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Five-day lesson plan for teaching The Most Dangerous Game to ninth graders

DAY ONE: Monday, November 28, 2006
What were
doing today
Prepare for The Most Dangerous Game by discussing various
meanings of game, and types of traps. Investigate how an author
chooses vivid language to create images for readers. Story predictions.
Begin reading.
Nuts & Bolts

Put the following up on the overhead:
DO NOW:
Read this paragraph, some of the words from the original text have been
replaced with words that are less effective, blander, overused, or boring.
For each underlined word or phrase, come up with two possible
replacements choose words or phrases that are more expressive and
paint a more vivid picture in the readers mind.
Its rather unknown
What island is it? Rainsford asked.
The old charts call it Ship-Trap Island, Whitney replied.
A descriptive name, isnt it? Sailors have a strange fear of the
place. I dont know why. Some superstition
Cant see it, remarked Rainsford, trying to look through the
dank tropical night you could almost touch as it pressed its thick
warm blackness in upon the yacht.
Read out paragraph several times with different suggestions inserted.
Discuss virtues of various options and the way an author can use
language to make the readers see, feel, touch, taste, understand, etc., and
how word choice is essential for creating the mood the author wants.
Using overhead to project questions, have students write answers in
their notebooks. Take time to discuss each one before revealing the
next:
1. What is game as it relates to hunting give TWO possible
answers and describe what would make each the most
dangerous.
[Game = sport; Game = prey]
3. What is a trap? Are all traps physical?
4. What are your views on hunting? Does it matter if its for
sport or survival? (Find out if any of them have ever been
hunting, or have friends or relatives who hunt.)
5. Based on the title of the story and the conversation weve just
had, what do you think this story will be about?
Begin reading story out loud. Stop at top of p13, Right. Good night,
Whitney.
Homework Read to I am General Zaroff. (In your textbook, thats at the bottom of
the right-hand column on page 15).
If you can go on-line, read the annotated text I have posted in the FOR
MY STUDENTS segment of my website (www.anenglishteacher.net).
If you dont have Internet access, take an annotated copy before you
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leave so you can answer the questions I have inserted in this segment
(which ends at the bottom of page 3).
Either way, you have to answer the questions in complete sentences,
preferably typed. If your work is hand-written, please double space by
skipping every other line.
Assessment Did everyone write and participate in discussion?
Were there several suggestions for each space? Did students see
differences in tone based on word changes
Did they make reasonable predictions about the story?

DAY TWO: Tuesday, November 29, 2005
What were
doing today
Continue reading of The Most Dangerous Game. Examine creation of
atmosphere or mood.
Execution: DO NOW:
Answer the following questions in your notebooks (project on
overhead).
In addition to realism, the author has created a specific
atmosphere. What mood do you think the author is trying to
create in the opening of this story? Do Rainsford and Whitney
know each other? Are they friends? Peers? What do we know
about them and their relationship from their initial conversation?
Discuss use of dashes at end of lines as method of creating more
realistic sounding speech in which speakers cut each other off, interrupt,
and answer quickly. Does it work?
Read next segment of story, beginning at bottom of p. 15. Take notes
while we read. Read to p. 19, top of left-hand column (Your scruples
are quite ill founded.)
Homework Write a short conversation between two people. Make sure readers will
be able to learn something about their relationship from the
conversation and the descriptions you supply.
Answer the questions in the annotated text, beginning where you left off
last night, going through what we read in class (we should have finished
at the bottom of page 6), continuing to the end of fourth paragraph on
page 8. (the faint report of a pistol.)
If you can go on-line, read the annotated text in the FOR MY
STUDENTS segment of my website (www.anenglishteacher.net). If
you dont have Internet access, use the annotated copy you took
yesterday so you can answer the questions.
Either way, you have to answer the questions in complete sentences,
preferably typed. If your work is hand-written, please double space by
skipping every other line.
Assessment Did everyone write and participate in discussion?
Were there several suggestions for each space?
Were students able to ascertain anything about the relationship
between Whitney and Rainsford from their conversation?

