Tom Fontana
Bio: My name is Tom Fontana. I was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and later went to high
school at St. Louis University High. I earned by BA in English literature from DePauw
University in 2008. Following graduation, I taught at De Smet Jesuit High School as part
of the year-long Alum Service Corps program overseen by the Jesuits of the Missouri
Province. After finishing my year of service as a volunteer teacher, I enrolled in an MA
program at the University of Missouri-Columbia to explore whether I would like to
eventually earn my doctorate in English. After receiving my MA in British and American
Literature in 2011, I decided that my true passion lay in teaching high school students,
so I returned to St. Louis to earn my post-degree certification at UMSL. I look forward
to finishing my certification and taking full advantage of the opportunity to share my
gifts with my own classroom full of students.
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Culture Essay
An Examined Life
Tom Fontana
Final Draft
February 21, 2012
It is no small pity, and should cause us no little shame, that, through our own fault, we do not
understand ourselves, or know who we are. Would it not be a sign of great ignorance, my
daughters, if a person were asked who he was, and could not say, and had no idea who his father
or his mother was, or from what country he came?
-St. Teresa of Ávila, The Interior Castle
True self-knowledge—a goal lofty in the extreme, yet surely one worth striving toward if
one is to gain even a modicum of understanding of oneself. St. Teresa’s question implicitly
assumes an intimate connection between self, family, and homeland. In other words, even though
the individual soul can be reckoned as an “interior castle,” that castle’s foundation is laid by
forces external to that person, namely his or her cultural milieu. Teresa announces that she
“began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal,
in which there are many rooms.” The soul enters into its castle and glides continually about its
corridors, for “it must not be compelled long to remain for a long time in a single room—not at
least unless it is the room of self-knowledge.” As such, the journey toward self-knowledge
consists of a meandering trek from room to room, pausing here and there to catch a glimpse of
something given off in isolate flecks. What that “something” might be I cannot say until I look it
in the face, just as I imagine one cannot know how to recognize that room of self-knowledge
until one finds oneself inside it. And so, let me invite you to step with me inside myself as we
seek together that innermost room. Whether we find it or not remains to be seen. I make no
promises, save that your vision of me will stretch a little wider and a little deeper than it did
before we began. A humble guarantee, no doubt, but there’s something to be said for it. In my
work as a teacher, I strive to have a more concrete sense of the knowledge we should uncover at
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the end. However, I believe the essence of teaching lies less in the knowledge itself than in the
way of proceeding together.
We arrive first in the living room at the front of my parents’ home. You may quibble with
me as to whether my former self, curled up on the couch with a book in hand, were truly “living”
in this room. And if it were possible to undertake a grand accounting of the time spent in my life
thus far, excluding time spent asleep, which consumes a third of our lives, I would hazard to
guess that I would have spent most of my time reading. I sympathize with Proust’s description of
his own childhood: “There are no days of my childhood which I lived so fully perhaps as those I
thought I had left behind without living them, those I spent with a favorite book.” Indeed, more
than the plots of the books themselves, I remember the experience of reading, of reclining on the
couch on one of those long, languid summer days when it seemed too hot to do anything else. I
would hold the book up high to shield my face from the sun that streamed in from the window.
My nostrils filled with that familiar musty smell, seemingly unique to library books. Silence
reigned, save for the crinkle of the dust jacket against my fingers and for the flick of each wellworn page. My sisters and I read every day, at no set time but for a fixed minimum duration,
under the watch of the babysitter. Our parents worked every day and largely left the sitter to
herself as long as no problems arose. It made quite the impression on my younger self that my
parents’ sole dictum was that we must read on a daily basis.
I hardly needed the encouragement. In fact, I spent much of my time contriving ways to
eliminate environmental distractions: hiding in a closet or under the bed, huddling up in the
cramped tree-house atop our swing set, and constructing countless forts whose pillow-andblanket ramparts proved impenetrable. I closed myself off physically, but at the same time I
surveyed new horizons mentally. I concur again with Proust that “it is one of the great and
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wonderful characteristics of good books…that for the author they may be called ‘Conclusions’
but for the reader ‘Incitements.’ We feel very strongly that our own wisdom begins where that of
the author leaves off, and we would like him to provide us with answers when all he is able to do
is provide us with desires.” I held fast to this belief, so much so that when I read, years later, of
the desire of Tennyson’s Ulysses “to sail beyond the sunset,” I imagined such a journey was only
possible through books. In retrospect, it is in the stirrings of this desire to question and to know
that I would locate the initial impetus that drives me to teach. A teacher is not a person who
believes he has all the answers; rather, it is a person who knows that he will get nowhere if he
travels alone. Though the voyage may be tumultuous, if he can inspire the same drive in a hearty
crew of students, they may still reach some important as-yet-unfathomed idea that lies over the
crest of the next wave.
However, many of my students will not arrive at the beginning of the school year with
the same passion for literature that I possessed as a child. I believe this should not be held against
them as a moral vice, just as my own reading should not be held up as a moral virtue. Anyone’s
comportment as a student falls under the sway of a myriad of factors, both individual and social.
My mother would have you believe, as is characteristic of a mother’s pride in her children, that I
emerged from the womb with a book in hand. “You went off for your first day of kindergarten,”
she would tell me in later years, “and could read when you came home that afternoon. You took
to it like a fish to water.” I assume this is an exaggeration, but if it represents even a ghost of the
truth, I imagine the credit should go to my teachers more than to me. Because we, particularly we
in the United States, seem prone to believe in the supremacy of individual agency, we may at
times neglect the influence of external forces. Undoubtedly I had some sort of a knack for
reading, but it may have amounted to naught had I not been born by chance into a family that
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placed such an emphasis on the importance of reading and of education. My parents would
frequently read aloud to me and my sisters before bed, and we often took family trips to the
library. I know that I will have some students who did not grow up in a family that promotes
reading or a family that has easy access to books. Most importantly, avid reading requires leisure
time, which not all people possess in abundance. In fact, at times once can easily lose track of
how much of a luxury time is. One might assume that children would have plentiful leisure time,
but some families need children to take a more active role in maintaining the household, raising
siblings, and, later on, holding a job. My parents, on the other hand, were financially stable
enough that when I was in high school they allowed me to seek employment only during the
summers so as not to disrupt my schoolwork. My mother explained her rationale: “I’d rather just
give you a little extra money than have you distracted from school by having a job.”
Thus, we can see that one’s social class can have a pervasive impact over facets of one’s
education that, at first blush, may seem to have little to do with class. Class is often a difficult
issue to pin down, especially in the United States. The overwhelming majority of Americans
seem to consider themselves “middle class” because the American belief in meritocracy makes
being too poor seem like a character flaw, while the American belief in equal opportunity makes
being too rich seem vaguely scandalous. Too an extent, class is relative, and many people’s
perception of their own social class remains contingent upon the status of those around them. As
a child, I would have planted my family firmly in the middle, although I see in retrospect that we
may have been approaching the equally amorphous category of “upper middle class.”
To gain a more accurate understanding of how I saw my social status, we will visit a
second room, very different from the cozy comfort of my parents’ living room. The “Gold
Room,” they called it, though the name was hardly appropriate. I guess “dingy off-white room”
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would not have had the same cachet. In any event, it seemed an inordinately pompous name for a
grade school cafeteria. We see my former self sitting at a folding table with a handful of other
children tucked into the corner of the cavernous chamber. Though the room is large and empty,
save four our table, we are exiled to the corner as though it were self-evident that we belonged in
the corner rather than anywhere else. We were the latchkey kids, or, I should say, the kids whose
parents would not entrust them with a latchkey. Ours was a relatively affluent community: I was
nearly unique in my class for having two parents that both worked. The other children in the
latchkey program tended to be the products of divorce, living with their now single mothers.
