Kristi Mahrer
NDCTE Summer Conference
Teaching Allegory
Summer 2013
Playing the Lottery
Grade Level: high school
Materials Needed:

copies of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

handout/writing utensils/highlighters

Bean Boozled game

two desks in the center of the room facing one another with all other desks in a giant circle
around them

a garbage can

mint-y gum

water
Time Required: one to three periods
Lesson Objectives and Goals:

define allegory

identify symbols with the ideas and concepts that they represent

compare symbols
Lesson Narrative:
Part One: The Setup
First, students receive copies of the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. I do not give any
background information on the story. It might spoil the reaction. I simply have the students follow along
as I read. When we finish, I give the students time to share their reactions. Then I explain that this story
is an example of an allegory, a story told on different levels, such as literal and symbolic.
Next, I would break students up into groups of two or three to brainstorm some people, places, and things
from the story that could be symbolic and the ideas or concepts that they might represent. Students could
either use a handout, giant post-it, or whiteboard to record their ideas. Have students share and support
their findings.
Part Two: Bean Boozled
After the brainstorming session, I explain that we will be having our own version of the lottery, although
no students will actually be stoned. I announce that students do not need to participate if they do not want
to and there will be no repercussions for their noninvolvement. They should not decide whether or not
they will play until after I explain the rules:
1. There will be two teams. (For this, I divide the circle into two parts. You may or may not want to
let students choose teams. If you do, this part can get pretty interesting because the best athlete or
class genius may not be the best teammate in this game!) Sometimes I join a team and sometimes I
don’t.
2. Each team will send one opponent at a time to meet in the center of the circle. Each student will
choose a bean. (If you have the game with the spinner, you can use that. If you don’t, you can
just have the students choose with their eyes closed or something.) I usually have someone who
has opted out of the game to be the scorekeeper.
3. Each student who chews and swallows his bean gets a point for his team. Note: I also prep my
room with a couple of items for those who might start gagging, a garbage can placed next to the
desks and some gum for students to chew after their turn is up. I also open my classroom window
because it can get stinky.
4. The team with the most points wins. (If there is a tie, I give the reward to both teams.)
5. The winner gets some lousy prize like one lousy extra credit point. It is important that the prize
not be very good.
After the game, I have the students get back together with their partners to try to make some comparisons
from this allegory (the game) to Shirley Jackson’s lottery.
Finally, I have students brainstorm some modern “lotteries” or unnecessary risks. Having students draw
comparisons to the modern world will develop the lesson further. I can feel an essay coming on…