extremely loud and incredibly close unit plan final

7/26/2019 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Unit Plan Final

1/38


2/38

ExtremelyLoud&IncrediblyClose

UnitPlan

DouglasBriggs,KathyBroqn,MatthewBuntain,TripLewis,MikeNicholson,TomOConnell

St.ThomasUniversity

Dr.Heather

Richmond

/EDUC

5813

October14,2008


3/38

ExtremelyLoud&IncrediblyClose:UnitPlan

Thefollowingisa20classunitplanforthebookExtremelyLoud&IncrediblyClosebyJonathanS.Foer.

The unit is divided into four sections, each representing a section of the novel and each having a

dominantthemeorapproachtothenovel.

SectionOnefocusesonpages184ofthenovelandintroducesstudentstoIntertextualityinliterature,

9/11andtheeffects ithashadonthepsycheoftheWest,andframesaclosereadingofthetext. As

with the succeeding sections in our Unit,we close this sectionwith Plot Summarization up to and

includingpage84.

SectionTwocoverspages86173ofthenovelanddealswithmorethematicelementsofthenovel,such

as the quest motif, death, and the human condition. Again, we will end this section with a Plot

Summarization.

SectionThreedealswithCharacterdevelopment inthenovel,uptopage259. Here,westudentswill

carry out Character analyses of Oskar, his mother, his grandmother, and his grandfather (Thomas

Schell). Aswiththeothersections,wewillendthissectionwithaPlotSummarization.

Finally,inSectionFourstudentswillbeengagedinvariousStorypathactivitiesthatwill,ineffect,bring

theirjourneywithOskartoaclose.

Throughouttheunit,studentswillbeengagedinactivitiesthatchallengethemtonotonlylookatOskar

andhisjourneythroughthefiveboroughsofNewYork,butalsoattheirownlivesandjourneys.


4/38

Resources

AuthorInterviews(specifictoEL&IC):

http://www.motherjones.com/arts/qa/2005/05/Safran_Foer.html

http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/73/the_distance_between_us/

http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,519717599930,00.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/magazine/27FOER.html?position=&ei=5090&en=adbd05d8d596

4ba3&ex=1267246800&partner=rssuserland&pagewanted=print&position=(NewYorkTimearticle/

interview)

http://audio.search.yahoo.com/search/audio/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Faudio.search.yahoo.com%2Fs

earch%2Faudio%3Fei%3DUTF8%26sngid%3D681ddc1432fedbc9%26p%3DBoston%2BCollege%253A%2B

Jonathan%2BSafran%2BFoer&p=Boston+College%3A+Jonathan+Safran+Foer&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffron

trow.bc.edu%2Fprogram%2Ffoer&name=fr20050407foer

au.rm?mode=compact&dur=65:00&rate=&no=1&tt=1 70minuteintervieww/Foer

http://live.kusp.org:9000/ramgen/fp_04_25_05.rm 26minuteintervieww/Foer

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremely_Loud_and_Incredibly_Close

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Safran_Foer

Discussion Questions

http://www.bakaitis.com/bookgroups/extremelyloudincrediblyclosediscussiontopics/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4564451NPRReview

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4573304NPR

Review

(2)


5/38

1.1

IntertextualityInLiterature

Objectives

Acquireinformationfromavarietyofsources,recognizingtherelationships,concepts,and

ideasthatcanbeutilizedtogeneratestudenttext(pg.28ofCurriculum)

Thepurposeofthisactivity isforstudentstounderstandandbecomefamiliarwithideaof

differentmediumscreatingasimilarthemeatechniqueusedbyFoerinExtremelyLoudand

IncrediblyClose.

Methods/

Strategies

Inpreparationfortheclass,putpackagestogether.Anexamplepackage,withthethemeof

the objectification of women, could include pictures from magazines, excerpts from

ShakespearesSister

by

Virginia

Wolfs

A

Room

of

Ones

Own,the

poem

My

Last

DuchessbyRobertBrowning,and sexist1950sadvertisements. Thisexercise isdone in

groups.Otherthemesincludelove,loss,death,redemptionandcomingofage.

