Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 3 Week 15
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High School
Lesson Title: The Importance of Audience in Writing
Annotation: In this lesson students will explore the idea that different types of writing
require different audiences. The class will examine various types of writing that is
directed at various audiences, and exhibits varying degrees of formality. After viewing
the examples, students will compose a series of Micro-themes in order to practice
writing to various audiences. This lesson is a preparation for the Analytic essay in
which students address major themes in the unit texts. This is a whole class, and
individualized lesson designed for an 11th grade English Language Arts class.
Primary Learning Outcome: As a result of this lesson, students should be able, given
whatever assignment is handed them, be able to determine the appropriate tone in
which to compose their writing. They should be able to identify examples of
inappropriate voice, and tone, and be able to tailor their own writing to the necessities
of the situation.
Assessed GPS’s: ELA11W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate
organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus
throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The student
a. Establishes a clear, distinctive, and coherent thesis or perspective and maintains
a consistent tone and focus throughout.
ELA11W4 The student practices both timed and process writing and, when applicable,
uses the writing process to develop, revise, and evaluate writing. The student
a. Plans and drafts independently and resourcefully.
c. Revises writing for specific audiences, purposes, and formality of the contexts.
d. Revises writing to sharpen the precision of word choice and achieve desired
tone.
e. Revises text to highlight the individual voice and to improve sentence variety
and style.
National Standards: NCTE Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written,
and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively
with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NCTE Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use
different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes.
Materials:
1. Overhead transparencies/copies for a document cam of various samples of
writing addressed to various audiences. Good and bad examples. Use current
material students might be familiar with, i.e. newspaper clippings, blog posts,
permission slips from school ect.
2. Handouts of micro-themes for students to practice writing to different
audiences.
Total Duration: 55 minutes
Technology Connection: Use of either an overhead projector or a document camera for
displaying both the writing samples and the micro-theme directions to the whole class.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Introduce and explain activity.
Ask some purpose setting questions and call on volunteers for the answer.

Today we are going to discuss the importance of writing to suit a
particular audience.
 What do I mean by “audience?”
 Why do you have to write differently so suit different audiences?
 First we are going to look at some good and bad examples of writing that
is directed at various audiences, then as a class determine if the author
used an a tone, voice, and level of formality that fit their audience.
3. Display examples of different writings directed at different audiences on the
overhead or document camera and read them aloud.
Pose questions to the class about the examples.
 Who is the audience for this piece?
 Is the writer writing in a way that is appropriate for that audience?
 Why or why not?
 (if not) What do they need to change to make their writing appropriate?
4. Introduce and explain mirco-themes.
 This is a micro theme. What you need to do is read the sample letter on
the page, then write a short response addresses the letter’s writer
appropriately.
 We are going to complete 3 of these. Each one is directed at a different
audience.
 You will turn these in for a grade at the end of class. Each one is worth 5
points.
5. Allow time for students to complete micro-themes.
 After students finish each micro-theme ask for volunteers to read their
piece.
6. Conclude lesson by collecting papers and then asking closing questions.
 So who is your audience for you analytic essay?
 How formal do you think your paper needs to be?
Assessment:
Students will be assessed formally on participation and via the micro-themes
they compose for this lesson.
Students will receive their 5 point participation credit based upon their
performance throughout the lesson. Good participation entails completing all
assignments, remaining on task, asking questions when clarification is needed, and
being courteous to other students.
Students will be assessed on the quality and completion of the micro-themes
they compose during this lesson. A complete high quality mirco-theme is largely free
of grammatical errors (though grammar will not be an emphasis since the microthemes were composed in class) and addresses the proposed audience set forth in the
directions using appropriate tone, word choice, and level of formality. Incomplete
micro-themes or micro-themes that do not exhibit the aforementioned qualities will not
receive full credit. Each Micro-theme will be worth a total of 5 points, resulting in 15
total points for the whole assignment.
Extension: This lesson might be extended to accommodate students who already grasp
this concept by having students compose their own micro-theme assignments then
trade assignments with a partner and complete the partners micro-theme.
Remediation: For students who have difficulty grasping the concepts presented in this
lesson, instead of composing micro-themes, they might complete a worksheet which
contains several examples of good and bad instances of addressing an audience.
Students could then write short explanations of how the author appropriately or
inappropriately addressed his or her audience in writing.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Dail, Jennefier. Feminist Theory: Micro-theme on feminist theory and The Great Gatsby.
Kennesaw State University. Kennesaw, GA, October 2007.
Micro-theme 1: Friends
You have been a very busy student this semester, studying about how literature and
society affect one another, you’re not exactly happy with your good ol’ language arts
teacher who makes you do a ton of reading outside class. Recently, your best friend who
moved away when you were thirteen years old has recently moved back to the area. You
know this because he looked you up on Myspace last night and left you the following
message:
Hey you,
Guess who this is! Forget it you’ll never figure it out. It’s “moon pie”
from grade school? The one who used to steal your Language Arts text book
because I lost mine when I threw it away in the middle-school garbage can by
accident during lunch that time? That’s me! I live around here again, so I
thought I’d see if you still did, and say hey. So how are you? Have you been
bored out of your skull without me around? Is your sister still skinny and
bucktoothed or did she turn hot? E-mail me back ASAP.
Your long-lost text-book thieving best pal,
Moonie
Directions: Respond to Moonie’s e-mail telling him about the things you been doing
lately. Be sure to work in a reference to what you have been doing in your Language
Arts course recently. Write your response using appropriate language and tone that
would suit the purpose of this situation. A good response includes a reference to English
class, and suits the audience who will read the piece.
Micro-theme 2: School Administrator
You are an eleventh-grade Language Arts teacher planning your lessons for a new
semester. You have decided that you want a class set of all the books you plan to use
during the year, but you are worried it will be too expensive and that your department
head wont let you get the books. As you come into the school during a summer work day
you see the following notice on the bulletin board in the teacher’s lounge:
Attention English Teachers,
It has come to the attention of this department
that due to the increase in attention given to
adolescent literacy, the school board has allotted
each school in the district a substantial increase in
the budget for the English department. If you have
suggestions or requests for new material such as
technology programs, texts, or other instructionally
valuable items, please submit a request to this office
in writing. The request will be forwarded to the
Principal and the school board for approval. The
deadline for requests is July 23rd.
Sincerely,
Brad Simmons
Brad Simmons, English Department.
Compose a request for the class sets of books using the books we have read this semester.
Try to convince the department head why it is important for you to have a class set of
these books for your students, and why these books in particular are a good investment
for the English department. Write using language and tone appropriate to your audience.
A good solid response makes the request for books in a manner that suits the situation
presented in the directions.
Micro-theme 3: Concerned Parent
You are an eleventh grade teacher at Wells high-school. You have just started the new
semester and are teaching a unit on fiction that reflects society using a bunch of “horror”
novels, Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Picture of Dorian
Gray. You come into your office one morning and find the following e-mail in your inbox from the parent of one of your students.
Dear Monster-book Teacher,
I’ve just been looking through the stack of books you sent home with my
child and I’m a little concerned. I don’t like the idea of my child reading
books about vampires and monsters, and frankly I don’t see the point of
teaching this kind of stuff in the eleventh grade. If kids want to read horror
they can just go pick up Stephen King (who I don’t approve of either
frankly). I’m also really concerned with The Picture of Dorian Gray because
I heard the author, Oscar Wilde, was homosexual. I don’t want my kid
reading about that stuff. I haven’t read any of these books, so maybe I’m
missing something, but I’m seriously considering having my child taken out
of your class this semester if this is the kind of crud you will be teaching.
