Context:

Focus of Observation: Regard for Student Perspective, Instructional Dialogue

Course name: Advanced Placement Composition and Literature
Grade level: 12th
Length of lesson: 70 minutes
Description of setting, students, and curriculum and any other important contextual
characteristics:
This lesson will be taught in an Advanced Placement Composition and Literature. The
class is comprised of 18 students, each of whom is seated in choice groups of five. Eleven of the
students are girls, and seven of the students are boys. The class is on the whole racially
homogenous, with only one African American student and one mixed student. Every student in
the class speaks English fluently. To my knowledge, none of these students have IEPs.
This lesson will be taught in the twelfth week of school, when students have established a
very comfortable camaraderie and rapport. These students feel safe with one another, and they
are respectful of one another as people and as learners. Most of the students are willing to
participate and engage thoughtfully in class, and everyones voice is always heard during a class
period (in small groups or the large group). These students are respectful and exhibit no
behavioral challenges except for the occasional off-task side conversation. They are eager to
learn and engage, and so they are very invested in participating fully in a lesson. These students
have all committed to the academic rigor of AP, but it is true that there are mixed ability levels in
this class, particularly with regards to the level of analytical depth students currently have access
to.
This lesson is the fourth in a novel study of Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises. In
the last class, students engaged in a character analysis of the three main characters Jake, Brett,
and Robert. The teacher gave a minilesson/lecture on Modernism and its influences on this
novel. This unit is focused around the themes of healing and redemption, and students will have
to participate in a Socratic Seminar discussion and complete a timed write as their summative
assessments for this novel. Each class is discussion-focused, and the essential questions of this
unit are How is the society in this novel ailing? How are the characters seeking healing?
Objectives:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
1. Students will understand that authors invoke allusions, as well as the historical and cultural
connotations associated with them, to guide readers to certain interpretations of the novel.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
2. Students will feel comfortable pursuing topics of discussion that are engaging and analytical.
Performance (do):
3. Students will analyze how an author uses allusion to reveal theme and historical and
emotional effect.
4. Students will make interpretations and conclusions about a novel based on themes of
redemption, masculinity, healing, and enlightenment.
SOLs:

12.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze the development of British literature and literature
of other cultures.
e) Analyze the social and cultural function of British literature.
h) Analyze how dramatic conventions including character, scene, dialogue, and staging
contribute to the theme and effect.
12.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts.
a) Generate and respond logically to literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing, and critical
thinking questions before, during, and after reading texts.
b) Analyze and synthesize information in order to solve problems, answer questions, and
generate new knowledge.
f) Draw conclusions and make inferences on explicit and implied information using textual
support
CCSs:
CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.1112.2
Determinetwoormorethemesorcentralideasofatextandanalyzetheirdevelopmentoverthecourse
ofthetext,includinghowtheyinteractandbuildononeanothertoproduceacomplexaccount;provide
anobjectivesummaryofthetext.
CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.1112.3
Analyzetheimpactoftheauthor'schoicesregardinghowtodevelopandrelateelementsofastoryor
drama(e.g.,whereastoryisset,howtheactionisordered,howthecharactersareintroducedand
developed).
CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.1112.6
Analyzeacaseinwhichgraspingapointofviewrequiresdistinguishingwhatisdirectlystatedinatext
fromwhatisreallymeant(e.g.,satire,sarcasm,irony,orunderstatement).
Assessments: Methods for evaluating each of the specific objectives listed above.
Diagnostic: Students will demonstrate what they already know about by
N/A to this lesson
Formative: Students will show their progress towards by
Analytical discussion of relationship between Fisher King and The Sun Also Rises: in this
discussion, students will analyze how the Fisher King helps us to better understand Jake and
The Sun Also Rises. As students discuss, the teacher will listen in on and participate in the
discussions, assessing informally how well students understand Hemingways application of
the Fisher King myth to his story. (Objectives 1 and 3)
Throughout the discussion portion of the class, the students will analyze how the themes
raised by the Fisher King relate to our essential questions about healing and redemption in
The Sun Also Rises. Students level of analysis will indicate to the teacher their individual
and collective grasp on how these themes create effect and help readers to better understand
the novel. (Objective 4)
Flex group discussions: as students decide to stick with or part from their discussion groups,
they will demonstrate their levels of comfort with and motivation to pursue a topic of
discussion that is analytical. Students choices during discussion will reveal their engagement
with analytical thinking and reaching new understandings about literature. (Objective 2)

Summative:Studentswillultimatelybeassessed(todayorinafuturelesson)onby...
Timed Write: at the end of this novel study, students will demonstrate their analysis skills and
discuss themes raised by this novel. They will have the opportunity to demonstrate what they
know about how Hemingway uses allusion to provide depth to the themes of his novel.
Students will also demonstrate their thematic analysis skills. (Objectives 1, 3, and 4).
Materials Needed:
Slides with questions
BBC Fisher King podcast
Students will need: completed 2.2.2s, individual copies of The Sun Also Rises and How to Read
Literature Like Professor, loose leaf paper, pencils/pens
Technology: computer, projector, internet, Google slides, online egg timer
BeginningRoomArrangement:

