Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Lesson Overview

Title: Monster Mash: Mary Shelley’s FrankensteinAuthor: Kat HansrajSubject: Language ArtsGrade Level(s): 10th gradeDuration: 50 minutes (One full class period)

Unit Description

In this inclusion classroom, there are a total of 15 students, with me being a general education teacher. There is 1 student in the classroom with an IEP. He is a student with a physical impairment. As her teacher I have worked closely with his IEP team in order to provide appropriate accommodations to best meet his learning needs.

This lesson gives students an opportunity to interpret the complex concept of a monster and to understand that while all people have knowledge of what a monster is, for some it may mean a hideous and vicious fictional creature, and for others it may mean a selfish and cruel human being who shows apathy towards any other person or animal. Students learn that no matter how it is defined, a monster is always associated to a negative stereotype. Before students examine their own prejudices and beliefs, they will work together to develop a working definition of a monster. Overall, the purpose of this lesson is for students to become familiar and have a good understanding of what makes a monster, so that they may relate it to Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein.

Lesson Description for Day

Students will begin to think about their own prejudices in order to challenge their assumptions and biases as they read the new novel for this unit.

State Standards:

•NCTE/IRA Standard 11: Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

•NCTE/IRA Standard 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).Sited from: NCTE.org

• ELA Common core standards:

A. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

B. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Sited from: Corestandards.org

Students with special needs

Jonathan has a physical impairment:

- Takes longer time for Jonathan to arrive to class- Has limited mobility and is uses a wheelchair - Sometimes may feel like an outcast because cannot participate in physical

activities- Is extremely friendly with his peers - Likes to be challenged to do certain things at his own pace

This lesson would be great for Jonathan and his learning needs. I would make sure to make certain accommodations for him, especially since one of the activities is geared towards kinesthetic learners.

Unit Goals:

Students will—

Identify their personal prejudices and assumptions.

Demonstrate an understanding and make connections with the novel and her or his personal views and biases.

Lesson Goals:

After completing the lesson, the student will be able to: •Construct a drawing of a monster based on his or her assumptions.• State an opinion about monsters, using his or her drawing to support the opinion.

•State the criteria of a monster, using the word-web graphic organizer drawn on the board.

•Compose a letter, with a minimum of 2 paragraphs, to the monster they created in the beginning of class.

I expect that students will fall between an 85%-100% range for understanding the concept of the classroom activities and writing assignment.

MethodsAnticipatory Set:

High school students love Halloween! The month of October signifies the halfway mark of the semester for teachers and students. By this time of the year students have settled into daily routines, and are ready for a break from the daily hassle. Taking this into consideration, I have created a 4-week unit on Monsters for the month of October. The two pieces of literature that I will be using for this unit is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions) and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Dover Thrift Editions). This lesson plan will introduce Shelley’s Frankenstein novel, with the intention of provoking students to rethink their opinions and perceptions about monsters before reading the text. This lesson takes a kinesthetic approach to teaching literature in the high school English classroom. However, I have made several modifications so that my student Jonathan, who has a physical disability, so that he can also participate in this lesson.

Introduce and Model New Knowledge:

3 minutes: Attendance & housekeeping10 minutes: Have students draw pictures of what they perceive to be a monster individually, and then discuss the differing opinions found within the class. I will not give instructions as to what the monster should look like. I want them to be creative. I would use this opportunity to walk around class and check in with students. I will make sure to check that Jonathan is settled in and ready to work. If he were in need of a material for example, a pencil I would provide one for him so that he does not have to spend time locating one.

Provide Guided Practice:

10 minutes: Crossover – students will stand in a line and then will move to different sides of the room based on their answer to the question. After students move to either side of the room, I will call on a few to explain their answer. (The first couple of questions will be easy to answer questions. Afterwards the questions will shift to thematic questions related the novel.) Prior to doing this activity I would ask Jonathan if he feels comfortable doing an activity such as this one. I think that giving him the option to participate would encourage him and give him the opportunity to feel welcomed. If he chooses to play the cross over game I would make that students are giving each other enough space and room to move around. I want Jonathan to have enough room to move his wheelchair back and forth as we play this game. However, if Jonathan decides to not participate in this activity for whatever reason I will allow him to not participate. But, I would ask him to create a tally chart and mark down how many times he would have

crossed over based on his answers to the questions. This modification would allow him to be part of the lesson, but just in a different aspect.

7 minutes: Students will come up to the board and write a criterion that describes monsters using a word-web graphic organizer. Together as a class we will develop a definition for a monster. While I love the idea of students coming up to the board to share their answers, I know that this could also be tedious and challenging for Jonathan. Instead I have broken students down into groups of 3 or 4. Together they would work to come up with a criterion for that describes monsters. I would ask that one participating member of each group come up and write their groups ideas on the board. By doing this Jonathan would not feel obligated to come up to the board, but he will still be able to participate and contribute to his group.

