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Frankenstein Unit Plan Brenna Ariel Johnson Fall 2012, Eng 311

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AP Literature, 11th Grade Miss Johnson An exploration of Mary Shelley!s Frankenstein. Unit Overview/Rationale: For this unit, students in an 11th grade AP Literature course will be reading Frankenstein. This novel contains many essential questions that are still relevant to our world today, especially when thinking about the advancement of technology. By no means is this unit meant to discourage exploration or discovery, simply to allow students an opportunity to question if there are any ethical lines that may be crossed with it. Much of this unit is discussion-based, allowing for students to form and respond some of these essential questions themselves, and come to their own conclusions. Student progress will be tracked through formative assessments everyday, as long as a summative project at the end of the unit. Classroom Demographics: The classroom environment that this lesson is intended for is in an area that lies in between a rural or suburban classication. A prime example of this is Kenowa Hills High School in Walker, MI. Currently, enrollment at this school is roughly 3,300, leaving the expected size of each class at about 21-30 students. In 2010, the ethnicity of students broke down as 86 % White/non-Hispanic, 7% Hispanic, 3% Black, 1% Asian, and 1% Multiracial. ! For further information, please visit:
1. http://www.khps.org/les/Kenowa%20Hills%20High%20School %202010%20SDPA.pdf

2.

http://www.khps.org/

Since my classroom is an AP Level course, statistically speaking, it will most likely have less diversity than the average class. Frankenstein will be a text accessible to both minority and non-minority groups, as it shows the marginalization of "The Other# and the consequences that can come of such actions. Theoretical Approach: Though many pieces of classical literature are taught through a New Critical Theoretical approach, my unit primarily focuses on the Reader Response Theory. Many of the classes begin with a writing prompt asking students what their response to the previous night#s reading was. I am looking for students to discuss the meaning that the text had for them personally. This could include multiple types of reactions- anywhere from emotional responses, to a personal memory, to a connection to a previous reading. I want the students to think about the essential questions that this novel poses, be able to discuss these questions with one another, and then reach their own conclusions. Most days I want the students to be the ones doing the majority of the talking, not me. I believe that the most signicant learning takes place when students are able to make these realizations on their own, as opposed to being taught that there is only one "correct# way to interpret the text. The implementation of this theory manifests itself in some of the projects in the class, such as the "Create your own Monster# assignment which allows students to seek out the characteristics of a person that they feel are the most important to them, making them do some reection on their values. A day in the class in which students act out a chapter from the book has a

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similar concept. Students must decide what they felt was important in the chapter, and present it to the rest of the class. Moreover, the summative project- writing a Gothic Horror Short Story- requires students to pick an idea that they are passionate about to use as some sort of warning to society, as Shelley does in Frankenstein with the concept of dangerous knowledge.While my plan is mostly focused on Reader Response, there are also some aspects of a Socio-Cultural Theory, especially on the day where students read recent informational texts and listen to the TED talks, to see if one of the warnings in Frankenstein is still relevant with today#s society. Furthermore, since it is an AP class, there is a bit of incorporation of New Critical Theory into the curriculum, which could be seen on an AP exam. An example of this Theory is in one of the introductory lessons in which the elements of a Gothic Horror Novel, as well as information about the life of the author. Again, though all of these theories are incorporated at one point or another into the lesson, the main focus lies in that of Reader Response, and allowing students to draw their own conclusions from the reading. Accommodations: My lessons are very adaptable for students who have mainstream disabilities, one of the most common of which being ADHD. As mentioned previously, my classes primarily tend to be interactive and discussion-based. Students are not required to stay quiet for extend periods of time, but to be active participants in the discussion. I have tried to include many different sorts of activities (writing, watching, listening, discussing) every day without spending too much time on any one topic, so that students with attention decit disorders will be able to focus without getting bored. ! For students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities, Frankenstein can be an even more difcult read. Luckily, it is available in audio-book form in the public domain, so that students will be able to access the text in a manner that will make it easier for them to comprehend and follow. Assessment: One may notice that in my unit there are no formal tests or quizzes anywhere to be found, nor does it contain a very formal summative essay at the end. This is because I feel as though I will have sufcient enough information gathered from the other forms of assessment to measure student learning, comprehension, and growth. There are many days in which students are asked to do writing responses to the texts during the class which will be collected at the end of the course. These responses are a good way to gage what students are thinking about the reading, as well as make sure that they are keeping up with it. Class discussion is also a large part of the assessment that will be taking place. Students will be told at the beginning that they will be receiving a grade for their participation, so I can keep track of who is actively partaking in our conversations to share what they have been taking from the text so far. There are also opportunities for students to share what they have been learning with a partner, or a small group. At these times, I will be oating around the class and listening in on the groups to ensure that everyone is making benecial contributions to the learning of each group. Moreover, there are a number of projects of different sizes throughout the unit. I believe that these are fun projects, that students will enjoy doing,