Sincerely,
A very Concerned Parent
Compose a response to this parent’s e-mail defending you decision to include these books
in your curriculum. Attempt to explain yourself without being patronizing or
condescending, but take a stand. Use language and a tone appropriate to the audience of
this piece. A solid response will appropriately address all of the parents concerns in a
manner that is suited to the situation.
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 4 Week 15
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High School
Lesson Plan Title: Sentence Variation
Annotation: This lesson aims to teach students the effectiveness of sentence variation in
their writing. The instructor will first model methods of combining and shortening
sentences. Then, in cooperative groups students will examine samples of writing
composed in either nothing but a series of short sentences, or nothing but long
sentences and revise the samples. After presenting their revisions to the class, students
will examine their own writing using the first draft of their analytic essay, then if time
permits, their old Reading Responses and In Class Journal entries This lesson is a
preparation for the analytic essay students will turn in for a major semester grade. This
lesson is a partially a whole class activity as well as a cooperative exercise designed for
an 11th grade English Language Arts Class.
Primary Learning Outcome: As a result of this lesson students should be able to
compose writing that exhibits a variety of sentence structures of differing levels of
complexity and length. They should be able to properly punctuate the variety of
sentence structures, as well as be able to recognize opportunities to combine or split up
sentences in existing samples of their own writing.
Assessed GPS’s: ELA11W4 The student practices both timed and process writing and,
when applicable, uses the writing process to develop, revise, and evaluate writing. The
student
a. Plans and drafts independently and resourcefully.
e. Revises text to highlight the individual voice and to improve sentence variety
and style.
National Standards: NCTE Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and
visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NCTE Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use
different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes.
Materials:
1. Worksheets of writing samples composed in short simplistic sentences.
2. Worksheets of writing samples composed in overlong complex sentences.
Total Duration: 55 minutes.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Introduce topic and model and explain concepts. Define different types of
sentences. Model ways to combine simplistic sentences. Model ways to split
up sentences that are too long.
3. Split students into cooperative groups. Distribute worksheets and give
directions for assignment.
 Each of these worksheets contain paragraphs that need revising.
 The first worksheet is full of sentences that are too short and simplistic.
The second is full of sentences that need shortened.
 Working as a pair, go through the paragraphs and rewrite them so they
display greater sentence variation.
 Make sure the revisions have a good variety in the sentence length.
Don’t just split all of the long sentences into a bunch of tiny sentences,
or combine every short sentence into big long compound-complex
sentences.
 You will turn in the worksheets for a grade. Put both your names on both
worksheets so you get credit for your work.
4. Provide time for students to work through worksheets.
5. Collect worksheets. Have volunteers present revisions to the class.
6. Have students pull out their first draft of their analytic essay and work through
it looking for places they can combine sentences of break them up to sound
more effective. If there is time left, have students work through old reading
responses doing the same thing.
7. Conclude lesson with wrap up questions.
 Did you find any places in your own essay that you could revise to
combine or split up sentences to vary the sentence length at all?
 Would anyone like to share their revisions?
Assessment:
Students will be assessed based upon their participation and on the completion
of the assigned worksheets for this lesson.
Students will receive their 5 point participation credit based upon their
performance throughout the lesson. Good participation entails completing all
assignments, remaining on task, asking questions when clarification is needed, and
being courteous to other students.
The group worksheets will be assessed on the basis of the revision the groups
turn in at the end of the activity. The revisions should demonstrate students’ grasp of
various forms of sentences of varying degrees of complexity. Quality revisions consist
of a revision of the worksheet of “too short sentences” that includes longer more
complex sentences, and the revision of the worksheet of “too long sentences” that
includes shorter, more concise variations. These revisions should not, however, merely
consist of “shorter” or “longer” sentences alone, but display a good mix of both,
indicating that students can determine when it would be most appropriate to vary
sentence length. The revisions are worth 10 points each, resulting in a 20 point
allotment for the lesson.
Extension: This lesson might be extended to require students to compose original
paragraphs on either an assigned topic or topic of the students’ choice in which
students demonstrate varied sentence length
Remediation: For students having difficulty grasping the concepts presented in this
lesson it might be altered to have students merely practice combining sentences or
splitting them up rather than composing a revised version of the paragraphs.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion 3rd Edition. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann,
2008.
“Sentence Variety.” The Owl at Purdue. 27 March 2008. The Writing Lab & The Owl at
Purdue & Purdue University. 22 April 2008.
Name: ______________
Period: ____
_________________
Sentence Variation Worksheet
Directions: Revise the paragraph to include greater sentence variation. Combine
sentences so the paragraph is not as simplistic.
The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer. They wanted to
find some native American art. In Anchorage stores they found some excellent examples
of soapstone carvings. But they couldn't find a dealer selling any of the woven wall
hangings they wanted. They were very disappointed. They left Anchorage emptyhanded.
________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
“Sentence Variety.” The Owl at Purdue. 27 March 2008. The Writing Lab & The Owl at
Purdue & Purdue University. 22 April 2008.
Name: ______________
Period: ____
_________________
Sentence Variation Worksheet
Directions: Revise the paragraph to include greater sentence variation. Break up the
sentences so they are not as long and unwieldy.
Many really good blues guitarists have all had the last name King, for instance
they have been named Freddie King and Albert King and B.B. King. The name King
must make a bluesman a really good bluesman because the bluesmen named King have
all been very talented and good guitar players so I guess the claim that a name can make a
guitarist good may not be that far fetched.
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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
“Sentence Variety.” The Owl at Purdue. 27 March 2008. The Writing Lab & The Owl at
Purdue & Purdue University. 22 April 2008.
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 5 Week 15
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High School
Lesson Plan Title: Effective Word Choice in Writing
Annotation: This lesson aims to impress upon students the power of effective word
choice. Students will read re-written passages from their Unit texts that have been
altered to employ weak generic adjectives, and vague verbs, and other weak examples
of word choice. Students will compose a brief reflection on the difference between the
two passages and how they felt the word choice contributed to the passage. Class will
then get into their workshop groups and go back over their drafts, and old Reading
Responses looking for examples of generic adjectives, vague verbs, and examples of
weak word choice. This lesson is a preparation for the analytic essay that serves as a
major assessment for the unit. This is an individualized, and group lesson designed for
an 11th grade English Language Arts class.
Primary Learning Outcome: Students will be able to produce grammatically correct
writing with strong effective diction that is clear, concise, and best supports the goal of
that writing. Students will be able to identify instances of weak, vague, bland word
choice, and be able to draw upon appropriate resources to revise poor word choice.
Assessed GPS’s: ELA11W1 The student produces writing that establishes an
appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a
coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The student
d. Uses precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers,
and active rather than passive voice.
ELA11W4 The student practices both timed and process writing and, when applicable,
uses the writing process to develop, revise, and evaluate writing. The student
a. Plans and drafts independently and resourcefully.
d. Revises writing to sharpen the precision of word choice and achieve desired
tone.
e. Revises text to highlight the individual voice and to improve sentence variety
and style.
f. Edits writing to improve word choice, grammar, punctuation, etc.
National Standards: NCTE Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and
visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NCTE Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use
different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes.
