Kayleigh Forlow English 380 Unit Plan for Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Calendar of Daily Activities Week 1 Week 2 Monday -Introduction to central question of Something Wicked: How can we best confront evil to minimize/undo it? - Quick Kurt Vonnegut bio to prepare for next activity (emphasize contemporaries with Bradbury and fellow sci-fi writer who transcended genre boundaries set) - Jigsaw activity to begin answering question from different perspectives using following stories from Vonnegut s book Welcome to the Monkey House: All the King s Horses Report on the Barnhouse Effect Harrison Bergeron The Manned Missiles HW: QuickWrite on which perspective about confronting evil you agree with most and why -Annotation/Reading Check on pp. 70-88 -Review p. 70-88 via Write-Pair-Share activity on questions had annotate for - make additions to Jim versus Will character chart in partners -Youtube videos of old carnivals - Carnival characters in book versus in Youtube videos attributes Venn Diagram summary as group of what the similarities and differences tell about nature/character of carnival in Something Wicked HW: pp. 89-117 Tuesday - Bradbury Imagine the Author creative writing using Zen in the Art of Writing preface focus on describing who author is in terms of personality, values, type of writing he/she does based on description in -Annotation/Reading Check on p. 89-117 -Review pp. 89-117 focus on merrygo-round function in plot and as a symbol in small groups illustrate and words/phrases/quotes from text which 1
preface of what kinds of ideas think writer cares about writing about, what writer values - Bradbury/Something background handout (attached) - distribute copies of novel - Read to them pp. 1-16 model verbal annotations HW: read/annotate pp. 17-33 Wednesday -Annotation/Reading Check on p. 17-33 -Review pp. 17-33 via 6 panel cartoon summaries of chapters and large group discussion; use these and annotation questions as jumping off point for large group discussion - Jim versus Will character description charts on own and then collaborate to fill in more in partners HW: read/annotate pp. 34-53 represent what group thinks its plot/symbol/theme function present to class -use presentations as jumping off point for large group discussion on chapters via questions HW: Read A Brief for the Defense by Jack Gilbert and What He Thought by Heather McHugh (both attached); two journal reflections, one for each poem, on content and connections to Something Wicked - Annotation/Reading Check on A Brief for the Defense, What He Thought, and journal entries - small group discussion A Brief for the Defense, What He Thought, and journal entries center discussion on question: Are humans compelled to respond to evil/suffering/violence in world? If so, who is compelled to respond and how do these poets suggest we respond? How do these poets suggestions compare to the statements Bradbury has made about confronting evil in Something Wicked so far? -report out to large group and class discussion -Introduce 8 writing prompts (note that it is okay to read ahead to answer/if want to add more detail to responses) HW: read/annotate pp. 121-140; prewriting on writing prompts due Monday of Week 3 2
Thursday -Annotation/Reading Check on p. 34-53 -Review pp. 34-53 via quickwrite on adults versus children s responses to carnival chapters and fishbowl discussion on prompt HW: read/annotate p. 54-69 - Reading Quiz on p. 121-140 - Review p. 121-140 via questions from reading quiz as jumping off point fishbowl discussion - freewrite on predictions about why section II of the book is titled Pursuits Whose and why based on what read already? Share answers in small group Friday -Reading Quiz on p. 54-69 (attached) -Review p. 54-69 via questions from reading quiz as jumping off point small group discussion and then large group HW: read/annotate pp. 70-88 HW: read/annotate pp. 141-154 and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne: journal on what is an allegory and how do you think term applies to Young Goodman Brown?; pre-writing on writing prompts due Monday of Week 3 - Annotation/Reading Check on p. 141-154 and Young Goodman Brown -Review pp. 141-154 and Young Goodman Brown begin with explanation of what is allegory and whole class discussions of applications to YGB -freewrite on possible allegory in Something Wicked and partner discussion partners create allegory graphic organizer to present to class HW: read/annotate p. 155-167; prewriting on writing prompts due Monday of Week 3 3
