Don't Read Shakespeare Under a Ladder: Looking at Superstition in Literature
| ||||||||
 Nevada Objective(s): Students will develop an understanding of tone, theme, imagery, language, and stylistic devices by going through several individual, small group, and whole group activities. Students will demonstrate this understanding by using these items to analyze a piece of literature in a formal multi-paragraph essay to be written in standard English. |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
 The activities vary from individual process, small group tasks, and whole class discussions. |
||||||||
 Day 1: 1. (Theme) Journal topic: Superstitions guide the lives of men. 2. Class discussion. Suggested Questions: a. How do students feel about people who are superstitious? b. What are the most outrageous superstitions the students have ever heard? c. How many students read their horoscope daily/monthly? d. What kinds of superstitions guide everyday life? e. Have students ever known a superstition to come true? f. How do superstitions come about? 3. As a class create a new classroom superstition. Remember that it must have a consequence. 4. Read "The Tradition" by Algernon Blackwood and "Superstitious" by Shel Silverstein. Day 2: 1. (Language) To prepare for this activity the teacher should compile modern teenage scenarios (sample list attached) in a hat or bucket and several pieces of paper with "Shakespeare," "Blackwood." "Silverstein," and "Modern" written on them in another hat/bucket. Each student is assigned the letter A of the letter B. Call up teams of one A and one B. The team will pick a scenario and a language style. The students are to act out the scene using the language of the author they have drawn. 2. (Imagery) Given a Sensory Chart (like the one attached) students are to work in teams. Each small group is assigned one of the literature pieces. They are to fill out the chart citing examples of sensory words/phrases used in the piece they are assigned. Teams will share their finding with the rest of the class on an overhead projector or using Power Point. If you have a class that is resistant to performing, you may want to substitute with a storyboard activity. Day 3: 1. (Tone) Have students listen to three pieces of music. The recommended pieces are listed in the resource section. Students are to listen to all three pieces and decide which piece of music matches the tone of each piece of literature. 2. (Stylistic Devices) Give the students a list of some stylistic devices used in the three pieces of literature. Have the students, individually or in pairs, define the device, identify the title of the text in which the device is found, the text in which the device is found, and list a direct quote from the text that shows how the device is used. A sample worksheet is attached. 3. (Writing Process) Students will use the writing process to demonstrate their understanding of literary analysis. Essay topic: In a four-paragraph essay evaluate the author's treatment of theme in Julius Caesar, "the Tradition," or "Superstitious" by using two (2) of the following: imagery, tone, language, or stylistic devices. Students must use direct evidence from the selection to support their assertions. |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
Participation in daily activities and multi-paragraph essay will be used to assess student progress. |
||||||||
 Poem: "Superstitious" Shel Silverstein Short Story: "The Tradition" Algernon Blackwood Improvisation Prompts Literary glossary or handbook |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||
