Living with Life’s Choices:
A thematic perspective on selections of Modern and Contemporary American Literature, Song and Art for Grade 11 Developed by: Joseph Mlinar, April 25, 2003
RATIONALE
This American Literature Unit for the 11th grade focuses the reader on the theme of “Living with life’s choices” as the broad diversity of human aspirations, experiences, hopes, desires, disappointments and triumphs are portrayed in the selected short stories, poems song and art. This unit was developed around this theme by selecting short stories and poems from the Modernist and Contemporary eras which were already included in an American Literature text anthology as well as others from the same eras with appropriate and topical connections.
The selection and sequence of the readings, songs, art and activities was developed to support the student reader’s examination and responses to the theme, the authors’’ purposes, literary elements and conventions of period style and voice.
This unit was also developed to utilize established curriculum resources as a scaffold for constructing an alternative approach to the anthologized literature. This, I feel, is a realistic approach and a practical exercise in adapting existing curriculum materials to a custom-created thematic approach. The student is challenged to make literary connections outside of the expected, routine sequence of the text, and the teacher is able to engage students in the creative process of literary inquiry and exploration.
The emphasis of this unit, as evidenced in the daily readings of poems, stories, songs, art, and writing, is on reading, interpreting and critically analyzing literature, and responding to it through discussion and writing. Students read as a class and individually, and respond through guided journaling, group writing and discussion, and a variety of other activities. Response questions, discussions and activities are designed to assist the student in examining texts from an analytical, formalistic and elemental perspective with appropriate instructional input culminating in activities for demonstrating their understanding. Through group-work, students improve their collaborative communication skills, diversify interpretations of texts, and provide in-depth group responses to support effective class discussions. These reading groups also provide individual students with a comfortable forum in which to express their ideas, observations, and personal creative expressions, through written and oral activities and group-inquiry projects. These groups should also provide an intrinsic incentive for students to complete assignments and contribute to class discussions and activities.
The pace and volume of exposure and response to literature in this unit is intensive and challenging, fun and creative in its scope and process. The student’s (and teacher’s) engagement with this unit models the intense array of choices, experiences, consequences, and opportunities available to the individual who endeavors to live both an examined and intelligent life. It also, I hope, models the kind of attention and study needed to transform the appearance of ordinary daily life into an appreciation for the extraordinary human experience.
AMERICAN LITERATURE UNIT GOALS
1.) To read and explore a variety of narrative perspectives on the theme of life choices, expectations, and our human responses to the human condition.
2.) To study trough a variety of short stories, poems and songs from the Modern and Contemporary American tradition, what it means to live an examined life, make choices, face disappointments and strive for personal achievement and how literature communicates this perspective.
3.) To heighten our appreciation for and broaden our understanding of these themes through the study of the literary forms, elements and devices essential to the clear and concise communication of ideas and perspectives through literature.
4.) To express orally and in writing our own unique stories and perspectives through our responses to and activities with the literature, songs, art and thematic connections.
STUDENT OUTCOMES / STANDARDS
1.) As a result of this unit students will read, evaluate and critically respond to a variety of narrative perspectives and points of view in American Literature short stories, poetry, songs and art from the Modern and Contemporary Tradition.
A.12.1. Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading.
A.12.2. Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature.
A.12.3. Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience.
2.) As a result of this unit students will know how to draw connections, close-read and analyze themes present across a variety of literary forms and then synthesize their responses into a cohesive, written interpretation of a text.
A.12.1., A.12.2., A.12.3.
B.12.1. Create or produce writing to communicate with audiences for a variety of purposes.
B.12.2. Plan, revise, edit and publish clear and effective writing.
B.12.3. Understand the function of various forms, structures, and punctuation marks of standard American English and use them appropriately in written communications.
3.) As a result of this unit students will be able to recognize literary forms and elements, understand the author’s purpose in their use and demonstrate their use in an effective manner.
A.12.2, A.12.3,
B.12.1, B.12.2, B.12.3
D.12.2 Recognize and interpret various uses and adaptations of language in social, cultural, regional, and professional situations and learn to be flexible and responsive in there use of English.
4.) As a result of this unit students will improve their communication skills through the development and expression of individual and common ideas and perspectives.
A.12.3
C.12.1 Orally communicate information, opinions and ideas effectively to different audiences for a variety of purposes.