Week 3 Week 4 Monday -Annotation/Reading Check on pp. 155-167 -Turn in Pre-Writing and discuss concerns/questions assign handwritten rough draft for Thursday of Week 3 -Review p. 155-167 via Write-Pair- Share activity on use imagery in chapters HW: read/annotate pp. 168-187; handwritten rough draft of thought questions for Thursday of Week 3 -Annotation/Reading Check on pp. 235-251 -Turn in typed rough draft and discuss concerns/questions assign final draft for Friday of Week 4 -Review pp. 235-251 via large photocopied pages annotations on use of literary devices to advance characterization of Jim, Will, Charles, the Dust Witch, and Mr. Dark -use annotations as starting point for large group discussion HW: read/annotate pp. 252-271; final draft of thought questions for Thursday of Week 4; study for test Tuesday - Reading Quiz on pp. 168-187 - Review pp. 168-187 using reading quiz questions as starting point for partner discussion and then fishbowl discussion HW: read/annotate pp. 188-209; handwritten rough draft of thought questions for Thursday of Week 3 Wednesday -Annotation/Reading Check pp. 188-209 - Review pp. 188-209 freewrite on how you would direct one scene from these chapters if were to make into movie; group discussions of freewrites, particularly how relate to use of imagery to build contrast between good and evil HW: read/annotate pp. 210-231; handwritten rough draft of thought -Annotation/Reading Check pp. 252-271 - Review pp. 252-271 via questions, fishbowl style -quickwrite predictions for the end of the book based on characterization of Jim, Will, Charles, Mr. Dark/development of themes of how best deal with good vs. evil and aging in the book HW: read/annotate pp. 272-290; final draft of thought questions for Thursday of Week 4; study for test - Annotation/Reading Check pp. 272-290 - Review pp. 272-290 - Read pp. 291-293 as a class, review 272-290 after view clips from film version of Something Wicked; discuss cinematic nature of the novel, especially the ending of novel HW: final draft of thought questions for Thursday of Week 4 and study for test; bring test review questions 4
questions for Thursday of Week 3 Thursday -Annotation/Reading Check pp. 210-231 - Turn in handwritten draft of thought questions and discuss concerns/questions assign typed rough draft for Friday of Week 3 -Review pp. 210-231 group creation of 6 panel comic on Chapter 44, with focus on Charles destruction of Dust Witch and statement it makes about combating evil -Share from and hand in final drafts of thought question writing prompts (first half of class) - test review session (second half of class) HW: Review for the test and post any questions have as studying on Edmodo Friday HW: read/annotate Do Not Go Gentle Into that Goodnight by Dylan Thomas and A Story By Li-Young Lee; journal entry on one poem discussing what poet say about the effects of aging/death and we whether should resist /not and comparison of how Bradbury handles these topics in Something Wicked; typed rough draft of thought questions for Monday of Week 4 - Annotation/Reading /Writing Check on Do Not Go Gentle Into that Goodnight, A Story, and journal entry - large group discussion on Do Not Go Gentle Into that Goodnight, A Story, and journal entry as relate to what say about aging -small group discussion about which work s perspective agree with most and why (close reading activity) HW: read/annotate pp. 235-251; typed rough draft of thought questions for Monday of Week 4 TEST DAY full hour HW: None 5
AP English Literature Something Wicked this Way Comes Reading Schedule Day 1 Nothing Day 2 pp. 17-33 for next class Day 3 pp. 34-53 for next class Day 4 pp. 54-69 for next class Day 5 pp. 70-88 for next class Day 6 pp. 89-117 for next class Day 7 A Brief for the Defense and What He Thought for next class Day 8 pp. 121-40 for next class Day 9 pp. 141-154 for next class Day 10 pp. 155-167 for next class Day 11 pp.168-187 for next class Day 12 pp. 188-209 for next class Day 13 pp. 210-231 for next class Day 14 Do Not Go Gentle Into that Goodnight and A Story for next class Day 15 pp. 235-251 for next class Day 16 pp. 252-271 for next class Day 17 pp. 272-290 for next class 6
Hopes, Fears, Childhood, and Humanity: Background Info on Ray Bradbury and His Writings (info drawn from http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/archives/2011/12/bradbury.html) Writers s Name: Ray Bradbury Born: August 22, 1920 Birthplace: Waukegan, IL Died: June 5, 2012 Deathplace: Los Angeles, California Wrote: short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, and verse Early Life: - During childhood and adolescence lived in Waukegan, IL Waukegan would inspire setting of first work The Night (wrote at age 17) and later works set in fictional Greentown, IL (setting of Something Wicked this Way Comes) - Physical form of the ravine surround childhood home in Waukegan became reoccurring image in his work: biographer Eller explains As he [Bradbury] matured, the ravine continued to fascinate him as a borderland between where town and nature struggled to control the landscape an ambiguous borderland between the rational and irrational, life and death (Dunn) - Did not attend college Bradbury once said: Libraries raised me. I don t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression, and we had no money. I couldn t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years (Dunn) - Libraries ignited Bradbury s belief that authorship created possibility of immortality; he saw books as personified versions of authors, and libraries the beloved meeting place of his literary loves Childhood, Carnivals, Immortality, and Writing The following explains the anecdote of Bradbury s impetus for desiring to become a writer: 7
