StudySync Lesson Plan
Wuthering Heights
Objectives
1.
Engage students in the plot, characters, themes, setting, and language of Emily Bronte’s
Wuthering Heights so that they are prepared to discuss and write about the excerpt
and/or the entire novel.
2. Practice and reinforce the following Grades 9-10 ELA Common Core Standards for
reading literature, writing, and speaking and listening:
READING: LITERATURE – RL.9-10.1-7, 9-10
WRITING – W.9-10.1-10
SPEAKING AND LISTENING – SL.9-10.1-6
Time
145 minutes (with up to an additional 250+ minutes of extension possibilities)
Materials
SyncTV Premium Lesson on Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights
Overview
This excerpt offers a glimpse into the tragic romance of Wuthering Heights’ tormented lovers,
Catherine and Heathcliff. Author Emily Bronte’s language is well-represented, and the moodiness
of the story and intensity of dialogue between the story’s two main characters are abundantly
present. Close examination of this excerpt will prepare students to read the entire novel with
interest and understanding, and to write thoughtful, informed, and textually-rooted responses,
consistent with the ELA Common Core Standards for the high school grades.
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
Background (10 minutes)
1.
Watch the Preview (SL.9-10.1-2). As a group, watch the video preview of the premium
lesson. After viewing, use the following questions to spur a discussion:
a. What associations do you make with the images and music in the preview? What
do these images and music tell you about the story you’re about to read? Make
predictions about the excerpt based on these images and music.
b. How are “passion” and “pride” related to each other? Why and how might these
two emotions conflict with each other? Think of a scenario in which the dueling
emotions of passion and pride might cause a conflict of interest.
c. What causes love stories to become tragic? What sorts of factors can interfere in
love? What do you think is meant by the statement about “a love that transcends
even death”?
Extension (additional 60 minutes)
d. Context (W.9-10.9 and SL.9-10.1-5). Have students choose a famous tragic love
story from literature or film and write a summary of what happens. Have them
share their summaries with the class and talk about the conflicting elements that
lead their chosen lovers to tragic ends. Why are tragic love stories so continually
resonant with audiences, generation after generation?
e. Describe (ELL). Ask English Language Learners to write one word to describe
each individual image in the preview or convey a feeling it produces. If possible,
show them more images from this time period in both English and American life.
f.
Research (W.9-10.7-8 and SL.9-10.1-4). What is gothic fiction? Ask student to
research the genre of gothic fiction: its traditional characteristics, tenets, and some
famous examples of the genre. Discuss this genre with the class before reading
the excerpt from Wuthering Heights.
Engaging the Text (120 minutes)
2. Read the Text (45 minutes)
a. Read and Annotate (RL.9-10.1-6). Have students read and annotate the
introduction and excerpt. If students are completing as a homework assignment,
ask them to write any questions they have into the annotation tool – these
questions are visible to you after the students submit their writing assignments or
beforehand if you use the “Mimic” function to access the students’ accounts.
b. Listen and Discuss (SL.9-10.1, 3). As a class, listen to the audio reading of the text
(the audio version of this specific text is especially beneficial for all students).
Students to use context clues to define key terms from the Wuthering Heights
glossary. As a group, work to define any other unclear terms or ideas not listed in
the glossary.
Extension (additional 20 minutes)
c. Comprehend (RL.9-10.1-6, 10). Have students complete the multiple-choice
questions. Collect papers or discuss answers as a class.
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
d. Watch (RL.9-10.7, 9). Show students the video of singer Kate Bush’s #1 hit
“Wuthering Heights” with lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2mVjN0QQTg. Using the lyrics of this song,
infer what else might happen in the complete text. Analyze how the lyrics
represent the subject matter. Is this reinterpretation faithful to the spirit of the text?
Why/why not?
3. Watch SyncTV (30 minutes)
a. Watch. Either watch the SyncTV discussion as a class or ask students to watch it
on their individual computers.
b. Focus (SL.9-10.1-3 and RL.9-10.4). Use the portion of the SyncTV discussion from
2:22-4:20 to demonstrate how homing in on key terms within a text can help
unlock its meaning. Have your students follow the SyncTV students as they
develop ideas about the meanings of the works “humility” and “dignity” in this
passage.
c. Focus (SL.9-10.1-3 and RL.9-10.2). Now consider the part of the episode from 4:355:30 wherein the students discuss how love and the supernatural interact within
this excerpt. Use this as a model of a discussion of how the themes of a story are
developed and interact in a text.
d. Discuss (SL.9-10.1-4 and RL.9-10.1-6, 10). After watching the model discussion,
have a conversation with the class about the ideas discussed in the SyncTV
episode. What new thoughts do they have after hearing the students' discussion?
