MHalepis 1
Maria Halepis
August 22, 2012
ENG 611
Alexander Mueller
Rationale
Unit focus
This is unit is designed to be part of a college level class on the short story. The class
could be adapted for a community college or four year college setting. The class meets three
days per week for 50 minutes, so there are enough lessons to cover 3.3 weeks of the course. The
unit covers character, narration, point of view, setting and theme. We learn about these elements
and how to identify them in short stories. I want students to be able to juxtapose stories
characters, settings and themes. The goal is to provide students tools that they can apply to other
forms of literature such as poetry and drama.
Unit focuses on the short story and includes an eclectic group of stories. The selections
vary by author, theme, period and author’s country of origin. The short story is manageable in
length, and the stories often contain a lot of details with in that short space which is perfect for
studying character, setting and theme. I tried to choose texts that could easily be juxtaposed, that
had complex characters that we could analyze, that had detailed settings that we could study. I
also tried to choose stories that have themes that students might be interested in or might be able
to relate to as well as stories that offer students a glimpse into a world that might be different
from their own (Rosenblatt 179, 185). Stories range in topic from gothic, psychological terror to
relationships.
Pedagogical approach
A variety of pedagogical approaches are used in this unit. Approaches include those
found in Smith and Wilhelm, Blau, Rosenblatt and Bomer. I also incorporated philosophies
from the Teaching of Composition course at UMB where we used Bartholomae and Petrovsky
and Berthoff to approach critical reading and writing. I also incorporated ideas from the students
and professor in the Teaching of Literature course. These approaches offer ideas on how to
sequence lessons, how to get students to more complex ideas and analysis, how to read critically
and how to provide students with the tools they need to understand what they are reading.
A few of the lessons begin with quickwrites which use students’ personal experience to
accomplish two things to bring them into the lesson. This approach accomplishes two things – it
show students that they already know something about the subject matter, and it is a way for me
to assess what they already know. With that knowledge, I can gauge where I need to start the
MHalepis 2
lesson. This approach is something I learned in the Teaching of Composition course, and
Bartholomae and Petrovsky also write about this approach in their book Facts, Artifacts and
Counterfacts. In addition to the idea of beginning with students’ personal experience,
Bartholomae and Petrovsky also address sequencing lessons. Each lesson builds on the previous
and becomes increasingly complex. Also, each lesson circles back to what students have done in
prior lessons (something the student is familiar with) and includes this lesson in future lessons so
that what the students have learned is not forgotten. Everything taught in Bartholomae and
Petrovsky’s lessons have meaning and purpose. I really like their approach to sequencing, and I
tried to use it when designing this unit.
This unit also includes techniques from Ann Berthoff’s book Forming, Thinking, Writing.
Her ideas on building classifications and relationships to understand concepts are a great way to
understand theme. Excerpts from her book are used in the lessons on theme. The classifications
are used to help students differentiate between topic and theme. This is an important
differentiation to make. Smith and Wilhelm address the importance of understanding the
difference between topic and theme in their chapter Thinking About Themes (1558-159).
Berthoff’s classifications help the students understand that topic is more general and theme is me
specific. The excerpts on relationships are used in lessons to help students see relationships
between characteristics in the story and see relationships between stories (juxtapose stories).
In this unit, I take Blau’s idea on demystifying what I know and what I do. Students are
provided contextual information to help them understand what they are reading (lesson five, six).
This helps them to understand where teachers get their prior knowledge (Blau 88 – 89). Also
during class, I want to help students further their ideas and encourage them to keep trying when
they feel frustrated with a text. The graphic organizers are meant to help them sift through the
details of the story and create patterns that might help them understand theme. I also use texts
that I am not familiar with because this takes the authority away from me as the teacher, and we
can work together as a class to obtain an understanding of the story (Blau).
Rosenblatt is the last source I address because I feel that her book is very important.
Throughout the book, she emphasizes the importance of literature. It is hard to not feel infected
by her enthusiasm. She influenced my choice of short stories for the unit. I wanted stories that
students could relate to in some respects but also learn something from. I also wanted students to
experience a world different from their own. I want students to read stories that might help them
grow as a person.
The influence of these authors can be seen throughout the lessons in the unit. There are
also mini rationales in each unit where ideas from these authors are cited.
General objectives for student development (see lessons for specific objectives)
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Students will be able to juxtapose stories by comparing characters, settings and themes
between stories.
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Students will learn how character and setting provide clues to figure out the theme of the
story.
Students will learn ways to analyze setting by using graphic organizers provided in class
to facilitate their analysis.
Students will learn critical reading skills and interpreting stories by marking up texts,
looking for patterns in language, images, and characteristics.
Students will learn how to use background and contextual information to help understand
genre and analyze theme. These are skills they can take with them to other courses.
Students will develop the ability to use evidence (textual in this case) to build an
argument or substantiate their claims. They are asked to do this in several lessons and in
their first project.
Students will learn to look critically at each other’s work and provide feedback in a
constructive way.
Assessments to Determine Students’ Achievement of Objectives:
There are multiple homework and in-class assignments that will help to determine if student
objectives have been achieved. Examples of in-class assignments that will help me assess
student progress are the completion of the graphic organizers, character sheets and quickwrite
sharing. I should be able to tell by their responses if students are achieving the objectives of the
lesson and grasping the material. I will also conduct informal assessments when students are in
groups by walking around the room to listening to discussions. The last assessment tool for the
unit is the student project. The project will be used to assess the students’ knowledge of the
materials covered to-date. These will be peered reviewed by members of their groups, and
students will use a peer review form for this review. The projects will also be assessed by me
using a rubric which will be distributed to the students.
