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Unit Plan: Who am I as a teenager?
Honors 10th Grade English
Conifer High School
Jefferson County, Colorado
Six Weeks of Instruction
90-minute full block schedule
Josh Nielson
Dr. Louann Reid
EDUC 463: Methods of Language Arts Instruction
Fall 2011
I have not given, received, or used any assistance.
________________________________
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Introduction
This unit is in a series of units described under the umbrella question:” Who am I?”
Because forming an identity is such a large part of being a teenager, literature that focuses on
others asserting, changing, discovering, and sometimes rejecting identities proves relevant for
fifteen- and sixteen-year-old students. Before this unit, students have completed two units:
“Who am I as a writer?” and “Who am I as a reader?” Both of these units provide foundational
instruction and assessment in reading and writing, to help the instructor identify areas of strength
and improvement for each student.
The students I imagine to be teaching are typical of the combination of suburban and
rural mountain residents of the Conifer High School area. These students are motivated, and
have already been selected or elected to participate in the AP-track for English. They are being
prepared to take AP Language and Composition next year as juniors. The curriculum is designed
to be challenging, but still interesting to the age group. I will be using the Colorado State
Standards
Context
Conifer is an unincorporated town in western Jefferson County, Colorado, approximately
30 miles west of downtown Denver. The community is largely suburban homes, and most
residents of the Conifer area commute to the Denver area for work. According to the Jefferson
County Economic Development website, the largest employers are:
•
The Denver Federal Center
•
Jefferson County Public Schools
•
Lockheed Martin
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•
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
•
MillerCoors Brewing Company
Source: http://www.jeffco.org/topemployers.asp
In the most recent election, Jefferson County residents voted slightly to the left:
Presidential Candidates:
•
44.3% Republican John McCain
•
53.3% Democrat Barack Obama
Senatorial Candidates
•
41.2% Republican Bob Shaffer
•
51.1% Democrat Mark Udall
Source:
http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/Jefferson/9275/13991/en/summary.html
Jeffco Public Schools is one the largest school district in the state of Colorado, with over
86,000 students and over 12,000 employees. Jeffco School District was created in 1951 when
the twelve districts within the county were unified. Since that time, the population in the county
has tripled, along with the school district. The recent bond measure failed in Jefferson County,
as in most districts across the state. Eight years ago, I worked with other members of the Bear
Creek High School Student Senate campaigning door-to-door to pass the bond measure on the
ballet that year. Jeffco faces cutbacks to full-time equivalent (FTE) staff across most schools
next year.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the median household income in Jefferson County
was $63,826. The national median household income is $50,046, making the average Jefferson
County family slightly wealthier than the average American family.
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Texts:
Novels:
The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
Poetry:
“Daddy” Sylvia Plath
“Barbie Doll” Marge Piercy
Non-fiction:
“What Salinger Means to Me.” All Things Considered. National Public Radio
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123081495
Film:
“New York in 1950” An old tourist film highlighting the New York City Holden Caulfield
occupies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQJQRGAo3KY
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Understanding by Design Template:
Title of Unit
Curriculum Area
Developed By
Who am I as a teenager?
English/Language Arts
Joshua Nielson
Grade Level
Time Frame
10
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Standards
1.1: Content that is gathered carefully and organized effectively influences an audience.
1.2: Effectively operating in small and large groups to accomplish a goal requires active listening.
2.1: Literaty and historical influences determine the meaning of traditional
3.3: Context, parts of speech, grammar, and word choice influence the understanding of literary, persuasive, and informational texts.
4.1: Collect, analyze, and evaluate information obtained from multiple sources to answer a question, propose solutions, or share findings
and conclusions.
Understandings
Essential Questions
Overarching Understanding
What does it mean to be a teenager in the 1950s?
What are the values of the 1950s?
How does depression manifest in teenagers?
What are some the universal experiences of
growing up?
Related Misconceptions
I won’t gain anything reading about teenagers who
have screwed up.
Reading about debauchery will lead to my own
demise.
The Catcher in the Rye is trash
Overarching
What does it mean to
be an adolescent?
What experiences
shape identity?
How do different
experiences shape
one’s identity?
What does it mean to
be a teenager in
America?
Topical
What traditions
do teenagers rebel
against?
Why do teenagers
often have trouble
getting along with
their parents?
What roles do sex
and alcohol play
in teens’ lives?
Why is growing
up often so
painful?
Knowledge
Skills
Students will know…
Students will be able to…
The signs and symptoms of adolescent depression.
A fictional account of very real feelings and
emotions that they may experience, and are
certainly felt by their peers.
Create a creative culminating project
showcasing their interpretation and
interaction with the text.
Annotate a text and incorporate textual
evidence into print and non-print final
products.
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
Performance Task Description
Create a final project that highlights what the student found most
meaningful about reading The Catcher in the Rye
Artist, graphic designer, medical researcher, literary critic, journalist,
Role disc jockey, graphic novelist, psychologist, web designer, author,
criminal profiler, poet, children’s author
Audience Other adolescents interacting with The Catcher in the Rye, adolescents
Goal
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who haven’t read the book
Express a different or unique aspect of the fundamental angst the
Situation Holden experiences; What does this mean for other teens and society in
general?
Literary analysis, musical compilation, graphic novel, inform about
Product/Performance
depression
Standards
1.1: Content that is gathered carefully and organized effectively influences an audience.
1.2: Effectively operating in small and large groups to accomplish a goal requires active listening
4.1: Collect, analyze, and evaluate information obtained from multiple sources to answer a question,
propose solutions, or share findings and conclusions.