Materials:
1. Handouts containing of passages from Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, and The Picture of Dorian Gray re-written using weak word choice.
2. Overhead transparencies or copy for doc cam of handout with passages from
unit texts.
Total Duration: 55 minutes
Technology connection: Use of the document cam or overhead projector to display the
weak passages and the original passage side by side for the class.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading
2. Introduce and explain activity.
 Today we are going to examine the importance of word choice in writing
and how effective word choice can elevate writing.
3. Distribute handouts with passages from unit texts re-written to use ineffective
word choice. Compare the passages on the over head or using the document
cam.
 Display only the “bad” version of the passage. Call on students to
volunteer reactions to the passage.
 Display the original version of the passage side by side with the “bad”
version.
 Student copy of handout should include both passages side by side on a
bifurcated page.
 Do this for passage from each novel (Drac/Frank/Jekyll/Dorian)
4. Have students compose a brief reflection on the effect of the altered word
choice.
 Take out a sheet of paper and write a paragraph discussing your reaction
to the difference in word choice between the “bad” and original versions
of the passage.
 How effective was the passage with the original word choice?
What about it made it “effective?” Why?
5. Collect reflections. Students take out their first drafts of their analytic essay and
work through it with a partner looking for ways to improve their word choice.
6. Conclude lesson with students sharing examples of their revisions.
 Does anyone want to share how they revised a portion of their essay?
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their participation throughout the lesson and upon
the brief reflection they submit after viewing the passages.
Students will receive their 5 point participation credit based upon their
performance throughout the lesson. Good participation entails completing all
assignments, remaining on task, asking questions when clarification is needed, and
being courteous to other students. During this lesson, good participation during the
draft examination is particularly crucial.
Students will receive five points for a thoughtfully composed reflection over the
passage word choice comparison. A thoughtful reflection entails some discussion of
how the more specific, descriptive, precise word choice contributed to the overall effect
of the passage, and discussion of what effect the altering of that word choice had upon
the quality of the writing. Poor responses that do not address the effect of the word
choice will not receive full credit.
Extension: This lesson might be extended to require students to work through texts of
their choosing selecting examples of effective word choice and composing reflections or
presenting to the class why they find the particular author’s word choice effective.
Remediation: For students having difficulty grasping the concepts in this lesson it
might be altered to allow students to spend some time generating lists of effective
words, i.e. more specific adjectives, in a graphic organizer for easy reference.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Jago, Carol. Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004.
Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004. p 62-64
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Barns
& Nobel Classics, 1886.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 1890.
Original Passages
It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With
an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me,
that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was
already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle
was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull
yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its
limbs.
Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004. p 62-64
The besiegers, appalled by their own riot and the stillness that had succeeded, stood back
a little and peered in. There lay the cabinet before their eyes in the quiet lamplight, a
good fire glowing and chattering on the hearth, the kettle singing its thin strain, a drawer
or two open, papers neatly set forth on the business table, and nearer the fire, the things
laid out for tea; the quietest room, you would have said, and, but for the glazed presses
full of chemicals, the most commonplace that night in London.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Barns & Nobel Classics,
1886.
I knew I must reach the body for the key, so I raised the lid, and laid it back against the
wall. And then I saw something which filled my very soul with horror. There lay the
Count, but looking as if his youth had been half restored. For the white hair and
moustache were changed to dark iron-grey. The cheeks were fuller, and the white skin
seemed ruby-red underneath. The mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts
of fresh blood, which trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran down over the chin
and neck. Even the deep, burning eyes seemed set amongst swollen flesh, for the lids and
pouches underneath were bloated. It seemed as if the whole awful creature were simply
gorged with blood. He lay like a filthy leech, exhausted with his repletion.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.
Lord Henry looked at him. Yes, he was certainly wonderfully handsome, gold hair. There
was something in his face that made one trust him at once. All the candour of youth was
there, as well as all youth's passionate purity. One felt that he had kept himself unspotted
from the world. No wonder Basil Hallward worshipped him.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 1890.
“Altered” Passages
It was on a dark night of November that I looked at the accomplishment of my work.
With an fear that almost amounted to pain, I collected the instruments of life around me,
that I might insert a spark of being into the dead thing that lay at my feet. It was already
one in the morning; the rain fell against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out,
when, by the glow of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature
open; it breathed hard, and a sudden motion moved its arms.
Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004. p 62-64
The men, surprised by their own noise and the quiet that had succeeded, stood back a
little and looked in. There lay the cabinet before their eyes in the lamplight, a good fire
glowing and burning on the hearth, the kettle whistling its high pitched sound, a drawer
or two open, papers folded on the business table, and nearer the fire, the things laid out
for tea; the quietest room, you would have said, and, but for the glazed presses full of
chemicals, the most ordinary that night in London.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Barns & Nobel Classics,
1886.
I knew I must reach the body for the key, so I raised the lid, and laid it back against the
wall. And then I saw something which filled my very soul with fear. There lay the Count,
but looking as if his youth had come back. For the white hair and moustache had turned
to dark iron-grey. The cheeks were fat and the white skin seemed pink underneath. The
mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips was a lot of blood, which ran from the corners
of the mouth and ran down over the chin and neck. Even the deep, bright eyes seemed set
amongst fat flesh, for the lids and pouches underneath were fat. It seemed as if the whole
awful creature were simply filled with blood. He lay like a slug, exhausted with his
fullness.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.
Lord Henry looked at him. Yes, he was certainly good looking, blond hair. There was
something in his face that made one trust him at once. All the evidence of youth was
there, as well as all youth's innocence. One felt that he had kept himself away from the
world. No wonder Basil Hallward liked him.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 1890.
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 1 Week 16
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High School
Lesson Plan Title: The importance of Organization in writing
Annotation: This lesson aims to teach students the importance of organization in
producing effective writing. Students will use either the computer lab, or a traveling
lap-top lab to examine electronic copies of essays that have been scrambled and had
their transitional sentences removed. Depending upon size of the class and availability
of technology, students will either individually or in pairs, reorganize the essays so they
flow intelligently from one point to the next. Students will also compose appropriate
transitional sentences between the paragraphs. This lesson is a preparation for the
Analytic essay students will serve as a major assessment in this unit. This is a whole
class lesson designed for an 11th grade English Language Arts class.
Primary Learning Outcome: Students will be able to compose writing that is logically
organized according to the conventions of the mode in which the writing was
composed. Said writing should that flow in a readable, effective, coherent fashion.
Assessed GPS’s: ELA11W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate
organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent
focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The student
a. Establishes a clear, distinctive, and coherent thesis or perspective and
maintains a consistent tone and focus throughout.
b. Selects a focus, structure, and point of view relevant to the purpose, genre
expectations, audience, length, and format requirements.
c. Constructs arguable topic sentences, when applicable, to guide unified
paragraphs.
e. Writes texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story.
f. Uses traditional structures for conveying information (i.e., chronological
order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a
question).
ELA11W4 The student practices both timed and process writing and, when applicable,
uses the writing process to develop, revise, and evaluate writing. The student
a. Plans and drafts independently and resourcefully.
b. Revises writing to improve the logic and coherence of the organization and
controlling perspective.
f. Edits writing to improve word choice, grammar, punctuation, etc.
National Standards: NCTE Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and
visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NCTE Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use
different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes.
Materials:
1. Computer access via lab or portable laptop lab.
2. Electronic copies of scrambled essays (preferably student samples) with
transitional sentences removed.