Unit Hesitations:
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Time allotted for each element – If this was a plan for a one semester course, I would
spend more time on narration and point of view. I cover additional stories that are all
written in a different perspective with a different kind of narrator. Character is another
element that I would spend more time on. I would choose one or two more stories in
addition to A&P to address character.
Homework assignments – There are nights where I feel there might not be enough
homework for a college level course (200 level course).
Do the lessons (story and activities) gain students’ interest?
Is Snowball lesson not appropriate for this level?
Project timeline is too fast (lessons 8 – 10).
Berthoff clips may be too confusing (lessons 5 – 7).
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Ideas for Additions to the Unit:
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Second paper will be more complex. Students will chose two stories and juxtapose based
on character, theme or setting.
Additional lesson on The Yellow Wallpaper setting to be inserted between lessons one
and two.
Look at more than one element in each story in a lesson to get at theme so students can
see how all the elements (i.e. character, setting) build the theme of a story.
Incorporate more from Smith and Wilhelm on theme.
Incorporate more multimedia such as video clips in future lessons.
Use more stories from other parts of the world, i.e. African Literature, South American
Literature. Hopefully this will open many students up to a new kind of literature and a
new experience (Rosenblatt 185).
Address interpretations (Blau’s chapter – Which Interpretation is the Right One?)
Expand the timeline for the project, and ask students to provide a piece of background
information (article, video clip, historical information, etc.) to give context to the story
they chose for their project.
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Artifact Index
Artifact #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
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Artifact Title
Setting Graphic Organizer 1
Setting Graphic Organizer 2
Character Sheet 1
Vincent Price Narration –
Cask of Amontillado
Quickwrite quote from
Norton
Jerry Hogle Article (pages 13)
Venn Diagram Organizer
Snowball Question Slip
Peer Response Form
Rubric for Project
Misery by Chekhov
Character Sheet 2
My Wife by Guy de
Maupassant
Project 1 Tasks and deadlines
Berthoff Excerpt Classifications
Website on Genre of
Literature
Presentation Schedule
Quick write quote from Oates
Berthoff Excerpt Relationships
Personality Questionnaire
The Temple by JC Oates
Used in Lesson…
1
1
2
4
4
5
6
8
7, 8, 9
7, 8, 9
3
3
7
7, 8, 9,
5
5
7, 8, 9
6
7
3
6
MHalepis 6
Lesson Plan 1 - Monday: The Yellow Wallpaper
Lesson rationale:
In this lesson, we will look at the setting of a short story. I think this is an important
lesson because it teaches students to look critically at the text and work directly with the words
on the page. My goal is to take what they know to the next level and show them how craftily it
can be used in a story. I chose pieces from Smith and Wilhelm’s chapters on setting to
incorporate in my pedagogical approach. The chapters had diagrams that would be helpful in
peeling back the layers of a setting. Their approach to looking at setting in terms of micro, meso
and macro influences and the type of information being provided – temporal, physical,
psychological and social is very detailed and can help students get an understanding of what is
happening in the story. In addition, this approach can help them identify a theme.
I chose The Yellow Wallpaper for this particular lesson because I thought there were a lot
of details on setting and there are also many layers to the setting. There is the house, the room
and the wallpaper itself as well as the characters and their interactions. In addition to reading
the story, I also ask students to do an in-class writing exercise where they write about the home
setting. We use their writing to fill out the diagrams as a class before looking at the story in
groups. This approach serves two purposes: 1. There is a gradual release of responsibility. This
is something that Smith and Wilhelm address, and there are several members of our class that
have talked about using this approach. 2. I capitalize on students’ prior experience with setting.
This is a great confidence builder, and shows students’ that they already have some knowledge
about what setting is though they may not have thought about it in those terms before. I learned
about this approach in the Teaching of Composition course at UMB.
Objectives for student development:
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Students will understand that they already know something about setting by creating a
setting of their own in a quickwrite.
Students will pick out details of the setting by looking what characters say about their
surroundings.
Students will learn about setting by looking at characters’ attitudes
Students will pick out key words used by the author to describe the setting.
Students will learn to look for textual clues to analyze setting (Smith, Wilhelm 94).
Students will identify physical aspects of setting in their quickwrite and The Yellow
Wallpaper
Students will learn the different levels (microsystem, mesosystem, macrosystem) and
dimensions (physical, temporal, psychological and social) of setting.
Students will apply levels and dimensions of setting to the setting they create in their
quickwrite and the setting of the story.
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Materials:
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The Yellow Wallpaper
Artifact 1 – Graphic organizer for setting from Smith and Wilhelm
Artifact 2 – Graphic organizer for setting from Smith and Wilhelm
Assumptions:
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Students read The Yellow Wallpaper for homework.
They will come to class with notes on the story, and the notes will include any
observations, questions or opinions.
Procedures:
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Class will begin with a “quick write” to frame the class lesson and get everyone warmed
up. We will spend 5 minutes writing about where they live including details on their
bedroom, house, family, friends, neighborhood and city. I believe this will put the
lesson in a context that students understand. This “quick write” will also build students’
confidence as they will see that they already know a bit about setting (Bruss).
