StudySync Lesson Plan Les Misérablesasset.studysync.com/library/223/lesson_plan.pdf · Students will read and listen to an excerpt from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables with the

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studysync.com Lesson Plan: Les Misérables

Objectives

1. Students will read and listen to an excerpt from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables with the opportunity for extension to the full text.

2. Students will respond to the text through writing and discussion.

3. Practice and reinforce the following Grade 11-12 ELA Common Core Standards for reading literary text, writing, speaking and listening, and language:

� READING LITERARY TEXT - RL.11-12.1-6, 7-10

� WRITING - W.11-12.1-10

� SPEAKING AND LISTENING - SL.11-12.1-6

Time 100 minutes (with up to an additional 100 minutes of extension possibilities) Materials SyncTV Premium Lesson on Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. Full text is available on Gutenberg, the free, public domain, online-library, as well at this link. A large number of file formats are available. Overview The StudySync lesson presents an excerpt from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables: roughly 1,500 words from the fifth and twelfth chapters of the novel’s opening volume. The excerpt represents a moral turning point in the life of the main character, Jean Valjean, through the intercession of the Bishop Myriel. Students will read the text and respond to it after watching the SyncTV video which models high-level discourse. This will allow students to write well-informed responses that correlate to the ELA Common Core Standards for grades 11-12. It will also prepare students to read the full text if desired. The full text is freely available at this link.

StudySync Lesson Plan Les Misérables

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Background (10 minutes)

1. Watch the Preview (SL.11-12.1–2). As a group, watch the video preview of the premium lesson. Ask the students to share their impression and connect the text they will read to modern day. Use the following questions to spur discussion about the preview:

a. What are some of problems that reformed criminals face?

b. Should the slate be considered clean for a criminal who has paid his debt to society? Is this true of all crimes?

c. Would Valjean’s situation be different today than at the beginning of the 19th

century?

Extension (additional 10 minutes) d. Describe (ELL). Ask English Language Learners to write one word to describe

each image in the preview or convey a feeling it produces. You may wish to show additional images from France between 1800 and the 1830s.

e. Write Creatively (W.11-12.3). After listening to the preview, ask students to imagine what the prison must have been like for Jean Valjean. What might have prompted him to escape repeatedly? Have students express in a free-write first-person narrative Valjean’s state of mind after nineteen years. Limit students to five minutes.

f. Share (SL.11-12.5). Ask for any students who would like to share their narratives to do so. If the students are reluctant to share, you might share your own to help break the ice.

Engaging the Text (90 minutes)

2. Read the Text (25 minutes)

a. Read and Annotate (RL.11-12.1-7). Ask students to read the introduction and the excerpt of Les Misérables. You should give students ample time to read the text and annotate it properly. If they are completing this as homework, have them ask any questions they have in their annotations. These will be visible to you using the “Mimic” function before they submit their writing assignments or any time after they submit. Additionally, you can prompt students to write at least three questions of their own as a prompt for discussion.

Extension (additional 20 minutes) b. Listen (RL.11-12.1–7; SL.11-12.1-2). As a class, listen to the audio reading of the text.

Ask students whether their understanding of the text changed after they listened to it read aloud, and if so, how. What additional images came to mind? As a group, work to define any other unclear terms or ideas. This also serves as a good model for how students should use the audio supplement on their own or in conjunction with note-taking strategies mentioned above.

c. Comprehend (RL.11-12.1-4). Either distribute the multiple-choice questions or read

them aloud to the class. As a class, reread and discuss any passages of the text about which students remain unclear.

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d. Explain (ELL). Use sentence frames to show how Hugo establishes tension regarding Valjean: The Bishop offers Valjean ________________<shelter>. Without money, Valjean cannot _________________ <eat>. Madame Magloire believes ________________ <the silverware> was stolen ___________________ <by Valjean>.

