Literature Lesson Plan for Through the Tunnel

Use Prediction Strategies and Literary Elements to Analyze Stories

Aug 12, 2009

Here is a short story lesson plan geared toward an eighth through tenth grade English class using the short story "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing.

When planning a lesson, teachers must consider their instructional objective. This outcome should relate to specific student performance and consistently guide instruction.

Create Specific Lesson Objectives

The objective of this class period is to introduce a new thematic unit of Making Decisions for Self. Students will develop specific reading strategies, such as activating prior knowledge, prediction and questioning, as well as review and apply literary elements, including internal and external conflict as well as theme to a short story. Students will also improve their reading comprehension and practice discussing a literary work.

Align Lesson Plan to Standards

All lesson plans should be aligned with state or national standards. For example, Florida teachers should align their activities with the Florida Sunshine State Standards, which include the following.

Identify Subject Matter Content

This lesson will develop reading comprehension, reading strategies, and literary analysis skills. First, students will activate their prior knowledge of a situation and apply predicting and questioning skills necessary for reading success to the short story, “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing [Perfection Learning,1989]. Students will apply knowledge of literary elements, such as internal and external conflict as well as characterization in the instructional procedures listed below.

Lesson Initiating Activity

Students will begin class by responding to the following quickrwrite topic: Write about an experience you had when you were faced with a difficult decision. What factors did you consider when making your decision? Were there outside forces involved or did the struggle exist mainly within your own mind? What decision did you make? When students are finished, the teacher will ask them to predict what they think the story will be about based on the picture accompanying the story, the title, and the quickwrite topic.

Core Literature Activity

Before beginning, the teacher may want to establish some ground rules for academic discussion. Teacher will review knowledge of literary elements by discussing internal and external conflict and using an overhead transparency to apply knowledge of these terms to the story. Students will practice analyzing internal and external conflicts while reading the short story “Through the Tunnel.” During discussion, the instructor will help students apply the reading strategy of questioning by stopping at points during the reading to write questions on an overhead transparency containing a chart of questions related to types of conflict.

Closure Activity on Literary Elements

Teacher will ask students questions to help summarize applied literary elements covered so far in the reading. One student can be selected to write the group’s answers on the overhead transparency chart.

Assessment and Evaluation

This activity accommodates ESOL, ESE, and varying ability students as they practice applying literary elements with the teacher using an overhead transparency as a guide. The chart serves as a visual aid to help students formulate questions so students can make connections to the literature more easily. Providing a variety of visual aids helps all students remain focused and facilitates class discussion.

The copyright of the article Literature Lesson Plan for Through the Tunnel in Curricula/Lesson Plans is owned by Thadra Petkus. Permission to republish Literature Lesson Plan for Through the Tunnel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.