3. Hard copy back up copies of scrambled essays in case of unavailability of
computer lab or technology malfunction.
Total Duration: 55 minutes
Technology connection: Use of computers (via lab or laptop) to promote the ease of reorganization of the scrambled essays. Students can copy and paste paragraphs into the
correct order in a separate document.
Procedures:
Procedures assume Technology is functional and class has access to enough computers
for each student to complete assignment individually.
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Begin class with min-lecture on the importance of organization in writing and
composing transitional sentences. If in the computer lab, conduct this portion
of the lesson with the students seated in the front of the lab AWAY from the
computers so they will not be tempted to toy with them.
3. Explain and give directions for activity.
 Open the Microsoft word document on the desktop named “essay
scramble.doc”
 Inside you will find a few sample essays that have been scrambled so the
paragraphs are out of order. The transitional sentences between the
paragraphs have been removed.
 Read through the paragraphs. Copy and paste them in the correct order,
into another document.
 Choose a different color type and compose transition sentences between
the paragraphs. When you are finished print the document and hand it
in. Remember to put your name at the top so I know who to give credit.
 This assignment is worth 30 points, that’s 10 points per essay.
4. Allow time for students to complete the activity.
5. Collect the completed documents from students.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their participation throughout this lesson and on
the electronic document they submit at the end of class.
Students will receive their 5 point participation credit based upon their
performance throughout the lesson. Good participation entails completing all
assignments, remaining on task, asking questions when clarification is needed, and
being courteous to other students.
Students will be assessed on the re-ordering of the electronic essays into a
fashion that flows coherently from one point to the next. The document should also
include student composed transitional sentences in a separate color type. Students will
receive 10 points for each essay they revise and for a completed document that is in
order and contains transitional sentences.
Extension: For students who already grasp the concepts presented in this lesson it
might be extended to require students to provide a written summary justifying their
choices in the ordering of the essay.
Remediation: For students having difficulty grasping the concepts presented in this
lesson it might be altered to include the omitted transitional sentences to make reordering the essay simpler.
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 4 Week 14
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High School
Lesson Plan Title: Grammar in Context: Active vs. Passive Voice
Annotation: This lesson aims to highlight the difference between active and passive
voice in writing, using one of the major unit texts: Dracula. The style of Stoker’s writing
lends itself well to the examination of this phenomenon, because Stoker is very fond of
passive voice. After direct explanation of the concepts of active and passive voice, using
excerpts from the text, students will first find all the instances of passive voice in the
excerpt, then attempt to rewrite those sentences using active voice. This is a whole
class or paired lesson, designed for an 11th grade English Language Arts class.
Primary Learning Outcome: Students will be able to recognize and apply the concepts
of active and passive voice in reading and writing. Students will be able to revise the
mode of voice from one form to the other according to which is most effective and
appropriate in their writing.
Assessed GPS’s: ELA11W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate
organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent
focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The student
d. Uses precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers,
and active rather than passive voice.
National Standards: NCTE Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and
visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NCTE Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use
different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes.
Materials:
1. Hard copies of excerpts from Dracula with instances of excessive use of passive
voice.
2. Overhead projection/copy for doc cam of excerpt worksheet to display for class
and go over with them together at the end of the lesson.
Total Duration: 55 minutes
Technology Connection: Use of the document camera to display worksheet for whole
class during review portion of lesson.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Explain the definitions of passive and active voice.
 Write example sentences on the board.
 Have students take notes.
3. Distribute handouts containing passages from Dracula containing extensive use
of passive voice. Explain and give directions for activity.
 Look at your handout. It has several passages from Dracula.
 Either on your own or with a partner if you choose, go through the
passages and highlight, circle or underline the places where Stoker uses
passive voice.
 Rewrite those sentences to employ active voice.
 This worksheet will be taken up for a grade. It is worth 15 points.
4. Allow time for students to complete the worksheet.
5. Ask students to volunteer to share revisions, then collect the worksheets.
 Does anyone want to share some of the sentences they revised?
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their participation throughout this lesson and on
revisions submitted at the end of the lesson.
Students will receive their 5 point participation credit based upon their
performance throughout the lesson. Good participation entails completing all
assignments, remaining on task, asking questions when clarification is needed, and
being courteous to other students.
Students will be evaluated on whether or not the revisions over the instances of
passive voice in the passages on the worksheet are correct. A correct worksheet
identifies and correctly revises all uses of passive voice in the selected passage into
active voice. Worksheets that fail to account for all instances of passive voice or
incorporate faulty revisions will not receive full credit. Students will receive 15 points
for a correctly completed worksheet.
Extension: This lesson might be extended to require students to examine their own
writing with an eye for instances of passive voice to revise.
Remediation: For students having difficulty grasping the concepts presented in this
lesson it might be altered to only require students to identify instances of passive and
active voice from various texts (since Dracula is a bit heavy on the passive voice).
Works Cited and Consulted:
Noden, Harry. Image Grammar: Using Grammatical Structures to teach writing.
Portsmouth NH: Heinemann, 1999.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.
Name: ____________
Period:____
Passive Voice to Active Voice
Directions: Read through the following passages and highlight, underline, or circle the
instances where Stoker uses passive voice. Then on the lines provided, rewrite the
sentences so they are in active voice.
One of the greatest and suddenest storms on record has just been experienced
here, with results both strange and unique. The weather had been somewhat sultry, but
not to any degree uncommon in the month of August. Saturday evening was as fine as
was ever known, and the great body of holiday-makers laid out yesterday for visits to
Mulgrave Woods, Robin Hood's Bay, Rig Mill, Runswick, Staithes, and the various trips
in the neighborhood of Whitby. The steamers Emma and Scarborough made trips up and
down the coast, and there was an unusual amount of `tripping' both to and from Whitby.
The day was unusually fine till the afternoon, when some of the gossips who frequent the
East Cliff churchyard, and from the commanding eminence watch the wide sweep of sea
visible to the north and east, called attention to a sudden show of `mares tails' high in the
sky to the northwest. The wind was then blowing from the south-west in the mild degree
which in barometrical language is ranked `No. 2, light breeze.'
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
He did not remain long, but said he would look in later in the day and see Lord
Godalming. His coming, however, had been a certain comfort to us, since it assured us
that we should not have to dread hostile criticism as to any of our acts. Arthur was
expected at five o'clock, so a little before that time we visited the death chamber. It was
so in very truth, for now both mother and daughter lay in it. The undertaker, true to his
craft, had made the best display he could of his goods, and there was a mortuary air about
the place that lowered our spirits at once.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.
Name: ____________
Period:____
Passive Voice to Active Voice (Answer Key)
Directions: Read through the following passages and highlight, underline, or circle the
instances where Stoker uses passive voice. Then on the lines provided, rewrite the
sentences so they are in active voice.
One of the greatest and suddenest storms on record has just been experienced
here, with results both strange and unique. The weather had been somewhat sultry, but
not to any degree uncommon in the month of August. Saturday evening was as fine as
was ever known, and the great body of holiday-makers laid out yesterday for visits to
Mulgrave Woods, Robin Hood's Bay, Rig Mill, Runswick, Staithes, and the various trips
in the neighborhood of Whitby. The steamers Emma and Scarborough made trips up and
down the coast, and there was an unusual amount of `tripping' both to and from Whitby.