(others depending on what students choose to do) (see assessment)
Other Evidence
Students are more likely to put effort into a project when they get to choose what they do and are
able to make it relevant for them.
Learning Plan (Stage 3)
Where are your students headed?
Where have they been? How will you
make sure the students know where
they are going?
How will you hook students at the
beginning of the unit?
What events will help students
experience and explore the big idea
and questions in the unit? How will
you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect
and rethink? How will you guide them
in rehearsing, revising, and refining
their work?
How will you help students to exhibit
and self-evaluate their growing skills,
knowledge, and understanding
throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise
personalize the learning plan to
Students will soon begin the laborious task of
learning rhetorical analysis. By pausing to enjoy
literature that is directly relevant to their lives,
students are able to refine their dealings with novels
(annotation, inference-making, sustained reading)
while also learning that the feelings they deal with
are not uncommon.
I will hook students through 1950s culture study, as
well as asking them to do their own research on J.D.
Salinger’s biography. If students evaluate what is
important about an author’s background, they will
reinforce their critical thinking about research and
electronic sources.
Students will participate in discussions and daily
writing about the characters in the novel as well as
criticisms of the novel. Just as students should take
a critical viewpoint in evaluating online sources, so
should they in reading published works. I will guide
their discussions and introduce criticisms as well as
support for the novel.
Students will be asked to evaluate their performance
on the culminating assessment, as well as
periodically throughout the unit on short writing
pieces and responses to poetry.
Strudents writing will be evaluated using the ACT
Writing scale. When their writing grades are figured
this way, it immediately shows where they need to
work on writing. I will also collect and evaluate
their annotations in the novel.
Students are able to choose their own culminating
project if none of my suggestions fit with what they
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got out of the novel. I will also read aloud to
students, modeling my own reading habits, and work
with small groups that are reluctant to participate in
discussion.
I balance my lesson plans with a variety of
How will you organize and sequence
supporting material—lots of YouTube supplements,
the learning activities to optimize the
a segment from NPR, and poetry that confronts the
engagement and achievement of ALL
novel’s shortcomings. All of these diverse activities
students?
keep the students engaged, while also supporting
their understanding of the novel.
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)
optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without
compromising the goals of the unit?
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Rationale:
It is never easy to decide on a text for a group of students who obviously come from a
multitude of backgrounds that one cannot predict before being asked to plan for the said group,
and one cannot know how one’s students will react to the material they hope will bring about a
broadened perspective about the psychological experience that going from child to adult brings
about.
Pre-teens and young teenagers are often unhappy and full of angst due to a profound
desire to form some kind of identity. In my unit, I am asking students to confront this lack of
identity through J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. Although oft-taught, from a male
perspective, and written by a dead white guy, (although a recently dead white guy) I believe the
universality of the novel merits it a worthwhile reading experience for young adults.
Smagorinsky says, “Adolescent literature in particular often features youthful protagonists
dealing with the kinds of problems that students are likely experiencing” something that The
Catcher in the Rye does a remarkable job of doing. Holden Caulfield, a deeply depressed and
unreliable narrator, embodies for so many teens, the primary dissatisfaction that they deal with
on a daily basis.
The profanity in the book runs from start to finish, just like most teenagers’ speech with
their friends. If a student is not using profanity by some miracle, they are doubtlessly exposed to
it on a regular basis. Salinger’s character does not censor himself in any way. Students are
exposed to Holden’s stream of consciousness, as he weighs his options during a renegade of
debauchery. Holden tries desperately to act like an adult—drinking, smoking, going to clubs,
soliciting prostitutes, hitting on women—but none of these “adult” activities can mask the fact
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that Holden is depressed. If nothing else, the novel is primer in the subtle ways human beings
mask their depression.
Even through all of these disappointments, Holden remains profoundly observant and
productively critical of the “phony” world around him. And in the end he discovers that there is
still beauty in the world, even after giving up his dream of being the “Catcher in the Rye” that
the books’ title is based off of. Holden is unconsciously obsessed with the idea of retaining
one’s innocence. He wants to be the one who keeps the young innocent, prevents the children
from falling off the edge of the metaphorical field of rye. This is the great paradox of the novel
and of children of this age group: the desire to be both a child and an adult at the same time. For
the brain to deduce these two mutually exclusive paradigms understandably results in the
negativity, confusion, and rebellion we often see in teenagers.
Reading an account of rebellion reassures students that their own thoughts of
dissatisfaction with school, peers, society, and family are not heinous acts of hate; they are a
normal part of growing up, and what lead students to eventually seek out options in careers and
relationships as adults. Holden Caulfield attempts to move into the adult world, and finds it
hollow and dissatisfying.
The book is also culturally significant. Holden Caulfield is a well-known literary
character, and if students are going to be productive members of the intellectual “in-group” that
their intelligence and placement in this class suggests, then The Catcher in the Rye is an essential
read. There is no film version of the novel, which emphasizes the importance of grappling with
the stream-of-consciousness style that Salinger masters. The extended metaphor of a “Catcher in
the Rye” presents itself again and again in our society. The book is permanently entwined in the
history of America, and defines a huge part of the twentieth-century teenager to a large extent.
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Before the last century, the concept of being an adolescent did not exist as it does today.
Because of advances in society, a group of people that were getting married and working on
farms and factories now have access to secondary education. With these adult bodies and
children’s brains, and a comparatively large amount of free time on their hands, adolescents go
through a formative period that, although painful, forms the central parts of one’s sociability,
intelligence, appearance, and outlook on life. Obviously people change after high school, but it
is in high school that they learn that they can change.
