Established Unit Goals/Standards:
--Students write and speak for a variety of purposes/audiences.
--Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.
--Students read to locate/use relevant information from a variety of sources, media, etc.
--Students recognize literature as a record of human experience.
Unit/Topical Essential
Questions:
--What is a symbol and how are they used through literature?
--Look at human motives and how it affects the lives of characters.
--thinking about how to illustrate a story on stage. How do you emphasize the important pieces?
Unit Understandings:
--Character development
--symbols in literature
--art direction in drama
--relation of one’s self to characters in or characteristics in the play.
Objective for lesson:
--Understand how symbols are used and why they are so important in literature.
--Understand what symbols represent a façade of the main characters.
--Think about facades you put across to others and why.
Evidence of Understanding: (formative or summative: What tools, procedures, methods will you employ to determine how students have met objective):
 handouts with names of group members, listen and observe participation
 collages and collection of one page explanation
Standard Specifically Addressed:
--apply thinking skills to reading, writing, speaking
--locate, use relevant information from a variety of sources
--recognize literature as a record of human experience.
Learning Experience Sequence:(hook/anticipatory set, accessing prior knowledge, instructional techniques, utilization of technology, modeling, check for understanding, guided practice, independent practice, feedback, closure)
1.
Journaling for the first 10 minutes (see teacher notes)
2.
Share some journal entries or stories for 5 minutes(teacher notes)
3.
Lecture about literary symbols. What is a symbol? Spend about 10 minutes getting ideas from the class about symbols in the play and what they might mean (suggestions and hints are on teacher notes).
4.
Have the students get into groups of three and pass out one handout for each group (handout attached and description of expectations for handout on teacher notes).
5.
Collect handouts and explain the collage project. It includes a one page written explanation of the collage and an eventual presentation of the collage.
6.
Allow students to start the project with magazines while still in their groups of three. They’ll probably want to consult each other or teacher about what kinds of images they’re looking for.
Differentiation
(Adaptations, extensions):
Have the students who are not as aware of the symbols project find basic symbols that are used commonly in life and create a collage.
--More advanced students: Have them do research to locate symbols in other literature they have read.

Homework/Connection/Extension: Work on collages with one page written explanation. Prepare a three minute presentation. Due in two days
RATIONALE:
I want the students to learn and train themselves to see symbols in literature and in life and understand why they are so important.
I want the students to see how facades are a part of human nature. Why they occur and why they are dangerous but unavoidable.
I want the students to see the importance of a play like this despite that it’s kind of a strange read in this day and age.
I want them to identify with the characters and their actions in the play.

1.
What are the symbols for the façade that Nora displays in the play?
2.
Why does Nora feel the need to keep up a façade?
3.
Do you think that Nora is aware of her actions in the play? ie: when she is talking to Dr. Rank and he finally admits his feelings for her. (Explain).
4.
Do you think that Nora is justified in her actions (leaving her husband and children) at the end of the play? (Write down all opinions and why someone in your group holds that opinion).
5.
Do you think that Nora subconsciously wanted to be discovered? Why or why not?

A Doll’s House
: Teacher Notes
I.
Have the students do 10 minutes of journaling to begin the class.
Write the prompt on the board (top right corner) and read it out loud once the students are settled and ready with their journals out.
The prompt is: i.
Many people hide behind a mask or a façade, maybe even you have at times in your life. Reflect and write about an example of someone hiding behind a false impression. It may be you, someone you know, a character in a tv show, a movie, or in another piece of literature. Explore the motives behind your example and explain the consequences of that façade.
II.
Allow about 5 minutes for students to share a couple of their entries if they would like to. You might share an example if none of the students want to share, ie: there’s a funny episode of
Seinfeld where George is pretending to be a marine biologist to win the affection of a woman and he gets caught on the beach when they are trying to rescue a beached whale.
III.
Collect the journals and start the lecture about symbols and lead into the specific symbols in A Doll’s House . a.
Ask the class if they know what a symbol is and the purpose of symbols. b.
Definition: an object or action that means more than its literal meaning. c.
Go over some common symbols. Ask the class if they can think of common symbols, ie: sword = justice, roller coaster = life, winter = death, spring = life, etc.

d.
Discuss the specific symbols in
A Doll’s House
: (these are some of the symbols but try to let the students uncover them for themselves).
Macaroons – Nora’s secret
Nicknames for Nora – treating her like a doll
Christmas Tree – the decay of their relationship
The keys to the mailbox – Torvald’s control of the relationship
Krogstad’s letter – the truth
Taking off her dress – revealing her true self
Door slamming at the very end – leaving her life behind
IV.
Have the students get into groups of three and pass out the handouts (1 per group). Ask the students to write the names of everyone in the group at the top of the handout. Give them 15 minutes to answer and discuss the questions on the handout
(handout attached). Collect the handouts.
V.
Have the students stay in their groups and explain their next project. This is a collage that each student will work on individually. Give them the last bit of class time (5 minutes to clean up at the very end) to work on the collages with magazines in the classroom. Let them start it in the groups so that they can help each other get ideas for what sorts of images they might include in their collages. On small poster board, explain to them the project: a.
“Who are you? Do you ever put across images that are not truly you? What is important to you?” b.
Complete a collage of symbols that have more significant meaning than their literal meaning to you personally. c.
You may collect images from magazines, the internet, photos, or you can illustrate what you cannot find elsewhere.

d.
Write a one page, well-written explanation of your collage and prepare to share it with the class (presentation). They have 2 nights to work on this and they will present it two days from this class period. (We will spread out the presentations over a one week period). **Explain to them that they will be turning in their one page paper in two days so it needs to be proofread with proper grammar usage and spelling. (Put some effort into it!)
VI. HOMEWORK: Work on collages and one page explanation.
Prepare 3 minute presentation of your collage. We’ll start presentations in two days.