The day was unusually fine till the afternoon, when some of the gossips who frequent the
East Cliff churchyard, and from the commanding eminence watch the wide sweep of sea
visible to the north and east, called attention to a sudden show of `mares tails' high in the
sky to the northwest. The wind was then blowing from the south-west in the mild degree
which in barometrical language is ranked `No. 2, light breeze.'
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
He did not remain long, but said he would look in later in the day and see Lord
Godalming. His coming, however, had been a certain comfort to us, since it assured us
that we should not have to dread hostile criticism as to any of our acts. Arthur was
expected at five o'clock, so a little before that time we visited the death chamber. It was
so in very truth, for now both mother and daughter lay in it. The undertaker, true to his
craft, had made the best display he could of his goods, and there was a mortuary air about
the place that lowered our spirits at once.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 3 Week 15
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High
Lesson Title: Mina versus Lucy and the Victorian “New Woman.”
Annotation: This lesson is about analyzing character depiction in light of the political
issues of the period in which the novel was written. Specifically, the class will explore
the depictions of the two main female characters in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mina
Murray and Lucy Westerna, in light of the Victorian phenomenon of the “New
Woman.” It is a whole class lesson using handouts to cover the history of the
phenomenon and a Ven Diagram graphic organizer to facilitate comparison of the two
characters. This lesson is for a 12th grade British Literature class.
Primary Learning Outcome: As a result of this lesson, students should be
able to understand the significance of the political atmosphere regarding
women in Victorian England and how that atmosphere is reflected in Dracula
through the characterization of Lucy and Mina.
Additional Learning Outcome: Students should be able to identify specific traits
assigned to a character by an author and articulate them, and support
those conclusions with evidence from the text.
Assessed GPS’s: ELABLRL3 - The student deepens understanding of literary works by
relating them to their contemporary context or historical background, as well as to
works from other time periods.
a. Relates a work to the seminal ideas of the time in which it is set or the time of its
composition.
b. Relates a literary work to the characteristics of the literary time period that it
represents.
v. Victorian
National Standards: NCTE Standard #2 - Students read a wide range of literature from
many periods in many genres to build and understanding of
the many dimensions (e.g. philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
NCTE Standard #3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend,
interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior
experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their
knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification
strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter
correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics)
Materials:
1. Handouts over the Victorian “New Woman,” explaining the genesis of the term
and what it entailed in Victorian England. The handout is largely for student
use in studying for upcoming Dracula test.
2. White board markers to fill in the Ven Diagram with class comments.
Total Duration: 55 minutes
Technology Connection (optional): Overhead projector for projection of the “New
Woman” handout so students can reference it without having to look down and not be
engaged in possible discussion of the phenomenon.
OR
Use of a document cam to project the handout for class reference.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Assign Reading response.
3. Begin the class by posing questions about politics in fiction.
 Have you ever read a book or seen a movie that you thought reflected
anything that was happening currently in society?
Call on students to give examples.
 Distribute the handout over the Victorian “New Woman” while
explaining the phenomenon in depth.
4. Draw a giant Ven Diagram on the white board. One circle is labeled Mina, the
other labeled Lucy. Pose questions to the class for comparing the two women.
Fill in the diagram on the board with student responses.
 How would you describe Mina’s Personality? Lucy’s?
 Does Lucy have any specific talents? Does Mina?
 How are they different or similar in the way they deal with the men in
the novel?
 What are Mina’s priorities in life? What are Lucy’s?
 Do any of the attributes of the “New Woman” fit Lucy or Mina?

Circle any of the attributes students suggest coincide.
What do you think this suggests about Stoker’s opinion on the whole
“New Woman” issue?
Attempt to call on every student in the class, not the same five talkative students
so all students may get a participation credit.
5. Students write a reflective paragraph stating what they have learned from the
activity. This is done on loose leaf paper to be turned in before leaving the
classroom.
 Take out a piece of paper and in complete sentences write what you have
learned from this lesson. You can reference your handout, just don’t
replicate it. Make connections between the information from the
handout and the discussion. If you have any questions that didn’t get
answered you can put those too.
6. Conclude the lesson by asking volunteers to share what they have written in their
paragraph.
 Does anyone want to share what they have written?
Assessment: Participation will be monitored by recording the student who
gave the comment written in the ven diagram next to the comment on the
board. Students will receive 5 points to be added to their participation
average for the whole semester. Students who answer more than once will
receive 1 point for each extra comment they contribute.
Students will also be assessed on the reflective paragraph they turn in at
the end of the period. The paragraph will be assessed according to the
quality of the response. A quality response constitutes at least five
complete sentences. It should use evidence from either the text or the
comments from the discussion to support its conclusions. Some references should be
made to the “New Woman” phenomenon, though not copied from the handout, and the
phenomenon should be related to either Mina, Lucy, or evidence of Stoker’s opinions.
Students should demonstrate what they gained from the activity in the response. The
response will be graded on a scale of 1-5, one being poor, five being excellent.
Extension: This lesson might be extended to look at the representations of
the female Vampires as well as Lucy and Mina. Instead of looking at the "New
Woman" we might move on to colonialism and the character of Dracula as a
colonizer. Students could use their reflections as the start to a larger
analytical paper on the subject.
Remediation: For students who have trouble grasping the concepts, instead of
filling in the ven diagram along with the class, they could have access to
worksheets which already list many of the attributes of Mina and Lucy in
addition to the handout over the Victorian New woman. Instead of a whole
class diagram students could fill out individual diagrams.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Burke, Jim. Reading Reminders. New York: Boynton/Cook, 2000. pp 50
Ledger, Sally. “The New Woman and the Crisis of Victorianism.” Cultural politics at the
fin de siècle. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Senf, Carol A. "Dracula: Stoker's Response to the New Woman." Victorian Studies: A
Journal of the Humanities, Arts and Sciences 26.1 (Autumn 1982): 33-49. MLA
International Bibliography. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 26
October 2007.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=1982074698&si
te=ehost-live>.
Eltis, Sos. “Corruption of the Blood and Degeneration of the Race: Dracula and Policing
the Borders of Gender.” Stoker, Bram. Dracula: Case Studies in Contemporary Critiscm.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002
The “New Woman” in Victorian England

In the late Nineteenth century there is a push for women’s rights in
England.

Women’s Colleges open widening career options, and a push for suffrage
(the right to vote) begins.

1894 – Feminist novelist Sarah Grand coins the term “New Woman” to
describe the woman liberated from Victorian convention.

Detractors of the “New Woman” portrayed her in cartoons as either
homely and spinsterish or young and rash with bloomers, cigarette and
liquor.

On the literary scene, several novels in which Victorian women deviate
strongly from proscribed standards of behavior are published. These
include
o The Heavenly Twins, by Sarah Grand
o The Sorrows of Satan, by Marie Corelli
o Gallia, by Menie Muriel Dowie

Members of the feminist movement often disagreed on how they wanted
to be perceived, and on the definition of the new woman itself.

Common attributes associated with the “New Woman” included
o A woman who sought financial independence and personal
fulfillment through a career instead of motherhood and marriage.
o
Higher education and professional skills outside the domestic
realm.
o
Desire for physical activity, such as bicycle riding, and sports.
o
Belief in greater freedom of dress, that is not to be restricted to
corsets and dresses but allowed to wear bloomers and trousers.
o
A frankness in discussing sexual matters, and initiating
relationships.
o
Insistence on equality between the sexes.