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but the thoughtful completion of each will make connections to their reading and facilitate learning. Some Essential Questions/Learning Objectives: Students will be able to answer essential questions such as: ! -What is personal responsibility? ! -Where is the line between passion and obsession? ! -How can knowledge be dangerous? ! -How do society#s standards of beauty impact everyday life? ! -Is monstrosity learned or innate? Students will recognize the multiple perspectives that can be used to tell a story, as Frankenstein, in a sense, has 3 different narrators Students will be able to make connections between informational texts, literature, and its signicance to the world today. Students will be able to pick out the most important details and themes of the story and explain why. Students will be able to support their claims with evidence. Students will learn the elements of a Gothic Horror Story.

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Lesson Plan for Day 1 Title: Crossing the Line? Overview: To begin the unit students will have been assigned Hawthorne#s short story The Birthmark to read over the weekend. They will come to class prepared to discuss the story. We will discuss Alymer#s obsession and how his desire to remove his wife#s Birthmark went too far. I will then shift the conversation to examples of current controversies in the realm of technology, getting students to begin thinking about the theme of the danger of knowledge, which they will record in their journals. Goals/Objectives: ! ! ! ! ! Students will be able to identify themes in The Birthmark. Students will be able to make connections between the story and modern controversies. Students will begin to think about the advances that are being made in technology and what might be doing more danger than good.

Materials Needed: ! ! -Copy of The Birthmark -Student Journals

Activities/Procedures: To begin the class, I will pass out a unit calendar so that the students will have an idea of what to expect from the upcoming weeks. We will move onto a discussion about The Birthmark. I will ask students to write their response to the story on a half sheet of paper before asking for volunteers to begin our conversation by sharing what they wrote. Students will be asked about how far they think someone will go to achieve success. The prior question will lead into asking questions in regards to how students feel about current or potential technological advancements, and whether they might be crossing any ethical lines. The class will by wrapped up by passing out copies of Frankenstein. The response they wrote to The Bookmark will be collected as an exit-slip to the class. 5 mins 20 mins

25 mins

5 mins

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Assessment: I will be paying attention to the participation level of each student during our classroom discussions. Students will also be assessed by their short responses that they are turning in at the end of class to The Birthmark, which will be benecial to the students who are more shy.

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Lesson Plan for Day 2 Title: Meet Frankenstein Overview: The class will begin by dispelling myths about Frankenstein. The students will be given a basic overview of Mary Shelley#s life and the circumstances under which the idea for Frankenstein was formed. I will then go over the elements of a Gothic Horror Movie, and to display these elements, will show Tim Burton#s short "Vincent.# Students will then be prompted to write a response to the short, giving specic examples of how it resembles a Gothic Horror Novel. Goals/Objectives: ! ! Students will know the inspiration behind Frankenstein Students will recognize the elements of a Gothic Horror Novel

Materials Needed: ! -"Vincent#- Tim Burton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFg2lE7mFGA

Activities/Procedures: Class will begin by asking students what they know about Frankenstein. We will have a conversation that dispels the modern myths that surround the Monster and bringing it back to the text. 10 mins

I will then give a brief description of Mary Shelley#s life around the time that 10 Frankenstein was written, along with the night that she was inspired to write mins this story. Students will then receive a handout that we will go over in class, discussing the elements of a Gothic Horror Novel. After becoming familiar with the Elements of a Gothic Horror Novel students will be shown Tim Burton#s animated short, "Victor, that portrays many of these elements. To wrap up the class, students will write short responses to Victor and connect it to the elements that they learned previously in the hour to demonstrate their understanding of this topic. Class will end with the students being assigned to read Letter 1 through Chapter 5 for the following day. I will collect their responses to Vincent as they leave. 10 mins 10 mins 10 mins 5 mins

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Assessment: Student#s responses to Vincent will be a form of formative assessment, to ensure that students have understood what a Gothic Horror Story entails, and how to pick these elements out of a medium.

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Lesson Plan for Day 3 Title: The Saga Begins Overview: After a brief laugh (I hope) to begin the class, we will launch into a discussion exploring some of the major themes of the rst 5 chapters of the book. I will then go over expectations for the rst small project that students have. We will end by listening to part of the audiobook and having reading assigned for homework. Goals/Objectives: ! ! ! ! ! Students will know the difference between modern Frankenstein and the character in the book. Students will recognize the role of a frame narrative. Students will be able to make comparisons between characters and motives. Students will start to question the extreme acquisition of knowledge.