I will explain micro, meso and macro levels of environment/setting. I will ask students to
pull examples from their “quick writes.” See below for detailed description of
discussion.
I will explain physical, temporal, social and psychological aspects of setting. I will ask
students to categorize elements from their “quick writes.” See below for detailed
description of discussion.
The class will break into groups of 4. We are going to take what we did with the “quick
writes” and apply it to The Yellow Wallpaper. Two groups will breakdown micro, meso
and macro levels. The other two groups will fill out a table on the aspects/dimensions of
setting – temporal, physical, etc.
Review homework: review your group work, review the story and add to your diagrams.
See if you can come up with a potential theme for the story. We will discuss next class.
Discussion on society levels as a way to interpret setting (Smith, Wilhelm 66-67)
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Has anyone ever heard of the 3 levels of society? These levels are seen in sociology and
psychology courses, but they can be applied to our texts. Anyone want to take a guess at
why these might be relevant to literature? (List on board)
There are three levels of society: microsystem, mesosystem and macrosystem. Many of
you may have seen the words (aka prefixes) micro (smallest) and macro (largest) in other
places. Meso is what I like to call the “in-betweener.”
Microsystem – immediate influences (family, friends, community, and neighborhood)
Mesosystem – intermediate levels of influence (city)
Macrosystem – most distant level of influence on an individual (global, national)
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Look at the description of setting you just created. How would you categorize the
elements in your setting? Where would you place family, friends? (Artifact 6 to diagram
on board)
Discussion on aspects of setting (Smith, Wilhelm 70-71)
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Within the three systems, we can further break down parts of a setting by their type. For
example – some of you mentioned the color of your house and the location. These are
physical aspects of your setting.
In addition to physical, there is temporal – meaning time period or era. Sometimes based
on how the physical is described, we can figure out the time period of the story. There
are also social and psychological aspects. Social and psychological refer to relationships
in the story, i.e. the relationship between you and your friends or family, John and
narrator.
Assessment:
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I will be able to determine if students are picking up the idea of setting based on the
information they chose from their quickwrites when we are filling out the organizers as a
class.
There is also informal assessment as I circle the class listening to the group discussion.
Homework:
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Finish the setting organizer on The Yellow Wallpaper
Read A&P
Complete character sheet 1 for A&P
Artifact 1 – Setting Graphic Organizer 1:
Physical
Temporal/Time
Social
Psychological
(Smith, Wilhelm 96)
MHalepis 9
Artifact 2 - Setting Graphic Organizer 2:
Macro
Meso
Micro
(Smith, Wilhelm 66)
MHalepis 10
Lesson Plan 2 - Wednesday: Character – A&P
Lesson rationale:
In this lesson, we will look character. I will use A&P as the first story to open up
discussion on character. The story is very short, but there is so much going on in terms of
character. I think students will become interested in the story because everyone has either stuck
up for or been stuck up for at some time in their lives. Gaining student interest is so important. I
also think students will be interested because many of us do spend time analyzing people like
Sammy does in the story. Some of us even, dare I say, gossip and make assumptions about
people which are also some things that Sammy does in the story.
A&P is a great story to use when discussing characters. The narrator, Sammy, says a lot
and provides a lot of information about other characters in the story. What he says, what he does
and what he says about others gives readers a lot material to review about the characters
including Sammy. The story in itself is almost a character analysis (carried out by the narrator).
There are also a few different groups in which the characters could be classified. These groups
will allow students to look at characters based on their group membership. Analyzing characters
is another great way to get at theme.
In trying to understand these characters, I want students to think about Sammy’s behavior
and the behavior of the manager and consider if it is right, wrong or neither. I want them to think
about the behavior of the group of authorities in the story. Would they do what Sammy did in
the end? What about the manager? Students can learn about behavior from these characters
(Rosenblatt 179).
Objectives:
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Students will learn to study characters by looking at what characters say, how they say it
and the language the characters use.
Students will learn to study characters based on what is said about them by other
characters in the story.
Students will learn to study characters by observing their body language and emotions
described in the story.
Students will learn to analyze character by looking at group identity.
Students will learn to back up their analysis of characters by providing textual evidence
to support their claims.
Materials:
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A&P
Artifact 3 – Character sheet (Smith and Wilhelm 52)
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Assumptions:
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Students will have read A&P for homework
Students will have written a one page reaction to the story. Did they expect Sammy to do
what he did? Why do you think he did what he did at the end of the story?
Students will have annotated the story noting anything they thought was interesting,
puzzling. They will also note any questions they have about the text.
Procedures:
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Class will begin with a 5 minute quickwrite to frame the class lesson and get everyone
warmed up. Prompt for the quickwrite: write about a time when someone stuck up for
you; what did this person do; what kind of qualities or characteristics do you think the
person had to possess in order to do what she or he did for you? This “quick write” will
put the lesson in a context that students understand, and it shows students that they
already know something about character (Bruss). We study people in our day to day life,
and studying characters in a story is very similar. This quick write also allows me to
assess what students know about character, and this assessment will serve as a guide for
discussion. This exercise also draws a connection between the characters in the story and
people in their everyday life (Smith and Wilhelm 29).
Discuss the quickwrite and write characteristics of the person described on the board.
Use this discussion as a way to lead into A&P. Ask class if Sammy has any of these
characteristics that are on the board.