Ingroups,giveoutpackagesofshortstories,poems,photographs,paintingsandexcerpts

fromnovelsthatshareasimilartheme.Donottellthegroupswhattheirthemeis.Havethe

groups construct a poster that includes the material and have them decide what the

commonthreadbetweeneverythingontheposteris.Havegroupswriteaonepagepaper

discussingwhat they think is their theme and how each items fits into it. Present their

posterstotheclass.

Following thisactivity, introduce thephotojournal idea.LikeOskar,havestudents takea

photograph a day for the remainder of the unit. Have disposable cameras available for

students

who

need

them.

Resources Various magazine clippings, photocopied excerpts from poetry anthologies, paintings,advertisements,photographs,quotesandshortstories;largepaper,glue,markers,scissors

anddisposablecameras.

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

Studentswill bemarked on their posters and the papers to be passedwith them. The

posterswillbeevaluatedforgettingthecorrectthemeandcreativelyincludingallormost

ofthe

material

provided

in

the

package.

The

papers

will

be

marked

for

organization

and

supportingtheroleofeachitemontheposterandhowitsupportstheoveralltheme.


6/38

1.2

Discussionof9/11

Objectives

Toarticulate,advocate,andjustifypositionsonanissueortextinaconvincingmanner,

showinganunderstandingofarangeofviewpoints.

Tolistencriticallytoanalyseandevaluateconcepts,ideas,andinformation.

Tomakeinformedpersonalresponsestoincreasinglychallengingprintandmediatexts

andreflectontheirresponses.

Methods/

Strategies

1Theteacherwillshowthevideo,TheFallingMan.

2The teacherwillprovideanoverviewof theeventsof9/11anddisplaythephotoessay,

Shattered.

3Students

will

be

asked

to

consider

the

following

questions

for

ageneral

class

discussion:

Whatdoyouknowabout9/11?

Whatdoyourememberabout9/11?

Whatdiditmeantoyou?

4Ingroupsof5, the studentswillconsideranumberofquotations fromWhyUs?The

students will determine which quotation they would choose as most

appropriate/accurate and least appropriate/accurate forwhy 9/11 took place. The

groupswillreporttheirselectionsbacktotheclass.

5Afterthediscussion,thestudentswillbeaskedtowriteajournalentryfocusingononeof

thegeneraldiscussionquestions.

Resources TheFallingMan

TimeMagazine:Shattered

"WhyUs"quotations(www.911ashistory.org)

AssessmentStrategies/Criteria

Ratherthanfollowingthegroupdiscussionrubricforthenovel,studentswillbegiven

participationmarks

for

making

acomment,

and

responding

with

courtesy

to

others

comments.

Journalentrieswillbemarkedfordemonstrationofthoughtfulconsiderationofthe

question(s)posedandforthearticulationoftheirresponses.


7/38

1.3

ClassReadAloudLessonOne

Objectives Studentswilldeveloptheiroralreadingskills.Students will experience a community interaction with, and response to the text as a

foundationforexploringthemaincharacter(s)andthemesofthenovel.

Studentswillcollectivelyexamineanddiscussthevoiceofthenarratorandthestyleof

thewritingasitrelatestothefirstchapterofthenovel.

Methods/

Strategies

Prereadingactivities:Studentswill fill intheAnticipationGuide (seeAppendix)prior to

theoralreading.

Studentswill

be

given

specific

vocabulary

words

and

meanings

to

guide

their

understanding

ofthetext.

MainActivity:

Studentswillvolunteertoreadpages17ofthetext.

Closing activity: Studentswill individually develop a list of questions that they want to

discussaboutthisportionofthechapter.Instructthestudentsbytellingthemthatusually

thebestdiscussionquestionscomefromtheirownthoughts,feelingsandconcernsasthey

read.

Samplequestions:

1. Whatwasgoingthroughyourmindaswereadthissection?

2. Howdidyoufeelwhilereadingthissection?

3. Didanythinginthissectionsurpriseyou?Confuseyou?

4.