The unit incorporates twenty-first century skills through multiple channels. Students
collaborate on a daily basis through small activities and whole group discussion; students exhibit
creativity through their writing assignments, dramatic interpretations, and through the multifaceted culminating project; and students communicate with myself and one another through
multiple channels. I have attempted to bring The Catcher in the Rye into the twenty-first century
using resources that were not available when students read this book twenty years ago. Instead
of telling my students what I think Salinger was trying to say, I am asking them what they think
Salinger is trying to say. Students get to form a small part of their identity during this unit, and
my hope is that my classroom will be a space for them to not be children or adults, but to be
validated as teenagers.
Smagorinksy, Peter. Teaching English By Design. 2008. Heinemann. Portsmouth, NH.
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Calendar:
Sun
1
Mon
2
Tue
3
~ January 2012 ~
Wed
4 Day 1
5
No School: New
Year’s Day
Observed
8
9
“Daddy” Sylvia
Plath
Research
J.D.Salinger’s
background
HW: Read
assigned online
salinger text
10 Day 3
11
Reading Quiz
Begin scene recreations
Ch. 5&6
HW: Ch. 7&8
15
16 Day 5
17
HW: Ch 13&14
23
24 Day 8
30 Day 10
Socratic Seminar
31
6 Day 2
Sat
7
HW: Chapters
5&6
12 Day 4
13
14
20 Day 7
21
Scene Recreation
presentations
HW: Ch. 9-12
18 Day 6
25
HW: Ch. 21 & 22
29
Fri
The Catcher in
the Rye
Chapters 1-4 Inclass
19
“Barbie Doll”
Marge Piercy
The Portrayal of
Women in
Catcher
HW: Ch. 15&16
Holden and The
Heroic Cycle
22
Thu
Communication
and The Catcher
in the Rye
HW: Ch. 17-20
26 Day 9
HW: Finish
Novel
Notes:
27
28
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Sun
Mon
Tue
~ February 2012 ~
Wed
Thu
1 Day 11
2
Project Work
Time
Computer Lab
5
6
7 Day 13
Presentations
8
Fri
3 Day 12
Sat
4
Project Work
Time
Computer Lab
9 Day 14
Presentations
10
11
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Day 1: Introduction to Unit 3: Who am I as a teenager? & The Catcher in the Rye
Objectives: 1.2: Oral Expression and Listening: Students fulfill this outcome by listening to
Plath read “Daddy.”
2.1: Reading for All Purposes: Students will read and annotate “Daddy,”
4.1: Research and Reasoning
Link: Students have practiced annotating literature with sticky notes and in margins. Students
know how to find credible sources from their previous writing unit.
Materials: Computer with speakers, internet access, copies of “Daddy,” enough computers for
students to research in pairs or threes, printer
Instructional Sequence:
Time
Housekeeping 10:2410:31
Intro
Individual
Activity
10:3110:36
10:3610:41
10:1410:45
10:4511:05
Team Activity
11:0511:16
Break
11:1611:21
Team Activity
Computer Lab
11:2111:41
Whole Group
Conclusion
11:4111:57
The teacher will:
Take attendance, pausing to
welcome any new students
The students will:
Share a memorable experience
from winter break
Distribute copies of Sylvia
Plath’s poem, “Daddy.” Cue
up YouTube clip of Plath’s
reading.
Read the poem aloud.
Silently read and annotate the
poem.
Play YouTube clip of Plath
reading “Daddy” aloud
Introduce writing prompt:
Write about a time when you
had a conflict with your
parent or guardian.
Divide students into teams of
3-4
Collect writing pieces for
participation points and
informal assessment.
Guide students in finding
credible information about
J.D. Salinger’s biography
Evaluates the best sources for
Salinger’s background with
student input
Listen to the teacher read the
poem aloud.
Listen and follow along to clip.
Respond to writing prompt in
journals, keeping in mind that I
will be reading them
Share responses with one
another; provide comment or
constructive feedback
Use restroom, stretch, share
winter break stories
Research J.D. Salinger, evaluate
sources for credibility
Student Choice:Nominate
sources for whole class to read
for homework
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Daddy
by Sylvia Plath
You do not do, you do not do
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot
For thirty years, poor and white,
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.
Daddy, I have had to kill you.
You died before I had time-Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,
Ghastly statue with one gray toe
Big as a Frisco seal
And a head in the freakish Atlantic
Where it pours bean green over blue
In the waters off beautiful Nauset.
I used to pray to recover you.
Ach, du.
In the German tongue, in the Polish town
Scraped flat by the roller
Of wars, wars, wars.
But the name of the town is common.
My Polack friend
Says there are a dozen or two.
So I never could tell where you
Put your foot, your root,
I never could talk to you.
The tongue stuck in my jaw.
It stuck in a barb wire snare.
Ich, ich, ich, ich,
I could hardly speak.
I thought every German was you.
And the language obscene
An engine, an engine
Chuffing me off like a Jew.
A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.
I began to talk like a Jew.
I think I may well be a Jew.
The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna
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Are not very pure or true.
With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck
And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack
I may be a bit of a Jew.
I have always been scared of you,
With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.
And your neat mustache
And your Aryan eye, bright blue.
Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You-Not God but a swastika
So black no sky could squeak through.
Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you.
You stand at the blackboard, daddy,
In the picture I have of you,
A cleft in your chin instead of your foot
But no less a devil for that, no not
Any less the black man who
Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you.
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back, back to you.
I thought even the bones would do.
But they pulled me out of the sack,
And they stuck me together with glue.
And then I knew what to do.
I made a model of you,
A man in black with a Meinkampf look
And a love of the rack and the screw.