Ledger, Sally. “The New Woman and the Crisis of Victorianism.” Cultural politics at the fin de siècle. Cambridge : Cambridge University
Press, 1995.
Senf, Carol A. "Dracula: Stoker's Response to the New Woman." Victorian Studies: A Journal of the Humanities, Arts and Sciences 26.1
(Autumn 1982): 33-49. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 26 October 2007.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=1982074698&site=ehost-live>.
Eltis, Sos. “Corruption of the Blood and Degeneration of the Race: Dracula and Policing the Borders of Gender.” Stoker, Bram. Dracula: Case Studies in
Contemporary Critiscm. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 4 Week 13
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High
Lesson Title: Close Reading Exercise
Annotation: This lesson is geared toward teaching students to analyze a text looking for
diction, imagery, repetition, and any other devices which work towards the meaning
and affect of a passage. Specifically, students will use a handout to perform a close
reading on the passage from Bram Stoker’s Dracula in which Jonathan Harker first
encounters the count’s three brides. This is a whole class exercise in which the students
will have the opportunity to respond to the passage, as well as each other’s
observations. This lesson is for a 12th grade literature class.
Primary Learning Outcome: As a result of this lesson, students should be able to identify
what elements in the text contribute to its overall effect and meaning. They should be
able to point to specific words and phrases which constitute the attributes they identify.
Assessed GPS’s: ELABLRL1 The student demonstrates comprehension by identifying
evidence (i.e., examples of diction, imagery, point of view, figurative language,
symbolism, plot events, main ideas, and characteristics) in a variety of texts
representative of different genres (i.e., poetry, prose [short story, novel, essay, editorial,
biography], and drama) and using this evidence as the basis for interpretation.
b. Identifies and analyzes patterns of imagery or symbolism.
d. Analyzes, evaluates, and applies knowledge of the ways authors use
techniques and elements in fiction for rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
National Standards: NCTE Standard #3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to
comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior
experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their
knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification
strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter
correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics)
Materials:
1. Overhead projection of Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good
Night” for modeling close reading for the class.
2. Handout of the “three brides” passage from Dracula so students mounted on
a slightly larger piece of construction paper, so can write on the passage
itself, underline words, write questions and such, without damaging the
textbook.
3. Supply of various colored markers and pens. Be sure to have enough
writing utensils for the whole class.
Total Duration: 55 minutes.
Procedures:
1. Conduct poetry 180 reading.
2. Assign reading response.
3. Explain the concept of close reading to the class. Do a swift model close
reading on Dylan Thomas piece using the overhead projection.
 Close reading is a detailed examination of a particular text or portion
of a text. The point is to find the specific literary techniques that
make the literature work.
 Underline important words, images, literary devices (i.e. alliteration)
on the overhead projection.
4. Give directions for the class wide close reading exchange. Pass out the
passage handout. Allow students to perform the activity.
 On this handout is a passage from today’s reading for Dracula,
which hopefully you have already read. Put your name in the top left
hand corner. Take a few minutes to read through the passage once,
then read through it a second time marking what sticks out to you
about it as you go. Write questions if you have any. If you find a
literary technique, for example alliteration, mark it and write the
term beside your markings. Read through it again continuing to
mark it if you finish your second reading before time is called.
 After 3 minutes, I will call time. Finish your sentence, and then
exchange papers with the person sitting to your left. Read through
the comments and respond to any comments they made. Try to
answer questions they posed. Be respectful in your comments. Any
inappropriate responses will not receive credit for the activity.
Initial next to the remarks you make. Do this until I call time again.
 Every 3 minutes I will call time again and you will pass the paper to
your left. Repeat the procedure.
 After the last exchange, when I call time return the paper you have
to the person whose name is in the top left corner.
5. Allow students to perform the activity.
 Every 3 minutes, call time and have students exchange papers.
6. Allow students to read over the comments from their peers. Collect papers
for assessment. Hold brief discussion of about what the students learned
from the activity.
 What did you notice about the passage that you didn’t pick up on
when you first read it for homework?
 After you read what your classmates put, what did you notice?
 Pass your papers to the end of your row and I will collect them for a
grade.
Assessment: The journal prompt will not be read, but glanced at briefly so participation
can be recorded. Students will be assessed on a scale of poor to excellent, and a 10
point scale. Students will be assessed on the filled in worksheet, as well as the responses
they made to their peers work. The responses to peers will be tracked through the
initialing next to annotations, and the specific color pen the students use. They will
receive credit for their initial response. If their initial response was weak, but the level
of engagement improved as they worked through their peers’ responses, they will
receive full credit for the activity. Points will be deducted for obvious lack of effort;
little or no identification of literary devices; inappropriate smart-aleck responses. If
poor response is class wide, then the idea of “close reading” was not clearly articulated
or demonstrated, and the lesson should be re- taught.
Extension: This lesson might be extended into students completing another close
reading activity, but only on an individual basis in order to compare the two completed
worksheets to measure students’ grasp of the concept. It also might be furthered into a
close reading essay in which the students form an argument about the work than must
be supported through a close reading.
Remediation: For students having difficulty understanding the concepts, they should not
have to exchange or share their work with other students. Students could work in pairs
so that the struggling student is paired with either an instructor or another student who
does understand the concept in order to facilitate learning. Students may need extra
coverage of literary techniques.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Burke, Jim. Reading Reminders. New York: Boynton/Cook, 2000. pp 213
From Chapter 3 of Dracula
In the moonlight opposite me were the three young women, ladies by their
dress and manner. I though tat the time that I must be dreaming when I saw them,
for, though the moonlight was behind them, they threw no shadow on the floor.
They came close to me and looked at me for some time, and then whispered
together. Two were dark, and had high aquiline noses, like the Count, and great
dark piercing eyes, that seemed to be almost red when contrasted with the pale
yellow moon. The other was fair, as fair as can be, with great wavy masses of
golden hair and eyes like pale sapphires. I seemed somehow to know her face, and
to know it in connection with some dreamy fear, but I could not recollect at the
moment how or where. All three had brilliant white teeth that shone like pearls
against the ruby of their voluptuous lips. There was something about them that
made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my
heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is
not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina’s eyes, and cause
her pain; but it is the truth. They whispered together, and then they all three
laughed - such a silvery, musical laugh, but hard as though the sound never could
have come from the softness of human lips. It was like the intolerable, tingling
sweetness of water-glasses when played on by a cunning hand.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula: Case Studies in Contemporary Critiscm. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 2 Week 14
Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High
Lesson Title: Fish Bowl Observation gathering on Dracula
Annotation: The is lesson is about approaching the conclusion of a novel by asking
probing questions which further students thinking about the assigned reading rather
than purely summative fact based queries. Specifically, students will engage in a Fishbowl style discussion exercise during which they will answer pre-submitted questions
about Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This is a whole class exercise in which students will
practice their discussion skills and apply knowledge of the themes, and symbolism in
the novel to the discussion. This lesson is for a 12th grade British Literature class.
Primary Learning Outcome: As a result of this lesson, students should be able to identify
specific themes and symbolism in Dracula through the answering of pointed discussion
questions. Their responses should demonstrate knowledge of the text through the use of
examples from the text as support for the response.
Additional Learning Outcome: Students should be able to demonstrate critical thinking
skills which go beyond simple fact based answers, and move into a more abstract realm
of thought. They should be able to articulate an opposing position in response to peer
responses.