This aspiration for eternal life came from a chance encounter when Bradbury was 12 years old. Eller says Waukegan was a hub for several traveling circuses and carnivals. Young Bradbury was intensely fascinated with these loud, bright magical and exotic incursions into his quiet Midwestern life, and carnivals later became a recurring image in his texts, including Something Wicked This Way Comes. He would often hang around such shows when they came to town. He would go and try to get free tickets by helping the roustabouts, Eller said. Bradbury happened to attend a sideshow act where a Mr. Electrico withstood an electric current to amaze the crowd. My future was decided for me when I was 12 years old, Bradbury said of the event in a 2009 account to science fiction website, tor.com. He reached down with a flaming sword full of electricity. And he pointed at me and said, Live for Ever! And I said: God that s wonderful. How do you do that? Bradbury said he returned the next day after attending his uncle s funeral and Mr. Electrico introduced him to carnival performers, included a tattooed man who helped to inspire his fix-up novel, the Illustrated Man. The next day I started to write, and I have been writing for 70 years because of that encounter with Mr. Electrico, which said, Live forever! And now, I ve got a chance to do it with my books. There going to be around for the next 10 years, the next 100 years and God knows, maybe on the planet Mars, too. - Bradbury attests to importance of childhood in the content of his works and his own childhood as a source of inspiration for his writing; in preface to the novel Dandelion Wine he explains: So from the age of twenty-four to thirty-six, hardly a day passed by when I didn t stroll myself across some old half-burnt firecracker, a rusted toy, or a fragment of a letter written to myself in some young year hoping to contact the older person I became to remind him of his past, his life, his people, his joys and drenching sorrows. (Dunn) - Bradbury views childhood memories and stories grounded childhood as a means for him to express universal feelings/experiences, especially the following: o o o o Loss of innocence Growing knowledge of mortality/fear of death Feelings of isolation from others Human need of love and acceptance - As Bradbury s biographer Eller summarizes so succinctly and eloquently of Bradbury s view on childhood, The fundamental hopes and fears that make us human are the closest to childhood 8
Selected Quotes from the Preface to Bradbury s Zen in the Art of Writing On Childhood - Where did I find the courage to rebel, change my life, live alone? I don t want to over-estimate all this, but damn it, I love that nine-year old, whoever in hell he was. Without him, I could not have survived to introduce these essays. (XI) - So I collected comics, fell in love with carnivals and World s Fairs and began to write. (XII) On the Question What Does Writing Teach Us? - First and foremost, it [writing] reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right (XII) - While our art cannot, as we wish it could, save us from wars, privation, greed, old age, or death, it can revitalize us amidst it all. (XII) - Secondly, writing is survival. Any art, any good work, of course, is that. Not to write, for many of us, is to die. (XII) - We must take arms each and every day, perhaps knowing that the battle cannot be entirely won, but fight we must, if only a gentle bout. The smallest effort to win means, at the end of each day, a sort of victory. (XII-XIII) - For writing allows just the proper recipes of truth, life, reality as you are able to eat, drink, and digest without hyperventilating and flopping like a dead fish in your bed (XIII) On the Work Writing Does - To manipulate life, toss the bright-colored orbs up to mix with the dark ones, blending a variation of truths. We [writers] use the grand and beautiful facts of existence in order to put up with the horrors that afflict us directly in our families and friends, or through the newspapers and T.V. (XIV) - I have come up with a new simile to describe myself lately. It can be yours. Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together. Now, it s your turn. Jump! (XV) 9
Name: Date: Period: Reading Quiz on Chapters 13-16 (pp. 54-69) of Something Wicked this Way Comes Answer the following questions in about one to two short paragraphs using complete sentences; write your answers in the spaces provided below the question. Make sure to read the questions carefully and respond to all the components addressed in each question. You may NOT use your book to answer these questions. You may use the backside of the quiz pages if you need more space to write. 1.) In Chapter 13, what is Charles Halloway s reaction to contemplating and seeing the Mirror Maze? How does his reaction relate to earlier characterizations of Charles made by his self and others? Cite two particular characterizations from previous chapters in your answer and explain briefly (i.e.one to two sentences) how Charles reaction and these characterizations relate to a major theme touched upon in the work. 2.) In Chapter 14, what does Charles Halloway s reflection about the time the carnival train arrives seem to imply about its nature? Explain two specific connotations that Charles ascribes to the hour the train arrives in this chapter to support your claim 10
