646 Short Story Keller-Revision

8/3/2019 646 Short Story Keller-Revision

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Jory Keller

Engl 646

S. Callahan

Lesson Plan for Roald Dahls The Landlady

Lesson Plan

Context/Rationale:

The purpose of this short story unit is to teach students a

sampling of the variety of story elements and literary devices used to

create meaningful text. The stories I have chosen are unique and

varied in style enough that I feel students with a varying range of

tastes and interests will be able to enjoy at least some, if not all, or

them. I have arranged the stories both by difficulty and by my own

personal interest level.

This lesson is written for a class of predominantly average

performing students in the 9th grade. While there is some ethnic

diversity in the class, the school is part of a district that sends students

to their neighborhood schools. Therefore, the students all share a

similar economic background (lower-middle class). Many of them come

from families in which not both parents are college educated. For

some, they will be the first in their family to go to college. Most of the

students have expressed interest in attending college or in joining the

military. This lesson is important for them to build a foundation of

knowledge that will help them read short literature and be able to find


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meaning. This skill will help them move on to longer and more

challenging texts in their next years of high school.

Situating the Learning:

Students will be reading a collection of short stories that defy

conventional logic, are bizarre, otherworldly, or in some way strange.

With each story, students will be focusing on specific story elements

and/or literary devices.

a. The Cask of Amontillado focusing on suspense and setting

b. The Landlady focusing on suspense and foreshadowing

c. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty focusing on characterization and

point of view

d. The Veldt focusing on personification

e. The Lady or the Tiger focusing on point of view and conflict

Additionally, for every story, the students will learn to identify its genre

characteristics and formulate an interpretation of its theme. This brief

discussion will help students in future literature units in the year. The

theme will be discovered through classroom discussion. This lesson on

The Landlady will be covered second in the unit after The Cask of

Amontillado and before The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It will focus

on foreshadowing. Students will already have an idea of what

foreshadowing is from what they previously learned of suspense in

Cask of Amontillado. However, in The Landlady, they will be

focusing on foreshadowing more thoroughly to examine how it works

to create suspense.


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The unit will be the first of the school year. At the end of the unit,

students will be writing an analysis of a short story of their choice (it

must be approved beforehand). As it is their first major high school

writing assignment, however, the purpose of the analysis will be to see

that they are able to think critically about their reading. Assessment

will be focused content rather than form. The form will be polished and

built upon as the year progresses.

Learning Outcomes and Instructional Focus

Unit Goal:

The unit goal is to understand story elements and literary

devices in order to read deeply and be able to apply this skill later

on with longer and more challenging texts, as well as to be able to

incorporate these elements and devices into writing.

Lesson Objective(s):

Students will be able to -

1. Define foreshadowing

2. Identify instances of foreshadowing

3. Make predictions based on authors clues

4. Understand vocabulary terms

5. Apply what they have learned in order to use foreshadowing

in their own writing

6. Identify theme and genre


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Related Illinois Learning Standards: Those marked with

*(asterisk) apply to unit but not solely to this lesson in particular.

1. *RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence tosupport analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as

inferences drawn from the text.

2. *CC.9-10.W.1: Write arguments to support claims in an

analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning

and relevant and sufficient evidence.

3. CC.9-10.R.L.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a

text and analyze in detail its development over the course of

the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined

by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

4. CC.9-10.R.L.4: Determine the meaning of words and

phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and

connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of

specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the

language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a

formal or informal tone).

5. RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an authors choices concerning

how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel

plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create

such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

6. W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine

and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly

and accurately through the effective selection, organization,

and analysis of content.*

7. SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of

collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-

led) with diverse partners on grades 910 topics, texts, and


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issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own

clearly and persuasively.*

Materials:

1. Copies of the short story The Landlady by Roald Dahl

(classroom copies only)

2. Images to display on Elmo overhead (master copy only)

3. Graphic organizer handout (one copy for each student)

4. Examples of foreshadowing (master copy for teachers use

only)

5. Vocabulary (master copy only)

Sequence of Learning Activities:

Day One:

1. Explain to students what the topic of the next lesson is and write

the activities for the day on the board: defining foreshadowing,

identifying instances of foreshadowing in images, making

predictions based on images, sharing examples of

foreshadowing.

