Caitlin Callaghan

TD 528

Unit Plan Page 1

Course DescriptionEnglish 11 continues to build upon the individual student's foundation of
literacy skills and literary analysis including a survey of literary theory. There is a
focus on argumentative writing including the study of rhetorical devices and
rhetorical technique. The Junior English curriculum also introduces linguistic
study including Latin and Greek roots and etymology. (from the Arts Academy
curriculum map)

UnitsLord of the Flies

Persuasive Writing
Literary Comparison/Critical Theory
The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye abstractStudents will read The Catcher in the Rye to learn about coming of age
novels or bildungsroman. They will also study excerpts from other coming of age
tales such as The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Jane Eyre, and The
Bell Jar. Students will discuss in Socratic circles and Literature Circles the
cultural and social impact of coming of age narratives, why they are told, and how
they relate to their own lives. They will look at the tone and style of the writers to
look for commonalities and create a comparison chart. Students will write a
literary essay using the comparison chart to analyze themes from different
author's perspectives. Students will keep journal entries throughout the unit to
create their own coming of age narrative about themselves.

Focus Questions-

How does meaning affect how we feel?

How do the experiences our youth shape who we are?
Where is the journey of life leading us?

Unit Plan Page 2

Catcher in the Rye

Key ConceptsIdentity
Relationships
Coming of Age

BenchmarksCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2

Determine themes central to the text and follow their development over the
course of a novel
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9

Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentiethcentury foundational works of American literature, including how two or more
texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.
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.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5

Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of

a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide
a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning
as well as its aesthetic impact.
2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Assessment Tasks1. Students will design a comparison chart comparing Catcher in the Rye to
the other coming of age narrative read to determine common themes in
this kind of story. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5

2. Students will write a literary essay using the comparison chart they
created to analyze themes from different authors perspectives. They
will present their paper to the class using some form of media.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4

Catalogue of Lessons-

Lesson 1-

1 day

Students will watch a Prezi as an introduction to the novel and J.D. Salinger. As
they watch the students will take notes on the questions listed: such as Who
would you go to for advice on being an adult? Students will discuss as a class
the importance of growing up and what that means for individuals. They will
begin to analyze and reflect on their own growth and what that means for their
life.

Lesson 2-

2 days

Students will watch John Greens Crash Course video Language and Voice and
Holden Caulfield. Students will take notes on the points Green brings up on the

use of language in the novel. Students will discuss in their literature circles what
language and voice mean. They will discuss and come up with a definition of
each and examples from the first page of the novel. They will write this down and
share with the group. What do authors do with the language they chose? Classwide discussion.
Lesson 3-

1 day

Students begin reading the novel. The teacher will read the first two pages
allowed, asking comprehension and higher order thinking questions. Students will
read the first chapter on their own and then discuss in their literature circles. They
will start filling out the chapter questions that are due the next day. Teacher leads
a class-wide discussion to reflect on the reading.
Lesson 4-

Approximately 3 weeks until finished with the novel

Students continue reading. As they read each chapter, the students will discuss
in their literature circles and as a class. The teacher will pick particular passages
to analyze motifs, imagery, and discuss inferences with the students. Students
will complete chapter questions.

Lesson 5-

3 days

This lesson will be interspersed throughout the days spent reading the novel
according to the teachers discretion. The students will read an article with
specific summary and inference questions attached to it. The article will either be
a non-fiction piece about Coming of Age Novels, or it will be from the
Bildungsroman project website. The students will work on these as individuals
and then discuss in their small groups and as a class. These lessons will serves
as preparation for the SAT reading test.
Lesson 6-

2 days

Students will watch the second Crash Course video: Holden, JD, and the Red
Cap. Students will discuss motifs and what that means based on their reading of
the novel. In small groups they will look for two motifs of their own and present to
the class. On the second day, the students will read an article titled: "The Catcher
in the Rye: A Close Reading, from the Bildungsroman Project website. They will
4

compare what they learned from the video to the article using active reading and
guided highlighting activities. The teacher will lead a class-wide discussion of
motifs.
Lesson 7

2 days

Students will read an excerpt from Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre. They will
discuss how reading a similar story from a female point of view gives a different
perspective and how it is written. They will do another active reading activity to
look for imagery and other words and what the language does in the passage to
prepare for the SAT reading test. On the second day, the students will perform a
similar activity with an excerpt from Junot Diaz The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar
Wao.
Lesson 8

2 days

Now that students have read some examples of other texts, they will create a
Venn diagram chart to compare each of the stories with their definition of coming
of age they created at the beginning of the unit. On the second day, groups will
present their diagrams and discuss what they have learned through the different
texts.
Lesson 9

2 days

Students will watch excerpts from the film Rushmore and make comparisons with
JD Salingers novel. The teacher will lead a discussion on how Wes Anderson
took inspiration from The Catcher in the Rye for the film. The students will look at
motifs that are similar in both the novel and the loose adaptation.
Lesson 10

3 days

Students will read Ghostworld by Daniel Clowes. As they read they will discuss in
their literature circles how graphic novels make coming of age stories more
visual. They will talk about how it is important to see things from different
perspectives, this time from two young women not much older than they are. How
is a more contemporary story more relatable than an older one? Students will
reflect on the experience of reading a graphic novel in a two page reflection
paper.

Lesson 11

2 days

Introduce the rhetorical analysis paper. Review motifs and what the students
have learned up until this point. The teacher will explain the rhetorical analysis
paper in which they will respond to an article on coming of age narratives:
http://bildungsromanproject.com/the-catcher-in-the-rye-a-close-reading/ by
drawing examples both from The Catcher in the Rye and two other texts or a film
from a list provided. This project will help them prepare for the writing portion of
the SAT in the spring as well as use the themes, language, and ideas discussed
while reading the novel.
Lesson 12

2 weeks

Students will be given time to work on their paper in the computer lab. The
teacher will oversee them and give them particular days to turn in a thesis, an
outline, a rough draft, and a peer edited copy, before turning in their final draft.
Then students will present their paper to the class using some form of media.

Instructional Resources
Equipment-

Computer lab
Elmo
Projector

Student and Teacher Resources-

Allen, Andrew. "The Catcher in the Rye: A Close Reading." The Bildungsroman
Project. Dr. Katherine Carson, May 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1941. Print.
Clowes, Daniel, Adam Grano, Terry Zwigoff, and Daniel Clowes. Ghost World.
Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics, 2008. Print.
"Father Figures in the Movies of Wes Anderson." YouTube. Ed. Beyond the
Frame. YouTube, 26 June 2015. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
Ghost World. Dir. Terry Zwigoff. Icon Home Entertainment, 2001. DVD.
Green, John. "Holden, JD, and the Red Cap- The Catcher in the Rye Part 2:
Crash Course English Literature #7." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 09
Dec. 2015.
Green, John. "Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield: The Catcher in the Rye
Part 1." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
Green, John. "Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield: The Catcher in the Rye
Part 1." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. Touchstone Pictures, 2001. DVD.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company. New York: NY 1979.
Print.

Salinger. Dir. Shane Salerno. Feltrinelli, 2014. DVD.