the results of this project so that other
teachers can benefit from your experience and point of view.
Don’t be a stranger. My email is rcanada@ecusd7.org.
Increasing reading
comprehension by using the
hero’s journey.
By Angie McCall
Helping students take ownership
for their own comprehension.
Problems
It is so hard trying to connect student’s to
the “classics.”
I hate when we are finished studying a
novel, and students can’t remember what
happened in the beginning.
I want to increase student learning and
comprehension, while making them
responsible.
Diagnostic Assessment
 Show The Simpson’s, Bart Sells his Soul.
 Discuss it using the concept of the hero’s journey. (Hand each
student a copy of the following slide.)
 Use print screen to zero in on key stages. Have students identify the
stage of the hero’s journey Bart is in.
 Student’s jigsaw out and work on one assigned concept of the
Hero’s Journey. They will explain what phase Bart is in, and how
they know that. They will carry this further as the unit goes on and
discuss the internal struggle Bart/any character may have.
Closing activity:





A summarization strategy WHO WANTED TO BUT SO
WHO
WANTED TO
BUT
SO
Hero’s journey comes from Hero With a Thousand Faces
from Joseph Campbell.
Key comprehension strategies
 Students will watch The Simpson’s, which will enable
them to become engaged, and trigger their prior
knowledge. (I will hand out a copy of the following
wheel.)
 Students will be able to visualize the Hero’s journey by
seeing what Bart goes through. (mental images)
 Student’s will be able to determine what is important in
Bart’s journey.
 Students will be able to then apply those mental images
to other works and synthesize/compare information and
works.
Continued According to Do I Really Have To Teach Reading, a
good teacher should bring in a variety of materials to
create interest and to fit student’s learning level.
 Bringing in novels, short stories, half-hour short shows
and movies, will fit that criteria.
 Student’s will be engaged in The Simpson’s clip, and it
will trigger their background knowledge.
 As a teacher, I feel it is so important to bring in these
different materials, and rely on the textbook as just
another resource, and not a bible.
 And according to Vygostky, this is an effective way of
scaffolding.
reward
Students will use this to
analyze stories and
movies, to create their
hero’s wheel.
Return
with the
elixir
Allies
enemie
s
From pg 21 of Field-I would use this when
we first start discussing novels.
Beginning:
Act: 1
Pages 1-30
Middle:
Act: 2
Pages 30-90
End:
Act: 3
Pages 90-120
Graphic from The Foundations of
Screenwriting by Syd Field
By using this table, students will be able to recognize
landmarks in short stories and novels. They will then
be able to analyze and understand on their own.
(Walker, Bean, Dillard)
Stage 1a-Ordinary World
Bang Bang, You’re Dead
Trevor lives with his caring but bungling parents. He attends school, where he
deals with non-stop bullying.
The ordinary world is described in a way so that it contrasts greatly with the exciting world that will make up the
adventures in the book.
Stage 1b: Ordinary World:Of Mice and Men
 In Of Mice and Men,
Lennie and George
have always
traveled together.
They stop to work at
a farm, and Lennie
deals with bullying,
George defends
him, as usual.
Stage 2a: The Call to Adventure:
Of Mice and Men
George is always Lennie’s protector. When the owner of the ranch picks on Lennie,
Lennie breaks the owner’s hand. George defends Lennie once again, and tells him to
“keep a low profile.” This begins the adventure…George trying to keep Lennie out of
trouble, and Lennie attempting to do as he is told.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor is attempting to stay out of trouble during the new school year, but is constantly
picked on by his peers. A group of “outcasts” invite him to join them, where he begins
shooting guns and drinking.
Stage 3a: The Refusal of the Call
Of Mice and Men
George begins an internal struggle over defending Lennie, and feeling responsible to
him, and also wanting his own life, without the burden of Lennie. Lennie begins his
internal struggle with staying out of trouble and trying to act “normal” and acting on
his impulses. Both refuse the call of what is in their heart and minds.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor is torn between hanging out with Jenny, and hanging out with the Trogs. He
turns down several invitations to hang out with the Trogs, and plot revenge on the
bullies.
Stage 4a: Meeting the Mentor
Of Mice and Men
George meets Curly, and begins to see how his life could be. George begins to question what he is
doing, and examining his goals and his current situation.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Mr. Duncan casts Trevor as the role of the killer in the school play. This forces Trevor to examine
his life, his motives, his goals and himself. Mr. Duncan forces Trevor to step back and look at
himself.