Provide Independent Practice:

15 minutes: Students will spend the rest of the class period writing a letter to their monster in their writing journals. (A specific writing prompt will be assigned to help guide students as they write their letters.) I would walk around to assist any students that may need help. If Jonathan needs extra help I would gladly dedicate a few minutes to clary any questions that he may have about the lesson.

Wrap-Up

3 minutes: Students will hand in their writing journals for grading. I will return the journals to students the following day. I will also use this time to advise students to share any questions, ideas or concerns from today’s assignment. I would ask them to read the first 4 chapters of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel for homework. Finally, I will pass around some Halloween candy. (They love treats).

I am aware that I have students in my English classroom with different learning levels, abilities and disabilities. I strongly believe that I can adjust any lesson plan to accommodate a variety of disabilities, depending on the needs of the student. This lesson in particular, is geared more towards students, who are kinesthetic learners. In Jonathan’s case I have provided more space in the classroom to make sure he can still participate in the crossover activity if he chooses to. I would tailor the student’s participation in the activity to his or her abilities, whether intellectual or physical. For the writing assignment I can alter my expectations for a disabled student who takes longer to write a paragraph. Most importantly, I believe that it is important to ask the student what he thought of the activity or if there is any suggestions that could help me better it.

AssessmentFormative/Ongoing Assessment:

Throughout the lesson I would have be constantly informally assessing students by using notes and checks for understanding.

-       I would have motivate and encourage students to engage with the novels and to share their personal interpretations of the word monster. I would have answered their questions to the best of my ability. Participation for this particular lesson is crucial and I would make sure to let students know that I am looking for them to participate and engage in all class discussions, especially when talking about the works of literature we have read.

-       As students begin to work on their journal entries I would have used this opportunity to walk around to see if anybody needed any kind of assistance.

Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment:

A. Assessment of Student(s):

For this lesson I will assess the letters that students wrote in their journals. I will not deduct points for incorrect grammar and punctuation, as I seek to see if they were able to answer the writing prompt completely. I would leave a sticky note with a comment in each journal. The grading scale that I will use is (+,-, I).

B. Self-Assessment (Teacher):

Each time I introduce a new piece of literature to my students I want to bring the piece of work alive, while at the same time giving my students the opportunity to inhale a fresh breath of air. I love writing, doodling, scratching out words and scribbling outside the margin of my notebook paper. One way that I would assess myself is by taking notes in my own personal planner/ journal. I would observe my classroom and see how my students perform individually and within groups. I can make a note of who should not be paired off with whom because they do not complete the assignment. Other things that I would keep in mind are whether the lesson plan seems to be effective, are students engaging with the activities and assignment and does the work seem too easy or hard for students to complete. Another form of self-assessment that I like to use is to answer a series of questions after completing a lesson plan such as:

1. What did I like about today’s lesson plan?2. What could I have done better in today’s lesson plan?3. What will I do to improve for a future lesson plan like this one?4.

Materials and Resources: •Black/White Board •Candy•Chalk/Markers•Class journals•Color pencils•Construction paper of various colors•Markers •Questions•Writing materials

I. Homework, if Applicable or Follow-up:

Students will read the first 4 letters and 3 chapters of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. They will be assigned a total of 23 pages of reading.

This is the novel that students will be reading.

This is a sample model of the questions that I would use for the crossover activity. Easy to answer and grade-appropriate questions such as:

1. Go to the right side of the room if you went on a vacation this summer.2. Go to the left side of the room if you enjoy being outside.3. Go to the right side of the room if you ever had a pet.4. Go to the left side of the room if you have siblings. 5. Go to the right side of the room if you ever cooked something.

Then, I will introduce thematic questions related to the novel such as: 1. Go to the left side of the room if you have ever dressed up like a monster for

Halloween. 2. Go to the right side of the room if you wish you had a clone. 3. Go to the left side of the room if you have ever accepted the blame for something

you did not do or apologized for something that was not your fault.4. Go to the right side of the room if you have not done the right thing and regretted

it. 5. Go to the left side of the room if you have felt like someone has judged you

because of the way you look.

This is an illustration of the word-web graphic organizer that students will use to write criterions used to describe a monster on the board.

This is the writing prompt that students will answer to in their journals:

Dear Frank……

“The Monster” has been in our world for just a few minutes, and even though he has a fully developed body, he is having trouble adjusting to our world. What does he need to know about humans? How should he act? Write your Monster a letter in which you not only identify what he should know about us, but also what traits best describe him.