Already naturally shy, I found myself limited in the number of classmates I could spend time
with after school, simply because my mother was not a housewife like the mothers of the other
children. However, our situation also inculcated in me a sense of community with the adults
around me, as my parents had to trust so many different people to help with my upbringing. My
mother never stopped working, so I had been in daycare since infancy. I was also from time-totime put under the charge of various teachers, babysitters, camp counselors, and other adults
outside our immediate family. My eventual success was no doubt encouraged by the fact that I
had taken ownership of my own hopes for educational progress at a young age.
It seems that often a person internalizes the educational expectations of the
socioeconomic group he or she grows up in. In my own case, everyone on both sides of my
family graduated from college, which made it easy to envision myself going to college and
consequently to set that as a goal for myself. Some of my future students may come from
families with less extensive educational backgrounds or may come from families that do not
have positive opinions of the education system. It will be part of my job as a teacher to find ways
to motivate these students to succeed in a system some of them may feel has been rigged against
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them. As a teacher, my role is to ensure that a quality education for all remains not a luxury but a
right. Moreover, social class becomes particularly intertwined with success higher education, as
university costs continue to soar. I was fortunate that my parents were both willing and able to
pay for four years of college for me, and I believe I’ve become something of a rarity among
members of my generation by graduating from college without any student loan debt. Aside from
social class, my status as a straight, white, American male allowed me to believe that all
possibilities were open to me. I will not go so far as to say that the game, so to speak, was rigged
in my favor, but I enjoyed what you might call a home field advantage. The home team benefits
from having an intimate knowledge of the seemingly minor details of the playing surface and
conditions that can have an effect on the eventual outcome of the game. We sometimes overlook
the fact that there are seemingly minor factors in our own lives that can affect our chances of
long-term success. For example, I grew up in a household that spoke the standard variety of
English favored in the school system, which made it much easier for me to find academic
success in English class right away. Finally, the home team also enjoys the support of the fans in
the stands. As a child, I found myself surrounded by positive reinforcement from a variety of
adults. As a teacher, I will strive to support all my students. For some I will be one of many faces
in the crowd, but for others I may one of few adults to root for them.
For me, a strong sense of community developed because so many different areas of my
life were connected to my Catholic parish, including all of my sports teams, the Boy Scouts, and
my other extracurricular activities. As was the case with my earlier reflections on social class, I
only gained an accurate impression of my family’s level of devotion in retrospect. As a child, I
never considered our family particularly devoted—after all, I don’t think we were ever once on
time for Mass. However, I now realize that our weekly Mass attendance suggests that we are
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likely more religious than the average American. For me, religion was present from the start.
While I do not believe that a person is born with a religion, a person can certainly be born into
one. To better understand what it is like to be born into a faith, wander with me across the
pavement from the Gold Room into our next room, my parish church. Here you can get a sense
of what I mean. For the convert, his faith subsists in the laws and rules he had to learn in his
catechumen process. By contrast, for the person born into the church, her faith subsists in the
creak of the pew, the smell of the incense, and the mellow tone of the organ. Almost
unconsciously, its nature seeps in by osmosis, so that perhaps without even realizing it, a person
internalizes some of its beliefs.
The notion of confession is central to Catholicism, and if you would be so kind as to
listen for a moment, I have a confession to make. I cannot reflect on my own cultural
background without being tempted to feel guilty for all the opportunities I have been given. As I
have shown, in most ways I have been set up for success in life. Catholicism, on the other hand,
tends to see virtue in enduring hardships or suffering. Christ spends his time with the poor and
downtrodden—not the affluent. This desire to avoid the sole pursuit of self-interest has likely
played a part in my motivation to teach, for teaching orients one’s life toward serving others. I
place a great amount of emphasis on the importance of personal sacrifice in the service of others,
and I believe society’s primary duty is to protect its most vulnerable members. Of course, these
are not exclusively Catholic—or even exclusively religious—values. I am always curious to
learn about other faiths, and I also do not believe that someone must be religious to be a good
person. The major drawback to growing up in a relatively insular religious community was the
consequent homogeneity. At the time I attended my grade school, its student body was entirely
white. By the time my youngest sister went through, a handful of Asian and Latino students had
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enrolled, but the school was still overwhelmingly white. The single-sex nature of many Catholic
secondary schools enforces a different sort of homogeneity. In addition to the more obvious
ethnic and gender uniformity, I noticed at times a lack of diversity in thought, since so many
students came from similar backgrounds. This uniformity in thought bored me enough that I
deliberately avoided attending a Catholic college. I am unique in this regard within my
immediate family: my parents and my sisters all attended Catholic colleges. However, I feel that
one of the most significant ways in which one comes to understand one’s own culture is through
stepping outside of that culture and surrounding oneself with people different from oneself.
The classroom is likely a place that I will encounter people culturally different from
myself. Many Catholics will likely continue to end up in the Catholic school system rather than
in my public school classroom. I will most likely not teach at a single-sex high school. Any
school at which I teach will likely not have as high a percentage of white students as the schools
I attended. Many of my students will not live with two biological parents. Many of them will not
have two parents with graduate or professional degrees. Some of their parents will not earn as
much money as my parents did. However, I cannot let these differences become divisive. A
positive environment for cross-cultural communication is essential if I, as a teacher, am going to
help students shed their inhibitions. Chesterton writes that “the chief object of education is not to
learn things; nay, the chief object of education is to unlearn things.” In a sense, the
preconceptions and prejudices that students may carry with them into the classroom make up this
material that they must unlearn. However, this unlearning should not go so far that students feel
they must shed important aspects of their own cultural identities. As my reflections here suggest,
the various facets of my own cultural background continue to constitute an integral part of who I
am today. I want my students to attune themselves to the nuances of their own cultural situations
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so that they can come to a fuller understanding of themselves. Even so, I must avoid falling into
the trap of seeing a student as more of a representative of her cultural than as a distinct
individual. Everyone has something to give and something to take away. Like Tennyson’s
Ulysses, “I am a part of all that I have met,” and I like to think that I allow them to become a part
of me as well. To return to St. Teresa’s metaphor, I must remember that every individual is
composed of many cultural components that add up to a whole greater than the sum of its parts,
as the many rooms make up the interior castle. I hope I am never so shortsighted as to mistake
the room for the castle.
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Short Story Unit, 9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Final Draft
March 13, 2012
Rationale: All people in all cultures in all times tell stories. Students themselves tell stories and have been told
stories by their family and friends since the earliest days of childhood. As such, a short story unit is an effective
way to introduce first-semester ninth grade students to the fundamental elements of literary study. A short story
unit is ideal for exposing students to a wide range of others from a myriad of cultures, given that stories, like all
forms of literature, both reflect and, in turn, influence their cultural surroundings. Moreover, the study of literature
encourages the analysis of and reflection upon the human experience. Many of the concepts covered in the short
story unit can also be applied to later units on novels and other narrative forms, including plot elements, types of
conflict, characterization, and descriptive exposition, among others. Students will observe writing strategies in
context and will consequently be able to apply them to their own writing. Ultimately, the short story unit will help
students develop as critical readers and as writers.
Summary: Short stories will be drawn from the class textbook—Prentice Hall, Penguin Edition, 9th Grade—and
from paper copies additional stories provided by the instructor. Given that there are not enough textbooks to allow
every student to take one home, the majority of reading will be done in class. When having paper copies of stories
allows for reading to be done as homework, the instructor will give the students short reading quizzes to hold
them accountable for reading that occurs outside of class. Stories that the students read will be used to discuss a
variety of literary elements: stages of a classical plot, characterization, setting and exposition, types of conflict,
and literary techniques like foreshadowing and imagery. During the reading of each story, discussion will also
allow the students to use their inferential skills to make predictions about the outcome of stories. Students will
also keep a vocabulary journal, in which they record vocabulary words from each story. As the unit progresses,
students will also write their own short stories, which must contain the plot and character elements they have
studied. Finally, students will write a character analysis of a major character from one of the stories and will also
present a dramatic enactment of their interpretation of the character.