Materials Needed: ! -Frankenstein book ! -Student Journals ! -Link to video clip: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/digital-shortrelight/1173548/ Activities/Procedures: The class will begin by watching a SNL clip parodying Twilight and Frankenstein. We will briey discuss the ways in which the monster in the book is different from how people view it today. Students will write a brief response to the prompt "Describe your reaction to last night#s reading# in their journals. This will be collected at the end of class. After students have written their responses and have had time to reect on the reading, we will begin a class discussion. Some sample questions from these chapters are on an attached paper. I will go over the handout explaining the requirements for the Make Your Own Monster project and allot time for any questions. They will have tonight and tomorrow night to complete the assignment. Class will end by listening to an iTunes podcast of the rst half of Chapter 6 of Frankenstein. The rest of Chapter 6 through Chapter 10 should be read for Homework. Responses to the prompt will be collected as students leave. 7 mins

6 mins

25 mins

7 mins

10 mins

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Assessment: Student#s reection that is collected at the end of class, as well as participation in class discussion will be two different ways in which formative assessment is used.

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Make your own monster

Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay?- Victor frankenstein

in the spirit of the book, each of you are being assigned to create your own monster. dr. frankenstein toiled month after month to perfect his creation. you will have until friday. your assignment is to pick several characteristics of people that you admire that can be visually represented with body parts. using photos from magazines/posters/ etc. cut out the body part and paste them all together to make a single being. You must provide a write up explaining why your monster is the perfect creation (1 page minimum). what characteristics are you trying to convey with each body part? why did you choose this particular person? if your creation was brought to life, would each characteristic go together cohesively, or would you think that you had created something hideous, like victor? you will be presenting your creation to your classmates briefly (3-5 minutes) on friday. Grading Scale ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ____ ! ____ ! ! ____ ! Monster looks as though it was put together thoughtfully (5 pts) Detailed, written page explanation of what each body part represents and why it was chosen. (15 pts) A 3-5 minute long explanation of creation for classmates (10 pts)

Total: 30 points

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Possible Discussion Questions Day 3

-What role does a frame narrative play in a story like this? -Do you think Walton and Victor share any characteristics? Explain. -In what ways does Victor resemble a God-like character? In what ways does he not? -Do you think that Victor would have had the same reaction to his creation if it had been beautiful? Why or why not? -Does Victor have a responsibility to nurture his creation? Why or why not?

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Lesson Plan for Day 4 Title: Trial By Jury Overview: Students will reect on their reading by rst discussing it with a partner, and then with the whole class. Goals/Objectives: " " Students will be able to compare two stories with similar themes. ! Students will be able to look at an argument from multiple sides. ! Students will use evidence to logically defend their opinions. Materials Needed: ! -Frankenstein book

Activities/Procedures: To open the class, I will have students respond to the prompt: Compare what you know about Frankenstein so far to Hawthorne#s short story The Birthmark in their journals. Students will have a short time to briey remark on the similarities or differences that they have noticed between the two tales. Students will discuss the events of the previous night#s reading with a partner, specically focusing on the topic of responsibility. Each group should come up with reasons as to why or why not Victor should be held responsible for the deaths of William and Justine. The class will come together to discuss the topic as a whole. I will ask each group to defend their positions and allow room for discussion so that counter-arguments and rebuttals will be heard as well. Students will be reminded that their Make Your Own Monster project is due the following day and that they will be presenting it to the class. They can use this time for any last questions they may have about the assignment. Finally, they will be told that they have until Monday to read Chapters 10-16. 10 mins

5 mins 15 mins

20 mins

5 mins

Assessment: Students will be formatively assessed by the responses they have written in their journals, as well as with their participation in discussion with their partners and the class as a whole.

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Lesson Plan for Day 5 Title: Monster Mash Overview: Students will be presenting their Monster Creations in groups. Students will then be read the poem "Barbie Doll,# and discuss modern standards of beauty. Goals/Objectives: ! ! Students will be able to clearly present ideas to others in small groups. ! Students will begin to identify the characteristics of perfection that are idealized in ! our society. Materials Needed: ! -"Barbie Doll# by Marge Piercy ! -Student projects ! -Frankenstein books Activities/Procedures: To begin class, students will be randomly split into groups that have at least 5 mins 5 people. Within these groups, each student will share their creation for about 5 minutes and be able to answer any questions that the others in the group might have. Any common themes among the monsters should be noted. Have groups report to the class any similarities that were found between their creations. Read aloud the poem "Barbie Doll# by Marge Piercy. Ask what our society#s current standards of beauty are and discuss how those who lack it might be treated differently. Remind students to have Chapters 10-16 read by Monday, and have them pass up their projects before they leave. 30 mins

24 mins

1 min

Assessment: Students completion of the Monster project, their participation within their small groups, and participation in the conversation about "Barbie Doll# will be used as formative assessment.

