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Chandler unified School districtSuggested Resource Guide for Required TextsExtended Text: Into the Wild Jon Krakauer978-0-385-4806-4TitleAuthorISBNGRADE LEVEL: 11th Grade English / 11th Grade IB/AP EnglishSynopsis: Into the Wild is the story of Christopher McCandless, who in April of 1992 abandoned everything and walked alone into the wilderness of Alaska. Four months later, McCandless was found by a moose hunter. The novel tells the story of the priviledged background of McCandless and his possible motivations for giving up everything to find himself in the wilderness. Jon Krakauer, the author, relates the tale of McCandless with parallels to his personal life and explores the themes of identity, isolation, and nature. Background:Jon Krakauer, an outdoorsmen and modern journalist focused his writing on nature and humane sensitivities. He began his writing career as a journalist reporting on his love for mountain climbing. He was published in numerous magazines including Outside, National Geographic, and Rolling Stone, among many others. His first full length novel, Into Thin Air, focused on the death of four of the five teammates with whom he attempted to climb Mount Everest and perished in a tragic storm. His next novel, Into the Wild, was published in 1996 focusing on McCandless’s doomed journey into the Alaskan wilderness. His next novel, Under the Banner of Heaven, delved into the world of Mormon fundamentalism. He has since published two more novels one titled Where Men Win Glory, The Odyssey of Pat Tillman and Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way. He has been the winner of numerous awards including the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Text Complexity Analysis:Quantitative: 1270 LexileQualitative: While the purpose of the text is to discuss journey of McCandless into the Alaskan wilderness, it also delves into the journey to discover oneself and one’s purpose in life. The novel focuses on both the physical and spiritual journey of McCandless while also making connections and bringing in the personal journey of the author, Krakauer. It is an ideal piece for rhetorical study as the novel is told through a series of flashbacks and has a unique organization. The novel is also unique in that it forces the reader to characterize both McCandless and Krakauer through the connections in narration. Finally, the numerous parallel themes in the novel may be challenging for some students. Reader and Task: For struggling readers, such as ELL and SPED, students would benefit by visiting the websites , , and viewing photos from his journal. These sites would give students visuals in order to understand the more difficult concepts of the novel. ELL and SPED students may also need help with recognizing and understanding the numerous allusions throughout the novel. It would be helpful for teachers to explain the references to Thoreau, Tolstoy, and London by exposing students to some of these pieces. Because the novel can be difficult to follow, the teacher will need to provide scaffolding and modeling in lessons throughout the unit. Additionally, some of the more mature themes of self-discovery and finding one’s self may be difficult for less mature students. Motifs and Themes:Essential Questions:What is the relationship between nature and American identity? How do we construct identity through our actions, interests, values and beliefs? What is the relationship between self and society? Themes:The indispensable struggle for masteryThe power of ancestral memory and primitive instinctsThe laws of civilization and of wildernessThe membership of the individual within the groupMotifs:StruggleIdentityNatureVisionsBooks LANGUAGE:Identify important vocabulary. Provide a focus standard for grammar/mechanics that works nicely with the extended text.Vocabulary Acquisition and UseTier 2 VocabularyTier 3 Vocabulary(if applicable)Autonomy – chapter 1Emulate – chapter 1Admonish – chapter 2 Eminent – chapter 3Onerous – chapter 3Botanical – chapter 4Destitute – chapter 5Ambivalence – chapter 7Gaunt – chapter 8Hubris – chapter 8Extemporaneous – chapter 12Euphoria – chapter 15Havoc – chapter 15EpigraphRhetoricEpilogueTranscendentalismDictionPersonaParadoxConventions of Standard English or Knowledge of Language focus standard:Standard CodeStandard TextDescription of where and how it fits with the extended text11.L.5.aDemonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings Interpret figures of speech (e.g. hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the textThroughout the novel there are various examples of similes, metaphors, allusions, personification etc.e.g. “”when his VHF barked to life” (100). Companion Texts:Provide a series of short companion texts that will supplement the extended text and provide students with a deeper understanding of the themes, motifs, or context of the extended text.1-3 Short Informational TextsText Title and AuthorA short description of the text and how it relates to the extended textLabel Difficulty:AdvancedGrade LevelMeant for Scaffolding Walden by Henry David Thoreau Ted Talk – Steve Jobs Commencement Address “Death of an Innocent” by Jon Krakauer This text can be used to show the inspiration for McCandless’s journey. Walden can be found on page 370 of the 11th grade McDougal Littell Literature textbook. Walden and the transcendentalist