Objectives:
Reading:
Given a short story, students will be able to correctly identify the following literary elements: plot
structure, conflict, characterization, types of characters, point of view, foreshadowing, irony,
symbolism, and theme.
In class discussion, students will compare and contrast the way each element is presented in the
various stories that make up the unit.
Writing:
After reading several stories, students will create an analysis of a major character, using direct
quotations from the text to justify their analysis.
Students will write according to the conventions of standard written English.
After discussing the five stages of a classical plot, students will write a story of their own creation
that includes exposition, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a resolution.
Speaking:
Given a character from one of our short stories, students will perform in-character as that person
in a “party” setting, revealing their understanding of their own characters through the interactions
with the other characters.
Listening:
During others’ performances students will actively listen and evaluate the performance of an
assigned member of another group with a rubric provided by the instructor..
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Length: 5 weeks
Materials:
School: Textbooks, chalkboard/smartboard, computer access
Teacher: Copies of stories to supplement textbook, handouts
Students: Pen and paper
Texts: “The Most Dangerous Game,” “Poison,” “The Necklace,” “Rules of the Game,” “Checkouts,” “The Cask
of Amontillado,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Scarlet Ibis,” and “Harrison Bergeron”
Common Core Standards:
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf
Reading: Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Writing: Standards 1, 3, 9, 10
Speaking and Listening: Standards 1, 2, 5
Language: Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Literacy Strategies: Quick Write, Reaction Guide, Pen-in-Hand, Link and Think, Compare/Contrast Chart,
Discussion Continuum
Assessment:
Formative assessments will include class discussions, short in-class writing activities or journal entries, the
completion of handouts in-class on the current topic of discussion, and reading quizzes for any reading done as
homework. Additionally, student peer feedback will work as a formative assessment for one another before the
final drafts of stories are turned in.
Summative assessments will include the written character analysis, the character performance, and the students’
own short stories, each of which will be scored according to a rubric.
Accommodations: Reading aloud in class can help students with learning disabilities and some stories may be
obtained in audio form for home use for these students, notes outlines available for students who need them,
copying a peer’s notes to fill in holes, incorporating graphics to illustrate concepts (like conflict), flexibility in
typing or writing work to meet student needs, pre-performance coaching and assistance for students who have
difficulty performing
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Teacher Calendar
Teacher:__Mr. Fontana________
Unit:_____Short Stories________
Monday
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Plot Structure
lesson
Begin “The Most
Dangerous Game”
Continue
Characterization
lesson
“The Necklace”
Introduce Short
Story Writing
Assignment
Begin
Foreshadowing
lesson
Symbol lesson
“The Scarlet Ibis”
Tuesday
Wednesday
Continue Plot
Structure lesson
Conflict lesson
“The Most
Dangerous Game”
Characters lesson:
Round/Flat,
Static/Dynamic
“Rules of the
Game”
Continue
Foreshadowing
lesson
“The Cask of
Amontillado”
Continue “Rules of
the Game”
“The Scarlet Ibis”
Thursday
Friday
Review plot
elements and
conflict
“Poison”
Finish “Rules of the
Game”
Characterization
lesson
“The Necklace”
“The Cask of
Amontillado”
Irony lesson
“The Gift of the
Magi”
“The Gift of the
Magi”
Theme lesson
“Harrison
Bergeron”
“Harrison
Bergeron”
Short Story Due
Introduce Character
Analysis Essay and
Character Dinner
Party Performance
POV lesson
“Checkouts”
13
Monday
Week Five
Work Day
Students are
grouped by short
story to develop
character analysis
ideas
Tuesday
Work Day
Students are in
performance groups
to work on scripting
Wednesday
Work Day
Students can
continue scripting
or type their
character analysis
Reserve Computer
Lab
Thursday
Work Day
Students can
continue scripting
or type their
character analysis
Reserve Computer
Lab
Friday
Character Analysis
Essay Due
Dinner Party
Performance Day
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
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SHORT STORY UNIT—STUDENT CALENDAR
Monday
Week One
Topic: Plot
Structure
Tuesday
Topic: Plot
Structure
Week Three
Week Four
Begin
Working on
Short Story
Topic:
Symbolism
Reading: “The
Scarlet Ibis”
Friday
Review
Reading: “The
Most Dangerous
Game”
Reading:
“Poison”
Topic:
Characterization
Reading: “The
Necklace”
Topic:
Characters
Topic:
Characters
Topic: Point of
View
Reading: “Rules
of the Game”
Reading: “Rules
of the Game”
Reading: “Rules
of the Game”
Reading:
“Checkouts”
Topic:
Foreshadowing
Topic:
Foreshadowing
Topic: Irony
Topic: Irony
Reading: “The
Most Dangerous
Game”
Topic:
Topic:
Characterization Characters
Reading: “The
Necklace”
Topic: Short
Story Writing
Thursday
Topic: Conflict
Reading: “The
Most Dangerous
Game”
Week Two
Wednesday
Reading: “The
Cask of
Amontillado”
Topic:
Symbolism
Reading: “The
Scarlet Ibis”
Reading: “The
Cask of
Amontillado”
Topic: Theme
Reading:
“Harrison
Bergeron”
Reading: “The
Reading: “The
Gift of the Magi” Gift of the Magi”
Topic: Theme
SHORT STORY
DUE
Reading:
“Harrison
Bergeron”
15
Monday
Week Five
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
W
O
R
K
D
A
Y
S
Friday
CHARACTER
ANALYSIS
ESSAY DUE
DINNER
PARTY
PERFORMANCE
DAY
Week Six
Week
Seven
Week Eight
16
Heading
Rationale
Objective
Common Core
Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify Aims and
Establish Set
Phase Two
Present the Advance
Organizer
Phase Three
Present Learning
Materials
Phase Four
Application
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Homework
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Plot Structure
First 2 or 3 Days of Unit
Understanding and identifying the major elements of a plot is an essential reading comprehension
skill. Analysis of plot structure allows students to recognize patterns that persist across nearly all
stories. This analysis also helps students to bridge receptive knowledge toward expressive
knowledge. In other words, students can use what they have learned about the plot structure of
published stories in order to develop a plot for a story of their own.
Given the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” students will correctly identify the exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of the story by referring to relevant details from
the text.
-Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
-Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g.,
parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension,
or surprise.
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone
(e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
-Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, located in Prentice Hall Literature
Presentation
Whole Class, later Pairs or Small Groups
School – textbooks, chalkboard/smartboard
Teacher – graphic organizer
Student – writing utensils
Quick Write, Pen-In-Hand, Link and Think
-Do Now Question (Mandatory Class Starter at McCluer North): What elements make up a good
story? What makes a person a good storyteller?
-Today we are going to begin reading our first short story of the semester. As we proceed through
this unit, you’ll discover that the plots of most short stories tend to follow a similar pattern. Today we
are going to learn that pattern so that we can recognize it in the stories we will read in this unit.
-Distribute the Plot Structure graphic organizer, on which the five major plot elements are named but
not described
-Explain how to interpret graphical connections on the chart
-Instruct students to take notes on the descriptions of each element during the presentation
-Deliver presentation describing each of the 5 plot elements. Check to see that students are recording
a description on their graphic organizer. Ask questions to check for understanding.
-Read “The Most Dangerous Game”. School materials are such that reading must be done in class,
which is why the lesson will take two or three days.
-Interrupt reading with questions to assess student comprehension of the text and questions that
challenge them to make predictions. Connect predictions to graphic organizer, i.e. because most of
the rising action involves interactions between Rainsford and Zarroff, students should predict that the
climax will involve a confrontation between the two men.
