UNIVERSIDAD AUSTRAL DE CHILE

FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA Y HUMANIDADES

INSTITUTO DE LINGÜÍSTICA Y LITERATURA
Course. ILIN121. BRITISH LITERATURE
Prof. Amalia Ortiz de Zárate
Stud. F. Bock, C. Schmidlin, T. Andrade
June 18th, 2018

“THROUGH THE TUNNEL” by Doris Lessing

ACTIVITY ZERO
“Classroom Organization”

Age group: 12th graders (secondary)

Language Level: Intermediate
Time: 45 minutes.
Teaching Materials:
➢ white board
➢ markers
➢ Powerpoint presentation
➢ paper ‘fish’
➢ quotes
➢ phrasal verbs (ppt)
➢ Youtube video
➢ computer
➢ speakers
➢ data
➢ “Glass” progression
Classroom Management
Classroom Arrangement
➢ The classroom will be previously cleared by the teachers, the class will be given
on the floor.
Group formation
➢ In order to form 6 groups of 6 people each, students will be given a piece of paper
containing a quotation from the short story “Through the tunnel”. Those who have
the exact same quote must gather in a group (activities 3 and 4, this may change
depending on how many students attend the class).
Rules
➢ Respect your teachers and classmates.
➢ Keep silence and listen carefully when someone is speaking.
➢ Raise your hand if you want to speak.
➢ Use your English the whole time.
➢ Avoid using your phones unless teachers say so
 ➢ Be ready to move around.
➢ Have fun!
Punishment method:
➢ Every time a student breaks a rule they will receive a paper fish. The students who
received one during the class will have to sing a song at the end of the class, in
group.

Under the Sea, The Little Mermaid (0:20-0:50)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkusy4ylhiY
Call on attention:
➢ If teachers notice the students are not paying attention, one of them will do
“drowning mimic” and the whole class should follow the mimic.

Steps (Teacher):
Teachers will introduce the rules of the class and the classroom management.
Steps (Students):
Students will pay attention and ask questions if needed.
Comments and Suggestions:
The number of members in each group could change depending on how many students
attend the class.
Reference/Acknowledgement:
Lessing, D. (1955, August 6). Through the tunnel. The New Yorker, 67-73.

ACTIVITY 1
“ Let’s Move on the Beach”
Time: 3 minutes.
Content Objective: The students will be able to get concentrated for the class.
Teaching Materials:
➢ computer
➢ Youtube videos (music)
Steps (Teacher):
1. Ask the students to stand up and form a circle.
2. Ask students to be in the right standing position.
3. Ask the students to do what the teacher will say.
4. Narrate what the students have to do
5. End the narration and tell the students that they may open their eyes because
the class will be about to start.
Steps (Students):
 1. Stand up and make a circle.
2. Close their eyes
3. Start doing what the teacher is narrating
4. Open their eyes

ACTIVITY 2
Summary: Historical Context
Time: 12 minutes
Content Objective: The students will be able to get to know about the author
and the context surrounding her when she wrote the short story
Teaching Materials:
➢ computer
➢ Youtube video
➢ speakers
➢ whiteboard
Steps (Teacher):
1. Show the students a short video summarizing the story.
2. Explain a little deeper what is the apartheid
3. Comment on this.
4. ask if there is any doubt
5. Answer questions if needed
6. Make the transition to the following activity
Steps (Students):
1. Watch the videos
2. Listen to the teacher
3. Ask questions if needed

ACTIVITY 3
“Doris Lessing and the Apartheid”
Time: 9 minutes.
Content Objective: students will be able to understand the historical context of
the author (Apartheid) within the short story.

Teaching Materials:
➢ Powerpoint presentation
➢ whiteboard
➢ guidelines to start discussion (Apartheid)
➢ quotes to form groups.
Steps (Teacher):
1. Ask students to form groups (using the group formation described in activity
zero)
2. Ask students to guide their work using guidelines provided by the teachers as
help (using Doris’ historical context as background).
3. Ask students to try to identify how this short story is related to the apartheid
4. Ask the groups to think about Doris’ context in order to answer the question in
no more than five lines.
5. Ask one student per group to share with the class what is their group
conclusion.
Steps (Students):
1. Form the groups as indicated by the teachers.
2. Read the guidelines given.
3. with their classmates, they make the connection about how “through the
tunnel” is related to the apartheid considering Doris’ historical context and
what they have read.
4. Write down their answer in no more than 5 lines.
5. Share the conclusion of their group.

ACTIVITY 4
“Describing the plot line with phrasal verbs”
Time: 9 min.
Content Objective: students will be able to identify the different parts of the
plot line of the short story.
 Language Objective: students learn to use phrasal verbs in order to write down
the different stages of the plot line.

Teaching Materials:
➢ List of phrasal verbs plus their meaning (ppt)
➢ quotes to form groups
Steps (Teacher):
1. In the same groups. Teachers will provide students with the parts of the plotline
and give a quick reminder of what they are about.
2. Ask students to organize it.
3. Provide students with a list of phrasal verbs and their meanings.
4. Or allow them to use their cellphones to look for the meanings.
5. Ask students to write down the plot line using at least 2 phrasal verbs of the list
given in no more than 7 lines (1 paragraph).
6. Ask one student per group to tell out loud what they wrote.

Steps (Students):
1. Organize the plotline
2. Write down the plot line using at least 2 phrasal verbs of the list shown by the
teacher.
3. One person per group will tell out loud their narration.

ACTIVITY 5
“Through your Tunnel”
Time: 12 minutes
Content Objective: The students will be able to create their own tunnel using
Jerry’s rite of passage.
Teaching Materials:
➢ Youtube audio
Steps (Teacher):
1. Ask students to have their notebooks ready to be used
2. Explain the activity to the class
3. Start a narration in order to captive the attention of the students

Steps (Students):
1. Listen to the narration of the teacher
2. Create their own analogy of the protagonist tunnel in 6 lines maximum.

ACTIVITY 6
 “Wrapping up”
Time: 3 minutes
Content Objective: The students will be able to summarise the story
Teaching Materials:
➢ None
Steps (Teacher):
1. Ask two students students (randomly) to say one thing they learned during the
class.
2. give a conclusion for closure
Steps (Students):
1. Recognize the most important of the class for them