Name: Meghan Moore Lesson #4

Subject/Grade: 11th Grade Advanced Placement School Year: 2012-2013

Title of Unit: Personal Experience and Storytelling: War Seen Through the Lens of Literature

Lesson Title: / Characters and the Role of Truth Within Fiction – Chapters 5-8 of The Things They Carried
Grade Level/Subject Area: / 11th Grade – Advanced Placement
Student Profile: / Number of Students: 20
Number of Students with Special Needs: 0
Duration: / 90 minutes
Objective: Purpose of the lesson / The purpose of this lesson is for students to discuss Chapters 5-8 of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and the significance of character and their roles within a fiction text. The will also gain an understanding of the role of truth within fiction and how it is used and/or manipulated for the author’s purposes.
Students will be able to identify the protagonist and antagonist of a text.
Students will be able to identify how these two characters, along with other characters, contribute to the overall plot of the novel (considering there is not overarching plot between the separate short stories).
Students will be able to identify what each character within O’Brien’s novel represents to the novel as a whole.
Students will be able to articulate how to concept of “truth” within fiction and fictionalizing fact affect the reader and his response to the story.
Standards:
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Pages/Default.aspx / ELACC11-12RL2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of 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.
ELACC11-12RL4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
ELACC11-12RL3: Analyze the impact of the author’s 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).
ELACC11-12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
ELACC11-12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
ELACC11-12SL4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternatives or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
ELACC11-12SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Essential Questions: / 1.  How does war affect the definitions and perceptions of heroism and courage?
2.  How does the personal narrative and storytelling help the writer/storyteller to cope with personal experience?
3.  How do the characters of a text (short story, novel, etc.)
4.  What does the term “truth” mean within the realm of fiction writing?
Anticipatory Set: “Do Now” / “People, People, People”
Choose a character from last night’s reading and write a short response to following prompt:
“In O’Brien’s novel, the plot structure is nonlinear, as it is a collection of short stories. In a paragraph, explain your chosen characters role within his/her story. Furthermore, briefly explain how this character’s role relates to the other characters within the novel, in so far as we have read.”
Prior Knowledge: What will students need to know in order to be successful? / Students will need knowledge of historical and biographical information regarding the novel and the author.
Students will need to know the definitions to the following terms: protagonist and antagonist.
Students will need knowledge of the characteristics of fiction and nonfiction.
Modeling: How will students know what is expected? / For the purposes of modeling, as the students complete their “Do Now” activity, the teacher will complete her own along with them. As the student volunteers read their responses, the teacher will also present hers to illustrate proper form.
Check for Understanding: What techniques will be used to monitor learning? / The exit ticket that the students will complete will check for retention and comprehension of key concepts discussed in class.
Guided Practice: What activities will be done to provide students with an opportunity to practice what they are learning? / Students will be presented with the following quote from the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story.”
“In any war story, but especially a true one, it is difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way. The angles of vision are skewed…The pictures get jumbled; you tend to miss a lot. And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed.” (p. 71)
This quote will be the prompt for a class discussion of the concept of truth and how O’Brien manipulates the truth, or writes the stories as the “seemed” to have happened. The teacher will lead the discussion asking for input from students, having them draw evidence from the novel and giving analysis of these excerpts as they apply to the topic at hand.
Independent Practice: How will learning be reinforced? Homework? Exit ticket? / Students will be divided into four groups and each group will be assigned two chapters (starting at Chapter 1 and ending with Chapter 8). In this group work, they are to fill out a Characters and Their Roles Worksheet with the characters’ names, their roles (protagonist, antagonist, major, minor), along with their impact on the novel so far. Students are to keep this worksheet with their MWDS and used as reference notes.
Also for independent practice, students will be expected to continue filling out their Major Works Data Sheet as we discuss the chapters in The Things They Carried.
Students will also complete an Exit Ticket before leaving class to demonstrate retention and comprehension of key concepts discussed in class.
Students will also be assigned homework of reading Chapter 9 “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.”
Closing: How will the lesson end? Refer back to essential questions. / Exit Ticket: Present the students with the quote discussed earlier from the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story.” Instruct them to respond to following prompt:
“How does the concept of “truth” and fictionalizing fact affect the reader’s response?”
Detailed Sequence of Activities: Number/list the lesson procedures. / 1.  Do Now
2.  Distribute “Characters and Their Roles” worksheet to each student.
3.  Once students have completed their Do Now, divide them evenly into four groups.
4.  Assign each group two chapters (starting with Chapter 1 and ending with Chapter 8).
5.  Instruct students to discuss the role of the characters in each of their respective chapters and their larger role in the novel within their groups, making note of these observations and conclusions on their “Characters and Their Roles” worksheet.
6.  Instruct students to keep these worksheets with their Major Works Data Sheet, which they should also continue to fill out as the class discusses the novel.
7.  Instruct students to come back together as a class, and present them with the following quote from the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story:” – “In any war story, but especially a true one, it is difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way. The angles of vision are skewed…The pictures get jumbled; you tend to miss a lot. And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed.” (p. 71)
8.  Lead the students in a discussion about this chapter and this specific passage and how this concept of truth relates to the novel as a whole, as it is a collection of short “true” war stories.
9.  Closing – Exit Ticket: On a clean sheet of notebook paper, have students write a short response to the quote presented earlier to the following prompt:
“How does the concept of “truth” and fictionalizing fact affect the reader’s response?”
Accommodations/
Modifications: Refer to student profile. / No accommodations are necessary.
Materials: What materials are needed for the lesson? Include any helpful URL’s. / A copy of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried for each student
“Characters and Their Roles” Worksheet
Major Works Data Sheet
White board and markers
Technology Connection: What kind of technology are you incorporating into the lesson? / No technology will be incorporated into this lesson plan.