C.12.2 Listen to, discuss and comprehend oral communications.
c.12.3 Participate effectively in discussion
Unit Schedule
Day 1
Intro Unit theme
Starting poem activity, “The Explorer”, Gwendolyn Brooks
Start Guided Journal responses, group responses
Begin (in-class) reading Katherine Comes to Yellow Sky, Mark Helprin
Assign: Finish Yellow Sky and response questions
Day 2
Check response journals
Group responses/Class discussion of Yellow Sky
Intro Flannery O’Connor: (in-class reading) The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Assign: Finish story and response questions
Day 3
Check response journals
Group responses/class discussion -- The Life You Save -
Close reading and mini-lesson: situational irony
Song: “Saddle In the Rain” by John Prine
Poem: “The People, Yes”, Carl Sandburg
Group response and activity to “Family of Man” photos
Assign: Read The Slump, John Updike and complete journal response questions
Day 4
Check journal responses
Group and class discussion of The Slump
Poem: “Expect Nothing”, Alice Walker/ Group-discussion and response
Song: “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday
Compare Lyric quality
Intro Truman Capote and begin (in-class reading) A Christmas Memory
Mini-lesson: shifting POV and Narrative tone
Assign: Journal response questions
Day 5
Check Journal responses
Storytelling tone and memory in A Christmas Memory
Finish in-class reading of A Christmas Memory
Group responses/ oral interp.
Assign: Level Twowriting activity--Your Christmas MemoryDue Day 6
Day 6
Check journal responses
Your Christmas MemoryDue and share storytelling w/group
Poem: “Aquainted With the Night”, Robert Frost and Group response questions
Mini-lesson/discussion: poetry elements
Intro and begin (in-class reading) The Far and the Near by Thomas Wolfe
Assign: Finish story and response questions
Note: Unit short essay exam on Day 8
Day 7
check journal responses
Group response/class discussion of The Far and the Near
Mini-lesson: subjective POV and Modernism
Present:Final Writing Project Topic choices
Your topic choice is due end of Day 8
Assign: Review journal responses, group and class discussion notes and texts for
short essay exam tomorrow
Day 8
Hand in Response Journals
(2) short essay question Unit Exam
Final Writing topic choice Due
Assign: Begin your writing project. Rough draft due end of day 9
Day 9
Check Response Journals
Work on Final Writing project -- Rough Draft due by beginning of Day 10
Day 10
Peer review and proof-reading, work on revisions
Return Response Journals
Day 11
Final Writing Unit Paper Due
Tests returned
11th grade American Lit Unit -- Modern and Contemporary
Short Story and Poetry-- Theme: Living with our Life Choices
Lesson Plan - day 1
Objectives: The student will be introduced to the unit, theme and the procedures and expectations for writing responses, journal assignments, group discussions and responses and an overview of the activities and schedule. The student will participate in a pre-reading anticipatory activity to activate prior knowledge and associations with the theme. The student will begin reading in class and respond with a group to contribute to class discussion.
Anticipatory - Intro Activity:
A.) Create a class list of student’s ideas of life choices, possibilities, actions and consequences, goals and results and discuss positive, negative choices and possible scenarios as a result of particular choices. (If necessary: 5 ideas/student on a post-it in a hat, students record them on the board.)
B.) Students free-write in their journals on:
1. Their life choices and decisions so far.
2. Where they imagine or want themselves to be in 10 years.
Instruction: Explain individual reading assignments and guided journal response expectations, procedures and responsibilities. Explain group-response procedures and responsibilities for class discussion. Students respond to questions about the readings in small groups of 4-5 students. Students share individual response to generate group discussion and are responsible for recording individual and group responses in their own journal. Groups report to the class on answers to guided response questions to structure and support effective class discussion of the readings.
Reading - Response Activities:
A. Class reads poem, “The Explorer” by Gwendolyn Brooks and responds to these questions in their groups:
1. What is the setting of this poem?
2. To which of the senses do the images most appeal?
3. What is the subject searching for?
4. Why does the subject fear choices most of all?
5. How do the last two lines symbolize life and the subject’s understanding of choices.
B. Begin aloud class-reading of Katherine Comes to Yellow Sky by Mark Helprin.
Assign: Finish reading story and respond to these questions for tomorrow.
1. How is Katherine characterized in the beginning of the story. How does she make perceptions on her life and where do they come from?
2. What does Katherine overcome to be able to leave her home town?
Evaluation: Informal assessment:prior knowledge, experience and consideration of life choices through recorded examples (pre-reading activity), depth of group and class responses to the poem.
Day 2
Objectives: Students will read and respond to literature and understand the regional characteristics of a literary style in a short story. Students will understand how the literary terms irony and foreshadowing are used in the selection.
Reading-Response Activities:
A. Assign in-class guided response questions to student groups:
1. Make a list of strong images from the story. What is a “sense of place” that makes it feel like home? Does Katherine have a sense of place?
