Today, students will discuss which of the poems they read in Lesson 1 is better. Then they’ll read Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress,” a much longer poem that is full of intense feeling, rich imagery, and humor.

The laws that govern and the social norms that regulate society are not always fair, legal, moral, or ethical. What is a person to do about all this injustice? What are the hazards of righting injustices or changing social norms? And what are the dangers of doing nothing?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and annotate Antigone, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and Pygmalion.
Students write a literary analysis showing the effect of social class or the law on a character’s 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 social class and legal institutions shape literary characters’ lives (and presumably our lives)?
How does social class affect a person in dealing with the law (protect a person, hurt a person)?
How is social class determined in America and in other places in the world?

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.

 In this lesson, students will learn about Antigone, an ancient Greek play by Sophocles. Then they will begin reading, annotating, and discussing the opening of the play.MaterialsMaterials to create the Characters in Antigone class chartLesson PreparationRead the lesson and student content.Anticipate student difficulties and identify the differentiation options you will choose for working with your students.As you begin reading Antigone, determine which students may need support such as Guided Reading.Help students locate copies of the Independent Reading texts if necessary.

In this lesson, students finish reading, annotating, and discussing Antigone. Then they will meet in their Independent Reading Groups for the first time.

In this lesson, students will take a survey about justice and the law and discuss the results. Then they will learn about the ongoing Independent Reading assignment they’ll be doing over the course of the unit.

In this lesson, students discuss the ending of Antigone and retake the survey about justice that they took in Lesson 1. They will also write about how the laws in Thebes have shaped the lives of the characters who live there.

In this lesson, students continue reading, annotating, and discussing Antigone. Students will learn more about the Oedipus myth and consider a different perspective on the story.

In this lesson, students continue reading, annotating, and discussing Antigone . They’ll reread part of the opening and focus on the role of the Chorus before reading more of the play. Then they’ll select their top choices for their Independent Reading Group Novel.

In this lesson, students continue to revise their Character Analysis Essay. They will look at an example of an effective conclusion and write an alternative conclusion for their essay. With a partner, they’ll discuss their two conclusions and pick the most effective.

In this lesson, students begin writing their Character Analysis Essay and share what they have written with a partner.

In this lesson, students revise their Character Analysis Essay. They will look at an example of an effective introduction and write an alternative introduction for their essay. With a partner, they will discuss their two introductions and pick the most effective.

In this lesson, students will submit their Character Analysis Essay. They will also discuss the unit’s Guiding Questions, review their writing portfolios, and reflect on the unit.

In this lesson, students will review each other’s Character Analysis Essays. Then they’ll revise their essays again based on their partner’s feedback.

In this lesson, you will administer a Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) to determine what students already know about argument writing. Students will respond to a prompt, and then you will assess each student’s argument, using the scoring guide, as a measure of early work. Students will have opportunities to write arguments throughout the year, during which they will have instruction on how to revise and edit their pieces. The information you gain from scoring this benchmark piece of writing will guide you in tailoring your writing instruction to individual student needs.

In this lesson, students will take the second in a series of three Cold Write assessments in the narrative genre. The Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) is an unassisted and unrevised piece of writing with the purpose of providing a quick gauge of the student’s mastery of the characteristics of a given genre. Today’s Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) measures and provides a benchmark of students’ mastery of narrative writing. They’ll also continue reading, annotating, and discussing “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Then they’ll focus on the charges made against Dr. King and how he refutes them.

In this lesson, students look at “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” again, focusing on Dr. King’s writing style. Then students will try to write a paragraph using his style of repeating passages or phrases to build a convincing argument.

In this lesson, students learn about civil disobedience—about people purposefully disobeying a law that they feel to be unjust. They’ll read from two examples that address the issue: Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

In this lesson, students continue to discuss Dr. King’s writing style. Then they will read and discuss W. H. Auden's “Law Like Love,” focusing on the comparisons to law in the poem.

In this lesson, students will discuss in small groups whether Antigone, Thoreau, or Dr. King was the most courageous in his or her stand of civil disobedience. Then they will write a short argument about it.

In this lesson, students will continue reading, annotating, and discussing Pygmalion. Then students will reread and focus on the “at-home” episode in act 3.