Create a thematic lesson plan for a 9th grade English class using the novella Of Mice and Men.
Most important: your theme should be developmentally appropriate for your class’s grade level, as
well as interesting them:
affectively (in terms of emotional/psychological development),
cognitively (intellectual development), and
interpersonally (social development).
WHAT THEME DID YOU COME UP WITH?
1) Your unit should break into 15-20 45-50 minute lessons, so expect it to take three to four
weeks of class.
2)-Include at least two poems. These can be song lyrics or other alternative kinds of poems,
but you should plan to deal with them as poetry, taking note of the specifics of that genre as
a part of your lessons.
3)-Include at least two other forms of literature. These might include any of the following:
+short drama,
+short fiction,
+non-fiction,
o journalism, and/or
o non-print media.
Please note that the first three + on this list are considered more typically “literary”
than the last two. Please choose at least one of the forms with circle bullets.
4) -Design a variety of classroom activities involving all four elements of the curriculum
(reading, writing, speaking, listening). You must include at least one of each of the
following:
o A whole-class discussion with a detailed question structure,
o Directed, small group discussions,
o A directed small-group activity aimed at finding evidence,
o Individual assignments aimed at exploring some aspect of the CALAS.
o A short lecture,
o A directed small-group activity aimed at exploring the theme or promoting authentic
discussion,
o An in-class game or other whole-class project.
5) -Writing: Additionally, you should include at least
o One major writing assignment designed within one of the rhetorical modes outlined
in the CALA standards (Writing 2.0 at each grade level). Plan to bring students
through all the steps of the writing process, including peer revision. Include a rubric
for grading the final assignment;
o Several short response assignments. These can take a variety of forms, but at least
some should ask for personal responses to the literature in the unit.
6) -You should include several opportunities for assessment (including writing, speaking, test
taking, classroom observation, peer assessment).