And I said I do, I do.
So daddy, I'm finally through.
The black telephone's off at the root,
The voices just can't worm through.
If I've killed one man, I've killed two-The vampire who said he was you
And drank my blood for a year,
Seven years, if you want to know.
Daddy, you can lie back now.
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There's a stake in your fat black heart
And the villagers never liked you.
They are dancing and stamping on you.
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.
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Day 2: Learning about Salinger from multiple perspectives, begin novel
Objectives:
1.2: Oral Expression and Listening: Students will discuss their responses to the 1950s artifact in
the large group setting.
2.1: Reading for All Purposes: Students will read and annotate The Catcher in the Rye
4.1: Students will evaluate the primary document, the short film “New York in 1950” as an
artifact of life in the 1950s and a visual accompaniment to The Catcher in the Rye.
Link: Students share a fact about their research on J.D. Salinger to begin the day.
Materials: Projector, computer with internet, document camera/overhead projector, discussion
question handout, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Instructional Sequence:
Time
Housekeeping/ 10:2410:31
Intro
Introduction/
Hook
10:3110:51
Discussion
10:5111:06
Break
11:0611:11
Teacher Reads
Aloud, Guided
Annotation
11:1111:21
Independent
Reading
11:2111:57
The teacher will:
Take attendance
The students will:
Share the fact they found
most interesting about J.D.
Salinger
Primary document: YouTube
video:
New York in the 1950’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=AQJQRGAo3KY
Lead discussion, with questions
handout as guide
Watch video and answer
discussion questions
Collect discussion questions for
participation points and informal
assessment.
Instructor reads ch. 1&2 aloud,
annotating on document camera
and making oral inferences
Differentiation: Continue
modeling for a small group if
annotating and inference-making
is a problem
Helps students make annotations
and inferences individually. Tell
students to be on the lookout for
a scene they might like to
recreate.
Share responses about how
values have changed since
the 1950s.
Use restroom, stretch, fill
water bottles
Students follow along and
share ideas for annotations
and inferences
Read and annotate, sticky
notes or margin annotations
For HW: Read and annotate
through chapter 4 The
Catcher in the Rye
Source: Read-Aloud and Inference Modeling adapted from When Kids Can’t Read: What
Teachers Can Do (2005) by Kylene Beers.
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YouTube Video Clip Discussion Questions Handout
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the family like? Are most families like this today?
What are the roles of men and women in 1950?
What is the tone of the narrator’s voice? What is the gender of the narrator?
Give an example of a sight that each member of the family would like to see.
Father:
Mother:
Daughter:
Older Son:
Junior:
Do any of these requests surprise you?
5. Does the video show any distasteful parts of New York? If you’ve been to New York, or
even if you haven’t, what might some of those unpleasant aspects of a big city might the
family see on their actual visit?
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Day 3: Journal writing, reading quiz, begin scene recreations
Objectives: 1.1: Oral Expression and listening: Students will fulfill this outcome by selecting
and presenting a scene from the first seven chapters of the novel.
3.1: Writing and composition: Students will fulfill this outcome by selecting a scene from
Catcher and turning it into a short 3-5 minute script, which they will act out.
Link: Students have learned about the author’s background, the setting (1950s New York), and
the values of the 1950s in general. Students have their annotations and might already have a
scene in mind for this activity.
Materials: LCD or overhead projector
Instructional Sequence:
Journal
Writing/WarmUp
Time
10:2410:34
Whole group
discussion
10:3510:40
Quiz
10:4011:00
11:0011:05
11:2111:30
Break
Teacher-Led
Team Work
11:2111:57
The teacher will:
Display prompt:
Do you know anyone like
Stradlater? (Avoid using names)
What school traditions do we
have at Conifer? Do you
participate in them?
Ask for 3-5 students to share
their journal responses
The students will:
Respond to prompt in a page
or two of journal writing.
Distribute reading quiz; explain
directions
Collect quizzes
Take quiz
Explain and distribute Scene
Recreation Activity
Differentiation: assign roles
based on comfort level or ability
of individual students.
Help students write short scripts
and practice blocking
Share journal responses,
listen respectfully to peers
who share
Use restroom, stretch, fill
water bottles
Student Choice:Divide into
teams of 3-4, choose a scene
to act out in five minutes
Prepare scenes, practice
blocking and delivery
For HW: Read and annotate
through chapter 8 The
Catcher in the Rye
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Handouts:
Scene Re-creation Assignment
1. Choose a scene from the first few chapters of Catcher and read through it as a group.
It’s a good idea to pick a scene with at least two characters and some dialog to get
things going.
2. Decide who your characters are going to be. Fill in any remaining group members
with roles as readers (for items thought but not spoken) or props.
3. Practice your scene a few times. Be ready to share it with the class.
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Day 4: Scene Re-creation Presentations
Objectives: 1.1: Oral Expression and listening: Students will fulfill this outcome by selecting
and presenting a scene from the first seven chapters of the novel.
1.2: Students will be required to “effectively operate…in small groups.”
2.1: Reading for all purposes: Students will use the time after presentations to begin their next
reading assignment
3.1: Writing and composition: Students will fulfill this outcome by selecting a scene from
Catcher and turning it into a short 3-5 minute script, which they will act out.
Link: Students have prepared short scripts of a scene from Catcher during the last class and
finished them for homework.
Materials: Scene Re-creation scripts, rubrics for grading
Instructional Sequence:
Presentations of
Scene Recreations
Individual
Reading
Time
10:2411:24
The teacher will:
Randomly choose groups to go if
students do not volunteer.