ideas are part of the foundation for Into the Wild and students should understand the original ideas of living at one with nature and the importance of independence and non-conformity. This 15 minute Ted Talk is a commencement speech by Steve Jobs given at Stanford University. It is available on the web at . The speech urges graduates to pursue their dreams despite setbacks and discusses issues of mortality which are related to themes in the novel. This is the original article published in Outside magazine that Krakauer wrote about Christopher McCandless and his ill-fated journey. The article was eventually turned into the novel, Into the Wild. The original article would allow students to see how the research and information Krakauer put into his original piece was expanded into a full length novel and then analyze how the pieces are different for their different purposes. The article is widely available online. Advanced Grade LevelGrade level and meant for scaffolding 1-3 Short Literary TextsText Title and AuthorA short description of the text and how it relates to the extended textLabel Difficulty:AdvancedGrade LevelMeant for Scaffolding “A Psalm of Life” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “To Build a Fire” – Jack London “Song of Myself” by WaltWhitman This poem, available on pg. 336 of the 11th grade McDougal Littell Literature book relates to the themes of the novel and the idea of leaving a legacy and the fleeting nature of time. The texts pair well, especially for discussion towards the end of the novel. It would make a nice companion piece for a Socratic Seminar with the discussion of whether McCandless truly wanted to die or if he was just a victim of circumstance. This story, available at , relates to the idea of venturing out within nature and letting hubris get in the way of survival. The story makes a nice comparison to the novel to connect the similarities between characters and situations. This poem, available on page 512 of the 11th grade McDougal LIttell Literature book expands upon the idea of individuality and living with nature. The poem would make a nice comparison with the novel to see how Whitman uses poetic language to express his ideas while McCandless and Krakauer used isolating themselves from society to prove their individuality. Grade Level Grade Level AdvancedStandards-Based Activities:Offer three activities that will assist in the instruction of the extended text (consider: comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, close reading, etc.). At least one activity must utilize Speaking and Listening standards. All materials (rubrics, graphic organizers, printables, handouts, student directions, etc.) will be added to the end of this document.Activity #1 Close reading of Into the Wild – chapter 3Resources:Into the Wild Characterization ChartCharacter Sketch Presentation Standards Addressed:11.RI.311.RI.611.SL.4 DescriptionIn this close reading activity of chapters 1-3 of the novel, students will read the text independently and annotate any description of the Christopher McCandless. They will highlight the descriptions and then annotate what the author is saying about McCandless and any inferences that can be drawn from the description. Following the initial reading, the teacher will then model using the characterization chart by using a piece of textual evidence which describes McCandless and then concluding what this evidence tells about the character based on the evidence. The students will then work independently finding three more examples of textual evidence describing McCandless and what this textual evidence reveals about the character. Finally, the students will meet in small groups to discuss their textual evidence and conclusions and create a character sketch with three pieces of textual evidence to present to the class. Activity #2 Figurative language/Rhetorical dialectical journalResources:Into the Wild Dialectical Journal Definitions of Literary and Rhetorical Terms Standards Addressed: 11.RI.4 11.L.5 11.W.4DescriptionThroughout the reading of the novel, students will use a dialectical journal to record examples of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, etc.) and rhetorical strategies (flashback, logos, pathos, ethos). They will cite textual evidence of the strategy (at least one per chapter). Using the column on the right, they will then explore the use of the figurative language and rhetoric including how and why Krakauer uses the term and the effect on the reader. Activity #3 Vocabulary context clues - connotationResources:List of vocabulary for novel Context clue graphic organizer dictionary Standards Addressed:11.RL.411.L.411.L.5 DescriptionFirst students are given the vocabulary words and asked to guess the definition of the word based on the sentences in which they appear in the novel. The students will then be asked to look up the words and write the correct definition. Finally, the students will use look up synonyms of the words to replace the original vocabulary words and place them on a scale according to their perceived connotation. Writing Prompts:Argument/Opinion Prompts:After Krakauer’s original article was published in Outside magazine, many people criticized his decisions while others applauded them. Write an editorial in which you argue whether Christopher McCandless is a hero, somebody to be admired, or a fool, who made many tragic mistakes. Use