Learning Experience Plan

Subject: English Language Arts Unit: Tennessee Williams A Street Car Named Desire Topic: Post-Reading and close reading Content Standards: Reading Standards for Literature 612: 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. 3. Analyze the impact of the authors choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). Writing Standards 612 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Explore and inquire into areas of interest to formulate an argument. a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audiences knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. Grade level: 10 Day/periods: 4/25/13

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d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Literacy Standards: Learning Experience Outcomes Learning Experience Assessments Students will: 1. Students will write their ideas about 1. Cite three significant scenes which passages are important on a throughout Tennessee Williams Brian storming web. play that illustrates Blanche as a 2. Sketch to Stretch sheet victim or insane. 3. Narrative pyramid 2. Analyze the importance of each 4. Venn Diagram passage they chose. 3. Organize their ideas using a Narrative pyramid to summarize and convey the down-fall of Blanches mental health. 4. Compare and Contrast how Blanche and Stanley view the environment around them. Differentiation Approaching On-level Beyond These students will have The same techniques that Choosing significant many different charts that are used for the passages throughout the will help them summarize approaching students may entirety of the play will their main points. be interesting for the Onrequire tremendous focus; Throughout this unit they level students. They may this will be a challenging have grow accustomed not depend on them as aspect in this lesson for with using charts to heavily but they are every student. The Beyond organize their ideas. sources that help engage level student will have to Summarizing is a new skill them within the lesson. think on a deeper level than that they will be The diagrams also become before because their using developing but the a learning tool for them. many different intelligences narrative pyramid will help within the lesson. them because it is very goal directed. Curriculum Integration Material Procedures/Strategies
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s/Resou rces Day 1 Board Sponge Activity We will create a brain storming map on the board and the focus topic will be What are significant passages within Tennessee Williams play that illustrate Blanche as a victim or mentally incompetent? (Assumed response: pg 77 Blanche says that she has love and lost that what makes her a victim of the harsh realities of life, pg 72 Blanche likens herself to a butterfly and she says butterflies are fragile, this may reflect her mental state, pg86. Mitch confronts Blanche about all her lies, this suggests that shes not a trustworthy person, pg. 89 Blanche is a victim because Stanley rapes her which has a negative effect on her psyche).

Anticipatory Set Board We will write on the board Why does dialogue and stage directions create such a challenge in determining the mental state of Blanche? (Assumed Response: The different perspectives of each character influence how we see Blanche, the dialogue exposes each characters dark secrets, and they show biases that each character has.) (Teachers Response: We can connect these answer with the passage we chose for the brainstorming map) Activating Prior Knowledge We will watch these YouTube clips and identity their significance within the play. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWjlDSDUGMQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVNxwNQYQKU (Teachers response: In these clips we can see the two different positions we are trying to grapple with. IN both these clips it can be argued that Blanche is a victim of circumstance but it also can be argued that her mental state has diminished. In these clips Blanche is hunted by both her memories of her marriage and Stanley, who physically harms her.) -These activities are connected to the question we asked before but we
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Youtube

need more evidence, we need textual support! Narrative Pyramids Direct Instruction : The teacher will read the definition of summary by, http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/glossary/sl_glossary.htm. Summary is retelling the main idea of a story by briefly writing on the main topic The Teacher will define summary in his/her own words: Summary is a concise and coherent restatement of important information and points in a text. Teachers Direct Instruction: Narrative Pyramids help readers summarize stories and main ideas in very few words. It allows us to be very critical about the information we decide to place within the diagram. (Refer to pg 6) Here is an example of my own Narrative pyramid and summary. I did not include page numbers because I do not want to take away any of your ideas. Narrative pyramids and Series of events chart -Lets take out the play and start marking down significant passages that answer the question of Why does dialogue and stage directions create such a challenge in determining the mental state of Blanche?

Guided Practice I would like us to accomplish the Narrative pyramid with one other partner. I would like you to include page numbers within the pyramid. This will be easier if you draw a series of events chart in the back of your pyramid. Write down the significant events on your series of events chart and use it to fill out your pyramid.

Loose Leaf paper

Closure Students will take a sheet of loose leaf and draw a Venn diagram. In the Venn diagram students will compare Blanches inner turmoil through the stage directions and her outward actions. Please try to find some similarities between her actions and motivations. We can use our pyramids to answer these questions. Independent Practice
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Homewor k

In your note book write a paragraph about Blanches dual life and how it contributes to the idea that she is not mentally healthy.

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