Formal assessment: Evaluate
students scenes on effort, how
well the scene was re-created,
conventions and creativity of
script
11:2511:57
Finish grading performances,
look over scripts
The students will:
Present their scenes, reading
from their scripts.
Students will turn in their
scripts for instructor
evaluation.
Students will exhibit
positive contributions to the
Semantic Environment when
other groups present.
Begin (and possibly finish)
their reading assignment
HW: Read and annotate
through chapter 12 The
Catcher in the Rye, complete
heroic cycle discussion
guide
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Day 5: Discussion: The Heroic Cycle
Objectives: 1.1, 1.2: Oral Expression and Listening: Students will be expected to speak during
discussion to the whole class, content that is “organized effectively.”
2.1, 2.2: Reading for All Purposes: Students will fulfill this standard by sharing quotations in
support of their statements and opinions during discussion.
Link: Students know what is expected of them for discussion participation. I will remind them
of these norms at the beginning of the class. Students have made some notes about Holden
Caulfield
Materials: whiteboard, heroic cycle discussion guides, The Catcher in the Rye w/ annotations
Instructional Sequence:
Discussion intro
Time
10:2410:30
The teacher will:
Check to see that students have
filled out their discussion guides
Discussion
Whole Class
10:3011:10
Guide the discussion, asking
higher level questions about
Holden’s character
Informal Assessment: Write
down pertinent and thoughtful
statements during discussion
Break
11:1011:15
Individual
Reading
Differentiation: Read aloud with
small groups that underparticipated in the discussion
The students will:
Share a quote they have
supporting an opinion they
have formed about Holden
Caulfield
Respond to discussion
questions, share opinions,
quotes, and annotations
Read and annotate paying
special attention to the
female characters
HW: Read and annotate
chapters 13 & 14 The
Catcher in the Rye
Reflect on what was said
during the discussion
5 min
Read aloud statements written
Conclusion
down on sticky notes during
“The Final
discussion as a final thought
Word”
Source: The Heroic Cycle handout adapted from The English Teacher’s Companion (2008) by
Jim Burke.
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Source: http://www.thewritersjourney.com/graphictwo.gif
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Day 6: The Portrayal of Women in The Catcher in the Rye
Objectives: 2.2: Reading for All Purposes: The development of new ideas and concepts within
informational and persuasive manuscripts.
Students will fulfill this outcome by responding to a quote from two critical essays, one in favor
of Salinger’s portrayal of women, and one in opposition.
Link: Students were asked to consider the characterization of women in their annotations for the
last section of reading.
Materials: The Catcher in the Rye, copies of “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, projection
equipment or whiteboard
Instructional Sequence:
Time
10:2410:40
The teacher will:
Show students two quotes from
critical essays, one claiming
Salinger is a feminist, the other
claiming Salinger’s novel
portrays women negatively
Whole Class
10:4110:45
Select students to share their
responses
Individual
Reading
10:4510:50
Group Reading
10:5011:00
Read Marge Piercy’s poem
“Barbie Doll” (for the umpteenth
time)
Listen to students read
Small Group
Discussion
11:0011:15
Reflective
Writing
11:1511:25
Intro/Journal
writing
Project discussion questions,
circulate for Informal
Assessment, Differentiate for
table groups that might have
trouble discussing such a heavy
poem
Informal Assessment: Ask
students what they think the
poem means and if these
stereotypes still exist for women
(collect for feedback)
The students will:
Choose one quote and
respond to it with some
length. How do you think
women are portrayed thus
far? Why doesn’t Holden
sleep with the prostitute?
Share all, part, or summarize
how they feel women are
treated in the novel
Read Marge Piercy’s poem
“Barbie Doll” (for the first
time)
Student Choice: Volunteer
to read a stanza or the entire
poem
Relate the poem to 1950s
roles of women, comparing
and contrasting to Salinger’s
portrayal of women
Write a mini-explication of
Marge Piercy’s poem on a
3x5 index
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Independent
Reading
11:2511:57
Possibly continue conversations
HW: Read and annotate
about the poem, talk to individual chapters 15 & 16 The
students if responses are unclear
Catcher in the Rye
Barbie Doll
This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.
She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.
In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
--Marge Piercy
Copyright, Middlemarsh, Inc.
Day 7: Text Messaging and The Catcher in the Rye
Objectives: Consider ways in which three major forms of personal communication are similar
and different
Link: Students are constantly communicating in diverse ways. Students’ communication differs
greatly from historical forms of communication portrayed in literature, poetry, and film.
Materials: The Catcher in the Rye, Three Circle Venn Diagrams
Instructional Sequence:
Intro
Time
10:2410:30
The teacher will:
Ask students how they like to
communicate, ask for examples
The students will:
Provide the instructor with
their preferred methods of
communication
Individual
Work
10:3010:45
Compare and contrast
different forms of
communication
Whole Class
10:4510:55
Project a three circle Venn
diagram and title each section
“Text Messaging” “Telephone”
and “Letter/Email” Scaffolding:
Provide a few examples to get
them going.
Informal Assessment: Fill in
large Venn Diagram with student
responses
Break
10:5511:05
11:0511:25
Provide examples from their
Venn diagrams
Select a scene that Holden
might want to send a text
message; compose that text
message in 160 characters or
less on a 3x5 index card
11:25Collect text messages; display on HW: Finish The Catcher in
Independent
11:57
bulletin board
the Rye
Reading
Source: Lesson adapted from Read Write Think: “If a Body Texts a Body”
Whole Class
Direct students to Chapter 9
where Holden lists all the people
he’d like to talk to on the phone;
Display example text message
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/body-texts-body-texting1170.html?tab=4#tabs
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Day 8: Performance Assessment Introduction
Objectives: Students will choose a project based on the options available in Final Project
Assignment Sheet.