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Barbie Doll
This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs. She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Her good nature wore out like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up. In the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie. Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending.

Marge Piercy

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Lesson Plan for Day 6 Title: Act It Out Overview: Students will be broken into groups to form a presentation that summarizes the main point of the assigned chapter. They will then be given guidelines for a Gothic Horror short story that they will be writing. Goals/Objectives: ! ! ! Students will analyze the text to be able to identify the important points and themes. Students will come up with creative ways to present material.

Materials Needed: ! ! -Frankenstein books -Guidelines for Short Story

Activities/Procedures: I will begin the class by randomly dividing students into groups. This time, there will be 3 groups, one to be assigned every chapter from the reading. Groups will come up with a short skit that will present the most important elements of their chapters. Give a few examples of possible forms of presentation: a traditional skit, a talk-show, a rap, a game show, etc. Everyone must play some sort of role. Each group will have about 8 minutes to present their skit to the rest of the class. The class will end by passing out guidelines for the Short Story Project, due the following Wednesday. Chapters 17-19 will be assigned for homework. 2 mins 20 mins

25 mins 10 mins

Assessment: Students will be formatively assessed by their participation in creating a skit for their group, as well as the important themes that each group has chosen to bring to light through this assignment.

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Gothic Horror Short Story

We all learned the circumstances under which Mary Shelley came up with the idea for her classic novel. As we read this horror tale, you have the opportunity to write your own. Rough drafts will be due one week from today (the Monday after we finish up the novel). Your job is to take the elements of a Gothic Horror Story that we learned about in class, and create your own scary tale. However, like Mary Shelley, your tale should contain some sort of warning/message that you would like to convey to the rest of society. Shelley did a good job of writing a horror tale without excessive description/use of gore and violence, so try to keep the blood and guts to a minimum. The final product of your stories should be about 3-4 pages long. Students who wish to present their stories will have an opportunity to do so in class.

Grading scale: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Total: ____ Elements of Gothic Horror Story ! included (10 points) ____ Paper is without grammatical ! errors (10 points) ____ Story is original, and has a clear ! message/theme (20 points) ____ Revision/Attention to comments of ! Peer-Editors have been made. (10 ! points) ____ Participation in writers workshop ! (5 points) 55 points

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Lesson Plan for Day 7 Title: Letters to Victor Overview: Students will write a letter to Victor sharing how they feel about his decision to make a female creature, supporting their thoughts with evidence from the books. Students will then discuss their letters in small groups, and make predictions about the potential outcomes of Victor#s actions. Goals/Objectives: ! ! ! ! Students will be able to think critically to examine the actions of a character and support their arguments using evidence from the text. Students will be able to make plausible predictions about the future of the text using the information that they already have.

Materials Needed: ! ! -Frankenstein Books -Student Journals

Activities/Procedures: Class will begin by asking if students have any questions that they thought of over their night in regards to the Short Story project. Instead of a short writing response today, students will be asked to write a letter to Victor in response to his decision to create a female monster. They will either reafrm or condemn his decision to give into his creature#s request, and support their reasoning with evidence from the text as well, as personal opinions. 10 mins 20 mins

This time will be used for students to share their responses with their 10 mins neighbors and to different opinions and the reasoning behind each with one another. The class will reconvene to briey discuss the conclusions that everyone came to about Victor, and to make predictions about what will happen next in the story based off of his actions. Class will end by students being assigned Chapters 20-21 to read for Thursday, meaning that they have 2 nights to complete this assignment. Letters to Victor will be collected. 10 mins

5 mins

Assessment: The letters that students have written to Victor will be used as a form of assessment, as well as participation in classroom discussion after these letters have been written.