-Divide students into small groups or pairs and distribute another blank graphic organizer.
-Students fill out this graphic organizer with plot elements from “The Most Dangerous Game”
-Bring whole class back together to check for understanding. In particular, have student groups
explain why they identified a particular event as the climax or the resolution.
-Collect charts containing plot elements for “The Most Dangerous Game” to check for
understanding.
-When students write their own short stories later in the unit, they will have to use colored pencils or
markers to correctly identify the five elements of their own plot.
-If students don’t finish the group activity, they must complete it for homework.
17
Heading
Rationale
Objectives
Common Core
Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials &
Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify Aims and
Establish Set
Phase Two
Present the Advance
Organizer
Phase Three
Present Learning
Materials
Phase Four
Application
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Homework
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Conflict
1 Day, Follows Plot Structure Lesson
Almost all stories hinge on the development and resolution of a conflict. As such,
identifying and categorizing different types of conflict provides students with the chance to
practice this valuable interpretive skill. Conflict readily connects with plot structure
inasmuch as the elements of the plot structure are driven by the development of the conflict.
Conflict is also an essential building block for understanding character later in the unit, as a
character’s development is rooted in the story’s conflict.
-Given the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” students will correctly identify at least
one external and at least one internal conflict in the story and use evidence from the text to
support their claim.
-On their graphic organizers students will create examples of conflict that accurately
represent each of the five types of conflict.
- Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or
develop the theme.
- Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, located in Prentice Hall Literature
Presentation
Whole Class, later Pairs or Small Groups
School – textbooks, chalkboard/smartboard
Teacher – graphic organizer
Student – writing utensils
Quick Write, Idea Mapping
-Do Now Question (Mandatory Class Starter at McCluer North): Show a movie trailer from
a movie with a variety of conflicts in its plot (like one of the Lord of the Rings movies) and
ask students to identify in writing different conflicts they can spot in the trailer.
-Last time we talked about the elements of plot structure. Notice that movement through the
plot structure is driven by conflict. Today we are going to classify the different types of
conflicts you can find in a story in order to more fully understand the nature of narrative
conflict.
-Distribute the Types of Conflict graphic organizer
-Explain how to interpret graphical connections on the chart
-Deliver presentation describing each of the 5 types of conflict. Check to see that students
are recording a description on their graphic organizer
-Have students create examples from something other than “The Most Dangerous Game.” If
possible, link back to movie clip from start of class.
-Divide students into small groups or pairs
-Students together compose two short paragraphs, one describing one of Rainsford’s
external conflicts and one of his internal conflicts
-Collect paragraphs on conflict in “The Most Dangerous Game” to check for understanding.
-Students will need to develop a conflict for the story they will write later in the unit.
-Students will need an understanding of their character’s conflicts in order to accurately
portray them in the Character Dinner Party.
If students don’t finish the group activity, they must complete it for homework.
18
Heading
Rationale
Objectives
Common Core
Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify Aims and
Establish Set
Phase Two
Focus the Discussion
Phase Three
Hold the Discussion
Phase Four
End the Discussion
Phase Five
Debrief the Discussion
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Homework
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Theme--Equality
2 or so Days in Middle of Unit
This discussion will model for students the way individual stories can be used to tap into essential
questions that extend to larger thematic concerns beyond the narrow purview of the individual story.
Such interpretation is the fundamental process of meaning-making that occurs in English class.
-Given the short story “Harrison Bergeron,” students will analyze the portrayal of the central theme
of equality by given specific evidence from the text for their conclusions.
-Given the short story “Harrison Bergeron,” students will reflect upon and question their own
understanding of the role of equality in American society in the span of at least two substantial
paragraphs.
-Students will write their journals according to the conventions of standard English.
- Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of
the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective
summary of the text.
- Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
Discussion
Whole Class, Individual writing
School – textbooks, chalkboard/smartboard
Teacher – paper copies of “Harrison Bergeron”
Student – writing utensils
Reaction Guide, Link and Think, Discussion Continuum
-Do Now Question (Mandatory Class Starter at McCluer North): Journal about your thoughts on
equality. In what sense are people equal or not? In what sense should people be equal or not? What
measures can be taken to ensure an appropriate level of equality in society?
-Have some students volunteer thoughts from their journal to establish some baseline class opinions
on equality to form a Discussion Continuum.
-Read “Harrison Bergeron” in class. Interrupt reading to check for understanding.
-Some questions might include:
-How is the notion of equality interpreted in the society described in this story? How does it
compare with your own?
-Is what the government does to “handicap” people in any way fair? Is there some more fair way
to reach a similar end state of equality?
-In what ways is an egalitarian (equal) society desirable? What might be some problems with such
a society?
-Do the actions of the society in the story in any way mirror actions of societies in the real world?
If so, how?
-Explain the irony inherent in the way the government pursues its agenda.
-Have students write a second entry on the same topic in order to see whether their opinions of the
theme have changed at all
-Before collecting the journals, ask students to share whether any of their ideas have changed, while
taking care to have them explain why
-Class discussion
-Read over journal entries
-Thematic understanding helps students focus in on a main theme or subject for their own short
stories and gain a more well-rounded understanding of a potential character for the Character Dinner
Party project.
-Finish reflections started in class, if necessary
19
Heading
Rationale
Objectives
Common Core Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify Aims and
Establish Set
Phase Two
Present Information
Phase Three
Organize Students into
Learning Teams
Phase Four
Assist Team Work and
Study
Phase Five
Test on Materials
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Reminder
9th Grade English
Character Dinner Party
Mr. Tom Fontana
1 Day at End of Unit for Performance
About One Week of Prep
This lesson calls on students to demonstrate their understanding of a character by putting that knowledge
into action by means of a public performance. This lesson gives students practice in an expressive mode
other than writing and offers valuable experience speaking in front of a group of people.
-Given a character from one of our short stories, students will perform in-character as that person in a
“party” setting, revealing their understanding of their own character through the interactions with the other
characters.
-Given a character from one of our short stories, students will write a character analysis essay in which
they assign three adjectives to their character and provide at least three direct examples from the text to
support each adjective.
-During the performances of other groups, students will evaluate an assigned member of the performance
on a rubric provided by the instructor
- Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the
course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
- Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
Characters come from all stories read in the unit.
Cooperative Learning
Varies
School – textbooks, chalkboard/smartboard, computer lab
Teacher – evaluation rubric, peer evaluation rubric
Student – writing utensils, character costumes (optional)
Jigsaw
-Do Now Question (Mandatory Class Starter at McCluer North): What sorts of things did you do to
prepare for today’s performance? Are you happy with your preparation, or are there some things you
would have done differently?
-On Performance Day, review established procedures for conducting the performance
-Earlier in the unit, instructor will have presented students with a packet of information that details the
different steps students will take to complete the project
-The work days will essentially work as a sort of jigsaw grouping. On the first work day, students will be
working with other students assigned to the same character or to characters from the same story
-Then, students will take that knowledge from their first group and jigsaw it into the larger performance
group. For the rest of the work days, students in their performance group will script interactions between
characters from different stories
-Prior to performance day, teacher will assist students in completing character analysis sheet for their
preparation
-On performance day, teacher takes a largely evaluative role and to help the transition between party
groups
-The performance itself serves as the text on materials, along with the submission of the character sheet
-Instructor collects student peer evaluation rubrics to check for sincerity of evaluation and then give those
to presenting students
-Students use peer rubrics to get experience with evaluation
-Character analysis essay and the performance itself.
