“THE LOTTERY”BY SHIRLEY JACKSONMs. Dymek

7th Grade English

Warm Up #2

Warm Up #2: Write down the original sentences. The circle the subjects and underline the predicates in both sentences.

After the storm, the town was deserted. When the rains came, no one could stay

outside.  After the storm, the town was deserted. When the rains came, no one could stay

outside. could stay is a verb phrase  

Let’s Try Something…

You will receive a paper, and your paper will have a colored dot on it. I will give you directions in a minute. Please do not fold or rip your pieces of paper

If you have a pink dot, please stand in the back of the room.

If you have a green dot, please discuss the following with your table: If you were to win the lottery (like billions of dollars), how would you spend your money?

Please be appropriate with your responses (not that I need to say this or anything…)

Please be prepared to discuss as a class.

After working…

What color was your dot? What was the benefit /detriment of having that color?

Do you feel lotteries are a fair way to choose someone or something? Why or why not? Use your past experiences or our class activity to help you relate.

Vocabulary

Reprimand Part of Speech? Sounds like? After staying out past his curfew,

Daniel was reprimanded for hours by his angry mother.

Reprimand: (verb) to scold or punish verbally

Vocabulary

Paraphernalia Part of Speech? Sounds like? In order to play football, certain

paraphernalia, like jerseys, shoulder pads, and cleats, are needed.

Paraphernalia: (noun) objects used for a certain task

Vocabulary

Perfunctory Part of Speech? Sounds like? Despite not liking any of her

obnoxious nephews, Aunt Bernice put on her perfunctory smile in order to seem polite on Christmas.

Perfunctory: (adjective) done with minimal effort

Vocabulary

InterminablePart of Speech? Sounds like? The math class was so interminable that I thought that it would never end.

Interminable: (adjective) neverending

Vocabulary

PetulantPart of Speech? Sounds like? When the petulant child

continued to act out, Ms. Dymek gave him her best death stare.

Petulant: (adjective) rude, disrespectful

Warm Up #3

 Warm Up #3: Write down the original sentences. The circle the subjects and underline the predicates in both sentences. Remember verb phrases!

Have your “The Lottery” Prereading worksheet and a highlighter on your desk. If you need to borrow one,

they are by the pencil sharpener.  

1. I had to take a test in my last class. 2. Mr. Smith, my teacher, is too strict.  I had to take a test in my last class. Mr. Smith, my teacher, is too strict.

Predicting “The Lottery”

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.

A) Who participates in the lottery? What kind of people are they?

B) According to the first paragraph, what is the atmosphere the day of the lottery?

Passage Two…

Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.

C) What are other details you learn about the town and its citizens based on this paragraph? Final Prediction: Based

on what we have discussed and what we have already read from Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” what do you think will happen to

the winner of the lottery?

The whole town will be gathering to take part in the annual lottery…

As we are reading “The Lottery”

Highlight or underline anything in the text that strikes you as being “odd” in the story or something that is emphasized often

We will be looking for evidence of foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is clues that author leaves that hint at what is to come later in the story

If you have read the story, DO NOT RUIN IT.

Let’s Discuss…

What was the purpose of the lottery? The purpose was to ensure that there would a be

good corn harvest. How is the “winner” chosen?

The family is chosen first. Then from the family, whoever draws the black dot is the “winner.”

What ends up happening to the “winner?”

The winner is stoned to death in order to become a sacrifice.

What did you think was the strangest part about this story?

Before We Move On…

Let’s take a few minutes and answer this question:

Based on what you read in the short story, what is the theme

of “The Lottery”? Use at least three examples from the

text to support your answer, and write your answer on the line

provided. Do your best

Theme

Theme is the message the author wants to convey in their work.

You can think of theme as what a young child would learn from the story.

What do you believe the theme of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is?

Following a tradition because you always have.

Persecution can be random.

“The Lottery” and Theme