3.) In Chapter 15, what in particular about the carnival disappoints Will and Jim when they first arrive at it? How does Miss Foley s venturing into the Mirror Maze confirm or undermine these feelings of disappointment? Provide at least one specific piece of evidence from the chapter supporting your claims related to each of the aforementioned questions. 4.) In Chapter 16, how does Jim s experience when in the Mirror Maze parallel and/or differ from that of Miss Foley s? What particular emotions does Jim experience when in the maze and why do these emotions seem to be evoked? Cite at least one specific piece of evidence from the chapter in respond to each of the aforementioned questions to support your claims. 11
AP English Literature Name: Date: Period: Something Wicked this Way Comes Thought Questions Literary Questions 1.) Remember the Vonnegut short stories we read in class way back at the beginning of the unit? Choose one of these stories and draw three distinct comparisons between how the approach taken to confronting evil in the story and an approach taken in combating evil in Something Wicked. Explain which approach you think is more successful in diminishing/undoing evil and why you think this based on criteria of your choice. 2.) We discussed at length what the literary term allegory means when we studied Hawthorne s short story Young Goodman Brown in class. Explain how Something Wicked might be viewed as an allegory and for what the novel is an allegory. In your response explain the allegorical roles of at least three persons from the text, citing one specific example of how their character contributes to constructing this allegory. 3.) Bradbury s writing, living, and believing were intertwined elements of his person. But do his specific beliefs about the purpose of writing come across in the works he actually pens? Select a specific statement he makes about the work writing does or the lessons writing teaches us from the preface to Zen and the Art of Writing and persuade me that he does or does not convey this belief in Something Wicked. Use at least three specific examples from the text to support your position. 4.) The image of Charles Halloway running along Jim and Will at the end of the novel (pp. 289-290) is arguably one of the most lyrical and moving in the entire novel. This scene also draws together a number of the most important themes/motifs inherent in Something Wicked. Select one theme we have focused on in discussion and explain how the imagery of this scene contributes to conveying the importance of this theme to the work as a whole. Make sure to cite at least three different instances of imagery in the passage to support your reasoning. Creative Questions 5.) As Bradbury s afterward to the text explains, the bulk of Something Wicked was originally written as a screenplay for a movie. So in this cinematic spirit, select a scene from the novel and explain how you would shoot it if you were the director for a movie version of Something Wicked. Explain who you would cast to play the characters in the 12
scene, how you would light and set the scene, how you would instruct the actors to move and deliver their lines. Make sure to provide at least three pieces of textual evidence, particularly evidence related to the key themes and ideas explored in the novel, to back up your choices as the director. 6.) As Bradbury states in the preface to Zen and the Art of Writing The poets and artists of other years, long past, knew all and everything I have said here, or put in the following essays (XIV). However, simply knowing something does not mean we agree with it. Explore how what Bradbury implies he knows about the impact aging has on the relationship between child and father by constructing a dialogue between either of the two poets, Lee or Thomas, who wrote verse about the impact of aging on father-son relationships. This dialogue may be in the form of a short narrative, a dramatic dialogue, or a poem for two voices. Whatever the form, make sure to cite at least two pieces of evidence to support the claims made about aging by either writer. 7.) The merry-go-round is a prominent symbol and element of the plot throughout Something Wicked, so much so that it seems to take on an eerie, almost person-like character. Imagine the carousel could speak in a haunted, calliope-sound voice all of its own. What might this ancient ride with supernatural powers say about the purposes it has been used for over the years? In the voice of the carousel, use at least three pieces of specific evidence from the text about other people s perceptions of the merry-goround and the emotions this ride seems to emit to support how this ride views the manner in which it has been used. 8.) Bradbury notes in the introduction to Dandelion Wine, another novel set in the fictional town of Green Town, IL that also centers on childhood, that: From the age of twenty-four to thirty-six, hardly a day passed by when I didn t stroll myself across some old half-burnt firecracker, a rusted toy, or a fragment of a letter written to myself in some young year hoping to contact the older person I became to remind him of his past, his life, his people, his joys and drenching sorrows. Bradbury testifies to the knowledge of youth that slips away silently if we do not consciously remind ourselves of it. In the spirit of their creator s belief, write a letter from either Jim or Will to the boy s future self. Include in this letter at least three pieces advice or major lessons from his childhood to remember as adults that Jim/Will learns throughout Something Wicked. Use at least one piece of evidence to demonstrate how each piece of advice or outcome of a lesson is related to a major theme or idea of the work, why it is worth remembering for the future, and how it is related to Jim s/will s experiences in the novel. 13