Please discuss in groups: what is their impression of the characters? Use Character
Response Sheet 1 (artifact 3) (Smith and Wilhelm 52). Begin discussing assumptions
about character based on group membership. Ask students if they can identify any
groups in the story, i.e. Managers (authority), kids (the girls), “clicks,” etc. (Smith and
Wilhelm 23)
Class discussion: Assumption about character as an individual and based on group
memberships. Are there any conclusions we jump to or assumptions we make about the
characters based on their group membership? Did anyone make assumption about
Sammy in the beginning? Did these assumptions change by the end of the story? (Smith
and Wilhelm 23)
Test Stereotypes – making an assumption about a character based on group membership
or appearance can lead to stereotyping. Did students stereotype any characters? Do they
think the stereotype was proven or disproven by the character’s actions? (Smith and
Wilhelm 24)
Would you do what Sammy did? What do you think about Sammy’s behavior? The
manager’s?
Review homework.
MHalepis 12
Assessments:
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Quick write – As noted above, the “quick write” will help to assess what the students
already know about character. This assessment will help gauge where to begin the lesson
and guide conversation.
Paper to be assigned after second lesson on character. Students will write about
characters in the stories. They can either choose two from one story or one character
from two short stories we have read so far. This activity does two things: 1. Encourages
them to “take possession of one’s knowledge” and 2. Helps the teacher assess students’
understanding of the lesson(s) (Blau 173).
Homework:
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Students will read Chekhov’s Misery (Artifact 11). Use Character Sheet 2 to analyze
characters in this story.
Artifact 3:
Groups which characters belong:
Stereotypes and/or assumptions about these groups:
Characters’ actions:
Characters’ language and tone:
Characters’ thoughts:
Characters’ body language:
Characters’ appearance:
What other characters’ say about characters:
(Smith, Wilhelm 52)
MHalepis 13
Lesson Plan 3 - Friday: Misery
Lesson rationale:
In this lesson, we will look closer at character. The students are asked more in depth questions
about character on the character sheet (artifact 12).
Objectives:
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Students will learn to study characters by looking at what characters say, how they say it
and the language the characters use.
Students will use a personality questionnaire to analyze the character and determine if the
questions were helpful in analyzing the character (Blau).
Students will learn to back up their analysis of characters by providing textual evidence
to support their claims.
Materials:
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Artifact 11 – Misery (the short story by Chekhov)
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1026/
Artifact 12 – Character Sheet 2 (adapted from Smith and Wilhelm 52)
Artifact 20 – Personality Questionnaire
Assumptions:
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Students will have read Misery for homework.
Students completed Character Sheet 2 for homework.
Procedures:
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Discuss Character Sheet 2 responses.
Allow discussion to flow. Ask questions as needed to promote discussion.
Complete personality questionnaire (artifact 20). Pretend you are the character in the
story, and complete the questionnaire.
Group discussion: What does the personality questionnaire reveal about the character?
Do the results coincide with your assessment of the character on the character sheet? Are
the questions on the questionnaire helpful in analyzing character? Do you feel like you
learned more about the character through this exercise? What did you learn about him in
addition to what you wrote on the character sheet?
Questions?
Review homework.
MHalepis 14
Assessments:
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Responses to questions on the character sheet will help assess students’ understanding of
character and character analysis. Students’ ability to answer more specific questions
about the character’s actions, language and thoughts will demonstrate students’
understanding of the lessons on character.
Homework:
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Read The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
Read Norton Portable Edition - narration and point of view (pages 106 – 108)
Please note anything that is interesting or puzzling to you (Bartholomae and Petrovsky)
Artifact 12 – Character Sheet 2
Characters’ actions:
What do the character’s actions say about him as a person?
Characters’ language and tone:
Characters’ thoughts:
Characters’ body language:
Characters’ appearance:
What does the character’s appearance suggest about him as a person?
Do his actions impact others?
(adapted Smith, Wilhelm 52)
MHalepis 15
Lesson Plan 4 - Monday: Narration and Point of View - The Cask of Amontillado
Lesson rationale:
In this lesson, we will look at narration and point of view. Students are given background
information on narration and point of view to help them understand what it is so they can
identify these elements in the story (Blau). Students will read the story and determine if the
narrator is reliable. They will look for textual evidence to support their claim. Blau says that
there are many “false starts and faulty visions in making meaning” (31). I want the students to
be able to use the background reading and the story to begin making their own claims. I also
want them to use textual evidence to support these claims.
Students will also watch a video clip of Vincent Price narrating The Cask of Amontillado.
This clip provides a different interpretation of Montressor as a narrator, and the clip also conveys
how narrow the perspective is when the narrator is firs person. Students will compare their
assessment of Montressor’s reliability in the story and discuss how he is portrayed in the clip.
Objectives:
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Students will learn to differentiate between narration and point of view. They will study
the terms in the Norton reading assignment, and we will discuss them in class to clarify
any questions and reinforce students’ understanding.
After discussion, students will be able to define narration and point of view in their own
terms.
Students will be able to analyze the narrator and assess the narrator’s level of reliability
Students will learn the different types of narrators and determine which type of narrator
Poe used in the story.
Materials:
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The Cask of Amontillado
Norton Portable Edition - narration and point of view (pages 106 – 108)
Artifact 5 – Quickwrite quote on narration and point of view.
Artifact 4 - Vincent Price narration of The Cask of Amontillado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XTmWag6wfw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Assumptions:
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Students will have read The Cask of Amontillado for homework
Students will have read in the Norton – Narration and Point of view on pages 106 - 108
Procedures:
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Quickwrite (see below) 10 – 12 minutes – I will pass out
MHalepis 16
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Discuss quickwrite questions.
