The Old Man and the Sea Lesson Plan | Unit Objectives
1. Through reading Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea, students will gain a better understanding of the "code hero" and Hemingway's views toward nature.
2. Students will be able to find and define the symbols used in The Old Man and The Sea.
3. Students will study the theme of the importance of resolution (determination) in reaching one's goals.
4. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the text on four levels: factual, interpretive, critical and personal.
5. Students will define their own viewpoints on the aforementioned themes.
6. Students will be given the opportunity to practice reading aloud and silently to improve their skills in each area.
7. Students will answer questions to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the main events and characters in The Old Man and The Sea as they relate to the author's theme development.
8. Students will enrich their vocabularies and improve their understanding of the novel through the vocabulary lessons prepared for use in conjunction with the novel.
9. 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.