Developing Critical Literacy Through the Works of Mark Twain

Developing Critical Literacy through the Works of Mark Twain Teacher Quality Partnership Grant 2011

Christine Kendall Coventry High School, CT August 22, 2011

Narrative: The following unit and lesson plans are designed to the meet the needs of students who attend Coventry High School and are enrolled in the AP Literature and Composition course. Because the course is part of the Project Opening Doors national grant sponsored by Exxon-Mobil, students enrolled in this course have various learning styles and skills. The grant allows students of all ability levels, hence the “Open-Door” policy, to take this course regardless of their skill level. The following lessons are not subsequent, but are selected from various times throughout the study of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They offer opportunities for students to work independently, in pairs, in small groups, and as a whole class. This format provides students of all different learning styles, a time to learn at their own pace and in a way comfortable for them. Moreover, working in small groups and then independently provides students with opportunities to safely build on their close reading and writing skills which they need to strengthen to be successful on the AP exam which they will take in May, 2012.

Unit Overview: Foundations of American Literature Literature in this unit focuses on Native American myths and poems, Puritan literature including poems by Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” as well as slave narratives by Oloudah Equiano and Frederick Douglass. The slave narrative study also incorporates modern texts such as “Aren’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth and “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou. Civil war poems by Walt Whitman will also be studied. Class discussion will focus on close analysis of texts, as well as on broad literary, intellectual, and cultural developments in antebellum America. Students complete the unit with an in-depth reading of Mark Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Students analyze Twain’s use of humor, satire, and occasional pathos as well as the significance in the characterization of different social classes during the time period of the novel. In addition, students analyze the impact of the first-person protagonist narrator and other techniques Twain uses to create suspense in the story.

CT State Standards in English/Language Arts, Grades 9-12: 1.1 Students use appropriate strategies before, during and after reading in order to construct meaning. 1.2 Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend under-standing and appreciation. 2.1 Students recognize how literary devices and conventions engage the reader. 2.3 Students recognize and appreciate that contemporary and classical literature has shaped human thought. 2.4 Students recognize that readers and authors are influenced by individual, social, cultural and historical contexts. 3.1 Students use descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive and poetic modes. 3.2 Students prepare, publish and/or present work appropriate to audience, purpose and task. 4.2 Students speak and write using standard language structures and diction appropriate to audience and task. 4.3 Students use standard English for composing and revising written text.

Essential Questions: How do the attitudes of the general citizen and the stance of the American government, especially those of the South, on slavery and the treatment of Native Americans and blacks during the time period effect the characters and events that occur in the poems or novel studied?

* How does literature help us understand ourselves and others? * How has writing become a communication tool across the ages? * How does literature reflect the human condition? * How does literature express universal themes? Objectives: By the end of studying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, students:  Analyze the characters and their relationships to one another in the novel.  Analyze and explain the impact of the first-person protagonist narrator on the story.  Analyze and determine the impact of Twain’s use of literary devices, including humor, satire, and pathos on the novel.  Analyze and evaluate the significance in the characterization of different social classes during the time period of the novel.  Analyze the importance of literary elements, such as irony and foreshadowing, on the development of the plot in the novel.  Compose essays to a variety of AP style literary analysis prompts.

Pre-reading Material:  Lecture notes on the following topics include: o Biographical information on Mark Twain o Background information on Tom Sawyer o Background information on Huck Finn o The Banning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn o Facts on the Mississippi River o The first-person protagonist point of view o The occasional use of the second-person point of view o Various elements of the plot and structure of the novel o Various themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn o The contrast between social norms and honest morality Lesson One:

Essential Question: How has writing become a communication tool across the ages?

Objective:  Students read and analyze a selected passage from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and determine the impact of Twain’s use of satire on the novel.  Students collaborate and take notes in small groups and discuss the impact of Twain’s use of satire on the novel.  Students compose a first draft essay responding to the following prompt: o Read the following passage from Chapters 1 and 3 and write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how Twain establishes his satirical stance on organized religion. *

Procedure: 1. After students read chapters one through three for homework, they are given two specific passages selected from chapter one and three. They are also given and review, the essay prompt in which they will write a first draft response to after their analysis of the passages. Independently, students reread and annotate the passages identifying words or phrases which they think may be satirical. 2. Students record their observations in their reader’s notebook. 3. In small groups, students discuss their observations and then analyze how Twain’s use of satire effects the passage specifically on the satirical stance on organized religion. Students must support their assertions with examples from these passages. 4. To close the lesson, each group shares their observations with the whole class.

Homework: Using their notes from today’s lesson, students compose a first draft response to the following prompt:

Read the following passage from Chapters 1 and 3 and write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how Twain establishes his satirical stance on organized religion.

* Lesson prompt adapted from Prestwick House AP Teaching Unit on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Lesson Two:

* How does literature help us understand ourselves and others? * How has writing become a communication tool across the ages? * How does literature reflect the human condition? * How does literature express universal themes?

Objectives: By the end of studying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, students:  Analyze the characters and their relationships to one another in the novel.  Analyze and explain the impact of the first-person protagonist narrator on the story.  In pairs, students compose a first draft essay responding to the following prompt: o Read the following passage from Chapter 5 and write a well-organized essay in which you analyze the author’s methods of characterization and explain the impact of the first-person protagonist narrator on the story. Do not merely summarize the passage or offer a mere character description. *

Procedure: 1. After students read chapters five for homework, they are given a passage beginning with “I had shut the door…” They review the essay prompt, then reread and annotate the selection analyzing Twain’s method of characterization and explain the impact of the first-person protagonist narrator on the story. 2. Working in pairs, students analyze, discuss, plan, and compose a response to the prompt. 3. Closing the lesson, students share their observations about the passage, the activity, and ask questions about the passage or about Twain’s methods.

Homework: Rather than finishing their drafts for homework, students write notes that will be used to finish composing their first draft essay in class.

* Lesson prompt adapted from Prestwick House AP Teaching Unit on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Lesson Three:

* How does literature help us understand ourselves and others? * How has writing become a communication tool across the ages? * How does literature reflect the human condition? * How does literature express universal themes?

Objectives: By the end of studying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, students:  Analyze the characters and their relationships to one another in the novel.  Analyze and determine the impact of Twain’s use of literary devices, including humor, satire, and pathos on the novel.  Analyze and evaluate the significance in the characterization of different social classes during the time period of the novel.  Compose an essay to the following prompt: o Read the following passages from Chapters 17 and 26 and write a well-organized essay in which you explain how the settings described in the novel contribute to Twain’s characterization of America and contribute to the overall plot of the story. *

Procedure: 1. After students read chapter 26, they are given specific passages selected from chapter 17 and 26. They are also given and review, the essay prompt in which they will independently write a first draft response to- this essay will be taken to final publication with peer reviews and teacher conferencing. Independently, students reread and annotate the passages identifying words or phrases to help them prepare to answer the prompt. 2. In a whole class discussion, students share their observations and take notes on each other’s ideas. The teacher should write down students’ ideas on the board for visual learners. 3. Closing the lesson, the teacher asks students how they should begin writing their essay. Students brainstorm possible introductions and thesis statements.

Homework: Using their notes from today’s lesson, students compose a first draft response to the following prompt:

Read the following passages from Chapters 17 and 26 and write a well-organized essay in which you explain how the settings described in the novel contribute to Twain’s characterization of America and contribute to the overall plot of the story.

Subsequent lessons include peer and teacher conferencing through a writer’s workshop format.

* Lesson prompt adapted from Prestwick House AP Teaching Unit on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.