Family: What gives us strength, and what holds us back.
Unit: Three / Semester 1
Duration: 4 weeks (15 days)
Textual Materials:
1. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath with supplemental text: Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust (novels)
2. Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” (play)
3. Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” (short story)
Rationale:
Family plays a huge role in American culture. People are constantly questioning family structure and values, who should play each familial role, and how those roles should be portrayed. These aspects of family have evolved over time and through various regions. Students will read a variety of texts in different genres that exhibit different representations of family. The study of family and its role in American society has cultural significance and civic awareness because students will examine not only how family structures differ and are similar in each of the texts, but also how the individual fits into a family unit. Beyond this, studying the role of the family in the novel as a whole poses some interesting questions. “Steinbeck once said that the plight of the migrants was something impersonal and distant. Even though the American people knew about these people, they did not understand the nature of the entire situation. He felt that the American people could never really sympathize with these migrants merely from reading and hearing about their general plight. Therefore, he decided to tell the story of one family. He thought that if the public could become intimately acquainted with one family, then the entire situation would be better understood” (Carey 8). What can students learn about an author’s motive for writing by examining their use of family in their writing? What about families make us “intimately acquainted” with the characters involved? What about American society makes us feel this way? Looking beyond, what can we tell about a society as a whole based on the closer view of a family? Students will find these texts relevant because everyone will have a family model they have either experienced or observed throughout his or her life. The study of family through literature can provide students with the opportunity to look at family, its role, and its importance objectively while still being something they can relate to. The major texts for this unit will be the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the play “The Glass Menagerie”, and the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” These stories present a variety of situations and contexts in which family plays a major role.
One could argue that family is not an element that is specific to American literature, however, it can also be argued that because family is presented in so many different way across the world and in various time periods, studying family as it is portrayed in American literature can be very helpful in defining what makes literature American. Students will identify the similarities and differences in family structures and values not only in different times and regions in America, but also how family is different in America verses other places. Some of the questions students will consider are: How does America view family structure? How important is family in our society? How should the roles in a family be carried out and by whom? What qualities are unique American families? The Grapes of Wrath will provide a view of a family that stand together in the face of devastating circumstances and sorrow. Students can examine how the strength the family had together was necessary to their survival, and they can also take a closer look at the role of each family member in the Joad family. “The Glass Menagerie” examines a non-traditional family due to the abandonment of Tom, his sister, and his mother by his father. The play also deals with Tom’s feeling of entrapment by having to provide for his family. “The Fall of the House of Usher” deals with family on yet another level. This short story presents twins who are so similar that they are unable to develop as individuals. It also deals with the idea that the fall of the house is not only literally, but also figurative because of the incestuous practices that have had to occur to keep this house going. The exposure to these various family structures and values will open up a new arena of thought that will lead nicely into unit 4 that expands upon this smaller group structure and leads students to examine society as a whole.
Works Cited
Carey, Gary, and James L. Roberts. "Introduction: Critical Acceptance." Cliff's Notes on Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Lincoln: Cliff's Notes Incorporated, 1965. 6-8. Print.
Goals:
By the end of the unit, my students will...
-Have worked effectively in small groups to accomplish goals and see different interpretive views.
-Write a formal literary analysis essay.
-Understand the importance of family in stories and in America as a whole.
By the end of the unit, I as an educator will...
-Model the activities for the students including the found poetry, body biography, homebody, and memory box.
-Make an assessment of where my students are in terms of formal essay writing and see what I need to focus on in the next unit to help their writing improve.
Standards:
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Activities:
1. Found Poetry: Found poetry is created by rearranging words found in one text into the form of a poem. “The idea behind using a found poem for literary analysis is to have readers focus on the language that they find most significant, meaningful, and important in a literary work they are reading, extract it, and create a poetic work of their own that distills the meaning that they find in the original” (Smagorinsky 40). I would like students to make a found poem for The Grapes of Wrath. I understand that this is a long novel, so I will ask that students use sticky notes to mark striking passages, words, phrases, in their novel as they are reading. On the sticky note they should briefly say why they marked that part so they can remember by the end of the novel what they were thinking when they begin writing their poems. Hopefully this activity will help them stay engaged with such a long text and keep them paying attention to individual words and important parts of the story. I also think this activity will fit in well with the supplementary text Out of the Dust because that novel is written as a collection of poems.
2. Dialogue Response Journals: This activity will be on-going while we read The Grapes of Wrath. I will probably have students do this online via the class website or some kind of blog website I can monitor so the journal can be accessed by either student at either time as well as by me. For the dialogue response journals students will pair up and start a journal together. They will switch off on giving opinions, asking questions, and responding to their partner’s questions as they do the assigned reading. One comment per student will need to be done for each chapter in the novel. Students will need to plan together to make sure that they alternate their posts. Every comment must include at least one question for their partner and an answer to previous questions asked by their partner.
