Suggestions for Voices of Spoon River Lesson Plan

Marie Duncan, Jon Scoresby, Brett SheltonUtah State University, Department of Instructional Technology

March 17, 2006

Consent/Assent FormsMonday, March 20

Handed out with instructions to bring in on TuesdayTuesday March 21 – Thursday March23

Reminder for students who have not returned forms (as needed)

Unit IntroductionFriday March 24

All periods, initial survey, introduction to SRA and to VOSR (in classroom), initial homework assignment

Game play 1st Monday March 27:

Periods X, Y, Z introduction (in lab) and play game.

Tuesday March 28: Periods X, Y, Z play game

Wednesday March 29: Periods X, Y, Z take game play assessment and start discussion

Thursday March 30: Periods X, Y, Z Continue discussion section

Friday March 31: Take discussion and unit assessment

Discussion 1st Monday March 27:

Periods A, B start discussion

Tuesday March 28: Periods A, B discussion continued

Wednesday March 29: Periods A, B take discussion assessment, start game play

Thursday March 30: Periods A, B continue game play

Friday March 31: Take game assessment and unit assessment, final homework assignment

Suggested Unit Introduction Lesson (Friday, March 24)

Introduce what an epitaph is and then have the students write epitaphs of some characters in Fahrenheit 451 and discuss.

Then introduce Spoon River Anthology.o Entire book is nothing but epitaphso Through the epitaphs you can learn about the characters in the town of SR

Introduce Interactive Fiction & Voices of Spoon Rivero During this unit of instruction, students will be given the opportunity to

play a game centered around SRAo Demo another IF game in class (e.g. adverbum or zork)o Review the read-me

Suggested Discussion Topics

During the discussion intervention, the instructor will be solely responsible for the scheduling of class time and the direction of all discussion. The instructor will be given guidance, in the form of (a) the Spoon River Anthology text, (b) the design documents of both groups (with particularly relevant sections indicated), (c) websites with relevant materials, including lesson plans, and (d) time with the VOSR team to discuss the text.

Possible instructor resources: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/springbrookhs/spoon/lessonplans.html http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/8405/spoonrivercrazy.html http://filemaker3.mcps.k12.md.us/spoonriver/FMPro?-db=spoonriver.FP5&-lay=Layout

%20%231&-format=search.htm&-view http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/lsf/orth16.htm

The only study related requirements, during the discussion intervention, will be covering (a) the Judge Somers, Penniwit, Carl Hamblin, and Editor Whedon characters and (c) not covering Harry Wilmans and Judson Stoddard or any additional VOSR related characters (except Judge Somers, Editor Whedon and Carl Hamblin).

Read select epitaphs and choose from possible discussion topics. Use this to teach point-of-view. A lot of epitaphs go together and show both sides

of the story, i.e. Jack McGuire and Town Marshal. In class activity would be to have students write the other p.o.v. of an epitaph that is not related to another.

Final homework assignment (could be started in class) would be to have student develop a cluster that has a problem that can be resolved like in the game. This cluster could include written epitaphs of friends, family, or any relationship they can come up with, or could use SRA epitaphs. Have them apply it to their own lives.

Specific EpitaphsTo Discuss

Carl Hamblin Judge Somers

Editor WhedonTo NOT Discuss

McGees (Ollie and Fletcher) Judson Stoddard Elsa Wertman Mrs. Sibley Jack McGuire Penniwit, the Artist Harry Wilmans

Possible Discussion Topics Thematic elements

o Relationshipso Revengeo Justice/Injustice o Religiono Jealousy

Poetic structureo Epitapho Free verseo Figurative languageo Repetition

Interrelationshipso What can you infer about the relationships between characters?o What can you infer about the individual characters’ lives from the

information given in the epitaphs?