Teacher: Ms.

Hanawalt
School: Thompson Valley High School
Grade Level: 9th
Date: Content Area: English
Title: Diving in: An Introduction to The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Lesson Idea/Topic and
Rationale/Relevance:

This lesson will focus on one pre-reading

strategy and background on Ernest
Hemingway. Students will begin reading
The Old Man and the Sea after this
lesson we may start it in class time
permitting and so this will help them to
get thinking about some themes they may
come across in the book. This is the
beginning of their next unit.

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1

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.
Understandings:

The background on Ernest Hemingway

Anticipation Guides
How pre-reading strategies aid us in beginning a piece

Essential Questions:
How do pre-reading strategies and background knowledge help us begin to understand
as we begin a book?

Evidence Outcomes:
I can participate in a pre-reading strategy to help further my understanding of themes I
should be thinking of as I read this book.
This means I know how to engage with text and universals thoughts/themes.
Assessment:

Diagnostic: anticipation guide

Name and Purpose of Lesson

Approximant Time and

Materials

Diving In: Pre-reading and background knowledge

for The Old Man and the Sea
The purpose of this lesson is to get students
thinking about some themes they may come across
while reading this book and to gain a basic
understanding and appreciate for who Ernest
Hemingway was and why he is an important author
to our society.
45 minutes
YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0JQDe0GCNHg
Copies of book?

Anticipatory Set

Handout: Anticipation Guide

Ask students: By a show of hands, who has heard
of Ernest Hemingway and can name at least one of
his works? Ask one student to share a work they
know by him.
Start the biography video on Ernest Hemingway
and ask students to be ready to respond at the end
with three things: (write them down)
What they already knew
What surprised them
What they want to know more about
Ask a few students to share out

How do you intend to engage

students in thinking during the
Anticipatory Set?

Procedures

I am asking students to recall prior knowledge on

Ernest Hemingway and by showing them the video
I am frontloading them with new knowledge and
asking them to be engaged so that they can
respond to my three questions with evidence from
the video.
We will begin this portion of the lesson during the
last 45 minutes of class.
8:15: Begin with anticipatory set

8:25: After wrapping out anticipatory set, hand out

anticipation guides and explain what I will be asking
them to do.
8:27-8:40(ish): Have students fill out anticipation
guide (Im not sure how long this will take exactly. I
want to them circle agree or disagree and write
comments explaining their thinking. There are only
6 questions, so it should not take too terribly long).
8:40-8:55: Have students share with Philosophical
Chair-AVID Strategy-some their answers to their
questions. Then have them share out in the full
class. We will discuss a few of the themes on the
guide.

Closure

Differentiation

Assessment Reflection

On the bottom of the handout I will have them write

a short reflection on what they think the book with
be about and whether they think reading the book
will change their mind about some of the themes
that were on the anticipation guide.
Have students turn in their anticipation guide for
their ticket out the door. They will be returned to
them after a week or so.
I am allowing students to speak out in class and to
speak with table members. I want all their thoughts
to be heard, but I know so of them are not always
willing to share out in class. For those who do not
like to speak, their voices will be heard on the
anticipate guides. I am modifying for those who are
more hesitant to speak out-loud.
I will be collecting their anticipation guide and
reading them to see what students are thinking and
where we can go with the instruction of this book.

Anticipation Guide for The Old Man and the Sea

Name:
Date:

1.If you work hard, you will succeed.

AGREE/DISAGREE

COMMENTS:

2.Giving up is all right, only if it would prevent you from dying.

AGREE/DISAGREE

COMMENTS:

3.You should never quit at something if your honor is on the line.

AGREE/DISAGREE

COMMENTS:

4.Friends and enemies can be one in the same.

AGREE/DISAGREE

COMMENTS:

5.Humans are dominant over nature.

AGREE/DISAGREE

COMMENTS:

6.Your own body can betray you.

AGREE/DISAGREE

COMMENTS:

(Credit to my CSU colleague, Liam Kelly, for the Anticipation Guide)