Berkeley County Schools



English 9 Modules

|Lesson Plan Info: |“Helen on 86th Street” by Wendi Kaufman |

|Title: |Dreaming an Ancient Dream: “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street” |

|Author & Email: |Erin Munley emunley@access.k12.wv.us |

| |Kathleen Trumble mtrumble@access.k12.wv.us |

|Subject: |English Language Arts |

|Grade Level: |Grade 9 |

|Duration: |9 days (based on 50 minute periods) |

|Focus/Driving |What connections can be made between ancient and modern cultures? How do they intersect and what can be said about these overlaps in |

|Question: |culture? |

|Lesson Overview: |In this unit, students will be reading “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street” by Wendi Kaufman, focusing in on mythological allusions and vocabulary|

| |development. Students will also be completing a short, sustained research project to develop knowledge of Greek Mythology that can be |

| |connected to other readings approved for 9th grade, namely The Odyssey by Homer. |

|Content Standards and |ELA.9.R.C1.2 |determine a theme or central idea of a literary text and analyze in detail its development over the course of |

|Objectives: | |the literary text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an |

| | |objective summary of the literary text. |

| |ELA.9.R.C1.3 |analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course |

| | |of a literary text, interact with other characters and advance the plot or develop the theme. |

| |ELA.9.R.C2.1 |determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the literary text, including figurative and |

| | |connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how |

| | |the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). |

| |ELA.9.R.C10.3 |use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products,|

| | |taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and|

| | |dynamically. |

|21st Century Learning |21C.O.9-12.1.LS.1 |Student recognizes information needed for problem solving, can efficiently browse, search and |

|Skills and Technology | |navigate online to access relevant information, evaluates information based on credibility, social, |

|Tools: | |economic, political and/or ethical issues, and presents findings clearly and persuasively using a |

| | |range of technology tools and media. |

| |21C.O.9-12.1.TT.2 |Student routinely applies keyboarding skills, keyboard shortcut techniques, and mouse skills with |

| | |facility, speed and accuracy. |

| |21C.O.9-12.1.TT.10 |Student implements various Internet search techniques (e.g., Boolean searches, meta-searches, web |

| | |bots) to gather information; student evaluates the information for validity, appropriateness, |

| | |content, bias, currency, and usefulness. |

| |21C.O.9-12.3.TT.2 |Student works collaboratively to acquire information from electronic resources, conducts online |

| | |research, and evaluates information as to validity, appropriateness, usefulness, comprehensiveness |

| | |and bias. |

|Teacher Facilitation |Teacher will provide assistance in gaining background knowledge relating to the Olympian gods and the Trojan War. Individual findings in the|

|for Student |form of a Wanted poster will be displayed in the room as an instructional reference throughout the reading. |

|Acquisition of | |

|Background Knowledge: |Introduce the literary term “allusion” and “allusive puns” and provide examples for the students struggling to grasp the concept. |

| | |

| |Identify students without prior knowledge and read “A Closer Look” |

|Anchor Texts & |“Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street” by Wendi Kaufman |

|Questions for Close | |

|Reading: | |

|Vocabulary |Students will have to recall the vocabulary words and definitions in order to complete the vocabulary category of the questions. |

|Development: | |

| |Words from textbook: embodies, odyssey, litany, incantation, stifled, scourge, polytheism, ramparts, supplication, enunciate |

|Managing the Lesson: |Day 1: Vocabulary |

| |Students will create flashcards that contain each vocabulary word, it’s part of speech, and its definition along with any visual cues that |

| |may assist in the student’s memory recall. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Pair struggling students with more accomplished students to complete the flashcards together. |

| | |

| |Day 2-3: Wanted Poster |

| |In order to prepare for the connections to Greek mythology, the students will complete a short research project on figures relevant to the |

| |Fall of Troy. Individuals (or groups) will research one of the following Greek figures: Zeus, Athena, Hera, Ares, Aphrodite, Agamemnon, |

| |Menelaus, Achilles, Odysseus, Ajax, Hector, Paris, and Helen. They will need to find the following information about the assigned figure: |

| |other names he/she goes by, any powers or weapons he/she has, residence or local hang-out, and any known gods/heroes that the figure |

| |associates with. The research can be completed with books or the internet. This information will then be used to create a wanted poster for |

