Sample Technology-enhanced lesson plan
SINGLE DAY TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED LESSON PLAN ON MUSIC IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
Name: Rebekah Broh-Kahn
Lesson Title: Music Relations to The Catcher in the Rye
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students will explore two related texts through music, utilizing technology and various individual and partner activities. Students will analyze lyrics, watch a movie clip, and work in partnered groups for an inquiry activity
Common Core Standards Addressed
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.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.3
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.3.A
Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte's Artful Sentences) for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5.A
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
Measurable Objective Based On Content Standard(s)
TSWBAT: Identify characteristics in song lyrics, music, and videos that serve to supplement the reading of a text; establish connections between two literary texts and between a given song and text. Select music that conveys themes or emotions presented in a text and explain how/why they connect. Define and reflect personally on empathy and sympathy
Essential Question
How do societal views of teenagers as rebels reflect and/or conflict with expectations of the adolescent experience?
Prior Knowledge
Link to 21st Century Skills
-Analyzing literature as a social commentary and insight into an author’s history and mindset
-Using online technology to share ideas
Formative Assessment (attach specific instructions and/or examples)
Personal Journal
Students will write 1-2 pages in their personal journals in response to one of the following prompts:
-Have you ever been in Charlie’s/Holden’s situation? If so, do you empathize? If not, are you sympathetic*? Explain.
-What song would you choose to play over your narrative or a movie about your life? Why?
*(If needed: give a 2-minute review session at the end of class on the difference between “empathy” and “sympathy”).
Holden’s Playlist (20 points) (To be due in two class periods)
(Adapted from Milner, Milner, & Mitchell, p. 310)
Create a “musical autobiography” for Holden, choosing songs that you believe encapsulate his personality and/or his thoughts and feelings into a music playlist. You can approach this as like creating a CD for the novel: as something to be listened to whilst reading, as background music playing over Holden’s narration, or as a soundtrack if the book were made into a film. You will create this playlist using an online application (iTunes, Spotify, Google Music, SoundCloud, 8tracks*).
Your playlist should include the following:
Your reflection should respond to all of the following questions:
How and why did you select these songs? Does the playlist reflect one genre, or multiple? How does the playlist highlight Holden’s identity/emotions/story? Are these songs that Why would Holden listen to any of them? Would you? Do you resonate with any of them? What overall feeling does the playlist give? Select one song to thoroughly justify its connection to Holden in 1 paragraph (5-7 sentences).
Summative Assessment: Social Media Outlets (Adapted from Hermosilla, p. 16-17)
Teenagers today have a countless number of social media outlets available to them, through which they can share their personal thoughts, interests, and emotions. How would 17-year-old Holden, in the modern voice of a 2016 teenager, tell his story today? Use an online social media outlet of your choosing to creatively reimagine how Holden might recount the events of one chapter of The Catcher in the Rye. Select a chapter from the reading from last class (to be approved by the teacher) and rewrite Holden’s narration in the form of one of the four social media outlets:
For a complete list of social bookmarking tools, visit the following website: http://goo.gl/eU2fX.
These projects will be assessed on completion as well as on creativity, varying uses of multimedia, inclusion of major plot elements, use of Holden’s perspective and voice,
Accommodations
-Students who struggle with reading will be given the option to read with a partner
-Non-English speaking students will be permitted to film their movie in their spoken language, provided it has subtitles included
-Students will have access to language dictionaries if they require assistance for the word-association activity
LESSON PLAN:
Materials
-The novel The Catcher in the Rye
-YouTube
-Google Docs
-White board & markers
-Personal journals
-Laptop
-Projector
-Pencil/pen & paper
-“Asleep” – The Smiths
LATs
-Activating/generating knowledge
-Directed/guided reading
-Rereading
-Reading discussion
-Note taking
-Personal journal
-Critical analysis/reflection
Bell Ringer/Review Activity (5-10 minutes)
At the beginning of class, students will share a pre-selected phrase or passage from the text from the previous night’s reading, which they should have recorded on the Google Doc of selected quotations. One at a time, without being called on, students will read their selections aloud, followed by a brief discussion prompted by either 1) a question from the teacher, 2) a question from a student 3) the quotation of the day.