2. Tell students the importance of foreshadowing - it is an

important device for creating suspense and hooking the reader.

3. Ask students to volunteer what they think the word

foreshadowing means, then give students the relevant

dictionary definitions to copy into their vocab notes (they will


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have class binder that they will be building on throughout the

year).

Foreshadowing: a literary device in which the author gives clues as

to what will happen later

4. Display images on the overhead and have the students work in

pairs to predict what is going will happen based on clues

provided in the image. Students will write down their answers in

their notes and share one of them with the class. Class will then

discuss how they were able to guess what event would follow the

image. (see Materials A)

5. Provide students with an example of how foreshadowing works in

literature. (see Materials B)

6. Ask the students to access their schema to think of other

instances of foreshadowing they have witnessed either in other

books, movies, TV shows, or real life.

Day Two:

7. Write the days activities on the board: Landlady vocabulary,

background information, reading The Landlady.

8. Ask a student to volunteer to summarize the previous days

discussion.

9. Put Landlady vocab words up on overhead and have the

students copy them into their notes. (see Materials C)


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10. Go over frontloading topics: (ages for entering the work

force, British customs and foods, practices of B&Bs and their

reputation, information on taxidermy, and characteristics of

cyanide)

11. Begin reading The Landlady in class. Students can

practice popcorn reading or VAV (volunteer a victim) reading, but

all students must read. Interrupt at points to ask students if they

notice any elements of suspense. Students will be instructed to

take notes because they will be able to use them for their final

writing assignments (the final lesson writing and the final unit

writing).

Day Three

12. Write the days activities on the board: Reading The

Landlady, class discussion, making predictions. Also write the

homework options on the board: Write an essay OR creative

response (instructions will be handed out at the end of class).

13. Finish reading The Landlady if it was not finished the day

before. After reading, discuss the ending. Now would be the time

for a short discussion on the characteristics of this story that help

to identify its theme and genre. Remind the students that theme

and genre should be kept in their notes for use later in the year

(not to be handed in at this time). For this story, make sure the

students understand that the tea was poisoned and that Billys


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death is the event that has been foreshadowed throughout the

story.

14. Pass out graphic organizer. Working in pairs, students will

write explain how the clue works to foreshadow the ending.

They will write it on the predictions side of the graphic

organizer (see Materials D). This will be handed in.

15. For homework, students can choose between the following

options:

a. Students may write an essay answering the following

question : In at least 100 words, explain how events in

The Landlady foreshadow Billys death? If Billy had been

perceptive (had the ability to understand future

consequences), what might he have done differently?

b. Students may write their own story, making use of

foreshadowing

c. Students may, pretending to be Billy, write a letter to his

parents expressing his growing concern about the strange

events occurring at the bed and breakfast.

Assessment Procedure:

The formative assessments described in the Lesson Procedure

will demonstrate if the students are learning and at what rate they are

progressing through their tasks. Uncollected formative assessments

include class and pair discussion. Additional formative assessments will


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be made based on the graphic organizers and the vocabulary notes,

both of which will be handed in.

The summative assessment options (No. 15 in the Lesson

Procedure) will demonstrate what the students have learned from this

particular lesson. The summative assessment at the end of the unit will

be an analysis of a short story of their choice, which will demonstrate

their knowledge of story elements and literary devices and their ability

to apply that knowledge to a text of their choosing.

Homework, Related Products, or Other Follow-up

Responsibilities:

Students will choose one of the options listed in No. 13 to do for

homework. This assignment will be due the day following the

completion of the lesson. The students will also be aware that they will

be working toward a final paper (an analysis of a short story of their

choosing), in which they will need to apply the knowledge they impart

from this lesson. They will be encouraged (but not required) to be

keeping notes that will aid them in this summative unit assessment.

Rubric for Essay Response

1. Answers how events in TheLandlady foreshadow Billys

death (lists at least 5 clues)using proper MLA citation.