Rubric for Grading Thought Questions (based on AP Literature and Composition Scoring Guidelines for Free Response 2012) Each question is graded using this rubric. An excellent response to the question is one which: A good response to the question is one which: An okay response to the question is one which: A poor response to the question is one which: Answering the prompt /4_ Responds to each of the specific writing task/question/directions raised in the writing prompt. Responds to most of (three quarters or more) of the questions and specific writing tasks raised in the writing prompt. Responds to about half of the questions and specific writing tasks raised in the writing prompt. Responds to less than half of the questions and specific writing tasks raised in the writing prompt Textual analysis /4_ Selection and integration of evidence /4_ Offers an extremely well-focused, persuasive, thorough, and logical analysis of the elements addressed in the writing prompt; demonstrates a clear and sophisticated understanding of the central ideas, themes, characterization, and other literary elements which contribute to the meaning of the text as a whole. Uses powerful quotes and evidence focused on meaning and/or theme that are specifically matched for the point; this evidence is seamlessly and Offers a focused, persuasive, and logical analysis of the elements addressed in the writing prompt; demonstrates a clear understanding of the central ideas, themes, characterization, and other literary elements which contribute to the meaning of the text as a whole. Uses theme focused quotes and evidence to demonstrate meaning. Quotes fit the point; this evidence is Offers a somewhat focused, persuasive, and/or logical analysis of the elements addressed in the writing prompt; demonstrates some understanding of the central ideas, themes, characterization, and other literary elements which contribute to the meaning of the text as a whole. Uses quotes and evidence that match the point made but may not be the best quote for the point; overall, this Offers a mostly unfocused, not persuasive, and/or illogical analysis of the elements addressed in the writing prompt; demonstrates an unclear understanding of the central ideas, themes, characterization, and other literary elements which contribute to the meaning of the text as a whole. Uses plot quotes or quotes or evidence which do not connect well to the point; this evidence is inappropriately/inco 14
Writing structure and clarity /4_ Mechanics/ usage/ grammar /4_ Creativity/O riginality /4_ sophisticatedly incorporated into the response. Is sophisticatedly and well-organized on both the sentence and paragraph levels; both word choice and sentence structure consistently ontribute to the clarity of writing. Has no errors. Exhibits a plethora of original and critical thinking; demonstrates in the overabundance of ingenuity and novelty of written responses a defined passion for ELA skills/content. appropriately connected to the text and incorporated well into the response. Is well-organized on both the sentence and paragraph levels; word choice and/or sentence structure often contribute to the clarity of writing. Has a few minor errors that do not detract from the overall paper. Exhibits much original and critical thinking; demonstrates in the relative ingenuity and novelty of written responses a fair amount of passion for ELA skills/content. evidence is appropriately connected to the text and incorporated into the response. Is adequately on both the sentence and paragraph levels; word choice and/or sentence structure sometimes contribute to the clarity of writing. Has more than a few errors and/or errors that detract from the paper. Exhibits some original and critical thinking; demonstrates in somewhat evident ingenuity and novelty of written responses a moderate amount of passion for ELA skills/content. mpletely connected to the text and/or incorporated into the response. Is disorganized on both the sentence and paragraph levels; word choice and/or sentence structure infrequently contribute to the clarity of writing. Has several errors and/or significant mechanical or grammar issues. Exhibits lacking original and critical thinking; demonstrates in minimally evident ingenuity and novelty of written responses very little passion for ELA skills/content. *All titles and content of a few categories for each of the point ranges are drawn from David Hirsch s Freshman English Writing Rubric, http://dhs.dist113.org/faculty/hirschd/website/materials/writingrubric.htm 15
Reading: Literature ELA Common Core Standards for Grade 11-12 Met in this Unit - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.) Writing - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1a Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. Speaking and Listening - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11 12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. 16
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