JJimenez


 * Naturally Human **


 * Context for using the text set: ** This is intended for a 10th - 12th grade English class that will be dedicating a unit to William Golding’s //Lord of the Flies//. The unit will focus on the two competing impulses that exist within all human beings, those related to following order and those related to gratifying personal desires. Essentially, the central theme of good versus evil will be discussed and applied to daily life. Although a fairly easy read, the novel contains complicated concepts, related to the theme, that provide opportunities for the varying degrees of analysis among the students and will accommodate different levels of reading difficulty.
 * A. Print Resources: **
 * Text #1: //Lord of the Flies// **
 * Citation: Golding, W. (1954). //Lord of the flies//. New York: Riverhead Books.
 * Text Summary: A group of schoolboys survive a plane crash on a deserted tropical island. In the attempts to survive and to increase the possibility of being detected, the boys try to establish order through rules and by assigning different roles. They choose Ralph as their leader, who then appoints Jacks as leader of the hunters. Jack, however, becomes preoccupied with hunting and soon the order diminishes as some of the boys give in to savagery.
 * Rationale: This text is the main focus of the unit. Its overall theme of good versus evil serves as an interesting topic to explore and debate.
 * Use of text: This text will remain the focal point of the unit as the students discuss the theme and how it relates to their own life.
 * Attachment: This was a 242-page novel, so I did not include it here.


 * Text #2: //Mad Man’s Drum: A Novel in Woodcuts// **
 * Citation: Ward, L. (1930). //Mad man’s drum: A novel in woodcuts//. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
 * Text Summary: It is a novel portrayed in woodcut images.
 * Rationale: An important concept to discuss in //Lord of the Flies// is its use of symbols. Symbols may be easier for some students to detect when they are presented as pictures. This novel contains many symbols that students of varying abilities will be able to point out and discuss.
 * Use of text: The students will be divided into heterogeneous groups of four. After brief modeling, the groups will be assigned different chapters to discuss; they will record symbols and their possible meanings. The students will then be regrouped, and they will essentially “teach” each other the symbols discovered and meanings placed on them. This group will then discuss similarities and adjust meanings where necessary.
 * Attachment: This was a 125-page novel, so I did not include it here.


 * Text #3: “Murder in the name of war – My Lai” **
 * Citation: Murder in the name of war – My Lai. (1998, 20 July) //BBC News//. Retrieved March 6, 2010, from [|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/03/98/mylai/64344.stm].
 * Text Summary: This article, and its subsequent parts, discusses the My Lai Massacre of the Vietnam War.
 * Rationale: I selected this article because it is an example of the “evil” nature in human beings.
 * Use of text: The students will use the article to discuss possible reasons for the behavior. They will identify characteristics related to the central theme.
 * Attachment: See attachment # 1 for a copy of this article.


 * Text #4: Power and Control Wheel /PCW **
 * Citation: Family Violence Protection Fund. (2009). //Power and control wheel / PCW//. Retrieved March 6, 2010, from Lessons from Literature Website at [].
 * Text Summary: This chart lists ways that people use power and control to “satisfy personal desires”.
 * Rationale: I selected this text to relate the ideas of power and manipulation to the students’ lives.
 * Use of text: As a homework assignment, the students will use the chart to identify and write about instances, in which they were personally involved, describing the use of, or falling victim to the use of, power and control.
 * Attachment: See attachment # 2 for a copy of the chart.


 * Text #5: Angelina Jolie’s Story. **
 * Citation: Angelina Jolie’s Story. (n.d.). //UNworks.// Retrieved March 7, 2010, from [].
 * Text Summary: This text is a profile for actress Angelina Jolie and her efforts to bring attention to the needs of child refugees.
 * Rationale: I chose this text, in contrast to the My Lai article, to highlight the “good” in people. Because Angelina Jolie is a famous actress, using this article will give the students a sense of contemporary efforts to do “good”.
 * Use of text: This article, among others, will be distributed as an example of “good” in people. The students will discuss characteristics of “good” behavior. They will then have a homework assignment involving the research of other instances that highlight the moral and “good” behavior of people.
 * Attachment: See attachment # 3 for a copy of this article.
 * B. Media Resources **
 * Text #6: Lord of the Flies (Movie) **
 * Citation: Allen, L.M. (Producer), & Brook, P. (Director). (1963). //Lord of the flies// [Motion picture]. Unites Kingdom: Two Arts Ltd.
 * Text Summary: This is the film version of the main text.
 * Rationale: I selected this text to provide a visual as an alternative in understanding the concepts of the novel.
 * Use of text: This text may be used in whole or in part, depending on the degree of understanding of the novel among students, to clarify difficult concepts.
 * Attachment: This is a movie, so I did not include it here.


 * Text #7: //Lost// – Season 1, Episode 1 **
 * Citation: Lindelof, D., & Lieber, J. (Writers), & Abrams, J.J. (Director). (2004). Pilot: Part 1[Television series episode]. In J.J. Abrams (Producer), //Lost//. New York: American Broadcasting Company.
 * Text Summary: In the first seven minutes of the episode, an unidentified man in a torn up suit is shown in apparent wilderness. He hears screams and eventually finds his way to a shore where there has been a plane crash. Many injured people line the shore and the man begins trying to help anyone he can.
 * Rationale: I chose this text to introduce the idea of being stranded on an island.
 * Use of text: I will show the first 7 minutes of the episode. I will then distribute an anticipation guide for the unit. Students will then work individually or with a partner to devise a list of problems they might come across in this situation. This will be followed by an introduction to the main text.
 * Attachment: This is a DVD, so I did not include it here.