Assessed GPS’s: ELABLRL2 The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of
theme in a work of British and/or Commonwealth literature and provides evidence
from the work to support understanding. The student
a. Applies knowledge of the concept that the theme or meaning of a selection
represents a universal view or comment on life or society and provides
support from the text for the identified theme.
c. Applies knowledge of the concept that a text can contain more than one
theme.
ELA12LSV1 The student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and
group verbal interactions. The student
a. Initiates new topics in addition to responding to adult-initiated topics.
b. Asks relevant questions.
c. Responds to questions with appropriate information.
d. Actively solicits another person’s comments or opinion.
e. Offers own opinion forcefully without domineering.
f. Volunteers contributions and responds when directly solicited by teacher or
discussion leader.
g. Gives reasons in support of opinions expressed.
h. Clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so; asks
classmates for similar expansions.
National Standards: NCTE Standard #4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written,
and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively
with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
Materials:
1. Two chairs/desks to be placed in the center of the classroom or “fish
bowl.” One chair is labeled “Hot Seat #1,” the other is labeled “Hot Seat #2.”
2. Brown paper sack from which the students will draw the questions, presubmitted by their classmates.
4. 3 x 5 note cards for use as a “Ticket out of Class” at the end of the
discussion.
5. White board markers to write directions for “Ticket out of Class” on board.
Total Duration: 55 minutes.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Assign Reading Response.
3. Collect pre-assigned discussion questions from students and put them in the
Gold-Fish bowl. Give directions for the discussion.
Classroom should already be set up. Desks are arranged in a circle. Two
chairs labeled “hot seat 1” and “hot seat 2.”

I will call on two volunteers to take the hot seats. Then I’ll get
someone to draw a question out of the sack. The person in hot seat
one has to respond to the question. After they respond, the person in
hot seat two has to contradict the person in hot seat number one,
even if they agree with them.
 After both hot seat members have spoken, they can resume their
seats. I will call on two more people for the next question. If we run
out of volunteers, I will call on people.
4. Begin discussion. Circulate, noting whether students are paying attention.
Clarify questions if there is any confusion.
5. Pass out 3x5 cards for “Ticket out of Class.” Give directions for the activity.
 On the card, write your impressions of the discussion. Note anything
good points your classmates made. Note what you learned that you
did not think of previously. Write any questions or points you did not
get to ask or make. Write your name on the card. This will be your
“Ticket out of Class.”
6. Concluding voluntary sharing of 3x5 cards. Collect the cards as students
leave class.
Assessment: Students will be assessed according to participation and their responses on
the 3x5 card. Participation will be tracked throughout class through instructor notetaking. Responses on the cards should demonstrate that student paid attention during
the discussion through references to specific questions or comments by other students.
Responses should be in paragraph form and complete sentences.
Extension: The unused questions from the discussion could be used as bonus questions
on the upcoming Dracula test. The discussion could be widened to include comments
from students outside the hot seats, so students could respond to one another as the
questions are answered.
Remediation: For students having difficulty responding to questions, the instructor can
take a more active role in facilitating discussions by offering leading prompts, rather
than answers. Students could also be required to take notes during the discussion so
they can have an easier time coming up with material for the “Ticket out of class. The
notes could also be a method for assessing students who do not like to speak out,
therefore are unlikely to volunteer for the hot seats.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Dail, Jennifer. Fishbowl Discussion Model. Teaching Literature to Adolescents
course. Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30 Aug 2007.
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 3 Week 13
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High
Lesson Title: Introduction to Dracula
Annotation: This lesson is about giving students a working background knowledge of
the figures and history behind a literary work, and introducing them into the text
through reading aloud. Specifically, students begin with a journal entry on vampires,
then will take notes on a power-point presentation over Vlad Dracula and Bram Stoker.
Then they will follow along as we read the first two chapters of the book. This lesson is
for a 12th grade British Literature Class.
Primary Learning Outcome: Students will gain a working knowledge of Vlad Dracula,
Bram Stoker, and the influences with went into the composition of the novel. Students
will work through the first two chapters of Dracula.
Additional Learning Outcomes: Students will practice taking informative notes during
the presentation, and improve their comprehension skills by following along with the
text as it is read aloud.
Assessed GPS’s: ELABLRL3 - The student deepens understanding of literary
works by relating them to their contemporary context or historical
background, as well as to works from other time periods.
a. Relates a work to the seminal ideas of the time in which it is set or
the time of its composition.
b. Relates a literary work to the characteristics of the literary time
period that it represents.
v. Victorian
National Standards: NCTE Standard #2 - Students read a wide range of literature from
many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,
philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
NCTE Standard #8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources
(e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize
information and to create and communicate knowledge.
Materials:
1. CD Rom of Power-Point presentation over Vlad Dracula and Bram Stoker.
2. Paper/overhead copy of each slide in case the technology is inoperative.
3. White board makers and enlarged copies of pictures of Vlad, Stoker, and
Irving from the presentation in case the overhead or document camera is not
working.
4. Copy of Dracula to read aloud from to the class.
Total Duration: 55 minutes.
Technology Connection: Computer and projector for presentation of Power Point.
Overhead projector or Document camera for displaying overheads/copies of Power
Point slides in case the computer/ projector is inoperative.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Assign Reading Response.
3. Give students introductory journal prompt and ask them to write on it
briefly.
 Why are Vampires so fascinating in our society?
4. Inform students about the unit we will cover over the next 5 weeks, and that
we will begin with Dracula.
5. Begin Power-Point presentation. Require students to take notes, assuring
them they will receive participation credit for doing so.
 Take notes during this presentation. After I finish I will be coming
around to check and see that you have done so. This activity is worth
five points on your participation average for the semester. If you took
note, but they are sub par, you will loose points. No notes at all is
worth zero.
This outlining of participation credit for note-taking would
technically have been outlined at the beginning of the semester;
therefore by this point students ordinarily would be aware of the
procedure.
6. Circulate and double check the student notes, noting who did and did not
complete the notes to standard.
7. Distribute class copies of Dracula. Begin Read Aloud of first 2 chapters.
 Pause for questions from students, and for brief discussions at the end
of chapters.
Assessment: Students will be assessed on according to a 5 point daily participation point
scale. Participation for this lesson includes completing a journal entry, quality note
taking during the Power Point Presentation, and following along with the text during
the read aloud session. The journal prompt will not be read, but glanced at briefly so
participation can be recorded. Quality note taking entails summations of the bulleted
items on the Power Point, as well as extra points which were mentioned in the
presentation though not necessarily listed on the Power Point. If these factors are not
present, students loose points. Good participation during the read aloud entails keeping
up with the text and not falling asleep.
Extension: This lesson could be furthered into a discussion of the Medieval Romania of
Vlad’s time or a discussion of Victorian London. The political issues of the Victorian
period could be discussed as well. The class could also hold a discussion of Vampires in
popular culture instead of the read aloud session.
Remediation: For students who are better with auditory learning, the instructor could
read every point on the slides rather than simply expounding on them as the students
write. For poor note-takers there should be copies of the presentation available so
students who have difficulty with the task will still have access to the information.
Works Cited and Consulted:
“Dracula’s Underground.” Cities of the Underground. History Channel. 30 October
2007
Farson, Daniel. “Bram Stoker.” British Novelists, 1890-1929: Modernists: Dictionary of
Literary Biography. 36: Ed. Thomas F. Staley. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book.
