LESSON DAY 2:

 

TITLE: Focus on “The Lottery”

SUBJECT: American Literature and Composition

GRADE: 10th

QCC(s): 2, 11, 27, 36, 41

 

GENERAL OBJECTIVES: (IRA/NCTE standards for the English Language Arts)

Students will:

• Read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. (No. 1)

Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. (No. 2)

• Apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics). (No. 3)

• Participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. (No. 11)

• Use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). (No. 12)

 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: (Georgia’s Quality Core Curriculum)

Students will:

• Read critically, ask pertinent questions, recognize assumptions and implications, and evaluate ideas. (Topic: Core Skills – L.A. 9-12 No. 2)

• Use inferential comprehension skills (e.g., predictions, comparisons, conclusions, implicitly stated main idea). (Topic: Core Skills – No. 11)           

• Analyze logical relationships in arguments and detect fallacies. (Topic: Critical Thinking – L.A. 9-12 No. 27)

• Engage in discussion as both speaker and listener, critically and constructively interpreting, analyzing, and summarizing ideas. (Topic: Speaking/Listening – L.A. 9-12 No. 36)

• Write in narrative, descriptive, persuasive, and expository modes with emphasis on exposition. (Topic: Writing/Usage/Grammar – L.A. 9-12 No. 41)

 

PROCEDURES/TEARCHER NOTES:

Daily Writing Prompt: [10 minutes]

As students enter the class each day they will be given a new expository prompt either in a handout, written on the board or projected by an overhead. Students will respond to the text by writing a paragraph.

 

Prompt:

"Statement" by Martin Niemoller:

"In Germany, they came first for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I was not a communist. Then, they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up because I was not a Jew. Then, they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then, they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then, they came for me and by that time, no one was left to speak up."

 

Question the students will answer: Think about what you have just read. Write an expository paragraph to turn in explaining your response to the text.

 

Quick Write: Students will create a fast response paragraph as quickly as possible. When the students have finished their fast response, they should place it in their class folder, put their pen/pencil down and remain quiet.

 

Overview of main lesson:

Step 1: [10 minutes]

Introduction – The teacher will  start the lesson by asking students to define the term scapegoating.

 

Step 2: [20 minutes]

When a working definition is reached the teacher will then transition from the definition into a discussion. For example: In “The Lottery” the sacrifice ritual that takes place operates on the principle of "scapegoating". How does "The Lottery" use scapegoating? What end result is desired by the townspeople. Are there any examples in our current society of using scapegoats?

 

Step 3: [20 minutes]

The teacher will further the discussion by asking the class further questions:

Why are the townspeople holding the lottery? Why don't they stop? Is this writing style a type of horror? What type of atmosphere does Jackson create at first, and how does that change?

 

Step 4: [25 minutes]

Students will share what quotes they picked. The teacher will have the class discuss whichever scenario occurred: great variation in the choice of quote, great similarity in quote choice or closely split. Have them come to a conclusion on why they think that was the result.

 

CLOSING: Think about the fact that no one in the community attempted to stop the lottery. Protest and lack of protest is something we will explore in our future reading and especially in The Crucible.

 

MATERIALS: Dry erase markers, copies of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

 

ADDITIONAL TEACHER NOTES:

If students have strong opinions about what happened, then it means that the simulation touched them in some way. Further questions should be explored.

a)     Did the withholding of information make the conclusion of this story more disturbing for you?

 

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS: Students will provide their quote and reaction paragraph. Students will need to have paper, pen/pencil.

 

EVALUATION:

Discussion: Responses by students will illustrate understanding or lack of understanding of “The Lottery” and the themes it explores.

 

Assignment: Concrete assessment will come from the previous night’s homework, the presentation of their quote in class, and their written explanation of their choice that they will turn in for a classwork grade.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS: See accommodation sheet

 

REFERENCES:

Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery.” 1969. The Lottery. 22 Nov 2001.

http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/shorts/lotry.html

Niemöller, Pastor Martin. "Statement." Pastor Martin Niemöller. 22 Nov 2001.

http://serendipity.magnet.ch/cda/niemoll.html

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1