Activity 1: “Asleep” Analysis (15 minutes)
Give the students the lyrics to “Asleep” by the Smiths to read 2-3x. Answer the following questions in your notes after you read:
-What do you think the song is about? Mark words/phrases in the lyrics that support your claim
-What is the tone of the song? How is it generated? Mark words/phrases in the lyrics that support your claim
-What genre would you assign to this song?
-Could you see Holden listening to this song? Does it reflect any of the topics/themes of the novel?
-Discuss your responses briefly in groups of 3-4
Play the song via YouTube for the students as they read along to the lyrics.
-Are your answers to the questions above the same? How did hearing the song change and/or amplify the overall tone? Discuss as a class briefly.
Activity 2: Connections to The Perks of Being a Wallflower (10 minutes)
Ask students if they are familiar with the book/film The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Have a volunteer who is familiar give a brief synopsis. Mention that Salinger’s novel itself appears in both Chbosky’s book and film; it is given to Charlie by his English teacher, who says it’s his favorite book. Chbosky was inspired by Salinger, so there should be evidence for their similarities.
Watch the 1 minute clip from “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” once without sound, and ask students to pay attention to the specific scenes/moments that occur in the clip. Establish the context to the students by explaining that it is one of the earlier scenes in the movie
-What happens? Have a few students raise their hands to describe one of the moments shown in the clip. Record on the board.
-(Pans up to Charlie on his bed reading; finishes reading TKAM; writes the term paper early and gets confronted by a bully to be given a swirly; takes meds; watches brother play football with family at home in silence; sits by himself in the cafeteria and reads during lunch period)
Watch the clip a second time with sound, and ask students to pay attention to how the song functions as an addition to the scene.
Activity 3: Think-Pair-Share (10 minutes)
(Think individually, share with a partner, then come together as a class to share ideas)
-How did watching the clip make you feel? Why?
-What is the overall idea/message presented in this scene?
-How did watching the scene compare to reading the lyrics or listening to the song on its own?
-Does the song fit the scenes chosen? Why or why not?
-The scene ends with Charlie eating alone and reading in the cafeteria – can you picture Holden in a similar scene?
-Charlie listens to this song on repeat; why did Chbosky choose this song as one of the defining songs for his protagonist? (Remember, Chbosky both wrote the book and directed the movie)
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been referred to as a “modern Catcher in the Rye,” would you argue for or against this claim? Why?
-Is this an accurate depiction of what it is like to be an outcast in school?
Activity 4: Music Association (30 minutes)
Students will explore a song that has been assumed to have some relation to Holden and/or the themes presented in the novel. Students will work in pairs to analyze lyrics, recognize tone in music, and, if possible watch a music video to reflect on the addition of visual media.
"A lot of people think, for obvious reasons, that the song is about a relationship between two siblings," he said. "While we are happy for people to take their own meaning from our lyrics, this wasn't necessarily the perspective we intended. A lot of our lyrics are quite impressionistic and open-ended. This is on purpose as we don't like to be too obvious or prescriptive." –Iain Cook of the Scottish electronic-rock trio Chvrches
Select a song from the following list by putting your name next to the song on the Google Doc. (No more than 2 people per song):
*The name of the group is a quote from Catcher, in a description of Phoebe by Holden: "She's quite skinny, like me, but nice skinny, roller-skate skinny," (Salinger 88).
Work with who has chosen the same song on the Doc and complete the following, recording all your responses to the following in short phrases or bullet-points on the Google Doc beneath your respective song:
Activity 5: Discussion (10 minutes)
-Do you feel any personal connection to the song? Does it move you in any way, emotionally? How so? Is this based on the lyrics, the music, or the song as a whole?
-These songs were chosen specifically to establish some sort of connection to The Catcher in the Rye//Holden’s character/narrative – what connection do you think that is? (Why did I place this song on the list?)
-If Catcher was made into a movie, which moment/scene would you choose to play your song over? Why?
