Sheldon Krieger
Professor Zumhagen
Teaching of Reading
20 July 2012
Lesson Plan: “Battle Royal”
Objective
Students will be able to identify examples of racism in the text and discuss the effect of
textual events has on the narrator.
Essential Question
How does racism turn the narrator into an “invisible man”?
Standard
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. (Common Core, Reading Standards Grade 9-10, Key
Ideas and Details – 1)
Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other
characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. (Common Core, Reading Standards
Grade 9-10, Key Ideas and Details – 3)
Materials
“Battle Royal”
“African American Critical Lens – Key Concepts” handout (Types of Racism notes)
“‘Battle Royal’ Mask” graphic organizer
Art supplies
Background
Students have read Ralph Ellison’s chapter/short story “Battle Royal” the previous night.
Lesson
1. Students will be given the “African American Critical Lens – Key Concepts” handout
and discuss the different types of racism. (2 minutes)
2. Students will complete the “‘Battle Royal’ Mask” graphic organizer. (5 minutes)
3. Students will discuss as a class the effects of racism on the narrator, guided by the
questions, “What does the narrator mean when he calls himself an ‘invisible man’?”
and “How does racism turn the narrator into an ‘invisible man’?” (3 minutes)
Assessment
Can students explain the difference between the types of racism?
Can students cite textual evidence of racism in the text?
Can students analyze and discuss as a class how these acts of racism in the text effect the
narrator?
African American Critical Lens – Key Concepts
1. Many are unaware of the full extent of the contributions of African Americans to the
arts.
2. Further, many are unaware of how current African Americans are in a cycle of
poverty and racial inequality, still.
3. African American culture has strong roots in oral history, their language, their
names, their arts, and their community (specifically, family and church).
4. Racism towards African American often stems from and builds on the negative
stereotypes of laziness, stupidity, violence, promiscuity, and drug use, as well as the
positive stereotypes of natural athleticism, natural dancing ability, and devotion.
5. Institutionalized racism is racism that is practiced in our social structure, and
includes unequal prison terms based on type of drug (and types of drugs are often
linked to particular races—crack cocaine v. powder cocaine), housing inequality,
and educational inequality.
6. Internalized racism is when African Americans accept the racism they face.
7. Intraracial racism occurs in the African American community based on certain
people or groups being darker than others—“If you’re white, you’re alright; if you’re
brown, stick around; if you’re black, get back.”
8. Double consciousness (first proposed by DuBois) is an awareness that one belongs
to more than one culture, i.e. the African American culture and the white European
culture.
Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Date:_________________________________
“Battle Royal” Mask
First, find textual evidence for each category listed below.
Then, place that textual evidence on the blank face (reverse side) in the area listed. Your textual evidence
may be the quotes from the text, or it may be a visual representation of the textual evidence.
1. Forehead – An example of institutionalized racism
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Eyes – An example of internalized racism
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Right Cheek – An example of the racist language used by the white men
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Left Cheek – An example of a racist stereotype used by the white men
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Lips or Chin – An example of the narrator’s physical or emotional endurance
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________