3. Watch SyncTV (15 minutes)

a. Watch. Either watch the SyncTV discussion associated with Les Misérables as a class or ask students to watch it on their individual computers.

b. Focus (RL.11-12.2–3, 6; SL.11–12.1–2). Re-watch the portion of the SyncTV episode from 2:02 to 3:30. Here, the students discuss Valjean’s complicated feelings about who he’s become and how this is an opportunity for the Bishop.

c. Focus (RL.11-12.2–3, 6; SL.11–12.1–2). Re-watch the SyncTV episode from 5:12 to

6:12, in which the students discuss how profound the Bishop’s actions are in light of the treatment Valjean has been accustomed to; and how trusting behavior can be seen as naïve.

d. Focus (RL.11-12.2–3, 6; SL.11–12.1–2). Re-watch from 7:39 to 8:13. Here, the

students discuss the Bishop facilitating a transformation for Valjean, allowing him to reinvent himself.

e. Discuss (SL.11-12.1-3). After watching the model discussion, divide students into

small groups (2-3 students). Move around the room monitoring the groups as students follow the SyncTV episode as a model to discuss some of the following questions:

i. Why do you think Hugo refers to Valjean as “the man” in Chapter Five?

What is the effect of this term?

ii. Is the Bishop deliberately tempting Valjean? Explain.

iii. Why does Valjean warn the Bishop about the threat he poses?

iv. Why do you think Madame Magloire has such a different view than the Bishop?

v. Why does the Bishop let Valjean off the hook by reframing his robbery?

vi. Is the Bishop acting wisely or foolishly?

Extension (additional 20 minutes) f. Evaluate (SL.11-12.2–3, 5). Watch the SyncTV episode again (as a whole class if

possible). Before watching, assign each of your students one of the students in the episode to follow. Have students examine each of the points that the students in the video make.

4. Think (5 minutes)

a. Respond (W.11-12.1-2, 4, 6). Ask students to read the “Think” questions, watch the

corresponding video clips, and respond to the questions.

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5. Write (30 minutes)

a. Discuss (SL.11-12.1). Either read the prompt as a group and clarify or have students

read it individually and ask for questions. In either case, be sure to specify and go over the rubric that you will be using to evaluate students.

b. Organize (RL.11-12.1-6, W.11-12.1-2, 5). Ask students to go back and annotate the

text with the prompt in mind. They should be organizing their thoughts and the points they’ll address in their writing as they make annotations. This is an excellent place to apply pre-writing strategies such as outlining.

c. Write (W.11-12.1-2, 4-6). Have students complete and submit their writing

responses.

Extension (additional 30 minutes) d. Prepare (W.11-12.4). Using one of the writing prompts that you did not assign or

developing a prompt of your own along with the StudySync rubric labeled “Basic Essay Structure – CCS W8.1”, as a class, outline an essay on Les Misérables. Walk students through the expectations of basic 5-paragraph essay writing.

i. First, have students individually develop thesis statement ideas. Then ask several students to share these ideas.

ii. Choose a solid idea that does not yet make an argument, and then as a

class develop that idea into an argumentative thesis. The following link provides strong examples of this if needed: http://www.slideshare.net/ctomlins/strong-thesis-statements

iii. Break the students into small groups (2-3 students each) and ask them to

develop supporting points for the class’s thesis.

iv. Have the groups list 1-2 examples from the text and 1-2 examples from their own experiences that could bolster each point. Ask them to rank their supporting evidence from strongest to weakest and eliminate the weakest two ideas for each point.

v. Lastly, bring the whole class together again to discuss good conclusions.

Go through the criteria given in the rubric for a good conclusion. Ask students to write their own concluding sentences.

vi. By the end of the exercise, each student should have his/her own essay

outline template.

Extension (additional 30 minutes)

e. Write (W.11-12.3-6). Have students change the time period to update Hugo’s Les Misérables. Have them change names, setting, time period, and even the smaller details—such as the silver stolen—to better fit a modern story. However, make sure they follow the actual plot arc and keep the themes intact.

6. Review (15 minutes)

a. Peer Review (W.11-12.4-6). Use the StudySync “Review” feature to have students complete five evaluations of their peers’ work based on your chosen review rubric. Have the students look at the peer evaluations of their own writing. In pairs, ask the students to discuss briefly the peer evaluations. Suggested questions:

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What might you do differently in a revision? How might you strengthen the writing and the ideas?