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Lesson Plan for Day 8 Title: Informational Texts Overview: Class will be divided into group, with each group inspecting a different informational text. They will take notes, relating these texts to what they have read so far in Frankenstein. Students will then be shown a TED talk about bio-engineering. Goals/Objectives: ! ! Students will be able to pick out key details of an informational text. ! Students will be able to make connections between literature and informational ! texts, making Frankenstein more applicable to the modern day. Materials Needed: ! -Informational Articles on Tuskegee Experiments, Fernald Experiments, Designer ! Babies, and GMOs ! -Link to TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/ paul_root_wolpe_it_s_time_to_question_bio_engineering.html ! -Frankenstein book! Activities/Procedures: As class begins, students will be divided into 4 groups. Each group will be given an Informational Text. Two of these are related to past scientic experiments that show examples of the pursuit of knowledge gone too far (Fernald Experiments, Tuskegee Experiments). The other two deal with current controversial issues in the realm of technology. Students will be asked to read these texts within their groups and make comparisons to Frankenstein. Tomorrow groups will be asked to briey present their topic, and the connections that they found, so notes should be taken. 5 mins 22 mins

Students will be shown a TED talk about bioengineering that describes 25 mins procedures that are currently possible in the scientic realm and brings to light the question of how far science should be allowed to go when it begins to interfere with human life. Students should record the striking details of this speech on a piece of paper, as this video will also be briey discussed in tomorrow#s lesson. To nish class, students will be reminded that groups should come prepared to present their articles the following day, in addition to having Chapters 20-21 read. 3 mins

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Assessment: I will be oating around from group to group to assess the level of participation among students, as well as the connections they are making to the reading.

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Lesson Plan for Day 9 Title: Information Texts Part II, Bringing it back to the plot Overview: Students will review their topics with groups from the previous day before presenting in class. Students will take about 5 minutes to present these topics with their groups. The rest of the class period will involve a discussion about the reading. Goals/Objectives: ! ! Students will be able to concisely present important information to a class. ! Students will be able discuss a good way to balance intellectual and emotional ! pursuits. Materials Needed: ! ! -Frankenstein books -Student journals

Activities/Procedures: Class will begin by asking students to get back in their groups from the previous day, and to quickly review their topic. Each group will present their article for about 5 minutes, giving a brief overview of the summary, how it relates to Frankenstein, as well as any possible implications for today#s world. Student will then be asked to briey journal their reactions to the reading for today. Where their predictions made a few class periods ago correct? The students will discuss the reactions, leading into a discussion about the reading for today: the destruction of the female creature, the death of Henry, etc. Class will end by assigning the last few chapters (22-24) as homework for the following day. Students will also be told to begin thinking about songs that are good representations of the themes and characters in this story. Journals will be collected as students leave. 5 mins 20 mins

5 mins 20 mins

5 mins

Assessment: Students will be assessed based off of the information they are presenting to the class, as well as the connections they have made to the book. They will also be assessed by participation in classroom discussion

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Possible Discussion Questions Day 9

Was Frankenstein right in destroying his female creation? Why or why not? Another death has taken place- explain whether or not you feel as though Frankenstein can be held responsible for the death of Henry? What sort of balance should one nd between emotional and intellectual pursuits? What sort of predictions can be made about the creature#s threat to Victor after he destroyed the female creature?

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Lesson Plan for Day 10 Title: Wrapping up the Reading Overview: Students will respond to the end of the book and the book as a whole, leading up into a conclusive classroom discussion. Students will then make a Frankenstein-themed playlist. Goals/Objectives: ! ! ! Students will be able to answer some of the essential questions brought up in class. Students will have developed a theme/take-away message from the novel.

Materials Needed: ! ! -Frankenstein books -Student journals

Activities/Procedures: Class will begin by asking students to respond in their journals to the end of 10 mins the book, as long as the novel as a whole. Students will be asked to share their reections and what they felt they took 25 mins away from the book. During the discussion, I will write the themes that students have come up with on the board to be used later in class. In the discussion, students should have come to a conclusion in regards to some of the essential questions brought up over the unit. In groups of 2-3, students may use the themes written on the board to come up with a brief playlist (3-4 songs) that represent Frankenstein (the book as a whole, the themes, the characters, etc.) Students must provide a brief explanation as to why each song was chosen. Playlists will be collected at the end of class, and made into a real playlist that will be played during the Writer#s Workshop the following week. Students will be reminded that the rough draft of their short story is due on Monday, where we shall be taking a few days to edit and work on it in class. 15 mins

5 mins

Assessment: Students will be assessed by the journals they are handing in, as well as participation in classroom discussion. Their work with partners and the playlists they are handing in will be another way to assess students.

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Last days of instruction: For the following week, I have two days set aside for a Writer#s Workshop for the students to ask me questions and edit each other#s short stories. In reality, it is not necessary to use both of these days. One is a built in safety net- if lessons get behind a day, you can use one of these days to stay on track. I have the unit set up so that the Short Stories are due on Halloween. This day will be a fun day, giving students who desire to share their stories the opportunity to do so in front of the class before these stories are collected as a summative assessment of the unit.