Link: Students have just finished The Catcher in the Rye and have a book full of annotations,
several writing pieces, and have undoubtedly formed some opinion of the novel.
Materials: The Catcher in the Rye Final Project Handout & Rubric, projection equipment
Instructional Sequence:
Time
10:2410:40
The teacher will:
Ask students to share their
reactions to the ending
The students will:
Share their reactions to the
ending
Teacher Led
10:4011:05
Work Time
11:0511:57
Distribute copies of the
assignment sheet and rubric.
Explain each item of the
assignment sheet and all the
choices
Help students get started, answer
questions
Differentiation: Students with
IEPs, learning disabilities, or
other accommodations will
modify the assignment with
instructor help
Student Choice: Students
will choose a project to
complete from list, or create
their own with instructor
approval
Create a plan for completing
their project, including
resources needed, budgeting
time, and choosing a project
by the next class period
Intro/Warm Up
Handouts: : The Catcher in the Rye Final Project Handout & Rubric
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The Catcher in the Rye Final Project
Directions: Choose one of the following options for your final project on The Catcher in the Rye.
Projects will be graded on effort, creativity, how well you demonstrate your understanding of the
novel, and how well you complete all facets of whichever option you choose. There are many
options available. Variations on any of these options must be pre-approved. You will also be
required to present your project to the class at the end of the unit.
Choose a topic within the next few days. Write a short project proposal committing to one task.
This is your contract to the task for the duration of the unit. As you continue to read the novel,
use post-its and take notes to help you develop a complete successful project. Project proposal
is due: November 11B/12A
The Soundtrack: Make a five song CD for Holden Caulfield, the movie. This could be in the
past or present. Your liner notes will ultimately be the parts of an essay in which you explain
why you are including each of the songs on the mix. For each song or musical piece, write out
the lyrics; then, each song should have a paragraph of in-depth analysis/explication/description
which explains its connection to the novel, using literary evidence such as: themes, symbols,
motifs, and situations that Holden and the novel explored. You should use TEXT BASED
EVIDENCE (AKA quotes from the novel!) Requirements: 5 songs (artist/song title) on tape or
CD, at least a paragraph explanation for each, use of lyrics to explain rationale, cover for mixed
tape/CD. You pick and choose which elements of the music to connect to the novel. Be
artistic! Presentation is just as important as content. The final product should look like
something you would buy at Tower Records.
Newspaper: Create a newspaper for major events of the novel. Your newspaper must include at
least four from the following: a news story, a review, an editorial, a feature story, a
commentary/editorial, a cartoon, and/or a profile piece. All must be linked to the book. You
should choose quotes from the book to act as your interviews, although you may embellish a bit.
The different news writing styles can be found in any newspaper, but if you need help. Your
final articles must be put together in a newsletter template, with an even number of pages (4
pages is usually the minimum). There should be NO white space and your final product should
look like a real newspaper or magazine. Include photos, headlines, etc.
Graphic Novel / Comic Book: Recreate the story in a graphic novel (i.e. comic book) format.
Choose the most important scenes—in your view—and tell the story of The Catcher in the Rye.
The quality of your project will be determined by the following: a) the extent to which your
graphic novel includes the main events of the novel, b) the effort and quality of the work put into
of the artwork, and c) the inclusion of an introduction in which you explain what you tried to
capture in your re-creation of the novel (e.g., "I wanted to emphasize the extent to which they
reject society and reveal themselves as rebels in the American spirit. I did this because… and
showed it by.” You should use TEXT BASED EVIDENCE (AKA quotes from the novel!) to
narrate your story, as well as in your introduction (foreword) or conclusion (epilogue) to your
piece. This option is for the artistic student. If you are stick-figure kind of person, this may not
work out very well for you.
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Holden and Depression: Research and present on teenage depression. This paper is not just a
scientific approach to depression. This is a literary analysis using the concept of depression as
character development and thematic glue. First, research depression in teenagers, including
information about its symptoms and treatment. You must cite all research using the proper MLA
format. After doing so, look at Holden. ANALYZE him closely. Which symptoms does he
exhibit? Use evidence from the story to create a "diagnosis" of Holden. [You should use TEXT
BASED EVIDENCE (AKA quotes from the novel!)] Requirements: Title page, 1000 words,
typed, proper documentation, three varied sources (minimum) good mechanics, sound literary
analysis.
WWW - The Interactive Catcher: Design a web page or a Facebook page that reflects all
aspects of the novel. You should create a concept that will serve as a study aid and information
center for people interested in learning more about the novel, understanding the novel, exploring
the main themes, and relating the novel to today’s youths. The site should include: a catchy
Catcher index page, pages you create to study 10 different points of the novel, graphics that
make the site appealing and educational (and fun), links to other great Catcher sites, and well
written content (USE TEXT BASED EVIDENCE). Remember, the purpose of this project is to
share your knowledge with others and help others learn in an innovative way. Include as many of
the following as possible: message boards, thematically linked music selections, animation,
backgrounds, etc. If you use other sources, you must give proper credit. Use Creative Commons
sources whenever possible, so you don’t have to get permission.
Holden, Ten Years Later: Write a piece of short fiction in which you join Holden's life ten
years (or later) after the story ends. Try, as best you can, to replicate/emulate Holden's unique
voice. Write it in the style of The Catcher in the Rye. Try to use what you know of him from the
book along with Holden's state of mind throughout the novel to guide your prediction. Be sure to
utilize details from the novel as your springboard. Refer back to events in the novel using
flashbacks or reoccurring imagery, quote when possible, and maintain the major themes of the
novel. Requirements: Title page with title, introduction that details what you attempted to do,
how you did it, and a self-assessment, 1000 words minimum, typed.