Students will arrive to class and sit in their usual self-assigned seats in small groups.
Instructional Steps (Procedures): Detail student and teacher actions, discourse, and behaviors.
1. [16 min.] Greeting and Small Group Discussion
[Beforeclass]
Studentscomeintotheclassroomandsitinsmallgroups.Theteachergreetsstudentsatthedoor,
makingconversation.
[1min.]
Afterthebellrings,theteachergreetstheclass.Theteachertheninstructsstudentstodiscussthe
2.2.2s(2comments,2questions,2quotes)theycompletedforhomework.Theteacherasksgroups
tobepreparedtoshareoneinsightandonequestiontheyhaveasaresultoftheirdiscussions.The
teachercommunicatesthateachgroupwillsharetheironeinsightandonequestionoutbytheendof
thediscussion.
[15min.]
Insmallgroups,studentsdiscusstheir2.2.2sandcomeupwithaninsightandquestion(thesecanbe
pulledfromthe2.2.2sthemselves,butthewholegrouphadtohavedecidedonthem).Asstudents
discuss,theteacherfloatsaroundandjoinsindifferentconversations.
2. [5 min.] Share Out
Afterdiscussion,theclasscomesbacktogetherandonestudentrepresentativesharesouttheir
groupsinsightandquestion.Theteacherdoesnotextendthisthinkingatthistime(unlesssheis
particularlypromptedtobecauseofthedepthofdiscussion).
3. [5 min.] Diving into the Fisher King myth
Theteacherasksstudents:WhatreactionsdidyouhavetoFostersinterpretationofthesymbolism
ofwoundsinliterature,andthesymbolismofJakeswound?Whatconnectionsdidyoumake
betweentheFosterchapterandchaptertwelveofTheSunAlsoRises?

4. [250 min.] Fisher King Podcast and Notes

[2min.]
IntroducethepodcastandinstructstudentstotakeCornellNotesonthedifferentrenditionsofthe
FisherKing,andofthesymbolicimplicationsofeachnewtellingoftheFisherKing.
**Asthepodcastplays,stopthroughouttotalkthroughanyquestionsstudentshave,aswellastease
outthedifferenttellingsofthemyth.
5. [8 min.] Question Generation
[5min.]
Studentsreadovertheirnotesandposequestionsinthemargins.Theteachertellsthestudentsthat
theirquestionswilldrivediscussionforthenextthirtyminutes.Studentsshouldgenerate35
questions(dependingonhowlongittakesthemtodothis).
[2min.]
Askstudentsiftheyhaveanyclarifyingquestionsaboutthepodcast.Answeraccordingly.
[2min.]
Explainthatstudentswillnowgoaroundattheirgroupsandshareoutthequestionstheyvecomeup
with.Asagroup,theywillpickthreequestionstheywanttoanswer,andthendiscusstheminorder.
ThegoalistouncovernewinsightsaboutTheSunAlsoRisesbyusingtheFisherKingmythasa
lenstolookthrough.Explainthatthiswillbeaflexgroupsetupinwhichstudentscangetupand
movegroupsiftheythinkanotherconversationsoundsmoreinteresting.Bytheendofdiscussion
time,studentsmustbepreparedtoshareoutsomeinsightstheyhavetakenawayasaresultof
discussion,aswellasonequestiontheystillhave.
6. [10 min.] Share Out
Arepresentativefromeachgroupsharesouttheinsightsandquestiontheirgroupcameupwith.The
teacherextendsifnecessary,butatthispointthepointisjusttoallowtherestoftheclasstohave
insightintowhattheirpeershavediscussed.
7. [6 min.] Closure
Fortheremainderofclass,answerthequestions:WhydoesHemingwaycalluponthisspecificmyth
ofrestoringfertility,masculinity,andkingship?IsJake'sstoryaretellingorarepurposingofthe
myth?
Homework:readthroughtheendofPartIIinTheSunAlsoRises.Complete3.3.3s,butthistime:1)
pickthreepassagesfromPartIIthataresignificant,2)insteadofwritingthreecomments,analyze
thepassageschosen(dothisusingatleasttwosentences),3)writethreequestionsaboutthe
passagesandhowtheyallowustobetterunderstandthebook,orthequestionscanalsobeaboutthe
novelorPartII.
Attention to Individual Student Needs: (Differentiation):

Students have a couple of options for choice in this lesson. For example, they are able to choose
which questions to discuss in relation to the Fisher King, and they have the option to change
groups and discussions. This provides opportunity for student choice.
For the students who need time to process their thoughts, they have the opportunity to write
down questions they have for discussion, before launching right in. This is a means of
differentiating based on learning style.

Technology Use:
Detail specific technology being used in the lesson with explanation for why it is being used.
The technology used in this lesson is fairly rudimentary, and all of it is used to reinforce
directions that are given, provide visual cues to students, and digitally compile student work.
Materials Appendix:
N/A