LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 4

The learner will critically analyze text to gain meaning, develop thematic connections, and synthesize ideas.

Objective 4.02

Develop thematic connections among literary works by:
- connecting themes that occur across genres or works from different time periods.
- using specific references to validate connections.
-examining how representative elements such as mood, tone, and style impact the development of a theme.

Resources aligned to this objective

God's Weaving in Taylor's "Huswifery"
The students will trace Taylor's use of "conceit" or "extended metaphor" in his poem "Huswifery" where he compares the process of cloth making to God's salvation of man. They will personalize the use of conceit by writing a poem in which they compare a personal transformation with an inanimate task.
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
By Carla Weist.

Lesson plans on the web

Analyzing the purpose and meaning of political cartoons
In this lesson, students evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Analyzing the stylistic choices of political cartoonists
In this lesson, students learn terminology that describes comics and political (or editorial) cartoons and discuss how the cartoonists' choices influence the messages that they communicate. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Broken worlds
This lesson, one of a multi-part unit from ARTSEDGE, provides a variety of options for conducting comparative analysis between two plays. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Theatre Arts Education and English Language Arts)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Building Vietnam War scavenger hunts through web-based inquiry
After reading a book about the Vietnam War, students, working in small groups, adopt the perspective of members of a group involved in the war (e.g., soldier, nurse, doctor, photojournalist, TV reporter) and conduct Internet research to explore how that particular group was affected. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Decoding “The Matrix”: Exploring dystopian characteristics through film
In this lesson, students are introduced to the definition and characteristics of a dystopian work by watching video clips from The Matrix and other dystopian films. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying": Burying Addie's Voice
Students consider the role of Addie Bundren in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, the effect she has on the other characters, and the impact created by Faulkner's use of multiple narrative perspectives on revelation of character and exploration of themes. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying": Crossing the River
Students consider the symbolism of the river crossing in As I Lay Dying and how Faulkner's use of multiple narrative perspectives relates to the author's thematic concerns. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
From Friedan forward—considering a feminist perspective
In this lesson that focuses on feminism, students are challenged to think about how opinions develop and change based on such things as age, experience, time, and place. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Life on the Great Plains
Students examine the concept of geographic region by exploring the history of the Great Plains. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
Literary parodies: Exploring a writer's style through imitation
In this lesson, students analyze the features of a poet's work and then create their own poems based on the original model. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Making connections to myth and folktale: The many ways to “Rainy Mountain”
In this assignment, students write a three-voice narrative based on N. Scott Momaday’s structure in The Way to Rainy Mountain. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Mark Twain and American humor
Students examine structure and characterization in the short story and consider the significance of humor through a study of Mark Twain's “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
Outside in: Finding a character's heart through art
In this lesson, students explore the idea of alienation by examining Edward Hopper's art and Raymond Carver's fiction. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Poetry: Sound and sense
In this lesson, students read and listen to several poems while concentrating on the author's language choices. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Reader response in Hypertext: Making personal connections to literature
In this lesson, students choose four quotations that inspire personal responses to a novel they have read and create a multi-genre project to express these feelings. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Style: Translating stylistic choices from Hawthorne to Hemingway and back again
In this lesson, students translate passages that demonstrate specific stylistic devices and then translate fables into the style of one of the authors they have been reading. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Varying views of America
In this lesson, students work in a collaborative setting to examine the ways that perspective influences how individuals vary in their tone toward similar experience based on their point of view. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Weaving the multigenre web
In this lesson, students read novels, analyze the literary elements, and create a multigenre project to present information to their peers. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE