The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds Lesson Plan | Unit Objectives

1. Through reading The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel, students will gain a better understanding of the themes of trust, family responsibility, community values, and the responsibilities of pet ownership. One theme, pet ownership, is focused on specifically.

2. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the text on four levels: factual, interpretive, critical, and personal.

3. Students will define their own viewpoints on the aforementioned themes.

4. Students will be exposed to new ways of looking at the themes above.

5. Students will create a plan for solving some of the problems created by irresponsible pet ownership.

6. Students will practice reading aloud as well as silently.

7. Students will enrich their vocabularies and improve their understanding of the novel through the vocabulary lessons prepared for use in conjunction with it.

8. Students will practice writing through a variety of assignments.

9. The writing assignments in this unit are geared to several purposes:

a. to check the students’ reading comprehension

b. to make students think about the ideas presented in the book

c. to allow students to write from personal experience, to inform, and to persuade

d. to provide the opportunity to review standard English

e. to encourage critical and logical thinking

10. Students will be encouraged to make connections between the book and real life.