How many point of views do we get in the story?
Show clip of Vincent Price narration of The Cask of Amontillado (5 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XTmWag6wfw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
What do you think the director’s interpretation is of Montressor as a narrator? What
about the actor’s (Vincent Price)? Are these interpretations similar or different from
yours? Does the clip change your interpretation of Montressor as a narrator?
Last 5 – 8 minutes of class – review and explain assignment due next class.
Assessments:
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Quickwrite – will assess whether or not students understood the reading on narration and
point of view by asking them to draw some conclusions about the narrator The Cask of
Amontillado.
Homework:
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Visit http://genresofliterature.com/ (artifact 16) to read about different genres of literature
Read Jerry Hogle article excerpt (artifact 6)
Read about theme in the Norton Portable Edition (pages 215 – 216)
Read Berthoff excerpt on classifications (artifact 15)
Artifact 5: Quickwrite quote from Norton Portable Edition
“First person narrator unintentionally reveals [herself] – the reader can see [her] flaws as [she]
tries to be impressive. Sometimes first person narrator gives false or distorted information.
Some fictions are narrated by villains, insane people, fools, liars or hypocrites” (Norton 107).
Please spend ten minutes on this exercise. What do you think about our narrator, Montressor, in
The Cask of Amontillado? Do you think he is reliable? Why or why not (please cite one
example from the text). Does he provide the reader with accurate information? Do you believe
Fortunato really offended Montressor? Please explain why you do or do not believe
Montressor’s claim. What does Montressor say that makes him reliable or unreliable, believable
or unbelievable as a narrator?
MHalepis 17
Lesson Plan 5 - Wednesday: Theme
Lesson rationale:
Now that a good number of elements to look at in a short story have been covered in the
first few weeks of class, we will get into look at theme. One way to look at theme is by looking
at genre. In the first set of stories, we will look at are from the gothic genre. With all the
vampires and some apocalypse stuff in pop culture, I think students will be interested in stories
from this genre. Once again, I am trying to use students’ interests as a way to gain their interest
in the course.
Before we get into the stories, we will have a brainstorming session on what is gothic.
Then students will be provided with some background information on the gothic. This
information is meant to help them understand some of the weird thing such as exhuming the dead
and draw conclusions about what they represent.
Objectives:
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Students will be able to define genre, and they will understand that genre is a way to
classify literature.
Students will differentiate between topic and theme (Smith and Wilhelm). They will see
examples of general and specific categories from Anne Berthoff’s Forming, Thinking,
Writing which will emphasize the point that theme is a specific statement of comment
about an idea.
Students will be able to define the gothic by naming conventions and motifs. This will be
based on their previous experience with the gothic and what they see/learn about the
gothic from the readings.
Materials:
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http://genresofliterature.com/ (artifact 16) Website on Genre of Literature
Read about theme in the Norton Portable Edition (pages 215 – 216)
Artifact 15 – Berthoff excerpt on classifications
Artifact 6 – Excerpt from Jerry Hogle’s article Introduction: The Gothic in Western
Culture pages 1-3.
Assumptions:
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Students read all assigned readings: theme in the Norton Portable Edition (pages 215216), Berthoff excerpt, Hogle excerpt.
MHalepis 18
Procedures:
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Start with discussing Berthoff classifications. Put diagram on the board (artifact 15- clip
1). Relate Berthoff’s concept of classification and the diagram to the genres of literature.
Pull up the genre website (artifact 16) for students to reference as the discussion
continues.
Ask: Are there any questions so far?
Ask: If we look at Berthoff’s classification diagram again (put on screen), could we use
this diagram for literature genres? Could we then add subcategories to each genre? Let’s
try this. Could we try to add themes for the genres? (Note: Be careful here, this could
get confusing. Monitor students’ expressions for any signs of confusion).
Discuss theme: How many of you have heard the term “theme” before? Anyone want to
define theme? Is there a difference between theme and an topic? What is the difference
between topic and theme? Would you agree that theme is more specific than an idea?
Brainstorm as a class to answer the question “what is the gothic?”
Ask: Can we apply all this classification stuff to the gothic genre? Brainstorm typical
gothic elements we see in movies and books. Instructor will write students’ ideas on the
white board.
Any questions?
Review homework. Each circle on the Venn diagram represents one of the stories.
Characteristics for each story should go in their respective circles. The section in the
middle where the circles overlap should be .used for any characteristics these stories
share.
Assessments:
-
Assess students’ prior knowledge of the gothic through class discussion and
brainstorming.
Homework:
-
Read a Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and The Temple by JC Oates (artifact 21) as
well as Berthoff’s excerpts on relationships (artifact 19).
What are some gothic elements in these stories? Do these stories share any gothic
elements? What are they? Use the Venn Diagram Organizer to classify their gothic
characteristics.
MHalepis 19
Lesson Plan 6 - Friday: Theme – A Rose for Emily and The Temple
Lesson rationale:
This lesson takes what students learned about theme in the previous class, and takes it
step further. This gradual increase in complexity of the lessons is a pedagogical concept that
Bartholomae and Petrovsky explain in Facts, Artifacts and Counterfacts. Lessons become more
complex as the teacher takes what students have learned and adds another layer to it. Theme gets
more complex for students in this lesson as students begin to draw relationships between two
stories from the same genre.