Holden's "Scrapbook": Compile a scrapbook of memorabilia that Holden might have collected
or come across during the novel. All artifacts must be captioned with where he got it, its
significance to him, and the page you found it on. Think of the images that keep recurring in the
novel, the places to which Holden travels, and anything he collects. This project will be assessed
based on the amount of memorabilia collected and its presentation. As a benchmark, expect to
get at least ten pieces of memorabilia for your scrapbook. Each item should have at least a
paragraph explaining its significance. You should use TEXT BASED EVIDENCE (AKA quotes
from the novel!) to support your items: you will demonstrate where it was found and then
explain the significance.
The Secret Goldfish: We hear a brief description of the plot of Holden's brother D.B.'s story
"The Secret Goldfish" early in the novel. Try your hand at short fiction, as you use the details
from the description and write a story out of it. Your story should include dialogue and vivid
descriptions. The story should reflect some of the main ideas Holden values in the novel. You
might want to consider turning the story into an illustrated children’s book. After all, it was his
Nielson 30
favorite. Your story must explore the theme or themes of the novel that Holden values.
Requirements: Title page with title, introduction that details what you attempted to do, how you
did it, and a self-assessment, 1000 words minimum, typed.
Criminal Profiling Write a research project covering the following: John Hinckley, who
attempted an assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981, and Mark David Chapman, who murdered
John Lennon in 1980, both brought The Catcher to the Rye into the national spotlight. Hinckley
told the court that his defense could be found in the novel's pages, while Chapman had asked
Lennon to sign his copy of the book earlier in the same day he killed him. Find what you can
about both of these instances - how was The Catcher in the Rye involved in each? Are there other
murderers who identify with this novel? Analyze Holden’s criminal potential based on sound
criminal psychology that you researched. Minimum of at least three research sources is required.
Requirements: Title page, 1000 words, typed, proper documentation, connect the research to the
novel, good mechanics.
Music or Poetry: Compose 5 songs/poems that illustrate points in the novel that are meaningful.
You may also incorporate Salinger's short stories, his life, and analysis of the text(s). For each
song/poem, be sure to include a paragraph explication (minimum) that connects what you wrote
to the novel using text-based evidence.
Children’s Book: Write an illustrated childrens’ book that addresses an audience of children on
what Holden knows about the world. In other words, educate children on the realities of the
world as Holden perceives them. Be sure to use text based evidence in your narrative and to have
a short narrative on each illustrated page, minimum of 10 pages. Or, you may consider doing a
children’s version of the novel. The carousel scene might be easily understood by children.
Song /Novel Comparison Paper: Choose five appropriate songs that you feel best fit the themes,
ideas, concepts, etc., from Catcher in the Rye. In your paper, make at least five connections
between each song and the book, using the song lyrics to shed new light and insight onto the text.
You should use TEXT BASED EVIDENCE (AKA quotes from the novel!). Print out a copy of
the lyrics and attach to the paper.
Choose your own: You may propose a different project to me, but before you do, consider what
requirements it should have to be comparably difficult and display your understanding of the
novel.
Adapted from a similar project by Colleen Holmes
Nielson 31
The Catcher in the Rye Final Project Rubric
Name and class period: ___________________________________________________
Criteria for Grading The Catcher in the Rye Final
Outstanding Good
Fair
Poor or
Project
or
inaccurate
partial
4 points
3
points
1 point
2
points
GENERAL IMPRESSION & BASIC
REQUIREMENTS Student fulfills the assignment
from the final project list, covering all the essentials as
described on the selection sheet. Audience gains a new
insight of the novel. The project is engaging and has
reconsidered the novel in a fresh way. In other words:
the audience has learned something and is interested! It
is apparent that the student knows the novel thoroughly
and has used the project to demonstrate a deeper
understanding, scraping beyond the obvious. Student’s
project has fulfilled the minimal length requirement for
his/her particular project. [See Project Assignment
Sheet]
FLUIDITY & ORGANIZATION The project is
sensible and contains clear transitions. Items flow in a
logical order. Ideas are presented using effective
organization. Audience is able to follow the sequence of
ideas easily.
LANGUAGE Student has used fresh language in a
sophisticated manner. Redundancies are avoided.
Vocabulary is varied. Grammar and spelling is
sophisticated, and the student has obviously spent time
proofreading. The writing is of a college level.
PRESENTATION & EFFORT It is evident that the
student has spent a great deal of time seeking out parts
of the novel to explore, researching other data, and
piecing the project together. The presentation is neat,
detailed, and professional. Pre-planning is evident from
the materials assembled and/or analysis. Visuals have
been carefully selected, not simply downloaded. Project
looks professional.
TEXT-BASED EVIDENCE Student has used at least
ten text-based pieces of evidence to support the project.
This evidence is not merely ten random quotes; it
demonstrates a synthesis of themes, characters, and
language. The student dove into the text, swam around,
and synthesized the novel. [If the piece is a creative
Nielson 32
writing piece, themes and styles have been emulated in
the creation.]
CREATIVITY Project goes beyond the obvious. The
student has made an effort to surpass the boundaries of
the project and has opted to digest the novel and
interpret it in a fresh way. Furthermore, all
requirements have been met, and the project is not
simply a “free-for-all” or a series of clever digressions.
The assignment has been fulfilled and then surpassed.
