University of the Philippines Visayas

College of Arts and Sciences

Division of Professional Education
Iloilo City

Lesson Plan in 21st Century Literature

Content
Content Standard
Performance Standards
Learning Competency
The Last Leaf
The learner will be able to understand and appreciate literary texts in various genres
across national literature and cultures.
The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation of 21 st
century literature of the world through a written close analysis and critical
interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and theme, with a description of its
context derived from research.
Writing a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts, applying a reading
approach, and doing an adaptation of these, require from the learner the ability to
explain the texts in terms of literary elements, genres, and traditions.
EN12Lit-IIb-32

I. Lesson Objectives:
Session 1
At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
a. followed instructions accurately;
b. given the meaning of the unfamiliar words in the story using context clues;
c. answer comprehension questions about the story.
Session 2
At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
a. mapped out the events of story;
b. identified the different transitional devices;
c. applied the different transitional devices in writing the summary of the story.
Session 3
At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
a. analyzed the story critically using character analysis;
b. used transitional devices in writing a close analysis of the story.

II. Subject Matter

a. Key Concepts
 The Last Leaf
o a short story by O. Henry published in 1907 in his collection The Trimmed Lamp and Other Story
o set in Greenwich Village during a pneumonia epidemic. It tells the story of an old artist who
saves the life of a young artist, dying of pneumonia, by giving her the will to live
 O’ Henry
o pseudonym of William Sydney Porter, original name William Sidney Porter, (born
September 11, 1862, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.—died June 5, 1910, New York, New
York), American short-story writer whose tales romanticized the commonplace—in particular the
life of ordinary people in New York City
 Transitional Devices
o words or phrases that help carry a thought from one sentence to another, from one idea to
another, or from one paragraph to another
o link sentences and paragraphs together smoothly so that there are no abrupt jumps or breaks
between ideas

b. Skills
 Organizing
 Analyzing
 Applying
 Creating

c. Value Foci
 Love
 Hope
 Friendship
 Sacrifice
 d. References


e. Teaching Aids
 Visual Aids
 Laptop and Projector for multimedia presentation
 Activity sheets

III. Procedures
 Developmental Activities
o Prayer
o Checking of Attendance

 Engage

Time Teacher’s
Teacher’s Activity Students’ Activity
Frame Note

 Motivation

THE VOICE – OVER *Listening Activity

This activity will ask the students to draw.
The teacher will give instructions on what to
draw and the students must accurately follow the
instruction.
The instructions will be...  The students
1. At the centre of the paper, draw a follow the
structure of a tree. instructions
2. At the upper right part of the paper, accurately.
draw a sun with rays.
3. Draw one piece of leaf on your tree.
4. Draw some falling and fallen leaves.
5. Write your name on the upper left part
of the paper.
The teacher will ask the students to present  The students
their work in class. present their
works in class.
The teacher will ask, “What one word can  Answers may
best explain the message of your drawing?” vary.

 Explore

Time
Teacher’s Activity Students’ Activity Teacher’s Note
Frame
 Pre-Reading Activities

FIRST THINGS FIRST *Vocabulary  The students

Match the words from column A with its match the word
meaning in column B. Use context clues to with its meaning.
determine the meaning of the underlined
words in the sentence. Be ready to use the  The students use
word/s in as sentence. the word/s in a
A B sentence.
1. “It doesn’t have any sense in a. disease
it. What does an old tree have characterized by
to do with you? Or with your fever, chills, cough
getting well? And you used to and reduced lung
love that tree so much. Don’t expansion
be a little fool.
2. He had always talked of b. lacking in
painting a great picture, a judgment
masterpiece, but he had
never yet started it.
3. I must see another sick c. to be curious
person in this house. His name
is Behrman. A painter, I
believe. Pneumonia, too.
4. Didn’t you wonder why it d. work done with
never moved when the wind extraordinary skills
was blowing?
 Time
Teacher’s Activity Students’ Activity Teacher’s Note
Frame

 Pre-Reading Activities

DID YOU KNOW? * Background of the  The students

Author listen.
The teacher will present the following...

O. Henry, pseudonym of William

Sydney Porter, original name William
Sidney Porter, (born September 11,
1862, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.—died
June 5, 1910, New York, New York), American
short-story writer whose tales romanticized
the commonplace—in particular the life of
ordinary people in New York City. His stories
expressed the effect of coincidence on
character through humour, grim or ironic, and
often had surprise endings, a device that
became identified with his name and cost him
critical favour when its vogue had passed.

 Explain

Time
Teacher’s Activity Students’ Activity Teacher’s Note
Frame

 Reading of the Text

I can DO it! * Silent Reading  The students

The teacher will give the students 10 silently read the
minutes to silently read the story. Before story.
letting the students to start to read, the
following points will be emphasized...

 Focus on the characters, their character

traits, life choices and perceptions

 Post-reading Activities

Let’s CHECK it out! *Comprehension Check

The teacher will ask the following

questions:

1. What is the story about?  The girl, Johnsy,

who lost her hope
to live after
acquiring
pneumonia.
2. Where and when the story take place?  Greenwich
Village, on a
winter
3. Who are the characters in the story?  Johnsy, Sue, Mr.
Behrman, doctor
4. Why does Johnsy count the leaves of an  The leaves are
old ivy vine? her bases of how
long will she live.
5. How did Sue react to Johnsy’s resignation  Sue was so
to die? positive.
6. How did Sue help her friend?  Sue encouraged
Johnsy to be
positive so that
she can still paint
the Bay of Naples.
  Post-reading Activities

7. Why do you think the author chose artists  Answers may

as the main characters? vary.
8. What does the story tell us about hope?  Answers may
About art and artistry? About love and vary.
ultimate sacrifice?
10. Why did Johnsy change her mind about  Answers may
living? vary.
11. Who was more mature, Sue or Johnsy?  Answers may
Why? vary.
12. Do you agree with Sue that the painted  Answers may
leaf was Behrman’s masterpiece? Why? vary.
13. What lesson does the story or the author  Answers may
want us to learn? vary.

 Elaborate

Time
Teacher’s Activity Students’ Activity Teacher’s Note
Frame

 Skill Integration

MAP me out! * Plot Analysis  The students

The teacher will ask the students to identify the
identify the events in the story that make up events of the
its plot. The following will be emphasized... story that make
up its plot.
 Exposition
 Rising action
 Climax
 Falling Action
 Resolution
 Grammar Link
BUILDING LINKS and BRIDGES  The students
 Transitional Devices listen to the
The teacher will present the common teacher
categories and functions of transitional
devices.
Build me UP!
From the plot analysis conducted by the  The students
students, the teacher will ask them to write a write the
brief summary of the story by connecting the summary using
events in their plot analysis using transitional transitional
devices. devices.

 Evaluate

I CHOOSE you! * Character Analysis

Analyze the story, “The Last Leaf” answering the following:

1. Describe one character in the story.
2. What is his/her problem and inspiration?
3. What motivates him/her to live?
4. What is his/her ambition?
5. What are his/her weaknesses?
6. What are his/her strengths?
7. What life lesson have you learned from him/her?
Put your answers together by using transitional devices.