Robin A. Welsh
Teacher: Robin Welsh
Grade: Grade 11
English III Enriched Lesson Plan
TEKS Lesson Plan
Texarkana Independent School District
T.I.S.D
Subject/Course: English III Enriched
Time Frame: 45 minutes
Lesson Plan Number: 61
Topic/Process: Ambrose Bierce “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” I
Textbook: Glencoe Literature: The Reader’s Choice, Texas Edition, pages 367-379
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
7) Reading/comprehension. The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies. The student
is expected to:
(A) establish and adjust purpose for reading such as to find out, to understand, to interpret, to
enjoy, and to solve problems;
(B) draw upon his/her own background to provide connection to texts;
(C) monitor his/her own reading strategies and make modifications when understanding breaks
down such as by rereading, using resources, and questioning;
(D) construct images such as graphic organizers based on text descriptions and text structures;
(E) analyze text structures such as compare/contrast, cause/effect, and chronological order for
how they influence understanding;
(F) produce summaries of texts by identifying main ideas and their supporting details;
(G) draw inferences such as conclusions, generalizations, and predictions and support them with
text evidence and experience;
(H) use study strategies such as note taking, outlining, and using study-guide questions to better
understand texts; and
(I) read silently with comprehension for a sustained period of time.
(8) Reading/variety of texts. The student reads extensively and intensively for different purposes and in
varied sources, including American literature. The student is expected to:
(A) read to be entertained, to appreciate a writer's craft, to be informed, to take action, and to
discover models to use in his/her own writing;
(B) read in varied sources such as diaries, journals, textbooks, maps, newspapers, letters,
speeches, memoranda, electronic texts, and other media;
(C) read American and other world literature, including classic and contemporary works; and
(D) interpret the possible influences of the historical context on literary works.
(9) Reading/culture. The student reads widely, including American literature, to increase knowledge of
his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements across cultures. The student is
expected to:
(A) recognize distinctive and shared characteristics of cultures through reading; and
(B) compare text events with his/her own and other readers' experiences.
(10) Reading/literary response. The student expresses and supports responses to various types of texts.
The student is expected to:
(A) respond to informational and aesthetic elements in texts such as discussions, journal entries,
oral interpretations, enactments, and graphic displays;
(B) use elements of text to defend, clarify, and negotiate responses and interpretations; and
(C) analyze written reviews of literature, film, and performance to compare with his/her own
responses.
(11) Reading/literary concepts. The student analyzes literary elements for their contributions to meaning in
literary texts. The student is expected to:
(A) compare and contrast aspects of texts such as themes, conflicts, and allusions both within and
across texts;
(B) analyze relevance of setting and time frame to text's meaning;
(C) describe the development of plot and identify conflicts and how they are addressed and
resolved;
(D) analyze the melodies of literary language, including its use of evocative words and rhythms;
(E) connect literature to historical contexts, current events, and his/her own experiences; and
(F) understand literary forms and terms such as author, drama, biography, myth, tall tale, dialogue,
tragedy and comedy, structure in poetry, epic, ballad, protagonist, antagonist, paradox, analogy,
dialect, and comic relief as appropriate to the selections being read.
TAKS: 1, 2, 3, 4
Concepts:
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations/Principles
The student will understand:
Flashback
Bierce uses a series of flashbacks to tell this story.
Sequence of Activities (Instructional Strategies):
1.
Journal focus: What thoughts (3-4) might flash through your mind in a life/death situation like a natural
disaster? Explain. (Share and discuss)
2.
Discussion: Bierce’s life and his Civil War experience. Explain that this story is in three sections and either
have students read silently or listen to a recording.
3.
Activity: Ask students to identify in the selection: point of view, examples of foreshadowing, and the tone of
story.
Assessment of Activities:
1.
2.
3.
Journal response
Class participation
Class observation
Prerequisite Skills:
1.
Key Vocabulary:
1.
3.
5.
7.
protrude
deference
imperious
poignant
2.
4.
6.
8.
adorn
ardently
assent
efface
Materials/Resources Needed:
1.
2.
Textbooks
Glencoe Audio Library
Modifications:
1. Pair students for activity 3.
2. Have students make a timeline of the events in the story so that they can understand the plot and get past the
flashback technique that Bierce uses. Have them start with Farquhar at his plantation, since that is the true beginning.
Differentiated Instruction:
1. Research spying and spying techniques during the Civil War.
Sample Test Questions:
1. Just before he is executed, Farquhar tries to concentrate on
a. his plans to escape
b. being brave
c. his family
d. his execution
2. What is Bierce’s view of war in this selection? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Teacher Notes:
1. I usually print out several pages from Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary (his very negative version of Webster’s
Dictionary) so that students can get an idea of Bierce’s outlook and the tone in most of his writing. It explains how he
earned the title of “Bitter Bierce.”
Project developed and delivered through a Collaborative Research Grant between
Texarkana Independent School District and TAMU-T Regents’ Initiative.