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Teacher: Dr. Connors
Date: July 12, 2013
Focus: Literary Analysis
Grade Level: 9th Grade Regular Track English
Common Core
Standards:
Objectives
Materials Needed:
Differentiated
Instruction:
Procedures:
R.9.2 –Students will determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped
and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
1. Students will correctly define the terms “theme” and “thematic statement.”
2. Students will apply their understanding of “theme” to compose an original
thematic statement in which they identify a theme expressed in Shirley Jackson’s
short story, “The Lottery.”
1. PowerPoint slides depicting the terms “Theme” and “Thematic Statement,” as
well as the four components of a thematic statement.
2. PowerPoint slides and photocopies of the following fables:
“The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey”
“The Scotty Who Knew Too Much”
“The Tale of the Wise Weaver”
Given that I have several English Language Learners, and several students with
low scores on standardized reading assessments, I will read the fables aloud. At
the unit’s conclusion, students will have the freedom to select a short story to
serve as the focus of an analytic paper. Choice is known to give students a feeling
of ownership over their work, and it will allow me to help the students select
stories that correspond with their current skill set.
1) Opening/Anticipatory Set: To activate students’ prior knowledge, ask them
to compose a list of what they recognize as differences between “fables” and
“short stories” in their notebooks. Once they finish, ask them to share their
responses and type them into a PowerPoint slide. Close attention will be paid the
distinction between “morals” and “themes,” as the latter concept constitutes the
focus of today’s lesson. (10 minutes)
2) Having identified the concept of “theme” as the focus of today’s lesson, read
aloud two fables. For each one, invite the students to compose a corresponding
moral in their notebook. At the conclusion of the activity call on volunteers to
read their morals aloud and type them into a PowerPoint slide. (15 minutes)
4) Introduce the terms “theme” and “thematic statement” and outline four
characteristics of a thematic statement. Having done so, ask the students to
revisit the morals they crafted and, as a whole class, determine whether they meet
the characteristics of a “thematic statement.” The class will work together to
rewrite those that do not. (20 minutes)
5) Working in pairs, students will compose a thematic statement for Shirley
Jackson’s short story ”The Lottery” and support it with a rationale. Each group
will share their work aloud. As a class, we will determine whether the thematic
statements reflect the established criteria and evaluate the extent to which the
expressed themes are (or aren’t) evident in the short story. (15 minutes)
5) Review/Closing: Having the concepts of theme and thematic statement, pose
the following question for students to consider: how is it that we, as readers, are
able to grasp the theme of a short story when it’s not explicitly stated? This
question will serve as the focus for tomorrow’s lesson.
5) Homework: Students will read the short story “A White Heron” for
homework and compose two thematic statements that strike them as speaking to
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Assessment:
Relevance of Lesson:
Teacher Checklist:
two themes in the story. To support each thematic statement, they will need to
offer a rationale in which they cite specific evidence in the text to defend the
theme’s presence in the story. This constitutes independent practice, and the
assignment will also serve as a summative assessment (5 minutes)
This lesson employs a combination of formative and summative assessments.
The partner activity, which requires students to compose a thematic statement
and defend it, constitutes a formative assessment in that it will allow me to
determine whether or not they grasp the concept of theme and whether or not
they are capable of composing a thematic statement. The homework assignment,
on the other hand, will be taken for a grade, and as such it constitutes a
summative assessment designed to measure individual student learning.
For the past two weeks the students have been introduced to a number of literary
devices in class, including symbolism, characterization, setting, irony, and
exposition. In addition to defining these terms, they have applied them to short
stories they’ve read for class. At the unit’s conclusion, the students will compose
a final essay in which they demonstrate their mastery of CCSS R9-10.2:
determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development
over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details, as well as W.9-10.1: write arguments to support claims in an
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence. This lesson represents a step toward my preparing them to
complete the summative assessment.
Planning
Scaffolding
___ Adapted Content
_ _ Modeling
_X_Frontloading/linking to prior knowledge
_X_ Guided Practice
_X_ Links to future learning
_X_ Independent Practice
Grouping Options
_X_ Small groups
_ X_ Partners
Assessment
_X_ Formative
_ X _ Summative