-Reserve computer lab or library for group work during the week of the project
20
Mr. Fontana
Date
Name______________________________
3. CLIMAX
2. RISING ACTION
Events that build up to
the climax
The peak of the
action and turning
point of the conflict
Main character
encounters obstacles
and experiences conflict
4. FALLING ACTION
Often the longest part
of the story
Events that follow the
climax and lead toward
the resolution
May either be an easing
of tension after the peak
of the climax or an
increase in tension
leading to the resolution
1. EXPOSITION
5. RESOLUTION
Introduces the
characters and the
setting
The final stage of the
plot in which the
loose ends are tied
together and a
confrontation ends
the conflict
Often comes at the
beginning of the
story, but may be
spread throughout
Often the main
character changes or
achieves insight
21
Mr. Fontana
Date
Name______________________________
3. CLIMAX
2. RISING ACTION
4. FALLING ACTION
1. EXPOSITION
5. RESOLUTION
22
Mr. Fontana
Date
Name __________________________
Types of Conflict
A conflict is a struggle between opposing characters or forces. Characters
in conflict form the basis of stories, novels, and plays.
In an external conflict, a character struggles against an outside force. An
internal conflict involves a character in conflict with himself or herself.
These two types of conflict can be further divided into the five types of conflict listed in the chart
below. After we discuss each type of conflict, invent your own example that would fit each type
of conflict. Then, try to find an example of each type of conflict from “The Most Dangerous
Game.” Note that all types of conflict are represented in the story.
Type of Conflict
Your Example
Example from “The
Most Dangerous
Game”
External Conflict
Character vs. Character
Character vs. Nature
Character vs. Society
Internal Conflict
Character vs.
Destiny/Fate
Character vs. Self
23
Mr. Fontana
Date
Name___________________
Short Story Character Dinner Party
Character Analysis Essay (60 Points): Due______________
Dinner Party Performance (40 Points): Due______________
We’ve read a wide variety of short stories in this unit with a number of interesting characters. While it is
important to consider stories in their own right, as we have been doing so far, it is also important to
draw connections across stories. Thus, you are going to work in groups to stage a dinner party in which
the characters from the different stories we’ve read will interact with one another.
Step 1—Choose a Character: From the following character list, you will rank your top five preferences
for the character that will be both the subject of your character analysis essay and your role for the
party. You may choose a character of any gender, as long as you will be comfortable performing as that
character in public. I will collect your list of preferences and assign you a character and a performance
group:
Story
“The Most Dangerous Game”
“Poison”
“The Necklace”
“Rules of the Game”
“Checkouts”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
“The Gift of the Magi”
“The Scarlet Ibis”
“Harrison Bergeron”
Characters
Rainsford, General Zaroff
Timber, Dr. Ganderbai, Harry Pope
Madame Loisel, Monsieur Loisel
Waverly Jong, Waverly’s Mother
Checkout Boy, Shopper Girl
Fortunato, Montresor
Della, Jim
Doodle, Doodle’s Brother
Harrison Bergeron, Diana Moon Glampers
Step 2—Develop Character Analysis: During the first in-class work day, you will get together with
everyone who has a character in your story, regardless of which performance group you are in. You will
use this time to discuss your ideas of how your characters should be played and to review the subjects
that your character would talk about at a party. This will also give you time to develop your ideas for the
character analysis essay (see “Character Analysis Essay” handout for more info)
Step 3—Script Dinner Party: During all the remaining in-class work days, you will meet with your
performance group, which will be made of characters from different stories. From the previous day’s
work, you should have a better understanding of your character’s interests and manner of interacting
with others. Together, you and your performance group will script a series of interactions between
characters. Be creative in determining the sorts of things your characters discuss, but make sure they
can be connected to the way the characters are presented in the stories.
Examples:
Gen. Zaroff warns Diana Moon Glampers that ridding the world of individuality will make
her life as boring as his own.
Della and Madame Loisel swap stories about learning that there are types of value that
don’t have to do with money.
Step 4—Perform and Listen: During class, groups will take turns performing their group’s party scene
for the rest of the class (see “Dinner Party Performance” handout for more info). Each group’s party will
last 15 minutes. When your group is not performing, you will be assigned to evaluate a member of the
current performing group in addition to the grading evaluation provided by me. Note that being
disruptive during someone else’s performance will cause you to lose points for your own performance.
24
Mr. Fontana
Date
Name:
Character Analysis Essay
Your assignment is to write an essay describing a character from the short stories we’ve read in
class. You will choose three adjectives that describe that character. Think about specific
examples from the story to support your answer.
The following worksheets include a template to help you structure organize your analysis:
Introduction, create a “funnel” by moving from
the general to the specific for the thesis
Thesis
Body Paragraphs, one per main
idea, begin with topic sentence
Restate Thesis
Conclusion, moves from specific thesis to
broader application
25
Once I have assigned you a character based on the preferences you gave me, choose three
adjectives to describe your character:
Adjective #1
Adjective #2
Adjective #3
Each of your body paragraphs will describe one of the adjectives. You will then explain your
adjective choice with examples (quotations or paraphrases) from the story.
Adjective #1:
Example #1
Example #2
Example#3
Adjective #2:
Example #1
Example #2
26
Example #3
Adjective #3:
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
Write your thesis statement, which will serve as the main argument your paper is trying to
prove. Be sure to include the adjectives of your character in your thesis statement.
27
Dinner Party Character Performance Rubric
Category
Content of
Character’s
Dialogue (10
points)
Character
Personality
(10 Points)
Voice
Performance
(10 points)
10-9
8-7
Topics of all of the
character’s
dialogue logically
follow from that
character’s story
Topics of a
majority of the
character’s
dialogue logically
follow from that
character’s story
Student portrays
the character
accurately and
consistently
throughout the
entire party
All 3 of the
following are met
for the entire
duration of the
party:
-Student speaks
clearly and at an
appropriate
volume
-Student emotes
rather than
reading in a
monotone voice
-Student speaks
without long gaps
between dialogue
Student portrays
the character
accurately and
consistently
throughout most
of the party
Only 2 of the
following are met
for the entire
duration of the
party:
-Student speaks
clearly and at an
appropriate
volume
-Student emotes
rather than
reading in a
monotone voice
-Student speaks
without long gaps
between dialogue
6-5
Interaction
with Other
Characters
(6 points)
Student’s
character has
meaningful
interaction with
characters from at
least 3 stories
other than the
student’s own
Listening (4
points)
Student listens
attentively for the
entirety of the
other groups’
performances
4-3
Student’s
character has
meaningful
interaction with
characters from
only 2 stories
other than the
student’s own
6-5
4-0
Topics of a
majority of the
character’s
dialogue do not
logically follow
from that
character’s story
Student portrays
the character but
slips in and out of
character during
the party
Topics of all of the
character’s
dialogue rarely or
never follow
logically from that
character’s story
Only 1 of the
following is met
for the entire
duration of the
party:
-Student speaks
clearly and at an
appropriate
volume
-Student emotes
rather than
reading in a
monotone voice
-Student speaks
without long gaps
between dialogue
None of the
following are met
for the entire
duration of the
party:
-Student speaks
clearly and at an
appropriate
volume
-Student emotes
rather than
reading in a
monotone voice
-Student speaks
without long gaps
between dialogue
2-1
Student’s
character has
meaningful
interaction with
characters from
only 1 story other
than the student’s
own
4
Student does not
accurately portray
the character
0
Student’s
character has
meaningful
interaction only
with characters
from student’s
own story
0
.*********
*********
At any point in
another group’s
performance,
student is
inattentive or
disruptive
Total Points: ________ / 40
28
Odyssey Unit
Mr. Tom Fontana
April 17, 2012
Rationale: The Odyssey is a fundamental part of the Western literary tradition, a text that is very much of a
specific time and place yet at the same time reaches across time and space to the present day. The Odyssey typifies
the tradition of the epic hero, and this unit demonstrates the way in which the epic tradition embodies both the
individual and the social. Though Odysseus’ quest to return home is in many ways a personal journey, the heroic
traits that he exemplifies reveals the fundamental values and ideals of Ancient Greek society. The Greek hero is
just one example of a broader trend in literature. In all societies at all times, heroes represent what each society
deems to be the ideal image of itself. Toward these ends, students will not only consider Odysseus within his
particular cultural context but also they will analyze the broader trend of the heroic tradition as a means of
reflecting on the values of their own society and culture.
