Brian Schmitt
Novy
English 296-003
11 Apr. 2011
Two-Day Lesson Plan for “Desiree’s Baby”
Objectives: Outcomes align with the objectives for Honors English. Students will be able to:
1. Recognize and Analyze literary elements (Objective 1, State Standard 2.A.5a)
2. Explain and evaluate how the author uses literary elements to achieve an intended effect
(Objective 4, State Standards 2.A.5b, 2.A.5c)
3. Make text to text connections using short stories (Objective 6, State Standard 2.A.5c)
These skills will be assessed with a formative, in-class essay asking students to make textual
literary comparisons between Light in August and Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby.” Students will be
able to argue an interpretative connection between the two texts, implementing knowledge of
literary elements and devices.
Content: The short story, “Desiree’s Baby,” has similar themes and content relatable to Light in
August, mostly concerning societal constructions of race and racial hybridity. However, the texts
have very different styles: Faulkner’s modernist techniques; Chopin demonstrating uses of irony
and mood. The first day, students will read the story independently, with the instructor
monitoring progress or struggles. The quiet reading session is implemented also to analyze
students’ final reactions to the irony of Chopin’s story. Afterwards, a class discussion will
prompt reactions, interpretations, and questions, leaning toward comparisons to the primary text
Light in August, including the following prompts:
1. Were you surprised at the twist? Why?
2. How does Chopin set the mood? How does that set up the irony?
3. What were your conceptions of race with Light in August? How does this story
adapt/reiterate those conceptions? Specifically: why were hybrids frowned upon, even
though they looked white?
4. What about your conceptions of gender? How were gender roles constructed? Are
these still persistent today?
5. How does this story connect to Hightower’s dilemma (on the past)?
Students will be required to make text-to-text comparisons to formulate an analysis of
racial hybridity. Their analytical skills will be assessed in the in-class essay prompt, containing
two questions for students to choose from:
1. As American culture has changed from the days of slavery to the Depression era, the
perception of race has changed dramatically. From what you have read in Light and
August, compare and contrast the Southern views on race in Faulkner’s world to Chopin’s
“Desiree’s Baby.” In your essay, identify at least two literary devices in each text that
contributes to the text’s concept of race, and explain why. (Length: 2-4 pages)
2. We have talked about gender roles in American society and how these are constructed
and reinforced. We have also discussed the narrator as a character, not simply the
storyteller. Imagine that Light in August is narrated by a woman, and then imagine it
narrated by a man. Does this change your views on gender? Now imagine that “Desiree’s
Baby” is narrated by a woman, then a man. Does changing the narrator’s gender affect
your interpretation? After thinking about this, write your interpretation of gender themes
in each text: are they different or similar? Does changing the narrator’s gender change
your interpreted meaning? Identify at least two literary elements/devices that demonstrate
this, and explain why. (Length: 2-4 pages)
Students will be informed on the subject for each question prompt the day before, giving them
ample time to analyze each text with the topics in mind. Students will have the entire class period
to write their essays, and given one chance of rewriting for a higher grade.
Instructional Procedure:
Day 1:





Introduce “Desiree’s Baby” (5 minutes)
Distribute story (1 minute)
Quiet reading session (15-20 minutes)
Discuss story (15 minutes)
Introduce essay assignment (5-10 minutes)
Day 2:




Have writing prompt on desks before class
Cover prompts, answer questions (5-10 minutes)
Writing session (40-45 minutes)
Collect essays as exit slips
Materials:
 Copies of Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”
 Copies of Light in August
 Writing prompt
 Computer Lab
o Extra Pencils and Paper (if Computer Lab isn’t available)
Assessment: The in-class discussion on the first day will be a formative assessment tracking
student understanding and critical thinking. The in-class essay will be both formative and
summative: formative for assessing students’ progress with understanding literary elements,
growth in writing skills, and skills in interpretative analysis/argument; summative for assessing
students’ skills at making text-to-text connections using short stories (fulfilling standard 6).
Grades will be contingent on implementing both texts, arguing an analysis, and effectively
answering the prompt. Students will have one opportunity to rewrite their essays for a higher
grade. The essay will be worth twenty points: twenty for excellent work, ten for sufficient work,
and five for poor work.
Accommodations: Visually-impaired students who cannot use software to complete their essays
in class will be given time outside of class to complete it. Students who struggle with writing will
be given a chance to rewrite; the instructor will accept the better essay.
Rationale: Text-to-text connections are necessary for skills in synthesis, compare/contrast
analysis, and critical thinking. The best method for introducing and fostering these skills is
within the literary culture of this unit, implementing stories with similar themes and content but
different styles. The most efficient pedagogical approach is an in-class reading and in-class
essay, with the instructor acting is discursive facilitator. This is to ensure students are confident
in developing their own interpretations, conceiving themselves as critical thinking individuals.
Text-tapping, as envisioned by Turbill, Butler, and Cambourne, will foster textual comparisons
and analysis, while also demonstrating the thematic pattern of the human condition present in
multiple texts and mediums (Meeks and Austin 126). Facilitation, with scaffolding, is most
efficient for guiding students into conceiving a deeper textual meaning. The in-class writing
essay will engage students into improvisational critical thinking, a skill necessary for unexpected
conflicts common in daily living. Critical thinking will be assessed on three levels:
implementation of textual evidence; engaged argumentation of a prompted analysis; and
application of literary elements/devices.