TOTAL POINTS (24 MAXIMUM) _____
COMMENTS
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from a similar project by Colleen Holmes
Nielson 33
Day 9: Final Project Work time
Objectives: Students will create a final project that displays what they have gotten out of reading
The Catcher in the Rye
Students will fulfill different standards based on their particular project.
Link: Students have been given lots of choices for how to display what they have learned about
Holden Caulfield, depression, the 1950s, and other elements of The Catcher in the Rye. Today
students will solidify their choices for final project and begin working on them.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
One-on-one
Worktime
Time
10:2411:00
11:0011:57
The teacher will:
Conference with students
individually about what they
would like to do for a final
project.
Answer questions, clarify
directions, help with research
The students will:
Decide on their final projects
and use the computer lab as
a resource to begin their
research
Begin their projects
Nielson 34
Day 10: Final Project Work time
Objectives: Students will create a final project that displays what they have gotten out of reading
The Catcher in the Rye
Link: Students have been given lots of choices for how to display what they have learned about
Holden Caulfield, depression, the 1950s, and other elements of The Catcher in the Rye. Today
students will solidify their choices for final project and begin working on them.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
One-on-one
Conferences
Worktime
Time
10:2411:00
The teacher will:
Conference with each student to
make sure they are on track
The students will:
11:0011:57
Answer questions, clarify
directions, help with research
Work on their projects
Nielson 35
Day 11: Final Project Work time
Objectives: Students will create a final project that displays what they have gotten out of reading
The Catcher in the Rye
Students will fulfill different standards based on their particular project.
Link: Students have been given lots of choices for how to display what they have learned about
Holden Caulfield, depression, the 1950s, and other elements of The Catcher in the Rye. Today
students will solidify their choices for final project and begin working on them.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
One-on-one
Conferences
Worktime
Time
10:2411:00
The teacher will:
Conference with each student to
make sure they are on track
The students will:
11:0011:57
Answer questions, clarify
directions, help with research
Work on their projects
Nielson 36
Day 12: Final Project Work Time
Objectives: Students will create a final project that displays what they have gotten out of reading
The Catcher in the Rye.
Students will fulfill different standards based on their particular project.
Link: Students have been given lots of choices for how to display what they have learned about
Holden Caulfield, depression, the 1950s, and other elements of The Catcher in the Rye. Today
students will solidify their choices for final project and begin working on them.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
One-on-one
Conferences
Worktime
Time
10:2411:00
The teacher will:
Conference with each student to
make sure they are on track
The students will:
11:0011:57
Answer questions, clarify
directions, help with research
Work on their projects
Nielson 37
Day 13: Final Project Presentations
Objectives: Students will present a final project that displays what they have gotten out of
reading The Catcher in the Rye.
Link: Students have been working on their projects for over a week, and now they will present
them to their classmates.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
Whole Group
Time
10:2411:57
The teacher will:
Evaluate student presentations
The students will:
Give their presentations; be
respectful of others
presenting
Day 14: Final Project Presentations
Objectives: Students will present a final project that displays what they have gotten out of
reading The Catcher in the Rye.
Link: Students have been working on their projects for over a week, and now they will present
them to their classmates.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
Whole Group
Time
10:2411:57
The teacher will:
Evaluate student presentations
The students will:
Give their presentations; be
respectful of others
presenting
Nielson 38
Day 15: Final Project Presentations
Objectives: Students will present a final project that displays what they have gotten out of
reading The Catcher in the Rye.
Link: Students have been working on their projects for over a week, and now they will present
them to their classmates.
Materials: Computer Lab, final projects from previous years
Instructional Sequence:
Whole Group
Time
10:2411:57
The teacher will:
Evaluate student presentations
The students will:
Give their presentations; be
respectful of others
presenting
Nielson 39
Self-Reflection
This unit plan has been an enormous undertaking, and I am pretty proud of myself for
planning so much. It was intellectually one of the most challenging things I have ever done.
Purposeful sequencing is so difficult because you can argue one way or another based on
different outcomes. I am pleased that I did my unit on The Catcher in the Rye because I would
really like to teach the book this coming semester during my student teaching. My matchup
teacher does not usually teach a novel second semester; I believe that this is a disservice to the
students, even though they need practice with rhetorical analysis for success in AP Language.
Although challenging, it was a lot of fun designing units, looking for poems, videos, and
thinking of writing prompts for my students. I really look forward to seeing how my daily
interactions with students benefit my own understandings of adolescence, literature, writing, and
the human experience. I have tried to balance what I believe are best practices with the all of the
things a teacher must juggle: standards, differentiation, assessment, student choice, grading, and
rubrics. This unit is situated in a year of rigorous academic writing, so the projects here allow
students to explore other ways of allowing me to assess their understanding of the novel. If a
student has been largely unsuccessful writing, he or she might find great success in moving into
an assignment that requires more creativity and less analysis.
Personally, this semester has been incredibly challenging. I had a lot of people die,
which was hard. What has been harder has been to take care of the living. My family sustains
me, but this semester I have been moving into the adult role of letting them lean on me. I have
lost a lot of my support group of close friends—one to manic depression, another to alcoholism,
and another to Thailand. I have learned not to take time with people for granted once again in
my life. I have learned the value of hard work—eighteen credit hours and twenty to thirty hours
Nielson 40
of work each week built a lot of character. I have also learned that everyone deals with these
things, and that each semester brings its gifts and tragedies, and you have to be ready to roll with
the punches. That is what teaching is all about. I do not imagine life will get any easier, but
there are millions of things to look forward to, essays to read, poems to write. I cannot wait to be
in the classroom this spring.