5a: Crossing the Threshold
Of Mice and Men
Lennie is alone in the barn with the owners wife. He touches her shirt.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor goes off into the woods with the Trogs. He then begins wearing black trench
coats and being more and more of an “outcast.”
6a: Allies and Enemies
Of Mice and Men
Lennie and George have many allies. All of the ranch hands are their friends, and try
to work with them, and help them. The enemy is the ranch owner, but Lennie is also
an enemy to himself. He can’t control his urges and does things on impulse that get
him and George into trouble.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor’s allies are Jenny, Mr. Duncan, the Trogs.
His enemies are the jocks, who constantly bully him, the Trogs are also enemies in
some ways, they convince Trevor to shoot guns, drink, help in their plot for revenge.
Trevor is his own enemy. He doesn’t talk about his pain, he makes bad decisions and
he constantly chooses to be with the Trogs.
7a: Approach to the inmost cave
Of Mice and Men
George realizes Lennie has gotten in trouble again. He realizes he must find Lennie
before the other men do, and he knows he must somehow end Lennie’s suffering.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor videotapes intense bullying in the school. He is getting caught up in his own
depression, and attempts suicide.
8a: The Ordeal
Of Mice and Men
George finds Lennie after Lennie has accidentally killed the owner’s wife. George
realizes Lennie will never have a good life. Though he is torn, he hugs Lennie, and
they discuss their dream of having their own ranch. In the middle of the comforting
story, George shoots Lennie.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor is so beaten down by the constant bullying, that he plans revenge with the
Trogs. They plan to blow up the school, and shoot everyone they see. They smuggle
the guns in. Trevor sees Mr. Duncan, and realizes he has to choose a different path.
He warns the teacher, and saves everyone.
9a: The Reward
Of Mice and Men
Lennie is now out of his misery. He was never going to have a normal life. George is free to pursue his
own dreams, and he saved Lennie from a much worse death by the other men.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor performs in the play to raves. He has shown the reality of bullying and created a path for
change in himself and his school.
10a: The Road Home
Of Mice and Men
In George’s mind he stayed true to his promise
to always be there for Lenny.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor shows that he can accomplish
something by performing in the play. He has
kept a tragedy from happening, and he has
created dialogue between himself and his
parents.
11a: Return with the Elixir
Of Mice and Men
George saved Lenny from a worse fate, and he is now free to pursue the life he wants.
Bang, Bang You’re Dead
Trevor has highlighted the bullying in his school, and helped to create a safer place. He
has also learned valuable self awareness and self esteem.
EXTERNALINTERNAL
FIRE
SHOOTIN
G
LEAVING
BRYNN’S HOME
WALK
HOME
FROM
SCHOOL
TO
PARENTS’
STUDIO
BRYNN’S
FPERSON
ALITY,
STENGTH
S, AND
ANGST
DOUBT &
DISBELIE
F
LEAVING
FRIENDS
THE CALL &
REFUSAL:
EXTERNAL
FEARS AND
DOUBTS OF
ABILITY
MENTOR,
ALLIES &
ENEMIES:
EXTERNALSS
TATUS W/IN
SETTING
MENTOR,
ALLIES &
ENEMIES:
TRUST &
SUSPICIO
NS
BUILDING
TESTS, TRIALS
CONSPIRACY:
SUPPORTING
CHRACTERS
DEMONSTRATE
STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES
THE CALL &
REFUSAL:
JUST
WANTING TO
FIT IN . CAN’T
GET
INVOLVED.
TESTS,
TRIALS
CONSPIRACY:
STRESSORS
EITHER
STRENGTHEN
TRUST OR
SUSPICIONS
I plan to use this as my formative
assessment. As a whole group, we will
talk about the external, and I will have
students decide what the internal is.
Summative Assessment
I will discuss the hero’s wheel throughout
the unit.
At the end students will have a part for a
movie filled in, and a part for Of Mice and
Men, I will then have them create another
part for a movie of their choice, explaining
how it fits into the hero’s journey.
Student’s will then present the final part of
their wheel.
Resources
 http://www.doe.in.gov/TitleI/pdf/7_Keys_Zimmerman.pdf
 Canada, Rob
 Tovani, Cris. Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?: Content
Comprehension, Grades 6-12. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2004.
Print
 Walker, Nancy T., Thomas W. Bean, and Benita Dillard. When
Textbooks Fall Short: New Ways, New Texts, New Sources of
Information in the Content Areas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann,
2010. Print
 Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton,
N.J.: Princeton UP, 1972. Print.
 Vygotskiĭ, L. S., and Michael Cole. Mind in Society: the Development
of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1978.
Print.