What

do

you

think

is

most

important

to

the

narrator

at

this

point

in

the

chapter?

Resources AnticipationGuide

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

Using studentgenerated list of questions (see above), teacher will assess students

involvementandunderstandingofthetext.


8/38

1.4

ClassReadAloudLessonTwo

Objectives

Studentswilldeveloptheiroralreadingskills.

Students will experience a community interaction with, and response to the text as a

foundationforexploringthemaincharacter(s)andthemesofthenovel.

Studentswillcollectivelyexamineanddiscussthevoiceofthenarratorandthestyleof

thewritingasitrelatestothefirstchapterofthenovel.

Methods/

Strategies

PrereadingActivity:

Classwillreviewthequestionstheyformedbasedonthepreviousdaysreading.

MainActivity:

Studentswillvolunteertoreadpages816ofthetext.

ClosingActivity:

Individually,and inparagraph form,thestudentswill review theirAnticipationGuideand

comparetheiropinionsonthosestatementswiththeauthorsimpliedorstatedmessages.

Thismaybepassedinnextclass.

Resources AnticipationGuide

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

Closingactivity


9/38

1.5

PlotSummaryChart&MappingActivity

Objectives

Studentswillbeexpectedtospeakandlistentoexplore,extend,clarify,and

reflectontheirthoughts,ideas,feelings,andexperiences.

Studentswillbeexpectedtointerpret,select,andcombineinformation,using

avarietyofstrategies,resources,andtechnologies.

Studentswillbeexpectedtocommunicateinformationandideaseffectivelyand

clearlyandtorespondpersonallyandcritically.

Methods/

Strategies

PlotSummary

Teacherfacilitatesclassdiscussionaboutthe1stsectionofthenovel.Classcreates10point

outlineoftheplottodate,selectingonlythemostrelevantpoints,whicharerecordedon

thewhiteboard.Alongwiththeoutlinewillappearalistofthecharactersintroducedinthe

section (names and roles only.) The completed outline is recorded on chart paper and

placedonasectionofclassroomwalldedicatedtothenovel(PlotSummaryWall.

MappingActivityAfteraquickoverviewofthegeographyand layoutofNewYorkCity,classwillbreak into

pairs. UsingGoogleMapsandGoogleEarth,eachgroupwillplotOskarsjourneythrough

thefiveboroughsofthecity.

(IfusingGoogleMaps,studentswillsaveOskarsjourneyasaMap. IfusingGoogleEarth,

studentswillsavehisjourneyasaPath.) AteachstoponOskarsjourney,studentswilluse

GoogleMaps

Street

View

to

view

images

of

the

area

and

answer

questions

and

make

commentsabouteachpartofthecity.(SeeMappingAppendix)

Resources PlotSummaryTeacherssummarynotesfornovelsection.Listofquestionsintendedtofacilitateclassdiscussionandsummarizing.

chartpaperandwallspace

MappingActivity

GoogleEarthandInternetaccess(GoogleMaps)

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

ClassDiscussions

Theteachershouldmakecarefulnoteofparticipationandcontributionofstudentsduring

discussion.Theteachershouldmoderatethemoreenthusiasticcontributorsand facilitate

thecontributionofmorereluctantstudentsinordertoobtaininputfromallstudents.

DiscussionrubricStudentsare informed thattheirparticipationduringtheplotsummaryconversationswill


10/38

beassessedwiththeDiscussionRubric.Theywillbegiventherubric inadvance,andtold

thattheywillbeaskedtodoaselfevaluationbasedontheircontributionstothediscussion.

The Teacherwill alsomake notes about student participation to form the basis of later

evaluation.

TeachermustrecordthePlotSummaryinelectronicdocument.


11/38


12/38

1.7

OscarSchellandHisQuest:TheHeroMyth(part2)andHeresMyCard

Objectives

To familiarizestudentswith thenotionsofquestand theheromyth,asexaminedby

JosephCampbell,andbasedonastudyofpopcultureexamples.