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DAY THREE: Wednesday, November 30, 2005
What were
doing today
Reading The Most Dangerous Game

Execution: DO NOW:
Think about the reason Zaroff said he might have to stop hunting. Make
some notes about what characteristics youd give to an animal were
creating to solve this problem. You can work alone or in pairs.
When completed, ask each team to share, post all answers on the board,
remind them to write everything down.
Take out homework: any volunteers to read?
Collect all; read some anonymously.
Ask after each reading what audience learned about speakers and their
relationship. How did author convey that information?
Quick review of what happened in text and discussion of questions
answered for homework.
Begin reading from p. 21 middle of left-hand column (where finished
reading for homework).
Hand out story mapping forms (attached). Begin at desks, share results
so all can have complete set of answers.
Homework Draw a picture of the animal you imagined in class today. Details are
more important than actual artistic talent. Add a paragraph or so
explaining why you chose the characteristics (physical and emotional)
you did.
Answer the questions in the annotated text, beginning where you left off
last night, going through what we read in class today and continuing
through the middle of page 10. (Rainsford knew the full meaning of
terror.)
If you can go on-line, read the annotated text in the FOR MY
STUDENTS segment of my website (www.anenglishteacher.net). If
you dont have Internet access, use the annotated paper copy.
Either way, you have to answer the questions in complete sentences,
preferably typed. If your work is hand-written, please double space by
skipping every other line.
Assessment Did students develop comprehensive list of characteristics?
Did anyone volunteer to share their dialogue?
Were students able to ascertain anything about the relationships
of the characters from the dialogues their classmates wrote?
Did we complete all the reading planned for the day?
Did the students participate in completing the story map? Did
their participation indicate they understood the story?

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DAY FOUR: Thursday, December 1, 2005
What were
doing today
Finish reading The Most Dangerous Game

Execution: Hand in drawings, share.
Quick review of what happened in text they read for homework and
answers to annotated questions.
Begin reading from p. 24 middle of left-hand column (where finished
reading for homework). Try to read to end of story.
Homework Answer the questions in the annotated text, beginning where you left off
last night, going through what we read in class today and continuing
through the end of the story.
If you can go on-line, read the annotated text in the FOR MY
STUDENTS segment of my website (www.anenglishteacher.net). If
you dont have Internet access, use the annotated paper copy.
Either way, you have to answer the questions in complete sentences,
preferably typed. If your work is hand-written, please double space by
skipping every other line.
Assessment Did the students answer the questions in the text?
Did we complete all the reading planned for the day?



DAY FIVE: Friday, December 2, 2005
What were
doing today
Finish discussion of The Most Dangerous Game and give quiz.

Execution: Quick review of homework questions.
Complete story maps, eliciting answers from students and recording on
board so everyone has complete set.
(Distribute story-points handout?)
Short answer quiz on basic plot points.
Homework None
Assessment Did the students participate in completing the story map? Did
their participation indicate they understood the story?
Did they take the quiz?

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Questions to consider prior to reading The Most Dangerous Game

1. What is game as it relates to hunting give TWO possible answers, and
describe what would make each the most dangerous.


2. What is suspense?


3. What is a trap? Are all traps physical?


4. What are your views on hunting? Does it matter if its for sport or survival?


5. Based on the title of the story and the conversation weve just had, what do you
think this story will be about?
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Questions to consider prior to reading The Most Dangerous Game

1. What types of sensory images are available to a writer? (List as many as you
can think of.)


2. How might the images a writer chooses create or alter the mood of a story?


3. Some of the words from the original text of this paragraph have been replaced
with words that are less effective, blander, overused, or boring. For each
underlined word or phrase, come up with TWO possible replacements choosing
words or phrases that are more expressive and paint a more vivid picture in the
readers mind.

Its rather unknown
What island is it? Rainsford asked.
The old charts call it Ship-Trap Island, Whitney replied.
A descriptive name, isnt it? Sailors have a strange fear of the place. I
dont know why. Some superstition
Cant see it, remarked Rainsford, trying to look through
the humid tropical night you could almost touch as it pressed its thick
warm blackness in upon the yacht.
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DO NOW:
Answer the following questions in your notebooks.
1.In addition to realism, the author has created a specific atmosphere. What mood do you
think the author is trying to create in the opening of this story?
2.Do Rainsford and Whitney know each other? Are they friends? Peers? What do we
know about them and their relationship from their initial conversation?





DO NOW:
Think about the reason Zaroff said he might have to stop hunting. In your notebook,
make some notes about what characteristics (physical and otherwise) youd give to an
animal were creating to solve this problem.