A student’s initial reaction to the pairing of A Rose for Emily and The Temple may be
confusion. After all, they have just read a story about a woman who keeps her dead boyfriend’s
remains in a room in her house and another story about a women who digs up a skeleton in her
garden. This confusion is likely to be an uncomfortable feeling for the student, and may leave
the student feeling a bit insecure about his or her academic abilities. However, to Blau,
confusion is a state that “often represents an advanced state of understanding” and that confusion
should be welcomed and fostered in the classroom (Blau 21). I believe the background
information on the gothic will help students work through this confusion.
Objectives:
-
Students will learn to juxtapose stories by comparing two stories with similar ideas and
themes.
Students will learn to use characteristics of a genre to identify motifs within the stories.
Students will use these characteristics and motifs to speculate on theme of the two stories.
Students will use the Venn Diagram Organizer (artifact 7) to identify characteristics
shared between the stories as well as characteristics that differentiate the stories.
Materials:
-
The Temple by Joyce Carol Oates (artifact 21)
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
Berthoff’s excerpt on relationships (artifact 19)
Norton Portable Edition – Theme (pages 215-216)
Venn Diagram Organizer (artifact 7)
Assumptions:
-
Students read Berthoff excerpt, A Rose for Emily and The Temple for homework.
Procedure:
-
Quickwrite (10 minutes): Please spend some time reflecting on the quote below. Do you
think the characters in either of the stories yearn to inhabit the past? If yes, find one
MHalepis 20
example from one of the texts. Why do you think the characters do this? If no, please
state why not.
-
-
Artifact "to love the past, to extol the past, to yearn in some way to inhabit the past is
surely to misread the past, purposefully or otherwise; above all, is to select from the past
only those aspects that accommodate a self-protective and self-nourishing fantasy. What
is ‘past’ tempts us to reconstruct a world rather like a walled city, finite and contained
and in the most literal sense predictable” (Oates xi).
Share quickwrite responses and discuss.
Is there a common idea shared between these two stories? Let’s discuss the results from
the Venn Diagram. What kinds of relationships do we see between these stories?
What do their characteristics mean? What are the authors trying to say? Based on what
we have done so far with theme, genre, gothic and the quick write today, what do you
think the author is trying to address in the story? Break into four groups. Two groups
will discuss these questions in relation to A Rose for Emily, and the other two groups will
discuss these questions in relation to The Temple. Any questions?
Class will share ideas from group discussion.
Review homework and be specific about completing the organizer. Read My Wife
(artifact 13) and The Story of an Hour. Complete the Venn Diagram Organizer (artifact
7) for these stories. Please remember, each circle on the Venn Diagram (artifact 7)
represents one of the stories. Characteristics for each story should go in their respective
circles. The section in the middle where the circles overlap should be .used for any
characteristics these stories share.
Homework:
-
-
Read My Wife http://www.classicreader.com/book/709/1/ (artifact 13) and The Story of
an Hour
Please make note of anything that is interesting or puzzling to you. Also, please select
two or three passages that you liked. These do not have to be long passages, they could
be a line or two or three.
Review both Berthoff excerpts (artifacts 15, 19)
I would like you to email me the short story you have selected for your paper and
presentation. Pick a story and email group member with title and “cc” me by Sunday
afternoon. All I want you to do for this weekend is find a story and makes notes about
why it interests you. Is it something about character, theme, setting, narration?
Questions? More about the project on Monday.
MHalepis 21
Artifact 7: Venn Diagram Organizer
MHalepis 22
Lesson Plan 7 - Monday: Theme - My Wife and The Story of an Hour
Lesson rationale:
In this lesson I use Blau’s methods of sharing out and the literary circle. I chose to break
the class up into smaller groups (groups of three) because I think it will diversify interpretations
and generate a variety of ideas. This will give us more to talk about when we reconvene as a
larger group. This lesson builds on what we have done in the previous two lessons on theme by
encouraging students to use the tools they have been provided and use them to identify a theme.
This lesson also asks students to compare the topic these stories share and determine if the
themes about the topic are similar or different. This idea of building on previous lessons and
increasing complexity by introducing a little more in each lesson is an approach adapted from
Bartholomae and Petrovsky’s Facts, Artifacts and Counterfacts.
Objectives:
-
Students will learn to pick passages that are important to their interpretation and share
these passaged with the class.
Students will identify a common topic between these stories.
Students will identify a theme in these stories and compare them for similarities and
differences.
Materials:
-
Artifact 13 - My Wife by Guy de Maupassant http://www.classicreader.com/book/709/1/
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Artifact 14 – Project 1 Tasks and Deadlines handout
Berthoff excerpts (artifacts 15, 19)
Assumptions:
-
Students read My Wife and The Story of an Hour and Berthoff excerpts
Students noted interesting or puzzling passages.
Students selected two or three passages they liked.
Procedure:
-
Students will share passages they liked from the stories and explain why they liked that
particular passage (10 minutes) (Blau – Sharing out).
Class will break up into groups of three (should be five groups) and discuss their Venn
Diagrams (10 - 15 minutes). Based on your discussion please try to come up with an idea
that both stories address. Use the excerpts from Berthoff if they help. How does each
story portray this idea – is the idea good, bad, etc.
MHalepis 23
-
-
Class will reconvene as a group and discuss the topic(s) identified and each author’s
portrayal of these topic(s). Do the stories share a common topic? What is it? Are the
themes the same or different? How is the theme in story A different from story B?