Thepurposeofthisactivityistodrawcomparisonandcontrastbetweentheconceptofthe

heroquestmotifinliteratureandthenovel.

Toanalysethematicconnectionsamongtextsandarticulateanunderstandingofthe

universalityofmanythemes(12.6)

Methods/

Strategies

UsingQuest

Worksheets,

ask

students

to

share

their

examples.

IntroducetheByronicHero,withcharacteristics. Canyouthinkofanyexamples? Batman,

TheTerminator?,Wolverine,TheCrow,Zena,KurtCobain?,TravisBickle(TaxiDriver),

WilliamFoster(FallingDown)

DoesOskarfitthemoldoftheByronichero?Whyorwhynot? Givespecificexamples.

HeresMyCardActivity

ThestudentswilllookatthepictureofOscarscardonpage99. Thewillanswerthe

question,Whydopeopleputthethingsthattheydoontheircards?

For

twenty

minutes

students

will

create

and

laminate

their

cards.

AfterallofthestudentshavemadeacardtheywillreceiveHandout10HeresMyCard.

TheHandoutisalistofthestudentsintheclassandablankline. Everystudentmust

Interviewtenotherstudentsintheclassandwritedownintheblankthreefeaturesabout

thecardoftheirpeer.

Theclasswillthenspendtheremainderoftheclasstalkingabouteachotherscards,what

theysaid,andtheywillanswerthequestion,Doyoufeelthatyourcardreallyrepresented

you? Theclasswilltalkaboutwhichcardswereourfavorites.

Resources N/A

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

ClassDiscussions

Theteachershouldmakecarefulnoteofparticipationandcontributionofstudentsduring

discussion.Theteachershouldmoderatethemoreenthusiasticcontributorsand facilitate

thecontributionofmorereluctantstudentsinordertoobtaininputfromallstudents.


13/38

1.8

Slings,Arrows,LasersandJetPlanes

Objectives

Studentswillunderstand andhave aworking knowledge of theme as it relates to the

human condition and death in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and otherworks of

literatureandmedia.

Studentswilldemonstrateaworkingknowledgeofpersonificationasafigureofspeechas

theyuseittofleshoutthethemeofdeathinaspecificpassagefromthenovel.

Methods/

Strategies

HaveToBeorNotToBequotationfromthebeginningofHamletssoliloquy,ontheboard

asstudentsentertheclassroom. Instructstudentstotakeacoupleofminutesto listtheir

ownraisonsdtrealaOskar.

Beforestudents

watch

Star

Wars

Rare

Original

Death

of

Emperor

scene,

have

them

consider inwhatspecificways theyseeOscar issuffering themanyslingsandarrowsof

deathinthenovelthisfar?Recordresponsesonboard.

Explainthethemesofthehumanconditionanddeathasspecificthemes in literature/life.

MakereferencetoHamlet(ifpossible,HamlethasbeentaughtbeforeFoersnovel).Explain

how these themes are timeless and universal. Set up the StarWars clip by instructing

students to pay close attention to the Emperor, as the personification of death. After

watchingtheclip,elicitfeedback.

Provide students copies of the pages 168170, written out in the form of a dramatic

dialogue. Have them read the scene silently and imagine themselves as one of the

characters.Tell them that therewillbeanopportunity toassume the roleofoneof the

charactersduringnextclass.

Close

the

class

by

referring

back

to

the

ways

Oskar

is

suffering

the

arrows

of

death

recorded

ontheboard.Seeifthestudentshaveanyadditionalideas.

Resources StarWarsRareOriginalDeathofEmperorHamletsSoliloquyAct3,Scene1

ExtremelyLoudandIncrediblyClosepages168170inscriptform.

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

Forhomework,havestudentsskimthroughthefirsthalfofthenovelandfindthreeof

Oskarsraisondtre.Havethemaddthesetothelistoftheirown,andsubmitthemon

thefollowingclass.


14/38


15/38


16/38

thestudents.Observationalnotesaboutstudentsperformancecanlaterbeusedtoform

thebasisofgroupworkevaluationforeachstudent.