Extension (additional 20 minutes) b. Self-Assess (W.11-12.4-6). Use the StudySync assignment creation tool to create a

“Writing” assignment that asks students to address the following prompt:

i. Reread your essay and the reviews of your essay on Les Misérables. After reading these reviews, what do you believe were the biggest strengths of your essay? What were the biggest weaknesses? If you were to go back and write this essay again, what would you change about your writing process? How has writing this essay made you a better writer?

c. Rewrite (W.11-12.4–5, 10) Ask students to rewrite their written responses to the

writing prompt based on their peers’ feedback and/or their self-assessments.

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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS Key Vocabulary

1. monsieur (n.) – a title or form of address used of or to a French-speaking man, corresponding to Mr. or sir

2. monseigneur (n.) – a title or form of address used of or to a French-speaking prince, cardinal, archbishop, or bishop.

3. oratory (n.) – small chapel, esp. for private worship

4. madame (n.) – a title or form of address used of or to a French-speaking woman

5. alcove (n.) – a recess, typically in the wall of a room or of a garden

6. cochlearia de Guillions – (n.) – a flower

7. gendarme (n.) – an armed police officer in France and other French-speaking

countries

8. francs (n.) – former monetary unit of France and several other countries

9. inarticulate (adj.) – unable to speak distinctly or express oneself clearly

10. perdition (n.) – hell Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Who is “the man” in chapter five? a. the Bishop b. a gendarme c. the king d. Jean Valjean

2. What is Madame Magloire putting away when the Bishop passes her?

a. candlesticks b. silverware c. bread d. towels

3. The man’s strange gesture and remark to the Bishop are meant as .

a. a joke b. a puzzle c. a warning d. a prank

4. Why isn’t the Bishop worried?

a. He has faith in God. b. He carries a weapon. c. He doesn’t believe the man. d. He can summon the gendarmes.

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5. What has been stolen? a. all the money b. the clothes in the guest room c. candlesticks d. the silverware

6. What is Madame Magloire’s concern?

a. What will the Bishop use to eat? b. Is the Bishop in his right mind? c. Will Valjean commit murder? d. Will the gendarmes find Valjean?

7. Which does the Bishop most care about?

a. his safety b. his damaged plant c. Valjean’s past d. not having silver utensils

8. Who appears at the Bishop’s door?

a. Valjean b. the gendarmes c. the gendarmes and Valjean d. Madame Magloire

9. Why should Valjean have the silver, according to the Bishop?

a. because he stole it b. because he worked for it c. because he found it d. because he is poor

10. What does the Bishop want from Valjean?

a. his soul dedicated to doing good b. half the profit from his silver c. a full confession of his crimes d. to complete his prison sentence

Answer Key

1. D 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. D 6. A 7. C 8. C 9. D 10. A

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Further Assignments

1. Assign the remainder of “Fantine,” the first volume of Les Misérables, for students to read, either independently or as a class. Have students examine the themes that were modeled in the SyncTV video. This can be the cornerstone of a literary criticism writing assignment. (RL11-12.1-5, 7, 10)

2. Assign students a StudySync “Writing” assignment to research aspects of French culture

around the early-to-middle part of the 19th century. Include topics that relate to the excerpt from Les Misérables (i.e., crime, punishment, the bishop, gendarmes, or the French household). (W.11-12.4-9)

3. Put students into groups. Have each group adapt and perform a scene of Les Misérables,

using dialogue as much as possible. They may refer to the full text to select a passage, including the two chapters from the excerpt. Have groups critique one another. (SL.11-12.4-6)

4. Assign partners to research and create a presentation on the life and career of Victor

Hugo. They may choose to focus on the genesis and publication of Les Misérables or cover Hugo’s story more broadly. The presentation may be in the form of an interview, Power Point, fact file, or other format. (W.11–12.1-2, 6–9; SL.11-12.4-6)

5. Invite students to read and compare with Les Misérables Hugo’s other famous novel, The

Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Have students consider how themes, events, and characters are similar and different. Invite them to write about or orally present their findings. (RL.11-12.2–3, 5, 9, 10; W.11–12.1-2, 6–9; SL.11-12.4-6)

6. Place students into pairs and have them write a short script of what the Bishop and

Madame Magloire might have discussed immediately following the excerpt. Would they argue about Valjean? What might they tell one another? (ELL)

Documents

StudySync Lesson Plan Les Misérablesasset.studysync.com/library/223/lesson_plan.pdf · Students will read and listen to an excerpt from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables with the