Next, divide students into small groups (3-4 students). Move around the room
monitoring groups as students follow the SyncTV episode as a model to discuss
some of the following questions:
i.
Did you find this “love story” to be a romantic one? What
contributes to your opinion of the love depicted between Heathcliff
and Catherine?
ii.
Describe Catherine’s character. What kind of person is she? Use
examples from the text to back your claim.
iii.
How do the discussions of otherworldly notions, such as ghosts
and heaven and hell, and the importance placed on dreams
contribute to the mood of the story?
iv.
Is Catherine guided by love in her actions, or is she allowing herself
to be misguided by her emotions? What passages lead you to your
conclusions on this topic?
v.
Do you agree with the SyncTV student Ashley’s view that Heathcliff
and Catherine have their own moral code, or are they selfish and
without worry of consequences of how their actions affect each
other and those around them? Or, is it some combination of both?
Discuss what you think are the strongest points from the excerpt to
back up your views on this.
vi.
How does this excerpt apply to life today, regardless of one's
experiences? How can all readers relate to one of the characters
or incidents in this excerpt? Cite specific examples from the text to
support your ideas.
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
Extension (additional 100+ minutes)
e. Adapt (W.9-10.3, 9 and SL.9-10.5-6). Either individually or in pairs, have students
choose a section of the excerpt (from Chapter 9, 15, or 16) and rewrite it as a
poem, rap, or song. If desired, ask volunteers to record their end products using
multimedia tools, and share these end products with the class. (If students are
reluctant to share, you might consider recording and sharing a version of your
own.)
f.
Social Media (W.9-10.9 and SL.9-10.5-6). Create a class Instagram account and
have students individually post images related to the plot, setting, characters
and/or themes in the excerpt. Students should each contribute individual images
to the Instagram feed and discuss their responses to others’ posts.
g. Watch (RL.9-10.7). Screen one of the many film adaptations of Wuthering Heights.
Based on analysis of the excerpt, discuss as a class how faithful the adaptation is
and whether the filmed version preserves or alters the original spirit of Bronte’s
text.
4. Think (10 minutes)
a. Respond (W.9-10.1, 4). Ask students to read the “Think” questions, watch the
corresponding video clips, and respond to the questions, either in class or for
homework.
5. Write (50 minutes)
a. Discuss (SL.9-10.1). Read the prompt you have chosen for students, and then
solicit questions regarding the prompt or the assignment expectations. Whichever
prompt you have chosen, make sure you are clear about the assignment
expectations and the rubric by which you and the other students will be evaluating
them.
b. Organize (RL.9-10.1-6, 10 and W.9-10.1-2, 5). Ask students to go back and annotate
the text with the prompt in mind. They should be organizing their thoughts and the
points they’ll address in their writing as they make annotations. If you’ve worked
on outlining or other organizational tools for writing, this is a good place to apply
them.
c. Write (W.9-10.1-2, 4-6, 8-10). Have students go through the writing process of
planning, revising, editing, and publishing their writing responses.
d. Review (W.9-10.4-6). Use the StudySync “Review” feature to have students
complete one to two evaluations of their peers’ work based on your chosen
review rubric. Have the students look at and reflect upon the peer evaluations of
their own writing. What might you do differently in a revision? How might you
strengthen the writing and the ideas?
Extension (additional 75 minutes)
e. Write (W.9-10.1-2, 4-6, 8-10). For homework, have students write an essay using
one of the prompts you did not choose to do in class. Students should publish
their responses online.
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
f.
Rewrite (W.9-10.3, 9 and SL.9-10.5-6 and ELL). In small groups, have students rewrite the excerpt as a screenplay. Have groups act out their plays for the class
(allow/encourage students to add some humor through character choice and
overacting). This activity will also help students understand and discuss the
excerpt more confidently.
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Key Vocabulary
1.
queer (adj.) – weird, odd or different
2. catastrophe (n.) – Any large and disastrous event of great significance
3. hearken (v.) – to listen; to lend the ear; to attend or give heed to what is uttered
4. degrade (v.) –to lower in value or social position
5. pliable (adj.) – easily bent, formed, shaped or molded
6. bewail (v.) – to wail over; to feel or express deep sorrow for
7. countenance (n.) – appearance, especially the features and expression of the face
8. paroxysm (n.) – a random or sudden outburst
9. interment (n.) – the act of burying a dead body; burial
Reading Comprehension Questions
1.