17/38


18/38

1.12

CharacterAnalysisofOskarsMother

Objectives

Demonstrateawillingnesstoexploremultipleperspectivesontext.(Curriculum,page29)

Methods/

Strategies

Beginbydiscussingthevariousnarratorswevehadsofar,andaskwhichmajorcharacter

dowehearnothingfrom.Theanswerwillbethemother.Asaclass,brainstormdifferent

characteristicsofthemother.Wheneverastudentmakesasuggestion,makesuretheyroot

theirobservationwithanexample.Leaddiscussionintoactivity,wherestudentsmustwrite

adiaryentryofOskarsmothersdiary.

Resources Thetext

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

Studentswillbeevaluatedontheircreativity,organization,grammar,spellingandrelevance

ofcontenttothetext.


19/38

1.13

CharacterAnalysis:GrandmaSchell

Objectives

Toconsistentlydemonstrateactivelisteningandconcernfortheneeds,rights,andfeelings

ofothers(12.3)

Torespondtoawiderangeofcomplexquestionsanddirections.(12.2)

Tomakeconnectionsbetweentheirownvalues,beliefs,andculturesandthosereflected

inliteraryandmediatexts.(12.6)

Methods/

Strategies

1Havetheclassbrainstormalistofwords/phrasesdescribingGrandmaSchell.

2Ingroupsof fivehave the students consider the followinggeneralquestionsandwrite

responsesinpointform:

does

Grandma

resent

her

husband

for

leaving

her?

wassheeverinlovewithhim?

Isshepleasedbyhisreturn?

3Asaclasscomparegroupresponses.

4 focusonthechaptersentitledMyFeelingsandhavestudentsrespond individuallyto

thesequestions:

whenthegrandmotherwritestoOscarthatwhileshewasyoungshefelt,Ihavenoneed

forthepast, Ithought, likeachild. Ididnotconsiderthatthepastmighthaveaneedfor

me(p.78),issheinsinuatingthatOskarthinkslikeachild?

WhatdoesGrandmamean whenshewritesIdidnotneedtoknowifhecouldloveme.

Ineededtoknowifhecouldneedme(p.84)?

GrandmaasksmanytimesWhydoesanyoneevermakelove?(p.8484);isthisrhetorical

and

what

could

it

mean?

Whatdoes thegrandmothermeanwhenshewrites toOskarImissedyouevenwhen I

waswithyou. Thatsmyproblem. Imisswhat Ialreadyhave,and Isurroundmyselfwith

thingsthataremissing(p.174)?

doesshemeanitwhenshewritesThereisnothingwrongwithcompromising.Evenifyou

compromisealmosteverything(p.175)?

GrandmawritesImovedmyhand to touchyourhand (p.227)andIslidclosertohim

untiloursides touchedIwantedasmuchofus to touchaspossible(p.306)why is it so

importantforGrandmatotouchpeople?

Homework:Studentswillwriteaonetwopage response forsubmission for the following

question,doesGrandmamean itwhenshesaystoOskar,Ihopeyounever loveanything

asmuchasIloveyou?Whyorwhynot?

Resources ExtremelyLoud&IncrediblyClose


20/38

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

Class participation marks will be allotted for evidence of thoughtful participation in

brainstormingandgroupactivity(yes/nocheckmark).

Studentswillreceivemarksforhavingcompletedtheinclassquestions(yes/nocheckmark

for each question; students who wish, will be given the opportunity to complete the

questionsfor

homework).

Studentswillbeevaluatedforthoughtfulconsiderationandarticulationforthehomework

assignment(outofapossible5marks).


21/38


22/38

1.15

PlotSummaryChart&MappingActivity

Objectives

Studentswillbeexpectedtospeakandlistentoexplore,extend,clarify,and

reflectontheirthoughts,ideas,feelings,andexperiences.

Studentswillbeexpectedtointerpret,select,andcombineinformation,using

avarietyofstrategies,resources,andtechnologies.