Summary: The unit centers on reading excerpts from The Odyssey that are anthologized in our textbook—
Prentice Hall, Penguin Edition, 9th Grade. Following the rationale, the unit is built around three major
assessments. The first is an internet research project that establishes an understanding of the Ancient Greek
context of the poem before reading it. As we make our way through the text, students will keep track of
Odysseus’ character traits and the actions that reveal those traits. Our school’s common assessment test on The
Odyssey holds students responsible for important plot points, vocabulary words and for thematic analysis of
heroism in the Greek tradition. Finally, after analyzing the notion of heroism with regard to Greek cultural values
and reflecting on their own cultural values, students will compose an essay discussing one of their own heroes.
Objectives:
Reading:
- On an exit slip, students will correctly define “epic” and “epic hero” with 100% accuracy.
- Given a Venn diagram, student will accurately identify character traits that belong to Odysseus
alone, Penelope alone, and the two of them together and will cite examples from the text of The
Odyssey to support each list.
Writing:
- Upon researching online various aspects of life in ancient Greece, students will construct an
artifact (i.e. travel brochure, newsletter, PowerPoint presentation) that creatively presents accurate
information about at least five different areas of Greek life.
- Students will write an essay focusing on someone they consider to be a hero, which will include
biographical information, a discussion of this person’s heroic actions and deeds, and a discussion
of the societal values that their hero’s actions exemplify. This essay will be evaluated according
to a rubric.
Speaking:
- After reflecting on the values and ideals of their own society, students will construct a visual
representation of the characteristics an American epic hero would possess and will present it to
the rest of the class.
- After creating their project, students will present their final product to the rest of the class and
explain their findings in each of their five areas of Greek life.
Listening:
- While listening to other groups presentations, each student will list at least three things he or she
learned from the other presentations.
Length: 7 weeks
29
Materials:
School: Textbooks, chalkboard/smartboard, computer access, art supplies
Teacher: Handouts, art supplies
Students: Pen and paper, art supplies
Texts: excerpts from The Odyssey
Common Core Standards:
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf
Reading: Standards 1, 2, 3 5
Writing: Standards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Speaking and Listening: Standards 1, 2, 4, 5
Language: Standards 1, 2
Literacy Strategies: Quick Write, KWL Chart, Visualizing, Character Study, Venn Diagram, Think-Pair-Share,
Pen-in-Hand, Interrupted Reading, Exit Slip
Assessment:
Formative—Formative assessments consist of class discussion, instructor observation of students’ working, and
small pieces of writing composed in class and for homework.
Summative—There are three summative assessments. The first is an internet research project that establishes an
understanding of the Ancient Greek context of the poem before reading it.
Our school’s common assessment test on The Odyssey holds students responsible for important plot points,
vocabulary words and for thematic analysis of heroism in the Greek tradition. Finally, after analyzing the notion
of heroism with regard to Greek cultural values and reflecting on their own cultural values, students will compose
an essay discussing one of their own heroes.
Accommodations: Reading aloud in class can help students with learning disabilities and some stories may be
obtained in audio form for home use for these students, notes outlines available for students who need them,
copying a peer’s notes to fill in holes, incorporating graphics to illustrate concepts, flexibility in typing or writing
work to meet student needs, pre-performance coaching and assistance for students who have difficulty performing
30
Teacher Calendar
Teacher:__Mr. Fontana________
Monday
Week One
Introduction to the
Epic and Epic Hero
Begin work on
American value
shields
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Work on Web
Research Activity
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
Introduce Vocab
and Characters for
Part 1 of The
Odyssey
Read and Discuss
“The Sirens” and
“Scylla and
Charybdis”
Tuesday
Continue work on
American value
shields
Wednesday
Finish shield
presentations
Begin shield
presentations if time
allows
Work on Web
Work on Web
Research Activity
Research Activity
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
Read “Sailing from
Troy” and “The
Lotus-Eaters”
Distribute Odysseus
Character Analysis
Sheet
Read Discuss “The
Cattle of the Sun
God”
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
Read and Discuss
“The Cyclops”
Review of Part 1 of
“The Odyssey”
Unit:_____The Odyssey________
Thursday
Introduce Ancient
Greece in Context
Web Research
Activity
Friday
Work on Web
Research Activity
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
K-W-L Charts
Present Final
Products from Web
Research Activity
Finish Presentations
Continue “The
Cyclops” and
Discuss
Read and Discuss
“The Land of the
Dead”
Introduce Vocab
and Characters for
Part 2 of the
Odyssey
Read and Discuss
“The Return of
Odysseus”
31
Monday
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Read and Discuss
“Argus,” “The
Suitors,”
“Penelope,” and
“The Challenge”
Odyssey Test
Venn Diagram
activity with the
character analyses
of Odysseus and
Penelope
View selections
from film versions
of The Odyssey
Read and Discuss
“Odysseus’
Revenge”
Read and Discuss
“Penelope’s Test”
Final Review of The
Odyssey
View selections
from film versions
of The Odyssey
Introduce Heroism
Essay
Heroism Essay
Prewriting
Work on Heroism
Essay
Work on Heroism
Essay
Work on Heroism
Essay
Work on Heroism
Essay
Heroism Essay Due
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
(Reserve Library or
Computer Lab)
Week Eight
32
Odyssey Unit—STUDENT CALENDAR
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Week One
Unit
Introduction
In-Class Activity In-Class Activity Group Project
Introduction
Group Project
Work Day
Week Two
Group Project
Work Day
Group Project
Work Day
Group Project
Presentations
Week Three
Introduction to
The Odyssey
Part 1
Week Four
Reading: “The
Sirens”
“Scylla and
Charybdis”
Reading:
“Sailing for
Troy”
“The LotusEaters”
Reading: “The
Cattle of the
Sun God”
Group Project
Work Day
Group Project
Due
Reading: “The
Cyclops”
Group Project
Presentations
Reading: “The
Cyclops”
Review Day
Introduction to
The Odyssey
Part 2
Reading: “The
Land of the
Dead”
Reading: “The
Return of
Odysseus
33
Monday
Week Five
Week Six
Week
Seven
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Reading:
“Argus”
“The Suitors”
“Penelope”
“The Challenge”
Odyssey Test
In-Class Activity Reading:
“Odysseus’
Revenge”
Reading:
“Penelope’s
Test”
Review Day
Movie Day
Movie Day
Essay
Introduction
Essay
Prewriting
Essay Work Day
Essay Work Day
Essay Work Day
Essay Work Day
Essay Due
Week Eight
34
Heading
Rationale
Objective
Common Core Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify Aims and
Establish Set
Phase Two
Present the Advance
Organizer
Phase Three
Present Learning
Materials
Phase Four
Application
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
The Epic
Hero
2-3 days
-This lesson provides an introduction to the themes of heroism and the epic that we will continue to
examine throughout the unit. Students will understand that the epic is not just a long, adventurous
narrative but is in fact rooted in the values of the community in which it is created. By reflecting on the
values of their own society, students will practice the kind of thinking they will use to understand
Odysseus’ role in his own society.
-On an exit slip, students will correctly define “epic” and “epic hero” with 100% accuracy.
-After reflecting on the values and ideals of their own society, students will construct a visual
representation of the characteristics an American epic hero would possess and will present it to the rest of
the class.
-Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse
partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
-Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning
and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
-Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance
understanding of presentations.
