Jacob Have I Loved Lesson Plan | Unit Objectives

1. Through reading Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved, students will recognize the trials of adolescence and be able to see jealousy's (primarily sibling rivalry's ) effect on self-esteem.

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

3. Students will gain an understanding of the comparison the author presents between the two twins and that of the Biblical twins, Jacob and Esau.

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

5. Students will gain appreciation for and demonstrate proficiency in identifying and using figurative language.

6. Students will do background research to make life on the Chesapeake Bay during the World War II era more meaningful.

7. Students will be given the opportunity to practice reading aloud and silently to improve their skills in each area.

8. Students will answer questions to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the main events and characters in Jacob Have I Loved as they relate to the author's theme development.

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

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

a. To have students demonstrate their abilities to inform, to persuade, or to express their own personal ideas

Note: Students will demonstrate ability to write effectively to inform by developing and organizing facts to convey information. Students will demonstrate the ability to write effectively to persuade by selecting and organizing relevant information, establishing an argumentative purpose, and by designing an appropriate strategy for an identified audience. Students will demonstrate the ability to write effectively to express personal ideas by selecting a form and its appropriate elements.

b. To check the students' reading comprehension
c. To make students think about the ideas presented by the novel
d. To encourage logical thinking
e. To provide an opportunity to practice good grammar and improve students' use of the English language.