Why didn’t Nelly want to hear about Catherine’s dreams?
a. They were usually very boring to hear about.
b. Hearing about her mistress’ dreams gave her nightmares.
c. She was superstitious and believed the dreams might cause her to foresee
something bad happening.
d. She was worried that Catherine’s dreams were about her.
2. Why would Catherine be miserable if she were in Heaven?
a. It would not seem to be her home.
b. She wasn’t fit to be in Heaven.
c. If she were in Heaven, it would mean that she had died.
d. She would be sad to have to part from her maid, Nelly.
3. What is Catherine’s motivation for marrying Edgar Linton?
a. He is her true love.
b. His soul is made the same as hers.
c. Edgar’s money can help Heathcliff rise out of Catherine’s brother’s power.
d. Both A and B
4. Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights after he overhears Catherine saying:
a. that Edgar is her true love.
b. that she’s been having some very strange dreams.
c. that Nelly is in love with him.
d. that it would degrade her to marry him.
5. When Heathcliff returned to Wuthering Heights:
a. a few years had passed.
b. he had acquired great wealth and married Edgar’s sister.
c. Catherine was dying.
d. All of the above.
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
6. Upon Heathcliff entering her chambers and taking her into his arms, Catherine:
a. hugs and kisses him.
b. tells him that he has broken her heart.
c. asks Nelly to leave.
d. tells him that she is dying.
7. After Catherine “makes a spring” from her bed and Heathcliff catches her, why did Nelly
rush over to them?
a. She wanted to see whether Catherine had fainted.
b. She wanted to ask Heathcliff if he’d like anything to eat or drink.
c. She wanted to sit closer to the pair.
d. None of the above.
8. What does Heathcliff mean when he asks: “Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy?”
a. He is asking why she was allowing him to visit her when she hated him.
b. He is asking why she let Edgar buy her jewels when she knew she would never
wear them.
c. He is asking why she married Edgar and not him, when it is he who she loved.
d. He is asking why she allowed Nelly to care for her when she despised Nelly.
9. When Nelly finds Heathcliff outside, it is to tell him:
a. that he needs to leave the property.
b. that Catherine has made a miraculous recovery.
c. that Edgar is almost home and he needs to hide.
d. that Catherine has died.
10. To the surprise of the villagers, Catherine was buried:
a. by the tombs of her relatives.
b. on a green slope in a corner of the kirk-yard.
c. in the chapel under the carved monument of the Lintons.
d. on a sandy beach near her favorite rock, with a small cross marking her grave.
Answer Key
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. D
6. B
7. A
8. C
9. D
10. B
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights
Further Assignments
1.
The point of view from which a story is told can have great impact on the version the
audience receives. Ask students to rewrite one of the passages (one of the entire
excerpts from chapter 9, 15 or 16) from the point of view of either Catherine or Heathcliff.
(W.9-10.3, 9)
2. Ask students to write a persuasive piece about whether the “immortal love” depicted
between Catherine and Heathcliff is romantic, morbid or something else entirely. They
should use at least four references from the excerpt to back up their stance. (W.9-10.1, 4
and RL.9-10.1)
3. Team Catherine or Team Heathcliff? Ask students which of the main characters they are
more sympathetic with and have them use that character’s words and actions to explain
why in a brief article. Have students be creative in their writing style, possibly writing a
tabloid-style article or using a journal-entry format to answer this question. (W.9-10.1, 3-4,
9)
4. Have students compare Catherine and Heathcliff’s tale to a modern-day romance from a
book or movie. They can present their comparisons in a Venn diagram or other graphic
organizational format, or write their thoughts in paragraph form. (W.9-10.1-4 and RL.9-10.7)
5. Assign students further excerpts or the entirety of Wuthering Heights as a long-term
reading assignment. Have students keep a reading journal as they read, noting important
events, themes and their responses to the text. (RL.9-10.1-6, 10)
6. Compare and contrast Wuthering Heights with Emily Bronte’s sister’s classic romance
novel Jane Eyre. What are some of the parallel themes and plot elements in both novels?
In what ways are they different? (RL.9-10.1-6, 10)
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Lesson Plan: Wuthering Heights