The Prince & the Pauper
By Mark Twain
The Prince and the Pauper is an English language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, the novel tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court off Pudding Lane in London; and Prince Edward, son of King Henry VIII.
The novel begins with Tom Canty, an impoverished boy living with his abusive family in London. One day, Tom Canty and Prince Edward, the son of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, meet, and as a jest, switch clothes. While dressed in the pauper's rags, the Prince leaves the palace to punish the guard who knocked Tom down. However, the boys look remarkably alike and because they switch clothes, the palace guards throw the prince out into the street. The Prince fares poorly in London because he insists on proclaiming his identity as the true Prince of Wales. Meanwhile despite Tom's repeated denial of his birthright, the court and the King insist that he is the true prince gone mad. Edward eventually runs into Tom's family and a gang of thieves and Twain illustrates England's unfair and barbaric justice system.
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Grade 6 - Quarter 3: PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
Overview: Film can be read as text and literature can give us insights into our own thinking and decisions. In this unit, we will explore the characters in The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. This historical fiction gives us a look at how the setting of a story creates an impact as well as an insight into the time period of 1547.
· Enduring Understanding (Big Ideas): Important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.
o Effective listeners contribute ideas and listen respectfully.
o Effective students evaluate and assess their own thinking (metacognition) to gain clarity in their understanding.
o Effective readers are independent learners who use critical thinking skills.
o Effective readers know that literature provides an understanding of human experience.
o Readers who analyze character’s responses to different situations can respond more flexibly to their own situations.
o Drawing conclusion supports thinking when making decisions.
· Essential Questions: Most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.
o How are movies like books? How are they different?
o Why should you analyze characters?
o How does where you are shape who you are?
Standards:
· Reading for all Purposes
o 1A – Use different kinds of questions to clarify and extend comprehension
o 1D – Relate literary text to information about its setting.
o 1E – Draw a conclusion from a text and provide details to support the answer.
o 1F – Summarize texts to identify relevant and important information, main ideas, and the theme.
o 2A – Generate questions, make/confirm/adjust predictions, make inferences, and draw conclusions based on text structures
o 2B – Organize the main idea and details to paraphrase key ideas or form a summary.
o 2E – Determine author’s purpose based on organizational structures, text features, and content.
o 3F – Investigate other sources, such as dictionaries, glossaries, or electronic resources, to determine the meaning of a word.
· Research and Reasoning
o 2A – Accurately identify own assumptions, as well as those of others
o 2B – Make assumptions that are consistent with one another
o 2C – Identify the natural tendency in humans to use stereotypes, prejudices, biases, and distortions
o 2D – Identify stereotypes, prejudices, biases, and distortions in self and the thinking of others
o 2E – Accurately state the assumptions underlying the inferences they or other make, and then accurately assess those assumptions for justifiability
o 3A – Determine strengths and weaknesses of their thinking and thinking of others by using criteria including relevance, clarity, accuracy, fairness, significance, depth, breadth, logic and precision
o 3B – Take control over their thinning to determine when thinking should be questioned and when it should be accepted.
Walt Disney Version of “The Prince and the Pauper”
What I Know / What I Want to Know / What I LearnedPRINCE AND THE PAUPER MOVIE GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
While watching the movie, take vigorous notes. In the space below, write down the events in the story as they occur. Then, write a one paragraph summary of the story.
PRINCE AND PAUPER CHARACTERIZATION CHART
Type of Indirect Characterization / PRINCE / PAUPER / PAUPER’S FATHER / KINGSPEECH
THOUGHTS
EFFECT ON OTHERS
ACTIONS
LOOKS
THINKING QUESTIONS
1. Describe how the setting impacts the story.
2. What stereotypes are made in this story?
3. What assumptions do you think people made during that time period, and how do you know?
4. Which characters show prejudice and how?
5. What do you believe the author’s purpose was in writing this story?
6. How does what you know about characterization change your views of the characters?
7. Find three pieces of figurative language (idiom, simile, metaphor, etc) to connect to “The Prince and the Pauper.”
In your own words, using your plot chart, summarize the story.
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