Excerpts from The Odyssey in the textbook
Presentation
Whole Class, Individual, and Small Groups
School – Projector, board
Teacher – PowerPoint presentation
Student – writing utensils, paper
Quick Write, Exit Slip, Visualizing
-Do Now Question (Mandatory Class Starter at McCluer North): The word “hero” means many things to
many people. As best you can, write down your own definition of “hero” that you think most other people
could agree with.
-Today we will establish the terms of discussion that will carry our way through the rest of our unit on The
Odyssey. We will learn what an “epic” is, what an “epic hero” is, and a little bit about the epic tradition in
Greece.
-Hold a brief discussion about the nature of heroism. Ask several students to share the definitions from
their Do-Now sheets.
-To access, students’ prior knowledge frame the discussion in terms of a character familiar and accessible
to students, whom they would readily identify as a hero, such as “Batman” or whoever the hero of the
current hot young-adult novel is.
-Transition this discussion into the topic of Greek heroes like Odysseus
-Deliver a PowerPoint presentation for students that offers background information on The Odyssey and
explains the concepts of the epic and the epic hero
-Stress the fact that an epic hero embodies the ideals and values of his or her society, so that an epic is as
much a reflection on society as it is a chronicle of individual achievement.
-Ask students as individuals to write down what sorts of characteristics an epic hero from their society, an
American epic hero, would possess. Remind them that these characteristics are supposed to reflect what
they consider to be core American values.
-Divide students into small groups in which they will share their ideas. Each group will use be given a
piece of paper designed as a Greek shield. They will decorate their shield with the 3-5 characteristics that
the group members most frequently came up with or considered most important.
-Students present their shield to the class and explain the characteristics that their drawings represent.
Instructor will keep an ongoing list of the characteristics for use in later discussions and lessons.
-Shields will be posted in the classroom as a reminder to students of their ideas of American culture to
facilitate comparison between American and Greek cultures later in the unit
-Class, discussion and student presentations
-On day of PowerPoint, have students define epic and epic hero as an exit slip from class
-Students will need to understand the connection between heroes and societal values for the Heroism
Essay they will write at the end of this unit
-Short Essay questions on the department’s common assessment test for The Odyssey focus on topics such
as Odysseus’ heroic characteristics and comparing/contrasting ancient Greek and contemporary American
values
Homework
35
Heading
Rationale
Objective
Common Core
Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify goals and
establish set.
Phase Two
Present information
Phase Three
Organize students into
learning teams
Phase Four
Assist team work and
study
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Ancient Greece in Context
1 week
-In order to understand the values and ideals of Odysseus’ society and his place within that society,
students will research various aspects of Ancient Greek society and culture. To encourage student
engagement, they will have a certain amount of choice in the topics they delve into. Since students
will present to the rest of the class, everyone will get some information about a variety of topics.
-Upon researching online various aspects of life in ancient Greece, students will construct an artifact
(i.e. travel brochure, newsletter, PowerPoint presentation) that creatively presents accurate
information about at least five different areas of Greek life.
-After creating their project, students will present their final product to the rest of the class and
explain their findings in each of their five areas of Greek life.
-While listening to other groups presentations, each student will list at least three things he or she
learned from the other presentations.
-Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and
collaborate with others.
-Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
-Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and
accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
-Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
-Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse
partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
-Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
-Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of
reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
-Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance
understanding of presentations.
Excerpts from The Odyssey in our textbook
Cooperative Learning
Heterogeneous small groups
School – Computers, large sheets of paper, perhaps some art supplies
Teacher – Website links, Any art supplies not supplied by school or students
Student – Art supplies if available
Quick Write, K-W-L chart
Do Now Question: Make a list of things you think you know about life in Ancient Greece.
-Establish set by leading students through a K-W-L chart. Instructor can choose either to make one
large chart for the class or to break the students into small groups
-Students use their Do Now to fill in the K column of the chart and then engage in discussion among
themselves or with the teacher to fill in the W column.
-Instructor will hang up all of the charts for the duration of the project so that students may refer to
them to gain ideas for research topics.
-Instructor will present students with the options for their final product: travel brochure, newsletter,
or PowerPoint presentation. Groups may substitute a different product subject to instructor approval.
-Students will visit the following three sites to conduct their research:
http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/
http://www.ancient-greece.org/
http://www.yourdiscovery.com/greece/index.shtml
Students may seek information from other reliable sources upon seeking instructor approval.
-Students will be divided into heterogeneous groups. Instructor may assign roles to group members if
desired.
-Students will conduct research on computers in the library or in the computer lab. Teacher will
circulate to answer questions and keep students on task.
36
Phase Five
Test on the materials
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Homework
Reminder
-The test on the materials is the final product itself and the presentation of that material to the rest of
the class.
-While listening to other groups presentations, each student will write down at least three things he or
she learned from the other presentations. These lists will then be used to fill in the L columns on the
K-W-L charts now hanging in the classroom.
-KWL chart assess students’ prior knowledge and the sorts of things they would like to learn
-Teacher observation during research time assesses how the students conduct research and work as a
team
-The final product acts as a summative assessment for this first contextual research portion of the
unit.
-The project as a whole also contributes to the types of cultural analysis that will appear in the
Heroism Essay and on the short essay section of the common test
Reserve computer lab for work days
37
Heading
Rationale
Objective
Common Core Standards
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify aims and
establish set
Phase Two
Focus the discussion
Phase Three
Hold the discussion
Phase Four
End the discussion
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Homework
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Odysseus & Penelope
1-2 days
In this lesson, students will come to see the characters in The Odyssey as true characters and less as simply
heroic archetypes. Though we have focused most of our attention thus far on Odysseus, we will turn here
to Penelope in order to consider the role she plays in the story and what she represents. Though Odysseus
represents some of the heroic ideals of his society, his quest is ultimately a personal one. We will look at
what Penelope does to make Ithaca a home worth striving for.
-Given a Venn diagram, student will accurately identify character traits that belong to Odysseus alone,
Penelope alone, and the two of them together and will cite examples from the text of The Odyssey to
support each list.
-Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
-Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting
details and ideas.
-Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
-Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the
text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
Excerpts from The Odyssey found in our textbook
Discussion
Whole class, pairs
School – textbooks
Teacher – Odysseus Character Analysis handout, Venn Diagram handout
Student – writing utensils
Quick Write, Venn Diagram, Think-Pair-Share, Character Study
Do Now Question: Take out the Odysseus Character Analysis sheet where you have been keeping track of
Odysseus’ character traits throughout the course of the poem. Which of the traits on your list might have
an impact on Odysseus’ role as a husband and father and how might that be the case?
- Though we have focused most of our attention thus far on Odysseus, we will turn here to Penelope in
order to consider the role she plays in the story and what she represents. Though Odysseus represents
some of the heroic ideals of his society, his quest is ultimately a personal one. We will look at what
Penelope does to make Ithaca a home worth striving for.
-Pass out the Venn diagram sheet
-Students will perform a Think-Pair-Share activity. First they will think to themselves and make a
tentative list of traits in each part of the Venn Diagram. Then, they will break up into pairs to combine
their lists to fill out the diagram and locate textual support for their claims. We will then come back
together as a whole class to hold the discussion, which will form the “share” part of the activity.
-Instructor creates a large Venn diagram on the board to anchor the discussion and begins to fill it with
suggested items from student pairs.
-Pause to discuss students’ textual evidence for each example. Call on other students to reinforce findings
or voice dissent and alternatives.
-We have now at great length looked at the characters of Penelope and Odysseus. Now we will do a quick
write to reflect on their relationship.
-Quick Write: Why do you think Penelope remains loyal to Odysseus while he is away? Given what you
know about Odysseus, do you think she should?
-In addition to assessing students through the discussion itself instructor may collect Venn Diagrams to
check for understanding. The final quick write at the end of class also serves as a means of assessing
understanding.
