CLIL/ER LESSON PLAN
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
A Brontë’s novel
Wuthering Heights straddles the traditions of both the Romantic and the Victorian periods, a cross
between the Gothic (Romantic) and Domestic-Realist (Victorian). Its emphasis on intense passions,
idealization of childhood, glorification of nature, and celebration of individualism all link the novel
with the Romantic period, but there is also a leaning toward community, family, and duty, which are
more Victorian concerns. Emily Bronte's tightly-condensed style, imagery, and descriptive passages
are combined with her ability to portray the deep feelings of her characters. The themes of revenge,
romantic love, and the struggle between social classes are timeless ones to which students today can
readily relate. While the novel is not an example of either waning Romanticism or emerging
Victorianism, its structure-the use of first-person narration in several forms-is notable. Mostly,
though, students will appreciate the passionate love story and the suspenseful plot that have made
Wuthering Heights a classic.
CLIL/ER LESSON PLAN
PRELIMINARY INFORMATIONS
LEVEL
TIME
STANDARDS
B1+/B2- level (CEFR)
Learning L2 Vocabulary through Extensive Reading
3 hours
This lesson plan addresses the following standards:
• Students read a wide range of literature from many
periods in many genres to build an understanding of
the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical,
aesthetic) of human experience.
• Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and
visual
language
(e.g.,
conventions,
style,
vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.
AIMED LEVEL
OBJECTIVES
Written assessment
Oral assessment
Skills (Personal sphere)
Personal relationships
Artistic and intellectual activities
Students will:
• read the novel Wuthering Heights ;
• review summary of the novel's plot and major
characters;
• analyze a theme;
• teach a theme-based unit to the class.
SYSTEMATIC
APPROACH:
Communicative Language Teaching Approach
COMPETENCES:
Competence in Linguistic Communication
Competence in Learning to Learn
Cultural and Artistic competence
Digital Competence
Social and Civic competence
Autonomy and Personal Initiative
CONTENTS:
1. Listening, speaking and oral interaction
2. Reading and writing
3. Knowledge of the language
4. Socio-cultural aspects and intercultural awareness
TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
MATERIALS
Lead-up activities
Main activities (while-and post-activities)
+ Pre-reading activity of the next chapters
•Wuthering Heights (one for each student)
•Computer with Internet access
•Poster board, markers, and other materials for
creating visuals
VOCABULARY
Language focus
Elicit some of the vocab in the text directly connected to
storytelling - students underline all words they can find - in pairs.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
ACTIVITY
EVALUATION
A visit to a local theatre / assembly hall to watch the latest
version of Wuthering Heights
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work
during this lesson.
• Three points: Students were highly engaged in
class
discussions;
gave
thorough
and
clear
summaries of the plot and character descriptions;
developed creative, thoughtful units on a theme that
answered all questions provided.
• Two points: Students participated in class
discussions; gave adequate summaries of the plot
and character descriptions; developed units on a
theme that answered some of the questions
provided.
• One point: Students participated minimally in
class discussions; gave incomplete summaries of the
plot or character descriptions; developed units on a
theme that answered few or none of the questions
provided.
PART 1
GENERAL
Procedures
1. After students have read Wuthering Heights , review its plot and major characters with the class.
Ask students to summarize each chapter.
Write the names of characters on the board as they are introduced. When each chapter has been
summarized, ask the class to brainstorm words and phrases that describe the characters.
2. Divide the class into two groups and assign each one a theme (see step #3). Explain that each
group must answer questions about their theme. Then each group will have one class period to
prepare a unit on their theme and another class period to teach it to the class.
3.Give each group the questions below:
Theme: The Role of Social Class
• Describe the social class of the Earnshaws, the Lintons, and Heathcliff. Which are of
a higher social class? Why is this significant?
• How does social class motivate Catherine's actions? How does she try to change her
class?
• How does Heathcliff's social class influence the way he is treated and his own
actions? How does Heathcliff's class change?
• What is the role of class in the novel? How do tensions in the book result from class
struggles?
• What role do the servants Nelly, Joseph, and Zillah play in the novel?
Theme: The Significance of Setting
• Describe the setting of the Yorkshire moors.
• Describe the houses Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Include
descriptions of architecture and the surrounding landscape.
• How do the houses reflect their inhabitants?
• Do the houses symbolize their inhabitants? Give examples.
• How do the settings influence the novel's characters?
4. Have student groups develop a unit based on their theme. Each should begin with an overview of
the theme; answers to the questions above should suffice. Each unit will also include a creative or
visual presentation, such as posters or drawings, a reenactment of a scene, or a presentation of
modern parallels. The groups should prepare questions that will encourage the class to participate in
a discussion.
5. Have each group teach their theme-based unit.
PART 2
INTRODUCTION
Wuthering Heights, with its multiple narrators, offers the perfect opportunity for students to think
about perspective, and how the different points of view in the text affect how we feel about its
characters. In this exercise, students will write a ghost chapter of a short section of the novel. A
ghost chapter is the construction of a narrative related to an existing story that supplements or
replaces the existing account with the events told from another perspective.
The activity will help students better understand the way the novel is laid out in different voices and
viewpoints. Additionally, it will afford them the opportunity to think and write creatively about the
information that different narrators present.
What You Need:
A copy of Classic edition of Wuthering Heights for each student
Copies of Handout
How Did It Go?
Did students understand the importance of point of view in the novel?
Were they able to come up with alternative narratives?
Did they experiment with voice and style to make clear who is telling the story?
Did their ghost chapters try to retain the basic events of Brontë’s novel, or did they experiment with
the plot and characters?
PROCEDURES
After students have completed the first ten chapters of the novel, the teacher decides to assign the
writing portion for out-of-class work.
TIME: The activity can occupy either one whole class period, or twenty minutes of a class period.
COMPREHENSION TASKS
Task 1
Have students get out their books.
Ask them to think about the people who have been telling the story up to this point
in the novel (through the tenth chapter). Starting with the first chapter of the novel,
have students go through the book quickly to ascertain who the narrators have been
through Chapter 10.
Write them on the board.
The list should at least include Lockwood and Nelly/Ellen Dean, but it may also
include Catherine Earnshaw/Linton, (since they’re never actually married, although
she writes the name on the windowsill) since we get a glimpse at her account of “An
Awful Sunday” on p. 24, and Heathcliff, who briefly gets a voice through Nelly
when he tells her what he and Catherine did at the Lintons’ on p. 57.
Task 2
Ask students to consider how different things might look if they heard the story
recounted by any other character who doesn’t get to tell his or her version of the
story.
Ask who they would like to hear tell the story, and who would tell the best version
of the story.
Remind students of the secrets characters keep, and ask them to consider whose
secrets they wish Brontë would divulge more directly. Then tell students to continue
to pay attention to narrator shifts, and try to figure out what details we miss out on,
and what details we get access to by virtue of who tells us what happens.
Task 3
Have students choose what they think is a significant or interesting moment in the
text through Chapter 10.
Their selection may range from one paragraph to two pages, and should be a place
where the text’s narrator leaves out or doesn’t know all the facts, or where they felt
another character’s perspective might be worth knowing.
Basically, they should choose any part of the novel that made them wonder, “What
really happened there?”
You may also wish to provide these moments for students to save time. Some
possibilities are listed on the handout.
Task 4
Distribute copies of Handout for the ghost chapter assignment.
Explain what a ghost chapter is, and assist them with the directions.
Tell them how much you would like them to write, and whether they are to complete
it in class or for homework.
Task 5
Students share their completed versions with the class, and ask them to explain why
they made the choices they did in constructing them.