textual evidence to back up your claim. Into the Wild develops many themes throughout the novel. Choose one of these themes and discuss how it develops through the text. Use textual evidence to back up your claim. Informational/Explanatory Prompts: Compare and contrast “To Build a Fire” with Into the Wild. How are the characters and situations similar? How are they different? What can we learn about ourselves as a result of these texts? Write an essay explaining the relationship between Christopher McCandless and society. Why did McCandless choose to isolate himself from society and what does that say about him as a person? Choose one of the epigram from the beginning of the chapter and write an essay explaining how that epigraph is related to that chapter. What made Krakauer choose that specific epigram and how is it relevant to the content of that section? Narrative Prompts: Write a creative survival story in which the character has to go some type of journey or overcome some type of survival issue. Be sure to follow the plot structure of a narrative including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Choose one of the characters in the novel such as Walt McCandless or Wayne Westerberg and rewrite a section of the novel from that characters point of view. Research Prompts:Research some aspect of Transcendentalism. You may choose to research a person, topic, place, or any other element related to the era of Transcendentalism. Create a 5 minute presentation for the class which includes a correctly formatted MLA works cited. McCandless had certain literary heroes: Henry David Thoreau, Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, and so forth. Choose one of McCandless’s literary heroes and research his life and literary works and write an essay regarding what he appreciated about his work as well as what he incorporated into his own philosophy of life.As outlined by PARCC, the prompts above may occur in a variety of writing environments. Teachers should consider:Incorporating a mix of on-demand and review-and-revision writing assignmentsIncluding routine writing, such as short constructed-responses to text-dependent questions, to build content knowledge and provide opportunities for reflection on a specific aspect of a text or textsIntegrating of a number of analytic writings that places a premium on using evidence, as well as on crafting works that display some logical integration and coherence. These responses can vary in length based on the questions asked and task performed, from answering brief questions to crafting longer responses, allowing teachers to assess students’ ability to paraphrase, infer, and ultimately integrate the ideas they have gleaned from what they have read. Over the course of the year, analytic writing should include comparative analysis and compositions that share findings from the research projectInclude narrative writing to offer students opportunities to express personal ideas and experiences; craft their own stories and descriptions; and deepen their understandings of literary concepts, structures, and genres (e.g., short stories, anecdotes, poetry, drama) through purposeful imitation.Into the WildClose Read and CharacterizationCharacter Description – Christopher McCandless(Please cite your text using MLA citation)What does this reveal about his character? Character SketchPresentationWhat pieces of textual evidence gave you the best insight into McCandless and his character? 1.2.3.Overall, give three adjectives to describe McCandless based on your textual evidence.1.2.3.Dialectical Journal TemplateDirections:In the first column: Write down a direct quote from the text which contains some type of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, etc.) or rhetorical device (logos, pathos, ethos, etc.)In the second column: cite the page In the third column: Explain why you selected this quotation. What is effect of the figurative language/rhetoric? What is the author hoping to achieve? Quotation From the TextPage NumberResponseVocabulary Context Clues and ConnotationDirections: Use the example below to guess the meaning of the vocabulary word in the context of the sentence. Then use a dictionary to look up the definition and part of speech. Sentence: “He seemed to have moved beyond his need to assert so adamantly his autonomy, his need to separate himself from his parents”Guess:This word might mean independence because the sentence says he wants to separate himself from his parents. Part of speech: NounDefinition: Self-directing freedom and especially moral independence. Synonyms for the vocabulary word:566293076835sovereigntysovereignty383413076835Self-ruleSelf-rule200533076835libertyliberty17931779688freedomfreedomFinally, place the synonyms on a scale of their connotation (the feelings associated with the word). Place from the weakest to the strongest connotation. Weakest StrongestFreedomSelf-ruleLibertysovereigntyVocabulary Context Clues and ConnotationDirections: Find your vocabulary word in context and complete the graphic organizer. Sentence: Guess:Part of speech: Definition: Synonyms for the vocabulary word:1850390107950552451054105575935-6353711575-635Finally, place the synonyms on a scale of their connotation (the feelings associated with the word). Place from the weakest to the strongest connotation. Weakest Strongest ................
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