Jiqsaw- Lit Circle/ "The Story of an Hour"

Author: Erica

Lesson Plan:

Audience: 7-10 grade

Aim:

Do you think it is important to live for yourself?

Do you learn more after discussion with peers as opposed to reading on your own?

Objective:

1.The students will be able to make connections between the story and the outside world

2. The students will be write at least 5 thought-provoking questions on a piece of literature

3. The students will be able to identify their visualization of a section the piece and describe what it represents to the piece.

NYS Standards:

Standard 1- Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

Standard 2- Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.

Standard 4- Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction.

Materials/ Technology:

Index cards with descriptions of the jobs and color and number

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

Job worksheets

Anticipatory Set:

The teacher will point out that on their tables is a job sheet and a copy of “The Story of an Hour.” The teacher will briefly describe when and where the story was written and some background information on Kate Chopin’s life and writing. The teacher will say, “We all have secret lives,” and discuss some of the different lives the students might lead out of school and in school. To give the students a purpose for reading she will ask the students if they can infer what Mrs. Mallard’s secret life is.

Differentiation / Modifications: The students will be working in random groups to discuss the job that the group was assigned. The students will switch groups and, acting as a representative for their prior group, will hold a brief discussion on their job.

Procedure:

1. (1 min) As students enter the room they will receive a colored coated and numbered index card with a job and description on the back. They are to sit at the table that matches their color on the card.

2. (2 mins) The teacher will review what is due on Monday, hand back and collect any homework.

3. (3 mins) Anticipatory Set

4. (5 mins) The teacher will focus the students attention to the job sheet at their tables. She will explain each of the jobs: Artful Artist, Captain Connecter, Discussion Director, Vocabulary Enricher and the POV Converser. The teacher will tell the students to keep their jobs in the back of their head while we read the story.

5. (10-12 mins) The teacher will conduct a read along of “The Story of an Hour.” The students are encouraged to highlight and take notes while reading.

6. (10 mins) Guided Practice- Students will begin cooperatively working in their job groups. They should work interdependently on their sheets.

7. (10 mins) Checking for Understanding- The teacher will walk around the room asking groups critical thinking questions, keeping them on task.

1. What was the actual reason for Mrs. Mallard’s death?

2. Why do you think Kate Chopin had Louise die at the end?

3. Can you list some of the new vocabulary words you learned from this story?

4. What was the relationship like between Brently and Louise?

5. Evidence an understanding of the relationship between the historical period of the story and the construction of gender.

8. (1 min) The teacher will ask the students to put their pens and pencils down. They are to turn their index card over and look at the number on the back. The students will now switch to the table with the matching number. There will be at least 1 representative of each job at a table.

9. (5mins) Closure: The teacher will redirect the classes attention as a whole group. She will ask questions that promote discussion among the larger group.

1. What was Mrs. Mallard’s secret life?

2. What is the significance of Mrs. Mallard’s name change to Louise?

3. Do you think it important to live for yourself?

4. 2. What did you learn from the discussion that you didn’t notice when reading the text?

Assessment: The teacher will collect the sheets at the end class for a homework grade.

Discussion Director/Facilitator

You are responsible for writing down thought-provoking questions that will create a good group discussion on the story/play/poem you are reading. You are the leader of the group. It is your job to keep the discussion going and to keep your group on-task.

Literary Luminary/Alternate Facilitator

Your job is to choose parts of the story/play/poem to read aloud to the group. The idea is to help students remember some interesting, powerful, puzzling, or important sections of the story. The Literary Luminary must decide which passages or paragraphs are worth reading aloud, and justify the reason for selecting them.

If the Discussion Director is out, you are responsible for keeping your groups discussion going.

Captain Connector

You are responsible for finding connections between the story/poem/play and the outside world. Your job is to connect this material to any of the following: your own life, happenings at school or in the community, similar events at other times and places, other books or stories, other writings on a similar topic, or other writings by the same author.

Point of View

Your job is to retell the story/poem/play in the point of view of another character in the story/poem/play. Discuss in your group what some of the other characters saw, heard, his or her actions and what they might have said in the story to establish their point of view. Use your imagination.

Artful Adventurer

Your job is to create an artistic representation on a particular part in the story/poem/play that created a vivid image in your minds as you were reading. You may use any artistic method you choose. You must be able to explain what you chose to represent and why.

Vocabulary Enricher

You are responsible for finding important vocabulary in the story/poem/play. Vocabulary selected should focus on words that are unfamiliar, interesting, important, repetitive, funny, puzzling, descriptive, vivid or those used in an unusual way.

Discussion Director

As the Discussion Director, it is your job to write down some good questions that you want to talk about in your group. List a minimum of five thought provoking questions below. (Think of these starters: Why..., If..., What..., Who..., and How...)

* Remember: It’s you’re job to keep the discussion flowingJ

Literary Luminary

As the Literary Luminary, it is your job to read aloud parts of the story/play/poem to your group in order to help your group members remember some interesting, powerful, puzzling, or important sections of the text. You decide which passages or paragraphs are worth reading aloud. You must justify your reasons for selecting them.

Some reasons for choosing passages to share might include:

* Pivotal events * Informative * Descriptive * Surprising * Scary*

* Thought-provoking * Funny * Controversial * Confusing

* Personally meaningful*

Page _____

Paragraph ______

Reason for choosing passage

Page _____

Paragraph ______

Reason for choosing passage

Page _____

Paragraph ______

Reason for choosing passage

Captain Connector

As the Connector, it is your job to find connections between the story/play/poem your group is reading and the outside world. This means connect the reading to:

* Your own life * Happenings at school or in the neighborhood*

* Similar events at other times and places * Other books or stories*

* Other writings on same topic * Other writings by the same author*

Think about a minimum of three connections today's reading reminded you of. List the connection and explain how the events are similar.

1.)

2.)

3.)

Artistic Adventurer

As the Artistic Adventurer it is your responsibility for sharing an artistic representation of the material you read for today’s literature circle. Some ideas for sharing may include: a character, the setting, a problem, an exciting part, a surprise, a prediction, or anything else.

What I shared: __________________________________

On the lines below please provide a written description of what you shared and explain how it represents a part of the assigned reading.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the space below please draw or explain or provide your artistic vision.

Vocabulary Enricher

As the Vocabulary Enricher, it is your job to look for especially important vocabulary words within the story/play/poem you’re group is reading. Words chosen should be:

* Important * Unfamiliar * Different * Puzzling*

* Funny * Used in an unusual way * Interesting*

You must include:

-Word selected and page # where found:

-Definition based on context -- use of dictionary is encouraged!

-Reason word was selected:

10.

When your group members meet, help them find and discuss the words you have chosen. You might discuss the following:

◦ How does the word fit in the story?

◦ How does this word make you feel?

◦ What are the origins of this word?

◦ What images does this word remind me of?

POV Converser

As the Point of View Converser it is your job to retell the story/play/poem from another characters point of view. Discuss in your group what some of the other characters saw, heard, his or her actions and what they might have said in the story to establish their point of view.

Use your creativity. This can be in the form of a play or story.