SmithUPLAN+(Rationale+and+Big+Question)


 * Rationale**

Many people stand by classic texts by claiming that they contain themes that are still relevant today and, most likely, always will be relevant. While this is true, it is important to mention that the same can not be said for the way the classics are taught. How we present them to our students must change with the time and the culture and, most importantly, with the students. Each batch of students will be different and they will take different things from the novels that they are assigned. Regardless, it is our job as educators to make sure that they //do// take something away from what they read in our classrooms. Salinger's //The Catcher in the Rye// is an example of a classic that can remain relevant to students for generations to come as long as we, as educators, update the way that we are teaching it. One of the things that makes this novel relevant to all generations is the theme of creating an identity. Who are we? Do we decide who we get to be, or are our roles dictated by outside forces? Holden struggles to find his place in the world and determine what he believes in- an experience that all humans go through in their adolescence and early adult years. It also addresses the issues of grief and loss, emphasizing how they shape us and shift our paths in life. Themes such as this make the content relevant and give teachers a springboard for making their lessons according to the interests of their students. In this unit, we will examine how people are influenced by those around them. Holden's life has been turned upside down, and many of our students may experience this as well. The trick to this unit is making Holden's experiences accessible for students so that they can take what they will from Salinger's novel, and I intend to do that through the practices of journaling, discussion, and language exploration, and short writing assignments.

How do those around us change who we are and who we become?
 * Big Question**


 * Unit Goals**

-Students will write in their journal at the beginning of every class period for ten minutes, responding to the question, "what is one event of today that has changed me and how?"

-Students will discuss modern characters in film and literature that they feel are analogues for Holden, marking at least three ways in which they were influenced by outside forces.

-Students will be assigned one paragraph from the novel, //The Catcher in the Rye//, and they will translate it into modern language and be prepared to discuss their edits in a full-class discussion on the evolution of language.

-Students will write a three page essay on one person in Holden's life that reminds them of someone in their own life. They will also compare the affects this character had on Holden to the affects that the person in their life has on them. This essay will serve as an analysis of one relationship within the text as well as a tangible, real-life relationship.

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