Afterwards, come together as a class to discuss observations (i.e. common themes or ideas listed on the Google Doc)
Closure (5-10 minutes)
Alternate Strategies for Re-teaching Material
-Students can work individually or in pairs/groups to create their own word associations, then the class could come together to compare/contrast their work and discuss
-Students can be asked to think of a way they could use the youth lens to analyze one of the texts already read/discussed in class
References
-The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
-“Asleep” by the Smiths
Lesson Title: Music Relations to The Catcher in the Rye
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students will explore two related texts through music, utilizing technology and various individual and partner activities. Students will analyze lyrics, watch a movie clip, and work in partnered groups for an inquiry activity
Common Core Standards Addressed
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.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.3
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.3.A
Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte's Artful Sentences) for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5.A
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
Measurable Objective Based On Content Standard(s)
TSWBAT: Identify characteristics in song lyrics, music, and videos that serve to supplement the reading of a text; establish connections between two literary texts and between a given song and text. Select music that conveys themes or emotions presented in a text and explain how/why they connect. Define and reflect personally on empathy and sympathy
Essential Question
How do societal views of teenagers as rebels reflect and/or conflict with expectations of the adolescent experience?
Prior Knowledge
Link to 21st Century Skills
-Analyzing literature as a social commentary and insight into an author’s history and mindset
-Using online technology to share ideas
Formative Assessment (attach specific instructions and/or examples)
Personal Journal
Students will write 1-2 pages in their personal journals in response to one of the following prompts:
-Have you ever been in Charlie’s/Holden’s situation? If so, do you empathize? If not, are you sympathetic*? Explain.
-What song would you choose to play over your narrative or a movie about your life? Why?
*(If needed: give a 2-minute review session at the end of class on the difference between “empathy” and “sympathy”).
Holden’s Playlist (20 points) (To be due in two class periods)
(Adapted from Milner, Milner, & Mitchell, p. 310)
Create a “musical autobiography” for Holden, choosing songs that you believe encapsulate his personality and/or his thoughts and feelings into a music playlist. You can approach this as like creating a CD for the novel: as something to be listened to whilst reading, as background music playing over Holden’s narration, or as a soundtrack if the book were made into a film. You will create this playlist using an online application (iTunes, Spotify, Google Music, SoundCloud, 8tracks*).
Your playlist should include the following:
- 15-20 songs
- No more than one song we discussed in class
- No more than two songs by the same artist
- A title that encapsulates the project (do not use “Soundtrack for Catcher in the Rye”)
- A jacket cover (can be an original drawing or image(s) found online)
- A track list including the song name, artist, album title, and album year
- A 1-2 page reflection paper introducing the collection that explains the connections between the songs and the text/Holden’s character (see questions below)
Your reflection should respond to all of the following questions:
How and why did you select these songs? Does the playlist reflect one genre, or multiple? How does the playlist highlight Holden’s identity/emotions/story? Are these songs that Why would Holden listen to any of them? Would you? Do you resonate with any of them? What overall feeling does the playlist give? Select one song to thoroughly justify its connection to Holden in 1 paragraph (5-7 sentences).
Summative Assessment: Social Media Outlets (Adapted from Hermosilla, p. 16-17)
Teenagers today have a countless number of social media outlets available to them, through which they can share their personal thoughts, interests, and emotions. How would 17-year-old Holden, in the modern voice of a 2016 teenager, tell his story today? Use an online social media outlet of your choosing to creatively reimagine how Holden might recount the events of one chapter of The Catcher in the Rye. Select a chapter from the reading from last class (to be approved by the teacher) and rewrite Holden’s narration in the form of one of the four social media outlets:
- Traditional Blog (ex. Wordpress, Tumblr): Create a fake blog for Holden, complete with proper design formatting and templates. Write one long or a series of short blog entries (at least 750 words) in Holden’s voice, narrating a, including at least two photos and two links to supplement the post.
- Wall Sharing (ex. Facebook, Google+): Create a fake Facebook account for Holden with an appropriate profile picture, list of Friends, basic profile information (name, location, relationship status, interests, etc.). Post at least 10 multimedia posts (statuses, shared photos/videos, events, etc.) on his wall.