Questions?
Last ten minutes of class - overview of project and instructions for upcoming tasks and
deadlines. See Project Tasks and Deadlines handout for group assignments this evening.
Students must read group members’ story selections (obtain group members’ email
addresses). Group members are responsible for reading each other’s stories by
Wednesday (lesson eight). I will collect notes on the stories you read.
Students will write papers answering the following questions:
Explain why they chose their story. What is interesting to them about the story?
Focus on an element that we covered in class such as character, narration, setting.
Speculate on theme and provide textual evidence.
Students will present for 10 minutes addressing the items above. Students must have a
draft of their paper for lesson nine. Draft must be sent ahead of time to group members –
please email your drafts to your group members by 8:00 PM on Wednesday night. Group
members will complete the Peer Review Form for lesson nine as well.
Homework:
-
Review your stories and start preparing for your paper and presentation. Review Project
Tasks and Deadlines Handout.
Artifact 7: Venn Diagram Organizer
MHalepis 24
Lesson Plan 8 - Wednesday: Class Review - Snowball
Rationale:
This is a great way to test students’ knowledge, identify gaps that need to be addressed,
resolve any open questions and generate discussion. Students will be allowed to ask questions,
answer questions and “add” to question answers when they are read out loud in the class. This
whole process is anonymous. The teacher will moderate the session, and “add” to responses
only when a response is “off” and no one has added anything to clarify. I am trying to move
more of the responsibility on to the students (Nancy, Chima).
Before we move on to projects (due for lesson 10) and more complex analysis in the next
10 – 20 lessons, I want to make sure students have a strong understanding of the terms and
concepts and the stories we have read. I want students to feel confident in their own knowledge
and take possession of it (Blau 173). This lesson will help build that confidence by validating
their responses.
Objectives:
-
-
Students will ask clarifying questions on materials covered to date, and this will help to
prepare them for their upcoming: more complex discussions (next unit), projects and
exams.
Students will learn from their peers.
Students will define terms and concepts in their own words.
Materials:
-
Artifact 8 – Snowball Question Slip
All materials covered to date.
Assumptions:
-
Students have read materials to date.
Students will have questions they want to ask about a story or concept which they are
unclear about.
Procedure:
-
-
This is the last lesson before the presentations are due. Address any questions related to
the project. Review requirements for paper and procedure for presentations. 10 minutes.
Address the project rubric 5 minutes.
Snowball (Laura Whittaker). Instructor to pass out piece of paper. Write down a
question you have about anything (stories, elements, etc.) we have covered so far. If you
don’t have a question, write down something you think I would ask you. Take 5 minutes.
Crumple up the paper. Toss it across the room.
MHalepis 25
-
-
-
-
Pick up a “snowball.” Silently read question and write a response. It is OK if you are not
100% sure of your answer. We will discuss the responses as a class and everyone will
the chance to “add” to the response. Take 5 minutes.
Crumple and toss snowball again. Everyone pick up a snowball.
We will go around the room and each student will have a chance to read their question
and response. Before we move on to the next question, students will have the opportunity
to “add” to the response to the question.
I will type these questions and answers up and post them on the wiki for your future
reference. You may want to refer to these questions for your papers or exams.
Plan B: If snowballing does not take the entire class period, I will provide students with
three questions (not asked during snowballing) that they must write a response to and
then we will share responses.
Review upcoming due dates for projects. Discuss ground rules for Peer Response Sheet.
Assessment:
-
Response to questions is a way for me to assess students’ grasp of the materials covered
to date.
Homework:
-
Complete paper drafts.
Complete Peer Response Sheets for each group member.
Artifact 8: Snowball question and response slip
Question:
Response:
MHalepis 26
Lesson Plan 9 - Friday: Presentations and Discussions
Rationale:
In this lesson, the students are positioned as critics. This is empowering and gives
students the sense that they are knowledgeable and have experience with the subject matter (what
they have learned so far). In this process students learn how to critique a work. Their guideline
is the peer response form. There are also ground rules for responding. Derogatory comments are
not allowed. Feedback should be something that praises the work or helps the other student to
forward their ideas.
Objectives:
-
Students will provide constructive feedback to group members on their papers.
Students will listen and keep an open mind to feedback.
Students will decide whether or not to incorporate peer feedback in their paper revisions.
Materials:
-
Drafts of papers
Completed peer response forms (artifact 9)
Procedures:
-
Collect copies peer response forms (artifact 9)
We will spend 30 minutes in our assigned groups. Each person will have ten minutes to
receive feedback from their group members. Group members should arrive to class with
the feedback forms completed.
Homework:
-
Students should write notes for each story. Notes should include any interesting patterns
they find in terms of language, anything they find interesting about the setting or
characters, anything about the theme and any questions they have about the story.
Students must bring two copies of their notes to class (one which must be handed in).
These notes can be used to ask thoughtful questions of the presenters about their stories.
This is expected for all presentations except for those on the days you are presenting.
MHalepis 27
Artifact 9: Peer Response Form
Please note strengths of the paper.
Does the presenter clearly explain why he or she chose the story? Did you find yourself wanting
to know more about why he or she chose the story? If yes, what are you questions?
Does the presenter clearly identify an element of interest in the story? Does the presenter explain
why this element is so interesting to him/her? Does the cited passage show why this element
would be interesting? Did you find yourself wanting to know more about why he or she chose
the element and why it is interesting? If yes, what are you questions?