| |their figure. Final poster can be produced on the computer using the template that follows or by hand. The posters can be hung around the |

| |room as a reference for the students throughout the short story. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Additional teacher assistance if needed. Pairing struggling students with more accomplished students for assistance. |

| | |

| |Day 4: Perspective |

| |Instructor should present the 3 types of perspective to the students: first-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient. After|

| |explaining and taking notes on the 3 types, students will be asked to compose 3-100 word narratives (personal or fictional). The first |

| |narrative must be written in first-person perspective. The second must be written in third-person limited. The third must be written in |

| |third-person omniscient. The narratives can be retellings of the same story in 3 different perspectives or 3 related stories that utilize |

| |each of the perspectives. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Struggling students may utilize a graphic organizer to help them organize their thoughts and set up the framework for their |

| |narratives. |

| | |

| |Day 5-6: Reading “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street” |

| |Students will read through the story individually and complete a graphic organizer of allusions present in the story. After completing the |

| |reading, students will discuss their answers in groups and findings will be discussed as a class. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Complete the reading with an audio book or through reading aloud. Pause briefly after a page to check for understanding and |

| |to review allusions present. |

| | |

| |Day 7: Non-fiction writing and vocabulary development |

| |Complete the “Impossible dream” prompt at the end of the story: “Vita’s dream of playing Helen in the school production comes true. Write |

| |about an ambition, hope, or dream of your own. Describe the dream, and explain how you tried to make it a reality. Did you succeed? Is it |

| |still too early to tell? Has your old dream been replaced by a more achievable one?” |

| | |

| |When completed, students will complete the Vocabulary Development at the end of the story. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Struggling students can be prompted with examples of dreams and experiences in order to come up with their own. Students can |

| |also be paired with more proficient readers to complete the vocabulary assignment. |

| | |

| |Day 8: Review |

| |Students will work in teams to play a quiz style game. One student can act as score keeper and one student in each group will record the |

| |collective answer on a dry erase board. Questions will be presented at the board (digital template linked in supplies section or can be done|

| |verbally); all questions should be directly geared toward critical and assessed information. Students will discuss a common answer and |

| |present it to the instructor on a dry erase board. Points will be awarded for correct answers and the group with the most points at the end |

| |of the review will win. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Struggling students will be paired with more accomplished students in order to increase understanding and comprehension. |

| | |

| |Day 9: Assessment |

| |Students will complete a formal assessment that covers key elements and information covered during preliminary activities and/or the reading|

| |of the short story. The instructor may use the test that accompanies the textbook or create an assessment of his/her own. |

| | |

| |Accommodation: Provide oral testing and clarification of directions to struggling readers. |

|Active Literacy: |Students will complete organizers as they read and participate in active discussion with relation to the reading. |

|Post Literacy: |Students will continue to make connections between Ancient Greek mythology in “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street” through allusion discussion. |

| |Connections can also be made with other readings in the text book and other novels. |

|Product/Performance: |Students will create posters related to Ancient Greek mythology that can be hung around the room and used as a reference throughout the |

| |reading and beyond. |

|Reflection: |Instructor can draw attention to allusions and perspective within the story to assist struggling readers. |

|Materials & Resources:|Textbook for vocabulary definitions |

| |(Elements of Literature, Third Course) |

| |General Greek mythology books |

| |Internet access (and device) |

| |Colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers |

| |Quiz game template () |

| |Dry erase boards and markers |

| |Essay organizer |

| |(

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| |pg&w=614&h=475&ei=t3mlUYraIOH-4APio4DYDg&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:29,s:0,i:207&iact=rc&dur=353&page=2&tbnh=184&tbnw=238&start=21&ndsp=27&tx=111&|

| |ty=54) |

|Websites: |Listed with materials |

|Career Connection: |Reading strategies: word association for memory recall, reading from a textbook for a profession |

| | |

| |Narrative writing: storytelling and communication skills that can be used as a connecting point in the workplace |

|Files Uploaded: |N/A |

|Date Created: |April 24, 2013 |

|Date Modified: |May 28, 2013 |

|Key Word Search |Helen on Eight-sixth Street, vocabulary, narrative writing, non-fiction writing |

|Fields: | |

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“Helen on 86th Street” by Wendi Kaufman

Allusions to Mythology

Definition of Allusion:

|Allusion (Quotes) |Connection to Mythology |

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