- Microblog (ex. Twitter): Create a fake Twitter account for Holden, complete with an appropriate profile picture, handle, background information and proper design formatting and templates. “Live tweet” the scene you chose, checking-in at the places in New York City and using appropriate #hashtags for a total of at least 20 posts (100-140 characters each).
- Social Bookmark (ex. Pinterest, Delicious, Symbaloo, Digg): Create a fake Pinterest account for Holden, complete with at least 5 separate boards with 10-15 web resources bookmarked in each board. Use what you know about Holden’s interests to select the links.
- Entertainment Page (ex. Buzzfeed): Create a fake Buzzfeed article based on a topic, theme, or character in the novel. Must have at least 25 posts, each with a corresponding image or gif. Example: “20 Things that Happen on a Date with Holden Caulfield”
- Music Playlist (ex. Spotify, SoundCloud): Create a music playlist of at least 150 songs Holden might have on his music playlist today. You may include no more than five full albums by a single artist. If you would rather, you can create multiple (at least 3) playlists of at least 50 songs each that Holden might listen to at various times/moods.
For a complete list of social bookmarking tools, visit the following website: http://goo.gl/eU2fX.
These projects will be assessed on completion as well as on creativity, varying uses of multimedia, inclusion of major plot elements, use of Holden’s perspective and voice,
Accommodations
-Students who struggle with reading will be given the option to read with a partner
-Non-English speaking students will be permitted to film their movie in their spoken language, provided it has subtitles included
-Students will have access to language dictionaries if they require assistance for the word-association activity
LESSON PLAN:
Materials
-The novel The Catcher in the Rye
-YouTube
-Google Docs
-White board & markers
-Personal journals
-Laptop
-Projector
-Pencil/pen & paper
-“Asleep” – The Smiths
LATs
-Activating/generating knowledge
-Directed/guided reading
-Rereading
-Reading discussion
-Note taking
-Personal journal
-Critical analysis/reflection
Bell Ringer/Review Activity (5-10 minutes)
At the beginning of class, students will share a pre-selected phrase or passage from the text from the previous night’s reading, which they should have recorded on the Google Doc of selected quotations. One at a time, without being called on, students will read their selections aloud, followed by a brief discussion prompted by either 1) a question from the teacher, 2) a question from a student 3) the quotation of the day.
Activity 1: “Asleep” Analysis (15 minutes)
Give the students the lyrics to “Asleep” by the Smiths to read 2-3x. Answer the following questions in your notes after you read:
-What do you think the song is about? Mark words/phrases in the lyrics that support your claim
-What is the tone of the song? How is it generated? Mark words/phrases in the lyrics that support your claim
-What genre would you assign to this song?
-Could you see Holden listening to this song? Does it reflect any of the topics/themes of the novel?
-Discuss your responses briefly in groups of 3-4
Play the song via YouTube for the students as they read along to the lyrics.
-Are your answers to the questions above the same? How did hearing the song change and/or amplify the overall tone? Discuss as a class briefly.
Activity 2: Connections to The Perks of Being a Wallflower (10 minutes)
Ask students if they are familiar with the book/film The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Have a volunteer who is familiar give a brief synopsis. Mention that Salinger’s novel itself appears in both Chbosky’s book and film; it is given to Charlie by his English teacher, who says it’s his favorite book. Chbosky was inspired by Salinger, so there should be evidence for their similarities.
Watch the 1 minute clip from “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” once without sound, and ask students to pay attention to the specific scenes/moments that occur in the clip. Establish the context to the students by explaining that it is one of the earlier scenes in the movie
-What happens? Have a few students raise their hands to describe one of the moments shown in the clip. Record on the board.
-(Pans up to Charlie on his bed reading; finishes reading TKAM; writes the term paper early and gets confronted by a bully to be given a swirly; takes meds; watches brother play football with family at home in silence; sits by himself in the cafeteria and reads during lunch period)
Watch the clip a second time with sound, and ask students to pay attention to how the song functions as an addition to the scene.
Activity 3: Think-Pair-Share (10 minutes)
(Think individually, share with a partner, then come together as a class to share ideas)
-How did watching the clip make you feel? Why?