The Gale Group, 1997. pp. 229-237. Literature Resource Center. Horace W.
Sturgis Library, Kennesaw, GA. 16 November 2007.
<http://proxy.kennesaw.edu:2232/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=ke
nnesaw_main&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=2&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13018218&
n=10&docNum=H1200003697&ST=Bram+Stoker&bConts=278191>
Florescu, Radu R. and Raymond T. McNally. Dracula: Prince of Many Faces His life
and Times. Boston: Back Bay Books, 1989. pp 42, 176-183
Moss, Stephanie. “Bram Stoker.” British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers Before
World War I: Dictionary of Literary Biography. 178: Ed. Darren Harris-Fain. A
Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. The Gale Group, 1997. pp. 229-237. Literature
Resource Center. Horace W. Sturgis Library, Kennesaw, GA. 16 November 2007.
<http://proxy.kennesaw.edu:2232/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=ke
nnesaw_main&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=4&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13018218&
n=10&docNum=H1200007660&ST=Bram+Stoker&bConts=278191>
Murray, Brian. “Bram Stoker.”British Mystery Writers, 1860-1919: Dictionary of
Literary Biography. 70: Ed. Thomas F. Staley. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book.
The Gale Group, 1997. pp. 229-237. Literature Resource Center. Horace W.
Sturgis Library, Kennesaw, GA. 16 November 2007.
<http://proxy.kennesaw.edu:2232/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID
=knnesaw_main&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=3&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U1301821
8&n=10&docNum=H1200003698&ST=Bram+Stoker&bConts=278191>
Riquelme, John Paul. “Introduction.” Stoker, Bram.Dracula: Case Studies in
Contemporary Criticism. Ed. John Paul Riquelme. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2002
“Vlad Dracula the Impaler.” Castle of Spirits. 2001. Castle of Spirits. 3 November 2007
< http://www.castleofspirits.com/vlad.html>
Vlad Tepes: Vlad the Impaler: The Historical Dracula. Webmaster.donlinke. 3
November
2007. < http://www.donlinke.com/drakula/vlad.htm>
“Dracula Legend.” Romania. 2006. Romanian Tourists Office. 3 November 2007.
< http://www.romaniatourism.com/dracula.html>
“Haunted Illinois Goes on a Dracula Tour in Transylvania.” 23 July 2006. Haunted
Illinois. 3 November 2007.
<http://www.hauntedillinois.com/transylvaniadraculatour2.php>
Mirror On The World: Fiction as a Reflection of Society
Unit 2: Fiction that Reflects
Lesson Plan Day 3 Week 14
Your Name: Brenna Aldrich
School: Wells High
Lesson Plan Title: The Geography of Dracula
Annotation: This lesson is about getting students to associate setting – especially in a
novel which is very specific about location - with its actual location on the globe.
Specifically, students will track the travels of Jonathan Harker and his companions in
Dracula. This is a group exercise in which students will have the opportunity to search
the text for references to location and be able to locate the references on a map. This
activity is for a 12th grade British Literature course.
Primary Learning Outcome: As a result of this lesson students gain a specific knowledge
of regions through which Jonathan and his companions traveled, and should be able to
locate their path of travel on a map.
Additional Learning Outcome: Students will get a chance to practice group work skills
including: cooperation, problem solving, and teamwork.
Assessed GPS’s: ELABLRL3 - The student deepens understanding of literary
works by relating them to their contemporary context or historical
background, as well as to works from other time periods.
Social Studies Skills Matrices MAP AND GLOBE SKILLS
11. compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different
perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human
activities
National Standards: NCTE Standard #11 - Students participate as knowledgeable,
reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
Materials:
1. Class copies of Dracula (hopefully enough students will have brought their
copies to class in order to have one copy per group.
or
Copies of the sections in the novel which contain the information needed for
the mapping activity.
2. Handout of a Map of Europe circa 1890 (According to scholarly consensus,
the
year the book is set.)
3. 10 sets of Red and Green Markers, for recording the 2 journeys on the map.
4. Overhead projection of completed correct map.
5. Overhead of Modern map of Europe to show how the region has changed and
what different cities and countries Jonathan and his companions would now
have to travel through.
Total Duration: 55 minutes
Technology Connection: Overhead projector for displaying the completed version of the
map and the modern European map at the end of the activity.
Procedures:
1. Conduct Poetry 180 reading.
2. Briefly refer to Stoker’s geographical research and introduce the activity.
 Stoker never traveled to Transylvania, but he did a lot of research
about the region so he could get it right. To this day travelers can
follow the route outlined by Jonathan Harker and still see some of the
same land marks.
 Today we are going to get into groups and map Jonathan Harker’s
journey to Castle Dracula, and the route Van Helsing and the boys
take when they chase down the count at the end of the novel.
3. Separate students into groups and give directions/pass out materials for
activity.
 Count off from 1 to 3, and then get into those groups.
 Write your groups names on the top right corner of the map.
 First, take out Dracula. As a group, make a list of the cities/locations
Jonathan states he passed through on his way to castle Dracula.
 Make a second list of the locations referenced by the “vampire
hunters” – i.e. Mina, Seward, Van Helsing – as they chase down the
count.
 Draw a line with the Green pen tracking Jonathan’s journey on the
map hound-out.
 Draw a line with the Red pen tracking the vampire hunters’ journey.
 Everyone needs to contribute. Don’t just let one person find all the
locations or do all the drawing or hog the map from the rest of the
group.
3. Allow time for the activity. Circulate, answering questions and taking notes
on who is participating in the groups or not.
4. Collect maps and lists. Display correct version of the map on the overhead.
Then display a modern map of Europe, and retrace the two journeys for the
class. Pose questions about Stoker’s attention to detail, and the effect of having
an visual idea of where the novel’s events take place.
 What does the Geographic accuracy in Dracula say about Stoker?
 Does situating the novel in real places lend it credibility? If yes,
what kind of credibility?
 Does being able to see where Dracula takes place on a map change
how you view the book at all?
Assessment: Students will be assessed on the map which they turn in at the end of the
activity, and on their participation in the group during the activity. Group
participation will be tracked through instructor note-taking. Group participation will
work towards semester participation average. Poor participation entails allowing other
students to do all the searching in the text, letting the other group members fill in the
map, and not contributing to the final product to be turned in. Students loose points for
poor participation. The map will be graded on general accuracy: Did they find all the
locations they were supposed to? Did they trace them include them all on the map?
The map will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with points being deducted for
inaccuracies. If all groups make consistent inaccuracies regarding a specific location,
they are not to be penalized since it was likely unclear in the text whether or not it
should be included.
Extension: This lesson could be extended to include factors of how the Vampire myth
originated in Eastern Europe and from what countries it stems. Students could look at
what countries Stoker included or excluded with his Transylvanian setting. Students
could also look at the geography of Vlad Dracula’s time and compare it to the setting in
Dracula. This raises questions of why Stoker decided to set his story in Transylvania,
which was slightly west of Wallachia where Vlad hailed from.
Remediation: For students having a difficult time fishing out the locations they need
from the text, the instructor could provide page references for the exact locations they
need. For students who have a difficult time reading a map, the map should be largely
blank except for the locations which the students need, and the important cities in the
surrounding countries.
Works Cited and Consulted:
“Maps from Stories.”Teaching Ideas. 29, Sept. 2007. RM. 19 Oct 2007
<http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/>