Lesson Plan:  April Morning Introduction

 

AIM: 

• How can historical information enhance our understanding of the novel April Morning?

 

DO NOW: 

• Copy notes on the Revolutionary Period (see attached).

 

MOTIVATION: 

• Students will watch a short video clip of the first landing on the moon (see www.geocities.com/baione11).  They will then be asked to write from the point of view of someone who lived through this event (Armstrong, people at control, someone watching on TV, etc.)

 

PRODEDURE:

 

1.             Discussion of Historical Background.

·        Teacher will review the notes on the Revolutionary Period.  Questions such as: “How did the Age of Reason set the tone for revolution?  How were non-importation policies indicative of revolutionary sentiment?” will be asked.

 

2.             Students will be asked to perform the motivational exercise described above.  Volunteers will be asked to share their creative pieces.  Teacher will ask students to keep the idea of creating a fictitious story created in historical in mind when reading April Morning.

 

3.             Teacher will give a brief introduction to the novel April Morning, explaining the genre of a historical novel, introducing the characters, and reminding students to take notice of setting and point of view in their reading.

 

 

SUMMARY:

• Students will be asked to relate ideas concerning the genre of April Morning to the historical information discussed in class.  Students will be asked what type of situations do they think the characters in the novel will have to deal with.

 

 

HOMEWORK:

• Read April Morning, chapter 1, p.3-27.  Write down one sentence from the novel for each of the vocabulary words (see attached).

 

Lesson Plan:  April Morning Chapter 7, Part I

 

AIM: 

• How can literature enhance our understanding of history?

 

DO NOW: 

• Read excerpts from Encyclopedia entries.

 

MOTIVATION: 

• A volunteer will be asked to read instructions for assembly and operation of an electronic device.  Students will periodically asked questions like: Do these instructions say anything about the mental distress I will go through trying to hook it up?  Do these instructions say anything about how aggravating it is to change these batteries?

 

PRODEDURE:

1.             Motivational exercise.

 

2.             Review of historical novel genre. 

·         Students will be asked to define a historical novel. 

 

3.             Group work

·         Group work will be framed in the following method:

o        Each member of the group will be assigned a role (spokesperson, recorder, moderator, observer)

§         Both the work of the recorder and the observer will be collected at the end of class.

o        The goal of the group is to answer the “aim” question.  Students should use the following outline as a checklist to keep themselves on task and to reach their goal in a timely fashion.

§         Interpret quote.

§         Explain the quote in the context of the novel (both immediate and in its entirety).

§         Compare known information about the text to the Encyclopedia excerpts.

 

4.             If time permits, a summary of chapter 6 will be created as a class.

 

SUMMARY:

• A spokesperson from each group will be asked to report on their group’s findings.  Teacher will record responses on the board.

 

HOMEWORK:

• Read April Morning, p. 175 – 187.  Write down one sentence from the book for each of the vocabulary words (see attached).