3. Student-led discussions: Each set of partners from the dialogue journals will lead a class-discussion for 10-15 minutes on what they most feel like discussing about the latest segment of the Grapes of Wrath that we have read. Students can look to their dialogue journals for ideas on particularly interesting topics and questions they encountered. Students will sign up for presentation dates on the first day of studying the novel.
4. Body biography: A body biography is an activity where students draw a character using images and language that depict the experiences, relationships, and qualities of a literary character. Students will divide into small groups (3-4) and make a body biography for the characters in “The Glass Menagerie” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Each group will only make one biography, but each group will be assigned a different character to portray.
5. Homebody: The homebody is similar to the body biography except that students will be portray a home or other location instead of a person. In many stories, the locations are so dynamic they almost serve as a character themselves. In these homebodies students will depict what happens within the place both literally and through symbols. Again, students will be split into small groups (3-4) and will draw homebodies for the house in “The Glass Menagerie” as well as the house of Usher.
Culminating texts:
1. Memory Boxes: Students will decorate and fill a shoebox with items that might symbolize a character from any of the three texts we studied in this unit. Students may pick any character they want. Their box must include at least five items and be accompanied by a paragraph rationale for each explaining why they chose the item and what it symbolizes about their chosen character. Students will share their favorite item with the class, and then all the boxes will be on display in the classroom for a couple of weeks following the end of the unit for students to look at closer on their own. (An assignment sheet with a specific grading rubric will be given.)
Assessments:
1. The Grapes of Wrath essay: Students will write an essay after having read the novel and taken part in class discussions lead by their peers. Students will also have their dialogue response journals and class notes to refer to. I will most likely write-up the prompts based on where the students lead our discussions (so every time I teach this unit, the focuses will be slightly different, however, there will be some things I discuss in class that will remain constant.) Because I do not know what my students will want to discuss, I will have some prompts ready to go for now. (See misc.)
2. Memory boxes: The memory boxes will be shared and turned in for grading at the end of the unit.
Miscellaneous:
The Grapes of Wrath Essay Prompts
A. Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or traditions. In The Grapes of Wrath we see this happen. Note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader’s or audience’s views.
B. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in The Grapes of Wrath and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning.
(Options A and B are adapted from Mrs. Nuzum’s 11th grade English class)
C. There are a lot of complex characters in The Grapes of Wrath. Choose one of the characters who particularly intrigues you and explain how they perform the traditional roles of their family title and where they deviate. Make sure to use direct quotes to support your claims.
Notes:
1. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath with supplemental text: Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust (novels)
2. Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” (play)
3. Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” (short story)
Rationale:
Family plays a huge role in American culture. People are constantly questioning family structure and values, who should play each familial role, and how those roles should be portrayed. These aspects of family have evolved over time and through various regions. Students will read a variety of texts in different genres that exhibit different representations of family. The study of family and its role in American society has cultural significance and civic awareness because students will examine not only how family structures differ and are similar in each of the texts, but also how the individual fits into a family unit. Beyond this, studying the role of the family in the novel as a whole poses some interesting questions. “Steinbeck once said that the plight of the migrants was something impersonal and distant. Even though the American people knew about these people, they did not understand the nature of the entire situation. He felt that the American people could never really sympathize with these migrants merely from reading and hearing about their general plight. Therefore, he decided to tell the story of one family. He thought that if the public could become intimately acquainted with one family, then the entire situation would be better understood” (Carey 8). What can students learn about an author’s motive for writing by examining their use of family in their writing? What about families make us “intimately acquainted” with the characters involved? What about American society makes us feel this way? Looking beyond, what can we tell about a society as a whole based on the closer view of a family? Students will find these texts relevant because everyone will have a family model they have either experienced or observed throughout his or her life. The study of family through literature can provide students with the opportunity to look at family, its role, and its importance objectively while still being something they can relate to. The major texts for this unit will be the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the play “The Glass Menagerie”, and the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” These stories present a variety of situations and contexts in which family plays a major role.
One could argue that family is not an element that is specific to American literature, however, it can also be argued that because family is presented in so many different way across the world and in various time periods, studying family as it is portrayed in American literature can be very helpful in defining what makes literature American. Students will identify the similarities and differences in family structures and values not only in different times and regions in America, but also how family is different in America verses other places. Some of the questions students will consider are: How does America view family structure? How important is family in our society? How should the roles in a family be carried out and by whom? What qualities are unique American families? The Grapes of Wrath will provide a view of a family that stand together in the face of devastating circumstances and sorrow. Students can examine how the strength the family had together was necessary to their survival, and they can also take a closer look at the role of each family member in the Joad family. “The Glass Menagerie” examines a non-traditional family due to the abandonment of Tom, his sister, and his mother by his father. The play also deals with Tom’s feeling of entrapment by having to provide for his family. “The Fall of the House of Usher” deals with family on yet another level. This short story presents twins who are so similar that they are unable to develop as individuals. It also deals with the idea that the fall of the house is not only literally, but also figurative because of the incestuous practices that have had to occur to keep this house going. The exposure to these various family structures and values will open up a new arena of thought that will lead nicely into unit 4 that expands upon this smaller group structure and leads students to examine society as a whole.