 * C. Online interactive resources **
 * Text #8: Webquest **
 * Citation: Abraham, B. (2008, 28 May). //Life imitates art: A webquest about William Golding’s lord of the flies.// Retrieved March 6, 2010, from [].
 * Text Summary: This is a webquest that requires students to work in groups of four, each with different roles, to survive being hypothetically stranded on an island.
 * Rationale: I chose this text because it provides the students with an activity to learn about the importance of individual roles in the success of a group.
 * Use of text: Students will be divided into groups of four. They will decide, as the webquest indicates, on which roles each will take and complete the tasks for a group assessment.
 * Attachment: See attachment # 4 for the homepage of this webquest.


 * Text #9: Game **
 * Citation: //Lord of the flies// (game). Nobel Foundation. (2010). Retrieved March 5, 2010, from [|http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/ literature/golding/].
 * Text Summary: This text is an interactive game that tests the students’ knowledge of the novel and its use of symbols.
 * Rationale: I chose this text because symbols are important to understand in this novel. Not only does this game review the plot of the novel, but it also tests the students’ understanding of the recurrent symbols.
 * Use of text: Either individually or with a partner, students play this game, upon finishing the novel, to review the novel and its symbols.
 * Attachment: See attachment # 5 for the homepage of this text.

The unit will begin with a clip from the beginning of the season 1, episode 1 of the TV series //Lost//. The students will discuss problems that may arise from being in the situation. The central theme will then be discussed and students will be informed of a research assignment due at the end of the unit. Through the different activities and texts, students will gather information on human behavior to compile lists of characteristics for a “good person” and a “bad person.” They will then use these lists to write a paper describing at least three characters as either “good” or “bad”, while drawing examples from the text and relating to the other texts used. They will also apply symbols to the characters and justify their reasons for their choices. These texts will be presented to all students. Advanced learners will benefit from extra resources for analysis, while lower level learners will benefit from the modeling that I will demonstrate and different activities we will engage in.
 * D. Instructional Resources **
 * Text #10: Mr. Lettiere’s page **
 * Citation: Lettiere, B. (2008, 5 October). //Lord of the flies: Student resources.// Retrieved March 5, 2010, from [].
 * Text Summary: This text contains resources for students to explore on topics related to the novel //Lord of the Flies//.
 * Rationale: I chose this website precisely because it contains so many resources. It provides plenty of information and is very well organized.
 * Use of text: I would use this website as a resource for planning unit lesson plans for this novel.
 * Attachment: This is a 9-page lesson plan outline, so I did not include it here.
 * Using these texts together in the classroom: **


 * Learning Objectives: **

W-12-1.4 Applying a format and text structure appropriate to purpose,audience, and context (Local) W–12–2.3 Connecting what has been read (plot/ideas/concepts) to prior knowledge, other texts, or the broader world of ideas, by referring to and explaining relevant ideas, themes, motifs, or archetypes (Local) W–12–2.4 Explaining the visual components (e.g., charts, diagrams, artwork) of the text, when appropriate W–12–3.2 Making inferences about the relationship(s) among content, events, characters, setting, theme, or author’s craft (Local) W–12–3.4 Organizing ideas, using transitional words/phrases and drawing a conclusion by synthesizing information (e.g., demonstrate a connection to the broader world of ideas) (Local) W–12–4.2 Establishing context, character motivation, problem/conflict/challenge, and resolution, significance of setting, and maintaining point of view (Local) OC–12–2.1 Exhibiting logical organization and language use, appropriate to audience, context, and purpose (Local) OC–12–2.2 Maintaining a consistent focus (Local) R–12–5.2 Examining characterization (e.g., stereotype, antagonist, protagonist), motivation, or interactions (including relationships), citing thoughts, words, or actions that reveal character traits, motivations, or changes over time (Local) R–12–5.5 Explaining how the author’s purpose (e.g., to entertain, inform or persuade), message or theme (which may include universal themes) is supported within the text(s) (Local)
 * __Content area standards__ **
 * W–12–1 **
 * Students demonstrate command of the structures of sentences, paragraphs, and text by… **
 * W–12–3 **
 * In response to literary or informational text, students make and support analytical judgments about text by… **
 * W–12–14 **
 * In reflective writing, students explore and share thoughts, observations, and impressions by… **
 * OC–12–2 **
 * In oral communication, students make oral presentations by … **
 * __Reading standards__ **
 * R–12–5 **
 * Analyze and interpret literary elements within or across texts, citing evidence where appropriate by… **
 * R–12–5 **
 * Analyze and interpret literary elements within or across texts, citing evidence where appropriate by… **

//Comments from Monica Van Horn You picked a great novel to supplement in a text set; I remember reading this text as a sophomore and having no idea why I was reading it. (Then Piggy dies and I had enough of it.) By connecting it to the theme of the good and evil in mankind, you make clear the important message the text illustrates. I think your set is designed to enhance student motivation--including __Lost__, the webquest, and the online game are great learning opportunities that students would see as "fun." I'm going to bookmark some of the sites/activities you found because they look wonderful!//