Does the presenter speculate on theme? Is there evidence to support the claim? Please note any
clarifying questions you have.
MHalepis 28
Lesson Plan 10: “Claim your Identity as a Reader”
Lesson rationale:
In Time for Meaning, Bomer addresses the idea of students claiming their identity as writers
(22). Students should also claim their identity as readers. This lesson provides the opportunity
for students to claim their identity as readers by choosing a short story for the class. In a 3 – 4
page paper, students must do the following:
-
Explain why they chose their story. What is interesting to them about the story?
Focus on an element that we covered in class such as character, narration, setting.
Speculate on theme and provide textual evidence.
Present for 10 minutes addressing the items above.
These presentations will take place over four class periods (50 minutes each).
Objectives:
-
Students will gain experience presenting and showcasing their scholarly work.
Students are asserting themselves as readers by telling others what stories they think are
worth reading (positioned as critics).
The class essentially creates their own canon or anthology.
Students incorporate in their papers what they have learned to-date.
Materials:
-
Students’ papers
Artifact 10 – Rubric for project grading (for teacher purposes only)
Assumptions:
-
Students assigned to present are prepared.
Procedure:
-
Collect all student papers and notes on stories due for today. Only the presenters do not
have to turn in notes on the stories.
Each student will have 10 minutes to present. Begin presentations.
Q & A session for presenters.
Remind students of stories due for next class.
Assessment:
-
See rubric (artifact 10)
See peer response (artifact 9)
MHalepis 29
-
By reading the papers and listening to the presentations, I can assess students’ grasp of
the materials covered in the class to-date.
Homework:
-
Read stories for those presentations that are taking place on Wednesday.
Take notes as specified and bring 2 copies to class.
Artifact 10:
Paper
Clearly explain why you chose the story you chose
Identifies an element of interest in the story and
explains why it is interesting – cite specific passage
from the story (character, setting, etc.)
Speculates on theme. Draws on textual evidence to
support claim.
Free or grammatical errors and spelling errors
Presentation
Clearly explain why you chose the story you chose
Tells element of interest and why it is interesting.
Cites a passage from the story.
Speaks clearly and projects voice
(Adapted from rubrics distributed in Teaching of Literature)
Artifact 13: Project 1 Tasks and Deadlines
This handout will include the following:
-
Student names and titles of each student’s chosen
A schedule of what is due and when (for the project)
Group assignments
Copies of Peer Response Form
Rubric
Questions to be addressed in paper.
Artifact 14: Presentation Schedule
Student Name and story
Day 1
Day 2
Scale
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
MHalepis 30
Day 3
Artifact 20 - Berthoff Clip 1 - Relationships
MHalepis 31
Berthoff Clip 2 - Relationships
Berthoff Clip 3 - Relationships
Artifact 15 - Berthoff Clip 1 – Classifications
MHalepis 32
Berthoff Clip 2 – Classifications
MHalepis 33
Works Cited
Bartholomae, David; Petrovsky, Anthony. Fact, Artifacts and Counterfacts. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann, 1986. Print.
Berthoff, Ann. Forming, Thinking, Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1988; 51, 71, 102,
103, 117. Print.
Blau, Sheridan D. The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers. Portsmouth,
NH: Heineman, 2003. Print.
Bomer, Randy. A Time for Meaning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1995. Print.
Booth, Alison; Mays, Kelly; Hunter, J. Paul. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Portable
Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006.
Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. Booth, Mays, Hunter 314 – 315.
Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. Booth, Mays, Hunter 356 – 362.
Perkins Gilman, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper. Booth, Mays, Hunter 316 – 327.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. Booth, Mays, Hunter 108 – 113.
Chekhov, Anton. “Misery.” Readbookonline. 21 Aug 2012. Web.
<http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1026/>
Genres of Literature. 21 Aug 2012. Web. <http://genresofliterature.com/>
Hogle, Jerrold E. “Introduction: The Gothic in Western Culture.” The Cambridge Companion
to Gothic Fiction. Hogle, Jerrold E., ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002;
1-3. Print.
de Maupassant, Guy. “My Wife.” Classic Reader. 21 Aug 2012. Web
<http://www.classicreader.com/book/709/1/>
MHalepis 34
Mirkodamian. "Edgar A. Poe & Vincent Price (1)." 07 Oct 2007. Online video clip. YouTube.
Accessed on 21 Aug 2012.
Oates, Joyce Carol, ed. Tales of H. P. Lovecraft. New York: HarperCollins, 1997; ix - xv.
Print.
Oates, Joyce Carol. “The Temple.” American Gothic Tales. Oates, Joyce Carol, ed. New York:
Penguin, 1996; 346 - 348. Print.
Rosenblatt, Louise M. Literature as Exploration. New York: The Modern Language
Association of America, 1995; Print.
Smith, Michael W., Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Fresh Takes on Teaching Literary Elements: How to
Teach What Really Matters About Character, Setting, Point of View and Theme. New
York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
Updike, John. “A & P.” Tiger-town. 21 Aug 2012. Web.
<http://www.tiger-town.com/whatnot/updike/>
Note: Pedagogical techniques were adapted from Dr. Neal Bruss’ Teaching of Composition
course. Also, the ideas of snowball, quickwrite and gradual release of responsibility came from
other members of the Teaching of Literature class (Laura W., Nancy, Chima, Alex).