Works Cited
Carey, Gary, and James L. Roberts. "Introduction: Critical Acceptance." Cliff's Notes on Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Lincoln: Cliff's Notes Incorporated, 1965. 6-8. Print.
Goals:
By the end of the unit, my students will...
-Have worked effectively in small groups to accomplish goals and see different interpretive views.
-Write a formal literary analysis essay.
-Understand the importance of family in stories and in America as a whole.
By the end of the unit, I as an educator will...
-Model the activities for the students including the found poetry, body biography, homebody, and memory box.
-Make an assessment of where my students are in terms of formal essay writing and see what I need to focus on in the next unit to help their writing improve.
Standards:
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Activities:
1. Found Poetry: Found poetry is created by rearranging words found in one text into the form of a poem. “The idea behind using a found poem for literary analysis is to have readers focus on the language that they find most significant, meaningful, and important in a literary work they are reading, extract it, and create a poetic work of their own that distills the meaning that they find in the original” (Smagorinsky 40). I would like students to make a found poem for The Grapes of Wrath. I understand that this is a long novel, so I will ask that students use sticky notes to mark striking passages, words, phrases, in their novel as they are reading. On the sticky note they should briefly say why they marked that part so they can remember by the end of the novel what they were thinking when they begin writing their poems. Hopefully this activity will help them stay engaged with such a long text and keep them paying attention to individual words and important parts of the story. I also think this activity will fit in well with the supplementary text Out of the Dust because that novel is written as a collection of poems.
2. Dialogue Response Journals: This activity will be on-going while we read The Grapes of Wrath. I will probably have students do this online via the class website or some kind of blog website I can monitor so the journal can be accessed by either student at either time as well as by me. For the dialogue response journals students will pair up and start a journal together. They will switch off on giving opinions, asking questions, and responding to their partner’s questions as they do the assigned reading. One comment per student will need to be done for each chapter in the novel. Students will need to plan together to make sure that they alternate their posts. Every comment must include at least one question for their partner and an answer to previous questions asked by their partner.
3. Student-led discussions: Each set of partners from the dialogue journals will lead a class-discussion for 10-15 minutes on what they most feel like discussing about the latest segment of the Grapes of Wrath that we have read. Students can look to their dialogue journals for ideas on particularly interesting topics and questions they encountered. Students will sign up for presentation dates on the first day of studying the novel.
4. Body biography: A body biography is an activity where students draw a character using images and language that depict the experiences, relationships, and qualities of a literary character. Students will divide into small groups (3-4) and make a body biography for the characters in “The Glass Menagerie” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Each group will only make one biography, but each group will be assigned a different character to portray.
5. Homebody: The homebody is similar to the body biography except that students will be portray a home or other location instead of a person. In many stories, the locations are so dynamic they almost serve as a character themselves. In these homebodies students will depict what happens within the place both literally and through symbols. Again, students will be split into small groups (3-4) and will draw homebodies for the house in “The Glass Menagerie” as well as the house of Usher.
Culminating texts:
1. Memory Boxes: Students will decorate and fill a shoebox with items that might symbolize a character from any of the three texts we studied in this unit. Students may pick any character they want. Their box must include at least five items and be accompanied by a paragraph rationale for each explaining why they chose the item and what it symbolizes about their chosen character. Students will share their favorite item with the class, and then all the boxes will be on display in the classroom for a couple of weeks following the end of the unit for students to look at closer on their own. (An assignment sheet with a specific grading rubric will be given.)
Assessments:
1. The Grapes of Wrath essay: Students will write an essay after having read the novel and taken part in class discussions lead by their peers. Students will also have their dialogue response journals and class notes to refer to. I will most likely write-up the prompts based on where the students lead our discussions (so every time I teach this unit, the focuses will be slightly different, however, there will be some things I discuss in class that will remain constant.) Because I do not know what my students will want to discuss, I will have some prompts ready to go for now. (See misc.)
2. Memory boxes: The memory boxes will be shared and turned in for grading at the end of the unit.
Miscellaneous:
The Grapes of Wrath Essay Prompts
A. Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or traditions. In The Grapes of Wrath we see this happen. Note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader’s or audience’s views.
B. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in The Grapes of Wrath and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning.
(Options A and B are adapted from Mrs. Nuzum’s 11th grade English class)
C. There are a lot of complex characters in The Grapes of Wrath. Choose one of the characters who particularly intrigues you and explain how they perform the traditional roles of their family title and where they deviate. Make sure to use direct quotes to support your claims.
Notes:
- Because this is the first unit in which the students will be writing a formal literary analysis essay in my class, I would like to go over some essay writing basics and personal expectations for essay writing that I have.
- I would like to bring in some film adaptations of these texts into the unit. Depending on how much time we have, I may only show some segments or maybe let the students decide which film they would like to watch. Students will need to reflect on the similarities and differences, what they liked and didn't like about the adaptation, and if any meaning was lost.