Siddhartha Unit
English II- Hagburg
We will begin reading Siddhartha. Siddhartha is an invaluable multicultural text. It not only
teaches many important literary devices, but also exposes students to Indian culture and
philosophies. The text gives the students a better understanding of the values people place on
their lives and should urge the students to become a bit more introspective in their own lives. By
the end of the unit, students should have a firm understanding of what it means to find one’s
identity and how Siddhartha discovers his, through achieving enlightenment.
Throughout the study of Siddhartha, student responsibilities will include the following:
Independent Reading:
The reading assignments are approximately thirty pages each; Students have approximately 15
minutes of pre-reading work to do prior to each reading assignment. This pre-reading work
involves reviewing the study questions for the assignment and doing some vocabulary work for
selected vocabulary words they will encounter in
their reading.
Study Guides:
Students should read the study guide questions for each reading assignment prior to
beginning the reading assignment to get a feeling for what events and ideas are important in the
section they are about to read. After reading the section, students will answer the questions to
review the important events and ideas from that section of the book. Students should keep the
study guides as study materials for the unit test.
It is a good practice in public speaking and leadership skills for individual students to take charge
of leading the discussions of the study questions. A different student will lead discussion
questions each day that the study questions are discussed in this unit.
Vocabulary:
Prior to each reading assignment, students will do vocabulary work related to the
section of the book they are about to read. Following the completion of the reading of the book,
there will be a vocabulary review of all the words used in the vocabulary assignments. Students
should keep their vocabulary work as study materials for the unit test.
Quizzes:
Occasionally, quizzes will be administered after the previous reading assignment to check for
reading comprehension.
Group Activities and varied independent assignments related to the text.
Unit Assessment:
Each student will prepare a literary analysis upon conclusion of the text in addition to a unit test.
MYP Required Assessment:
Using a prompt, students will generate a response to literature of 500-1000 words connecting
Man’s Search for Meaning, Night, and Siddhartha.