-What is the overall idea/message presented in this scene?
-How did watching the scene compare to reading the lyrics or listening to the song on its own?
-Does the song fit the scenes chosen? Why or why not?
-The scene ends with Charlie eating alone and reading in the cafeteria – can you picture Holden in a similar scene?
-Charlie listens to this song on repeat; why did Chbosky choose this song as one of the defining songs for his protagonist? (Remember, Chbosky both wrote the book and directed the movie)
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been referred to as a “modern Catcher in the Rye,” would you argue for or against this claim? Why?
-Is this an accurate depiction of what it is like to be an outcast in school?
Activity 4: Music Association (30 minutes)
Students will explore a song that has been assumed to have some relation to Holden and/or the themes presented in the novel. Students will work in pairs to analyze lyrics, recognize tone in music, and, if possible watch a music video to reflect on the addition of visual media.
"A lot of people think, for obvious reasons, that the song is about a relationship between two siblings," he said. "While we are happy for people to take their own meaning from our lyrics, this wasn't necessarily the perspective we intended. A lot of our lyrics are quite impressionistic and open-ended. This is on purpose as we don't like to be too obvious or prescriptive." –Iain Cook of the Scottish electronic-rock trio Chvrches
Select a song from the following list by putting your name next to the song on the Google Doc. (No more than 2 people per song):
- “American Idiot” – Green Day
- “Asleep” – The Smiths
- “Between the Bars” – Elliot Smith
- “Demons” – Imagine Dragons
- “Heathens” – Twenty One Pilots
- “Imagine” – John Lennon
- “Lapse” – Envy on the Coast
- “Mad World” – Gary Jules
- “Miss Leader” – Rollerskate Skinny*
- “My Immortal” – Evanescence
- “Ride” – Twenty One Pilots
- “Shadow of the Day” – Linkin Park
- “The Sound of Silence” – Simon & Garfunkel
- “Stars” – Fun.
- “Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots
- “Teenagers” – My Chemical Romance
- “Therapy” – All Time Low
- “Wake Me Up When September Ends” – Green Day
- “Welcome to the Black Parade” – My Chemical Romance
- “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield” – Green Day
*The name of the group is a quote from Catcher, in a description of Phoebe by Holden: "She's quite skinny, like me, but nice skinny, roller-skate skinny," (Salinger 88).
Work with who has chosen the same song on the Doc and complete the following, recording all your responses to the following in short phrases or bullet-points on the Google Doc beneath your respective song:
- Find the lyrics for the song online and read through 2-3x
- What do you think the song is about?
- What is the tone? (i.e. sad, happy)
- What musical genre does this song fall under?
- Is there a plot from the beginning to the end of the song?
- Mark any places in the lyrics that helped you answer these questions
- Listen to the song online (without video) 2-3x
- What is the rhythm and tempo of the song? (i.e. fast, slow)
- What does the instrumentation reveal about the tone of the song? Is it what you predicted after the lyrics?
- Find a music video and watch 1-2x*
- Did the content of the video surprise you? Was it what you expected? Summarize the video and record your personal reaction to the video
- How does the video illustrate the emotions or ideas presented in the lyrics?
Activity 5: Discussion (10 minutes)
-Do you feel any personal connection to the song? Does it move you in any way, emotionally? How so? Is this based on the lyrics, the music, or the song as a whole?
-These songs were chosen specifically to establish some sort of connection to The Catcher in the Rye//Holden’s character/narrative – what connection do you think that is? (Why did I place this song on the list?)
-If Catcher was made into a movie, which moment/scene would you choose to play your song over? Why?
Afterwards, come together as a class to discuss observations (i.e. common themes or ideas listed on the Google Doc)
Closure (5-10 minutes)
Alternate Strategies for Re-teaching Material
-Students can work individually or in pairs/groups to create their own word associations, then the class could come together to compare/contrast their work and discuss
-Students can be asked to think of a way they could use the youth lens to analyze one of the texts already read/discussed in class
References
-The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
-“Asleep” by the Smiths