Class/Period: 3

Date: November 30 – December 4, 2009

Teacher : D. Thomas
Lesson Topic: Baseball In April & Living Up The Street

Essential Qs:

Subject Standards: Tortured by the universal fact of organic decay, Victor Frankenstein is
determined to reverse this process, to create new organic life. He haunts charnel
houses, investigates both the old and the new sciences of his day, and gives
himself with unqualified passion to his quest. To his ecstasy Frankenstein
discovers that “what had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the
creation of the world, was now within my grasp.” (p. 49). Our first lesson will
be devoted to discussing the obsession that drove Frankenstein’s experiment
and to relating that obsession to the scientific world of our day. Students will be
asked to judge the actions of scientists past and present and relate their actions
and discoveries to Frankenstein.

This lesson will take 4- 5 periods.

Reading Standards:
Math Standards:
Content Objectives: During this unit students will:

• Identify literary devices of author to model his style [Reading

Comprehension 3.6]
• Write literature response speeches [Speaking Applications 2.1, 2.2 , 2.3]

Lang Objectives: As the students do these activities, they will consider the following questions:

• What is the importance of setting in the work of Gary Soto?

• What themes appear in Hispanic art?
• Why should I learn about Mexican American culture?
• Who was Cesar Chavez?

Key Vocabulary:

Materials/Resources:

In the Classroom

After students have read Baseball in April: and Other Stories encourage them to explore what it means
to be a teenager in today’s society. Ask students to discuss, in small groups, the issues that concern them
as teens. Encourage students to think about the factors, historical and otherwise, that determine how one
comes of age in a particular community. Prompt students to write journal entries that contemplate what
it means to be a teenager in the United States. What are some of the achievements and problems most
teenagers’ face? In addition, have students think about other religious, social or ethnic groups – how
does being a teen in that culture differ from the characters portrayed in the short stories?