2. What does Katherine feel she deserves as she travels by train to Yellow Sky?
3. At the story’s end, is Katherine optimistic and will Yellow Sky be able to fulfill her expectations?
4. What’s the difference between a revelation and a realization? Why is it important for Katherine to go from depending on her dreams, visions and revelations in the beginning to making realizations at the stories end?
Structure class discussions of Yellow Sky by having groups share their responses and questions about these aspects of the story.
B. Instruction: Introduce Flannery O’Connor Bio and background information on “Southern Gothic” characteristics of this regional literary style. (See supplement from Prentice Hall Anthology, p. 954-955.) Discuss literary terms of irony and foreshadowing.
C. Reader’s Purpose framing question: In your life, how do you determine whether or not someone you meet or have dealings with is trustworthy in the long run?
Begin in-class reading of The Life You save May Be Your Own by Flannery O’Connor. Discuss O’Connor's depiction of marginal characters with apparent disabilities and the impressions they make on our expectations of their lives and behavior. Are their exterior “flaws” always signs of interior, psychological flaws? Why not? How is this ironic to the choices her characters make?
Assign: Finish reading story and respond to these journal questions:
1. Free-write your response to this story. What’s your reaction to it? What questions do you have?
2. What is Lucynell’s affliction? What do you think will happen to her? Is she better or worse off?
Evaluation: Check student’s journals for completed response questions and chart their progress.
Day 3
A. Group and class discussion of “The Life You Save”. Groups answer these response questions and discuss their individual responses:
1. What kind of person is Mr. Shiftlet? Does he act on his good intentions?
Is he at all reliable?
2. What does he do for the boy at the end? Does this effect your opinion of him?
Do you think he has a purpose to his life?
Groups report their responses for class discussion.
B. Class close-reading of situational irony and examples in the story (Mr. Shiftlet’s outlook vs. his actions. (See supplement from Prentice Hall American Literature Text, p. 965.)
Song Activity: Listen to “Saddle In the Rain” by John Prine with lyric-sheet handouts and discuss similarities in narrative tone and characters between the song and the story.
C. Class reads poem, “The People,Yes” by Carl Sandburg. Group Response questions:
1. What is the main idea and theme of this poem?
2. Is it optimistic or pessimistic?
3. What one fact about life does this poem express as a constant?
Share group responses for class discussion.
D.Group Inquiry Activity - Connections through Art: Hand out copies to each group of the photographic essay collection (Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art)
The Family of Man. Have students view the photos and respond in their groups to the photos and text. Have them choose one line from the poem “The People,Yes” (From which the title The Family of Man is taken) which relates to one image they choose from the photos. (ie. “The people will live on”, “the Mammoth rests”, “I wish I had the time”, “Where to, what next”). Have students photocopy their selection and include their line from the poem as a caption. Create a frieze around the room with their images and captions and the title, “The People, Yes” as well as the printed poem in it’s entirety. (Note: For more images, each student could choose an image and line.)
Assign: Read The Slump by John Updike and respond to these journal questions:
1. Free-write your impressions, questions and comments on the narrator’s condition and his perspective.
2. Can he do any thing about his slump?
3. What choices in life is he faced with? Can he wait it out?
Evaluation: Check and chart student progress on journal response questions.
Day 4
A. Group responses to The Slump and class discussion.
1. What does the narrator feel is the difference between “hungry” and “panic hungry”?
2. What does this story say about the danger of becoming to comfortable in your routine, your job and your life?
3. What happens when you stop facing challenging choices?
B. Class reads aloud the poem “Expect Nothing” by Alice Walker. Group discussion and response: 1. Does this poem express disappointment and resignation (giving up)? 2. What particular lines and images might convey this?
3. Consider the line, “Live frugally on surprise”. What do life’s surprises give us?
C. Song Activity: Listen to Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” with lyric-sheet handout.
Compare the lyric quality and tone of the poem to the song.
D. Begin reading A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote aloud in class.
Mini-lesson: On Point of View to point out the shift at the story’s beginning.
Discuss the tone of the story. Why does the narrative tone and voice lend itself to reading the story aloud. Discuss this storytelling quality.
Assign: Respond to these journal questions:
1. Write a brief description of the story setting including time, place, region and the (1.cont.) mood of the story.
2. What is Buddy and his “friends” relation? Why does the narrator introduce himself as “the person speaking” and her as “my friend”?
3. What is the relationship between “the other relatives in the house” and Buddy and his friend?
4. How does their friendship reflect the choices they have made in their life?
Evaluation: Check and chart student progress on journal response questions.
Day 5
A. Continue reading A Christmas Memory aloud in class and finish.