____/4

2. Speculates (makes a guess)about what Billy could havedone differently to avoid hisdeath, providing evidence forclaims made.

____/4

3. Writes complete sentences ____/4


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and paragraphs (uses effectivetransitions and properpunctuation.)

4. Paragraphs flow in anorganized manner and

paragraphs support thequestion that they areanswering).

____/4

5. Makes use of vocabularywords.

____/4

6. Is of appropriate length. ____/4

Total Points____/20

Rubric for Creative Response #1: Original Story

1. Demonstrates original,creative thought. ____/4


3. Writes complete sentencesand paragraphs (uses effectivetransitions and properpunctuation.)

____/4

4. Paragraphs flow in an

organized manner andparagraphs support thequestion that they areanswering).

____/4


____/4

6. Uses at least 5 examples offoreshadowing.

____/4

Total Points____/20

Rubric for Creative Response #2: Letter to Billys Parents

1. Lists at least 5 clues from TheLandlady that foreshadowBillys death.

____/4

2. Speculates (makes a guess) ____/4


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about what Billy could havebeen feeling about the weirdthings going on using properMLA citation.

3. Writes complete sentences

and paragraphs (uses effectivetransitions and properpunctuation.)

____/4

4. Paragraphs flow in anorganized manner andparagraphs support thequestion that they areanswering).

____/4


____/4


Total Points____/20


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Materials A:


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Materials B (copy for teacher only):


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Examples of foreshadowing in literature and movies1. If the students have ever seen episodes of the show, The Magic

School Bus, they might remember that at the end of every

episode, Ms. Frizzle decorates her classroom or wears a costume

that give hints to where they will be going on their field trip in

the next episode.

2. In many scary movies you will see examples of foreshadowing

(i.e. a shadow approaching a person on the street, a dark figure

in the trees, a dark and stormy night.) Ask the students if they

remember being scared in a movie before the bad thing

happened and ask them what it was that scared them.

3. In the Harry Potterseries, Ron predicts the taboo on saying

"Voldemort." The exact words were "It feels like a jinx or

something."

4. In Back to the Future Part I, the DeLaurean's ignition troubles

once Marty arrives in 1955 during Part I.

5. Midway throughJaws, Hooper warns Brody about fiddling with hisscuba tanks, explaining how they could blow up if not handledproperly. Quint remarks on this, Yeah, that's real fine expensivegear you brought out here, Mr. Hooper. Course I don't knowwhat that bastard shark's gonna do with it, might eat it Isuppose.

6. In Wizard of Oz, the characters at the beginning hint at their Ozalter-egos:

a. Hugg (The Scarecrow): Now you ain't usin' your head aboutMiss Gulch. Didn't think you had any brains at all!

b. Zeke (The Cowardly Lion): You lettin' that old Gulch heifertry and buffalo you? She ain't nothin' to be afraid of. Havea little courage, that's all!

c. Hickory (The Tin Man): Someday they're gonna erect astatue of me in this town!

7. In The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent makes a comment, You eitherdie a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the

villain.8. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer(TV) season 4 finale, Tara tells Buffy

to be back before Dawn. In season 5, Buffy suddenly has asister not present in the previous seasons. Her name is Dawn.

Materials C:

Vocabulary


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1. Brisk - quick, efficient

2. Dither - unable to decide (what to do)

3. Frisky - lively

4. Hearth - place in a room where a fire is put

5. Kippers - a smoked fish (herring)

6. Swanky - expensive and snobbish

Materials D: (Graphic Organizer next page)


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Making Predictions: Graphic Organizer for The Landlady

Clue: Prediction:

But the air was deadly

cold and the wind was

like a flat blade of ice on

his cheeks.

When Billy presses the

bell, the woman answers

the door instantly.

There are no hats or

coats in the hall. Thewoman claims to be

selective about her

guests.

The names in the guest

book sound strangely

familiar.

Now and again, he

caught a whiff of a

peculiar smell that

seemed to emanate

directly from her person.

The parrot and the bird

are stuffed. I stuff all my

little pets when they pass

away.The tea tasted faintly of

bitter almonds, and he

didnt much care for it.

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646 Short Story Keller-Revision