In this lesson, students finish reading, annotating, and discussing Pygmalion. They’ll write about what they think will happen to Liza after the play ends and discuss how satisfying they found the ending.

In this lesson, students continue reading, annotating, and discussing Pygmalion. They’ll write about the impact of Higgins’s meddling in Doolittle’s life and also Doolittle’s final speech in the play. They’ll also finish their Independent Reading Group Novel for homework.

In this lesson, students will learn about the Greek myth the play Pygmalion is named after. Then they’ll begin reading and annotating the play, stopping periodically to discuss and write about it.

In our lives, we are constantly telling stories to ourselves and to others in an attempt to both understand our experiences and present our best selves to others.  But how do we tell a story about ourselves that is both true and positive? How do we hold ourselves up in the best possible light, while still being honest about our struggles and our flaws? Students will explore ways of interpreting and portraying personal experiences.  They'll read Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart , analyzing the text through the eyes of one character. They'll get to know that character's flaws and strengths, and they'll tell part of the story from that character's perspective, doing their best to tell an honest tale that presents their character's best side. Then they'll explore their own stories, crafting a personal narrative about an important moment of learning in his or her life.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and analyze Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart , viewing the events and conflicts of the novel through the eyes of one of the central characters.
Students write a two-part narrative project: one narrative told through their character’s perspective and one personal narrative about an incident in their own life.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

How do our conflicts shape and show our character?
How can we tell a story about ourselves that’s both honest and positive?
How do definitions of justice change depending on the culture you live in?
What are ways individuals can react to a changing world? To a community that doesn’t accept us?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

What background knowledge do students need in order to understand this novel? In this lesson, students learn more about Nigeria, the culture of the Igbo people (whom Achebe writes about), and the history of missionary work and colonialism in Africa.

One important skill a writer must develop is to look critically at his or her own work, identifying areas that need improvement and learning how to ask for thoughtful, targeted feedback. In this lesson, students will ask their peers for help with areas of their narrative they are struggling with.

In this lesson, students will continue writing the draft of their personal narrative.

Now that students have completed Your Character Narrative, it’s time to begin planning the second part of their project: their personal narrative. In this lesson, they’ll mine their personal journal entries for materials, and they’ll begin planning and outlining their first draft.

Do other people’s perceptions of us teach us anything about ourselves? What do we hide from those around us? In this lesson, students will think about how their character’s self-image differs from what others see about him or her. Then, students will begin planning their Things Fall Apart narrative.

In this lesson, students will identify and practice using active verbs and strong, descriptive language as they work to show rather than tell their reader about the important conflicts of their narrative. Students will then begin working on a first draft.

In this lesson, students will work on their final revision. This is the last class period that they will have to work on this narrative. If they finish early, a variety of extension opportunities will be available to enhance their narrative.

In this lesson, students will work with their writing groups to revise the first draft of their narrative, looking closely at descriptive language, as well as introductions and conclusions.

A reader’s first impression of a writer is his or her language use. In this lesson, students and their groups will work to make sure that their final drafts make the best impression possible: they’ll edit each other’s work for language use, spelling, and punctuation.

The purpose of this first informational Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) is to determine what students already know about informational writing. Students will respond to a writing prompt, and you will score results as a measure of early work. Then they’ll finish their first revision of Your Character Narrative. They’ll write, confer with you, and perhaps get some help from group members.

What has “fallen apart” in this novel, and who’s to blame for this destruction? Could Okonkwo’s fate have been avoided? Could Umuofian society have held together better? How? In this lesson, students will participate in a discussion to reflect on and attempt to answer these questions and others.

One of the most famous political speeches on freedom in the twentieth century was delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union message to Congress. This lesson examines the rhetorical use of "freedom" with the objective of encouraging students to glimpse the broad range of hopes and aspirations that are expressed in the call of and for freedom.

Introducing the genre of Fantasy to students.  They will gain an understanding of the content and produce their own story for the product.  Modifications can be made on the length of the story the are to write.  There can also be a more in depth conversation on the genre by older groups.  

Introducing the genre of Fantasy to students.  They will gain an understanding of the content and produce their own story for the product.  Modifications can be made on the length of the story the are to write.  There can also be a more in depth conversation on the genre by older groups.  

Students will identify why and how Feynman started to look at the world through the eyes of a scientist. Students will both learn how memoirs can be as deeply revealing as fiction and how to unpack the meaning of a first person narrative.