Description
All lessons in this thematic unit will include the following lesson format:
- Engage: Show some sort of video or do a hands on activity that hooks the students into the lesson.
- Warm-up: Speaking & Vocabulary Investigation
- Journal: Write about a Topic from the Lesson; Brainstorm & Writing Practice
- Lesson: Literary Topic Dissected
- Group Reading & Analysis
- Discussion
- Independent Reading & Writing Assignment (to complete at home)
- Enrichment Activities – connect literature to modern day & your own life!
Lesson 1: “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury
This lesson will examine themes behind dystopian novels, such as Butterfly Effect, Paradox and diction. We introduce the students to Science Fiction concepts that will bring out the creativity in their writing with more imagery and excitement. The students will have opportunities to see the causal relationships and their impact on the world around them. They will begin a piece of descriptive writing, which will be built upon in subsequent lessons.
Lesson 2: “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
This will continue our Science Fiction study as we examine the benefits and dangers of technology, and how the author’s 1950 predictions have manifested in today’s world. We will learn about characterization of other author’s characters, as well as how to brainstorm for their own writing. Students will continue their creative writing by creating at least 3 characters to fit into their dystopian setting.
Lesson 3: Writing the Science Fiction Story
During this lesson, students will have an opportunity to use a plot chart to develop their narrative arc, and create a story with their characters inside the dystopian setting. They will practice using foreshadowing to create suspense in their audience. Students will learn how to write detailed dialogue, and improve their overall diction. We will also work peer-edit and revise for a published product.
Lesson 4: “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard O’Connell: Tone, Mood & Diction
This lesson will take a close look at tone and mood and how diction contributes to these story elements. The concept of foreshadowing will be explored as it relates to suspense, and dramatic irony. Students will examine the characteristics of a villain and why audiences can sympathize with the antagonist. Students will analyze the elements of the plot and write their own alternate ending to the story.
Lesson 5: “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl: Suspense, Foreshadowing & Irony
This class will continue in the suspense genre, and get into a deeper study of irony, looking at verbal and situational, as well as dramatic irony. Students will examine how an author engages the emotions of the reader and uses creative narrative to change the way one might see a typical issue. Students will analyze irony in various passages and texts to understand how this literary device is used for humor, surprise, and mystery.
Lesson 6: Greek Mythology Part 1:
Students will look at how the etymology of many words came from the Greek mythologies, as well as many prefixes, suffixes, and roots used in our vocabulary today. Students will study the Greek Gods, their stories and symbolism, and what natural phenomenon the God served to explain to the Greek people. Students will create their own god and mythology of modern day.
Lesson 7: Greek Mythology Part 2:
In this lesson, we will study the concept of the hero and cycle of the hero’s journey. We will read about some of the Greek heroes and what they did to prove their valor and how their sacrifices helped the community. Students will compare the people of ancient Greece and today, and discuss how humans are similar across different times and contexts. We will also discuss and compare our personal hero’s journeys.
Lesson 8: Lord of the Flies Ch. 1-6: Allegory, Symbolism & Good vs Evil
In the first half of the book, we will identify literary terms such as figurative language, symbolism, and allegory and study how this book is a microcosm of the real world. Plato’s The Republic will be appreciated for its cave allegory and the ways in which it plays out today in society. We will create a system of annotation for the text, to enhance students’ abilities to take notes on what they read for both understanding and analysis. Students will practice writing in metaphorical language and advance their analytical writing skills, by evaluating the author’s use of literary devices.
Lesson 9: Lord of the Flies 7-12: Stigmas, Stereotypes & Sociology
In this class, students will analyze how characters represent stereotypes,, examine the relationships between stereotypical character types, and how society stigmatizes and ostracises attributes that don’t conform to the social norms. Students will finish reading the book and connect the themes of the text to the contexts of World War Two, and modern day. In pairs, students will create their own social system designed after the attributes of one of the book’s character types.
Lesson 10: Writing the Synthesis Analysis
This will be the time when we take a comparative analysis approach in writing. Students will construct an overall thesis, justify their ideas with evidence from the readings, and analyze the themes from their own perspective. Writing activities from all of the lessons will be the fodder for constructing a more advanced argument, with ideas gathered throughout the semester. Students will use textual evidence from several readings to prove a more universal argument on one of the themes examined in the course, and devise a final comprehensive essay.
Learning Outcomes
Reading Skills
- Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly and inferentially
- Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text. Provide an objective summary of the text
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings
- Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in poems and stories, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and alliteration.
- Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.
- Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
Writing Skills
- Write arguments to support claims using reasoning and evidence.
- Write informative texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information.
- Students will learn, identify and apply literary terms, describe how various literary elements contribute to mood or tone of a piece.
- Students will study, learn, & practice speaking new vocabulary words encountered in the literature study, understand the connotative forms of words, and recognize roots, prefixes, suffixes to synthesize new words in context.
- Students will practice and improve their writing skills by utilizing a variety of writing strategies and writing types (from short answer to multi-paragraph essays), including pre-writing, peer editing and evaluation, writing portfolios, and in class journal activities.
- Students will utilize speaking and listening skills to participate in the following activities: class discussions, small group discussion, oral reading and oral presentations, learning skills to perform, debate, and persuade.
- Students will improve upon and demonstrate research, study and computer skills, recognizing credible sources, identifying bias, and synthesizing ideas from several sources.
- Students will learn how to analyze an author’s intention, recognize effects on the audience, and synthesize their own perspectives with author’s that we read.
- Students will improve their understanding of figurative language, idiomatic expressions, how it enhances writing, as well as how to use it in their own work, creating engaging descriptive writing.
- Students will be able to write a strong thesis, with relevant justification, and a deep analysis of their points, as well as a strong conclusion that connects ideas from readings to their own lives and the modern world.
About the Teacher
Ms. Lara has taught English for fifteen years in different countries around the world. After getting her BA in Sociology and Photography at the University of California, San Diego, she worked with students with special needs for several years, trying to understand every kind of learner and diverse modalities of helping students to utilize their strengths and access learning from their own points of view. She has taught in Honduras and Hungary, as well as many kinds of schools around the US. After teaching English, Science, Art, and Music to 2nd, 6th, 10th and 11th grade students in the Caribbean, she came back to the
US, and got her teaching credential at California State Monterey Bay. Following this, she taught at a small high school in Santa Cruz, CA for twelve years, where she instructed 9-12th grade English, Art, Digital Photography, and History as well as Advanced Placement classes for 5 years. In 2012, she took a hiatus to complete a year as a Fulbright exchange teacher in Budapest, where she taught ESL and was an ambassador for the US. She was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2015, and received a commendation for her work in 2018. She now tutors students in many subjects, while being a student herself, pursuing another degree. She enjoys working with students and learning from them, and finding new ways to communicate and understand the world around us.
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