7th Grade English Unit: Why is there violence? Lesson Date: Friday, December 7, 2012 Standards: 7.RL.

1 - Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 7.RL.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. 7.RL.3 - Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). Aim: How does paying attention to symbolism deepen our understanding of a story? Learning Target: By the end of class today, I will be able to ... analyze how Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to develop a theme in the short story "The Lottery" Materials: Smartboard presentation copies of "The Lottery" (students will have already read the text in previous lessons) blank paper and markers/crayons/colored pencils Do Now: On the Smartboard, show students images of a wedding ring, a peace sign, a broken mirror, red roses, and a black cape. Ask students to write down what each image makes them think of (free associate). Connection: This week we have been studying Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and practicing being literary critics by using literary terms such as theme, conflict, point of view, and foreshadowing. Today we are going to add a new word to our list of literary terms that we can use when we discuss literature. Teach and Active Engagement: Discuss the do now as a class. Ask students to identify what they associated with each object. Discuss: Why do these objects make all of us think of the same things? Define symbolism and explain how the objects from the do now are common symbols in our culture. Teaching Point: Authors use symbolism to add meaning to their stories. Today I'm going to teach you that as literary critics, we can find examples of symbolism in a

story and analyze them to help us understand the story's theme. Model analyzing symbolism by examining the symbols on a dollar bill. Engage students in brainstorming possible meanings of the different elements on the dollar (unfinished pyramid, eye in the triangle, bald eagle, reoccurrence of the number 13 in design). Activity: Students will work with partners to analyze the symbol of the black box in "The Lottery." They will do this by folding a piece of paper in half, and on one side (literal side) drawing the box as it is described in the text and annotating the drawing with textual evidence. On the other side (symbolic side), students will explore the possible symbolic meaning of each aspect of the black box and how it connects to the theme. Possible Small Group Differentiation: Students requiring additional support will be pulled into a small group for additional modeling with quotes from the story. Share: Conduct a gallery walk for students to see each other's interpretations of the black box. Assessment: Student understanding will be assessed through the graphic organizer they produce showing the literal and symbolic meanings of the black box. In a subsequent lesson, students will use this graphic organizer to help them write an explanation of how Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to develop a theme. Students will also be asked to transfer their understanding of symbolism to their independent reading books through portfolio entries analyzing symbols they find in their books.