Michael Bashover
SED 264
Second Mini-Lesson
Lesson Plan
10th Grade English Literature
Date: May 6, 2010
Topic: The Catcher in the Rye
Objective: SWBAT
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Analyze the obituary of J.D. Salinger and relate it to passages from his famous novel,
“The Catcher in the Rye.”
Obtain insight into who J.D. Salinger was as an individual, and how his persona
influenced the main character of his novel, Holden Caulfield.
Motivation: Do you know where Holden got his personality from? The answer may be more
complicated than you initially thought.
Background: J.D. Salinger was an author who is best known for his widely read and well reputed
novel, “The Catcher in the Rye.” However, in regards to his personal life and public perception,
he was best known for his tendency to socially alienate himself. Many literary scholars have
hypothesized that Salinger’s reclusive inclinations are exhibited in the character of Holden
Caulfield. There are a variety of excerpts from the novel that have been used to support this
contention.
Procedure:
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Make students aware of the aim; to analyze the relationship between J.D. Salinger’s
public perception and the personality of Holden Caulfield.
Choose two students to read from the New York Times article which comments on the
life and death of J.D. Salinger.
I will then read from the book and have students follow along with me
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After the reading ends, I will initiate a group discussion by asking the class, “What is the
relationship between these two excerpts?”
When a conclusion is formed, a second class discussion will take place that directly
addresses the aim of the lesson, as specified above.
This discussion will be used to both foster and evaluate student learning.
Ten Goals:
1) To give students insight into the life of J.D. Salinger; they have been reading his
novel but may know little about him as a person.
2) To get students to read out loud and actively engage in the class.
3) To foster this engagement in order to improve their confidence and oral
communication/public speaking skills.
4) To read to the class in an animated fashion in order to increase their interest in the
novel.
5) To invoke a literary analysis that will interest the students and make them want to be
a part of the discussion.
6) To get the students to start thinking about the relationship between an author and his
or her character(s).
7) To get students to think critically about a work of literature in a way that they may
not have in the past due to different teaching styles they’ve encountered.
8) To allow the pupils to come up with their own ideas, and base the remaining
discussion on their responses as opposed to pre-determined follow up questions.
9) To have the students enjoy the class; I believe that some of the best learning occurs
when people are having fun.
10) To leave the students wanting more; if I can provide them with an insatiable appetite
for learning, it was a job well done.
Ten Aim Questions:
1) How can you use these two articles to identify similarities between J.D. Salinger and
Holden Caulfield?
2) What do these similarities, or lack thereof, say about how an author develops the
traits of his or her literary characters?
3) Is it fair to make assumptions about the intentions of a writer when he or she is no
longer around to answer such questions?
4) What does the passage we read from Catcher in the Rye say about the underlying and
intangible aspects of a work of literature?
5) Based on what we know about the life of an author, should we attempt to invoke his
or perspective when reading their literature?
6) How can literature be a useful tool in understanding the life of the author?
7) How does reading aloud help us to gain a greater insight into an excerpt? What other
affects does it cause?
8) Can literary analysis provide us with useful abilities other than the mere
comprehension of the plot of a specific work?
9) Based on what we know about J.D. Salinger’s life, what would you guess ends up
happening to Holden by the end of the novel? Can we even make lofty assumptions about
characters based on the life of an author?
10) How can a group discussion and the opinions of your classmates help you to gain
greater insight into the work at hand?
Reflective journal pertaining to artifact #2:
As my teaching studies have progressed, I’ve recognized the fact that it is significant for an
educator to be interested in and passionate about a particular subject if he or she expects the same
from their students. Consequently, this lesson was among my most successful because I thoroughly
enjoy reading and analyzing J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye. My students actively participated, and
seemed to genuinely enjoy learning about the life of Salinger and how his personal circumstances
impacted his work. As a result, I learned that it is necessary to always seem passionate about what I am
teaching, because a strong interest, or the illusion of it, is conducive to student participation. Hence, I
chose to include this lesson plan as my second artifact because it served as a great learning tool for me
personally, and promoted my growth as a teacher.