Studentswillbeexpectedtocommunicateinformationandideaseffectivelyand

clearlyandtorespondpersonallyandcritically.

Methods/

Strategies

PlotSummary

Teacherformstheclassintogroupsof5students.Theyaregiventwentyminutestodiscuss

the 2nd

novel section and make a ten point outline. Each group briefly presents their

summarytotheclass.Choosingthecommonpointsthatappear inmultiplepresentations,

theclassconstructsa10pointoutlinetogether.Alongwiththeoutlinewillappearalistof

thecharacters introduced inthesection (namesandrolesonly.)Thecompletedoutline is

recordedonchartpaperandplacedonasectionofclassroomwalldedicatedtothenovel

(plotSummaryWall).

MappingActivityContinueplottingofOskarsjourneyusingGoogleMapsandGoogleEarth. Ateachstopon

Oskarsjourney,studentswilluseGoogleMapsStreetViewtoview imagesofthearea

andanswer

questions

and

make

comments

about

each

part

of

the

city.

Resources PlotSummary Teacherssummarynotesfornovelsection.

Listofquestionsintendedtofacilitateclassdiscussionandsummarizing.

Chartpaperandwallspace

MappingActivity:

GoogleEarthandInternetaccess(GoogleMaps)

Assessment

Strategies/Criteria

GroupworkRubric

EachgroupmemberassessesoneothergroupmemberusingtheGroupworkrubric.

Completedrubricsaregiventotheteacherattheendoftheclass.Therubricsare

completedanonymously.

Theteachershouldcloselyobservetheprogressofeachgroup,andthedynamicsbetween


23/38

thestudents.Observationalnotesaboutstudentsperformancecanlaterbeusedtoform

thebasisofgroupworkevaluationforeachstudent.



24/38


25/38


26/38


27/38


28/38


29/38


30/38

MappingActivity

To begin this activity, the teacher will give a brief overview of New York City, specifically on the

subdivisionofthecityintothefiveboroughs(also,whataboroughis,etc.)

Throughouttheunit,studentswillbemappingOskarsjourneythroughthefiveboroughs. Thismapping

willbedonebyusingGoogleMapsand/orGoogleEarth. Iftimeallows,theteachershouldgiveabrief

overview of each, pointing out the strengths, weaknesses, and features of each, as well as the

compatibilitybetweenthetwo.

WEEK1

Afterbeingintroducedtotheactivity,studentswillbeplacedinpairstoplotinGoogleMapspointsof

interestinthefirstsectionofthebookreadinWeek1. Thesepointsofinterestinclude(butarenot

limitedto):

OscarsApartment

FrazerandSons(Locksmith)


31/38


32/38


33/38

Lesson1.4 AnticipationGuide

Name:

Title:

Directions:

On

the

continuum

of

each

of

the

numbers,

place

an

x

that

indicates

where

youstandinregardtothestatementthatfollows.Bepreparedtodefendandsupport

youropinionswithspecificexamples.Afterwehavereadthetext,youwillcompare

youropinionsonthosestatementswiththeauthorsimpliedand/orstatedmessages.

StronglyAgree StronglyDisagree

|________________________________| 1.Itisplausiblethatanineyearoldthinks

about

the

meaning

of

life.

|________________________________| 2.Itisplausiblethatanineyearoldthinks

about andformsopinionsontheexistence

ofGodandlifeafterdeath.

|________________________________| 3.Apersonhastoconfrontdeathinorder

to

understandlifesmeaning.

|________________________________|

4.

It

is

natural

for

people

to

want

toconstruct

meaningoutofchaos.

|________________________________| 5.Thereisalwaysawayout,ameansof

escape.

|________________________________| 6.Sharingacommonlanguagemakes

communicationeasy.

|________________________________| 7. Peoplearefragile.

|________________________________| 8.Attheageofnine,weareprimarily

influencedbyourparents.

|________________________________| 9. Ultimately,everythinginlifehas

meaning.


34/38


35/38


36/38


37/38


38/38

extremely loud and incredibly close unit plan final

Documents