Week Two: Setting

(from Edugains, Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010)

How does setting affect the plot and characters of a text?
Time:225 Minutes / Grade 9, ENG1D, Academic
Critical Learning
/ Guiding Questions
Students will be using a study of setting in a movie to help them extrapolate the influence of setting on characters and scenes within their novel
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the importance of setting as a tool used by authors to create interesting narratives. They will be working in small groups to discuss the ways in which a single setting can have profoundly different impacts on different characters, as well as beginning to work through their novel. As they begin their reading, they will be paying close attention to the setting in which their novel takes place. / Course:
How can students best come to an understanding of key literary forms such as novels?
Unit:
In what ways can a student identify with major characters in a novel study, and how can that identification help them in defining their own individuality?
Lesson:
How does the setting of a text affect its plot and characters? How can we determine the ways these connections are formed and the impact they have?

Curriculum Expectations

Media:
Overall:
1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
Specific:
Interpreting Messages
1.2 interpret simple and complex media texts, identifying and explaining the overt and implied messages they convey
Metacognition
4.1 describe several different strategies they used in interpreting and creating media texts, explain which ones they found most helpful, and identify several specific steps they can take to improve as media interpreters and producers
Reading:
Overall:
2. Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
Specific:
Making Inferences
1.4 make and explain inferences about both simple and complex texts, supporting their explanations with stated and implied ideas from the texts
Analysing Texts
1.6 analyse texts in terms of the information, ideas, issues, or themes they explore, examining how various aspects of the texts contribute to the presentation or development of these elements
Elements of Style
2.3 identify several different elements of style in texts and explain how they help communicate meaning and enhance the effectiveness of the text /

Learning Goals

(Unpacked Expectations)
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Identify and analyse the role of setting within a film, book, or other form of text
Discuss how they interpreted different forms of text, including the strategies and techniques they used and
Explain how characters are connected to their setting, and the influence setting has on perception of a character
Identify important aspects of “setting” and how they contribute to a single cohesive setting within a single chapter, scene, or text

Instructional Components and Context

Readiness

Students have already done some character analysis looking at themselves as characters – this will help them study their selected character from their novel and from Empire Records

Students will have selected their novels, and will be assumed to have started reading them

Students will be made aware of the day they will be watching the movie, and thus those unable to attend class that day will be required to view it outside of class

Terminology

Setting
Imagery
Scene
Metaphor /

Materials

Teacher:
Movie: Empire Records
A way to show the movie
Empire Records Character List
Movie Adaptation assignment handout
Student:
Selected novel
Writing implements and lined paper
How does setting affect the plot and characters of a text?
Time:225 Minutes / Grade 9, ENG1D, Academic
Minds On Approximately 30 minutes / Pause and Ponder
-Students will be asked to take out a pen and a piece of paper and write down their favourite place in the world. Below that, they will write three words that describe their memories of that place (emotions, adjectives, a word representing a specific memory, etc). Do not allow very much time for this – force students to make a quick decision for each question
-Students will be asked to do the same thing, but with a favourite event (birthday party, vacation, etc – can be long or short)
-Students will then be asked to write down the name of someone they associate with their location, and someone they associate with their event
-The teacher should treat these sheets as the question of the day, and go around and have each student read out their responses to the questions. Do not ask for explanations yet, and ask them to hold on if they start giving one
-After everyone has read their sheet, the teacher should ask questions encouraging students to give their explanations, and make connections between the selections they have chosen
-Possible prompts for questioning include: What is it about that place/time that reminds you of that person? Why do you connect these words to that place/time? How is that person representative of that place/time or words? The teacher should encourage students to draw connections between the words they have written down
-Encourage students to do similar things with characters and events in their novel as they begin to read it: students should take notes as they read / Assessment for Learning (AfL)
During both the Minds On and the Pre-movie activities, the teacher has ample opportunity to circulate through the room and make observations about students’ answers. The teacher could also collect student notes or jigsaws and turn them into a formal assessment piece.
The Movie Adaptation piece is not intended as a formal evaluation, although it can be made into one. Instead, it is mean as a significant check for understanding as well as a diagnostic for the following week’s activities.
Assessment as Learning
(AaL)
In the Minds On activity, students will be performing a quick task, and then spending the majority of the time reflecting and talking about it. As they explore connections between settings from their own life, they will be exploring the ways in which they personally create connections between setting and other elements of text.
Differentiation (DI)
-All students will be choosing experiences from their own life
-Balance between individual work, partner work, and group work
-In-class reading time so all students have had a chance to start their novel and participate in class discussions
-Empire Records deals with a number of teen issues in generally positive ways; students should be able to relate in some way to at least one character
-Students may be allowed to perform a skit or film an actual film scene to represent the scene from their text instead of producing a written piece
-The teacher could provide students with a graphic organizer for their notes on their character and the characters of their group members.
Quick Tip
-The teacher may wish to list the words used by students to describe their locations and events on the board or a piece of paper, providing a word bank to help ELLs and other students with their assignment
-The post-movie jigsaw could be done on chart paper and hung on the classroom walls so students can see the thinking process of other students’ analyses.
Link and Layer
-Students have already spent a week working with the concept of themselves as characters and should have little difficulty performing analysis of characters from films and novels
Action! Approximately 225 minutes
Pre-movie
-To begin the lesson, the teacher should hand out the Empire Records character list. Each student in the class needs to be in charge of a character, and each character should have at least 2-3 students studying them. If the class is small, less important characters should be left off the sheet
- Once each student has selected a character, they should find out who else is studying the same character – they will be working with them after the movie
-Students will be told that when they are watching the movie, they are to pay close attention to scenes involving their character, with a focus on the setting of the scene and the ways the character interacts with it. How does the setting make the character feel? What does the character like about the setting? Dislike? What would they change about it if they could? How does their character directly interact with the setting? How does the setting indirectly affect the character? etc
-Encourage students to make notes about the character, making connections to the minds on. You might ask them to write down at least two words each time their character is important to a scene –something about how the character might feel at that time, and something about the setting that might be influencing them at that time
-Show the movie
Post-Movie Jigsaw
-Students should meet with their character group after the movie is over to share their notes. Repeat the questions asked before the movie about the ties between character and setting
-As a group, character groups should create a variation of the Minds On from their character’s perspective. The teacher will ask them to select what they believe to be the most important or significant part of the record store to their character instead of their favourite; event can remain the same
-When expert groups have created their character connection, the groups should be jigsawed so that each group has a few different characters represented. It isn’t necessary to have every single character represented in each group, as groups would be too large.
-The teacher will have the new groups share their findings with each other and let them discuss how they decided upon the words that represent their character, as well as how the setting impacts their character.
-The teacher will assign the Movie Adaptation piece to students. Students should be given plenty of time in class to work on this assignment. The teacher should take this opportunity to talk to each student in the class to ensure understanding of the relationships between setting and character. This should be collected and read, but not formally assessed.
Consolidation Approximately 15 minutes
-Ask students to think about their Movie Adaptation assignment and their Minds On activity. Ask them to think about a part of their life (event, not place) that they think would fit the Movie Adaptation assignment – they should feel free to use one of the events or places from their Minds On.
-For homework, students should write one paragraph giving a more complete description of their event. This will be used in the next day’s lesson