2016 ELA 10.6 METAMORPHOSIS
SCHOOL NAME: RHINEBECK HIGH SCHOOL
GRADE LEVEL: 10
UNIT TITLE/THEME: MODERNIST LITERATURE AND FRANZ KAFKA’S THE
METAMORPHOSIS
UNIT LENGTH: 2 weeks
DATE CREATED: SUMMER 2016
1. UNIT OVERVIEW
In this unit, students will receive an introduction to the Modernist literary period through Franz Kafka’s
Metamorphosis and T. S. Elliot’s “The Hollow Men.” Students will first learn the difference between the
dictionary’s definition of what it means to be “modern” and then contrast that with the 20th century style
of writing. In analyzing the themes and rhetorical choices in T. S. Elliot’s poem “The Hollow Men,” students
will be able to detect and familiarize themselves with the post WWI mindset and how it affected art. They
will be asked to analyze and choose photography, art, and other literary works that best embody the
themes of the Modernist movement to discuss and share with their classmates. They will then delve into
excerpts from Franz Kafka’s novella, Metamorphosis. Through their study of Gregor Samsa’s character,
students will gain an appreciation for the Kafkaesque and draw comparisons to other art movements, such
as Surrealism. Throughout this unit, students will work on their close-reading skills and on how to use
evidence from literary works to support their analysis of the text as a whole.
2. FOCUS and ONGOING STANDARDS
FOCUS STANDARDS
(standards to be assessed in this unit)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis
RL.9-10.2 Determine theme and analyze its
development
ON-GOING STANDARDS
(standards that will be addressed, but not assessed)
SL.9-10.1b-c Initiate and participate in group
discussion
L.9-1-.4a-c Determine or clarify the meaning of
unknown words
W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary text to
support analysis
RL.9-10.7 Theme in two different artistic media
RL.9-10.6 Analyze particular point of view or
cultural experience reflected in a work of literature
from outside the United States
3. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS MAY INCLUDE
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is the definition of “modern”? How does the Modernist literary/art movement differ from the
definition you find in the dictionary?
How did the aftereffects of WWI change the focus/structure of literature during the early 20th century?
Is change good or bad? How do we evaluate the changes a fictional character undergoes throughout a
literary work? Can we connect those changes to our own lives?
How does alienation affect individuals? Can alienation affect an entire society?
2016 ELA 10.6 METAMORPHOSIS
How does Kafka include elements of Modernism and Surrealism to illustrate the themes in his novella?
What societal factors affect the change the characters undergo in the story?
4. TEXTS MAY INCLUDE
TEXT
GENRE
“What is Modernism?”
“The Hollow Men” by T. S. Elliot
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
“The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali
nonfiction (prefatory material)
poetry
fiction
painting
5. UNIT ASSESSMENTS MAY INCLUDE
“British Modernism Graphic Organizer: Practicing
Quote Analysis with T. S. Elliot’s ‘Hollow Men’”
Study Guide Questions
“Man v. Insect: Theme and Quote Analysis”
Project
6. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Essential Vocabulary/ Vocabulary Focus
Academic Word List (AWL)
Language of Literary and Rhetorical Analysis
Vocabulary from Core Texts
formative
formative
summative
GRAMMAR AND CONVENTIONS
Focus Within the Unit
Sentence Imitation (using core texts as models)
Sentence Composition, Expansion, Combination
(related to unit material)
7. ROUTINES MAY INCLUDE
CLASSROOM PRACTICES AND ROUTINES
3-2-1
3x3x3
60-Second Shakespeare
Annotating Texts
Anticipation Guide
Author’s Chair
Believing/Doubting Game
Blog Writing/Online Discussion
Chalk Talk
Choral Reading
Connecting the Minds
Dialectical Journals
Do Now
Envelope Quotations
Exit Slips
Fishbowl
Flow Chart
Found Poetry
Gallery Walk
Gist
Handmade Thinking
Independent Reading
Jigsaw
K-W-L
Learning Stations
Literature Circles
Loop Writing
Most Important Word
Novel Ideas Only
One-on-One Writing
Conferences
Oral Presentation
Outlining
Parking Lot
Peer-Review
Pinball
Poetry Explosion
Poetry Walk
Quaker Reading
Question-Answer-Relationship
Quickwrites
RAFT writing
Reading Moments
Recitation
Self-Assessment
Sentence Diagramming
Socratic Seminar
Somebody Wanted But So
Storyboarding
Tableaux
T-Chart
They Say/I Say Templates
Think-Pair-Share
TPCASTT/STARLETTS
Venn Diagram
Vocabulary Squares
Walking Poetry
Web/Mapping
Word Wall
Write Around
Writing Frames
Writing Portfolio