- The continued discussion of heroic traits leads to the Heroism Essay summative assessment.
-Going back through the text for examples of Odysseus’ and Penelope’s behavior provides a thorough
review for the common assessment test.
-Finish quick write about Penelope’s fidelity.
38
Mr. Fontana
Freshman English
Name___________________________
Odysseus Character Analysis
As we read excerpts from The Odyssey, you will use this sheet to keep track of your thoughts
about the nature of the protagonist, Odysseus. In each row, you will write down one of
Odysseus’ qualities in either the “Heroic” column or the “Not-So-Heroic” column. Them, write an
example of something Odysseus does or says that exemplifies this quality. Record the page or
line numbers where your example can be found in the text. When determining whether a
personal quality is heroic or not, ask yourself whether or not this quality would have been valued
in Ancient Greek society. Two examples have been filled in for you.
Odysseus’ Heroic
Qualities
Cunning
Actions and Words
as Evidence (Cite
Example from Text)
Odysseus forms a
clever plan to escape
from Polyphemus’ cave
by hiding underneath
the sheep (page 964).
Odysseus’ Not-SoHeroic Qualities
Arrogance
Actions and Words
as Evidence (Cite
Example from Text)
Odysseus brags about
blinding Polyphemus
and gets himself in
trouble with Poseidon
(page 965).
39
Mr. Fontana
Freshman English
Name_______________________________
In the left circle of the diagram, list the distinguishing characteristics of Odysseus alone. In the right circle, list the distinguishing characteristics of
Penelope alone. In the space where the two circles overlap, list the characteristics that Odysseus and Penelope share. For each characteristic in all
three circles, provide an example of the characteristic from the text of The Odyssey.
Odysseus
Penelope
40
Heading
Rationale
Objective
9th Grade English
Mr. Tom Fontana
Heroism Essay
1 week or so
-Because the department’s common assessment test already focuses on the plot of The Odyssey
and the relationships between the characters, this essay will instead move beyond the bounds of
the text alone to consider the broader theme of heroism. After analyzing the nature of heroism in
The Odyssey, students will write about a hero that is more personally relevant to them and
practice developing a single line of discussion over the course of an essay.
-Students will write an essay focusing on someone they consider to be a hero, which will include
biographical information, a discussion of this person’s heroic actions and deeds, and a
discussion of the societal values that their hero’s actions exemplify. This essay will be evaluated
according to a rubric.
Common Core
Standards
-Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
-Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
-Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach.
-Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
-Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the
credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism.
-Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
-Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Reading Material
LP Format
Grouping
Materials & Resources
Excerpts from The Odyssey in the textbook
Presentation
Whole Class presentation, Individual work
School – board, textbook
Teacher – Essay handouts
Student – writing utensils
-Quick Write, Prewriting
-Do Now Question: Who is someone, living or dead, who is a hero to you and why?
-Today we are going to discuss the final essay for this unit, which will be about your
understanding of heroes and heroism.
-Present students with Heroism Essay Assignment Sheet and Essay Rubric
-Run down expectations for the assignment and take questions as necessary
Literacy Strategies
Phase One
Clarify Aims and
Establish Set
Phase Two
Present the Advance
Organizer
Phase Three
Present Learning
Materials
Phase Four
Application
Formative
Assessment
Summative
Assessment
Homework
Reminder
-Present students with a prewriting packet that will help them narrow down an essay topic and
sets of main ideas and details for the body paragraphs
-Review guidelines for acceptable sources and go over in more detail the way to conduct a
formal interview
-Students will have class time to work on their essays in the library or computer lab
-Use informal discussion to assess student understanding of the assignment
-Instructor may circulate around the room to scan over students’ prewriting work
-The essay itself is the summative assessment
-Reserve time in the library or computer lab to allow students time to work
41
Mr. Fontana
Freshman English
Name_____________________________________
Heroism Essay—60 Points
Throughout this unit we have been discussing the nature of the epic hero, not only the
individual accomplishments of the hero but also the societal values that the hero embodies.
Your task is to select a person to write about as a hero. This person may be a famous or
historical figure, or it may be someone you know personally.
Your Essay should include the following:
Introduction: Follow the “funnel format,” in which you move from the general issue to the
specific case. Include a hook to get your readers interested and keep them
entertained. The last sentence of your introduction should be your thesis
statement.
Body 1:
Include a short biography of your hero. Since you must keep this down to the
normal paragraph length, you must carefully choose only the most important
details about your hero’s life to share.
Body 2:
Discuss actions of your hero that you consider to be heroic. Again, select your
details carefully.
Body 3:
Discuss what societal values your hero’s actions exemplify and explain how they
do so. Your discussion in this paragraph should be directly connected to the
actions you discussed in Body 2.
Conclusion:
Follow the “reverse funnel format,” in which you move from restating your
particular main idea back out to a more general application of the idea.
Sources: This essay is not as involved as a formal research paper. However, you will still need to
document where your information comes from. You will need to use at least 2 reliable sources.
We will review together what constitutes a reliable source. (Note: If you are writing about
someone you know personally, your sources will likely need to be personal interviews with
people who know that person. I will give you a handout explaining how to conduct an
interview, and you will need to turn in interview notes with your essay)
Format: Essay should be in correct MLA format with a proper heading, last name and page
numbers on each page starting on page two, Times New Roman 12 point font, double spaced,
with title centered on page one.
Due Date: ___________________
42
Mr. Fontana
Freshman English
Name_________________________________
Essay Rubric
CATEGORY
10-9
8-7
6-5
4-0
Introduction
The introduction is inviting,
clearly follows the "funnel
format", and has a clear,
properly located thesis.
The introduction attempts
to follow the "funnel
format", has a clear,
properly located thesis,
but lacks creativity and
fails to intrigue the reader.
The introduction does
not clearly follow the
"funnel format", nor is it
inviting to the reader,
but there is evidence of a
thesis.
There is no clear
introduction of the
main topic or
structure of the paper.
Body
Paragraphs
All three body paragraphs are
thoroughly developed with at
least three quality details per
body paragraph that directly
support the thesis.
All three body paragraphs
are thoroughly developed
with at least two quality
details per body
paragraph that directly
support the thesis.
All three body
paragraphs are present
with at least one or two
details per body
paragraph that attempt to
support the thesis.
There is little to no
evidence of
paragraphing, and/or
does not support
thesis.
Conclusion
The conclusion clearly follows
the "reverse funnel" format,
beginning with a restated thesis
and leaves the reader with a
feeling that they understand
what the author is "getting at".
The conclusion attempts
to follow the "reverse
funnel" format, is
recognizable and ties up
almost all loose ends.
The conclusion does not There is no clear
show evidence of
conclusion, the paper
following the "reverse
just ends.
funnel" format, but there
is some attempt to
conclude the essay.
Format
Essay is in correct MLA format Essay is missing one of
with a proper heading, last
the format requirements.
name & page numbers on each
page starting on page two, uses
Times New Roman 12 pt font,
double spaced, with title
centered on pg one.
Essay is two of the
format requirements.
Essay is missing
three or more of the
format requirements.
Sources
Uses at least two appropriately
reliable sources that are
properly cited in MLA
formatting.
Uses at least two
appropriately reliable
sources that are cited in
MLA formatting with
only a few minor errors in
citation.
Uses only one reliable
source that is cited in
MLA formatting or uses
two reliable sources that
have significant error in
citation.
Does not use any
sources or makes no
effort to cite sources
properly.
Grammar &
Spelling
Writer makes no more than two
errors in grammar or spelling
that distracts the reader from
the content.
Writer makes 3-4 errors in
grammar or spelling that
distract the reader from
the content.
Writer makes 5-6 errors
in grammar or spelling
that distract the reader
from the content.
Writer makes more
than 6 errors in
grammar or spelling
that distract the
reader from the
content.
43