Literature Lesson Plan for Grade 8

Name of Teacher: Maricho T. Nocalan

Subject Taught: English Communication for Progress

I. Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
a. recall the elements of a short story through a game simulation;
b. understand Jose Garcia Villa’s ‘A Footnote to Youth’;
c. construct a Freytag’s pyramid of the story “Footnote to youth’;
d. evaluate the story and the characters through answering a short activity,
e. appreciate the values presented in the story through a reflective essay.

II. Subject Matter

FOOTNOTE TO YOUTH by Jose Garcia Villa

Materials: Laptop, Projector, cartolina strips, scotch tape, pentel pen
Reference: Dumlao, M. (1999). Communication for progress textbook for
second year. Christian Publishing
Values integration: Being responsible in making life choices.

III. Procedure

Method: High-Tech (A mix of student-centered and teacher-centered teaching

methods)

Techniques: Game-based and Direct Instruction

A. Preparation
Greet the students, ask a class representative to lead the prayer, and
check their attendance.

B. Motivation
Divide the class into two and let them match the rumbled short story
elements pasted on left side of the board to the definitions pasted on the
right side of the board. The students will be given 5 minutes to complete
the task, and the group who will complete the task first will be given 5
points which will be added in their performance score.
C. Lesson Proper

A short story is a ‘slice of life’ presented in words. In developing a

story, a writer makes use of different elements-plot, character, theme,
setting, language, and style- as an organic whole.
Jose Garcia Villa’s ‘A Footnote to Youth’ is a short story about a 17-
year-old lad named Dodong, who is impatiently waiting for his father to
return home so that he can tell him of his love for Teang and his desire to
marry her. He feels that at 17 he is a grown man who is ready for the next
important step in his life.
When he tells his father that he has asked Teang to marry him and
wants his blessing, there is a long and cruel silence. His father asks him to
reconsider marrying because he is still very young. Dodong resents his
father’s question, and finally his father gives him consent.
Nine months later, Dodong is waiting outside while Teang gives
birth to their first son, Blas. He feels young and inexperienced, a contrast
to how he felt nine months ago. Dodong did not want any more children,
but they came anyway. For the next six years, Teang gave birth to seven
children in all.
Teang did not complain. However, her body is now shapeless and
thin from bearing so many children, and from doing hard in taking care of
them and the household. Even though she loved Dodong, she cried and
wished that had not married so young. She actually had another suitor,
Lucio, who was nine years older than Dodong, but she chose the latter
because he was so much younger.
Lucio had married after she married Dodong, however, he is
childless. She wonders if she had married Lucio, would she be childless?
She feels that it would have been a lot better. But she loves Dodong, even
though life has made her old and ugly.
One night, Dodong goes outside and thinks about his life. He wants
to have the wisdom to know why life does not fulfill Youth’s dreams. Why
did life forsake you after love? He never finds the answer.
When Blas turns 18, he comes home and tells Dodong that he
wants to marry Tena. Dodong at this time is only 36 years old, but he is
portrayed as a much older man. He does not want Blas to marry at a very
young age just like him. He asks his son the same question his father
asked him. Does Blas have to marry Tena? He doesn’t want his son to
make the same mistake he did, but Blas reacts with resentment.
 Dodong realizes that he is dealing with Youth and Love, and they will
triumph over this situation. After that, comes real life. He gives his consent
to Blas, feeling sad and sorry for his son.

IV. Evaluation

I. Create a Freytag’s model of the story.

II. Answer the following questions. (2 points each)

1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. What decisions in life did the main character want to make?
3. How did Dodong’s father react to his confession?
4. Was Dodong really prepared for that decision? Why or why not?
5. How did Dodong’s father react to his decision of getting married early?
6. What did Dodong mean when he said, “Youth must triumph now.”
7. Explain the following lines according to the context in which they were used
in the story.

V. Generalization
Let the students make a short reflective essay about the question; “Is it all right
to marry at a young age or not?”