The Lottery

Grade Levels

Excerpt

Rationale - Students will be able to:

• understand, identify, and use the literary devices foreshadowing and irony

• understand themes within, but not limited to, short stories regarding community, tradition, and sacrifice

• use current knowledge relating to the story to create a suitable alternative ending.

Learner Outcomes/Objectives:

Lesson will teach students to understand the importance of community, sacrifice, and tradition.

Materials

Teacher's copy of “The Lottery” (unedited)

Copies of “The Lottery” for students (edited-student copies will not have the final section during reading, they will get the final section after the reading is completed) Cut student’s text off at “"All right, folks." Mr. Summers said. "Let's finish quickly."

• Slips of paper for names to be written on

• Black box

• Quizzes

• Discussion guide

• Whiteboard/markers

• Pretest

Strategies

• Classroom Management

• Volunteer for reading/Going around by rows Literacy

• Pre-test on prior knowledge over vocabulary/themes

• Discussion over prior knowledge on themes

Pre-Assessment:

A quiz focusing on challenging vocabulary within the text and discussion question about individual feelings regarding the themes found in the lesson. This pre-assessment will allow for understanding of students' ability to understand challenging vocabulary and determine meaning through its usage in the sentence. This pre-assessment relies on prior knowledge and the lesson allows for a building and expansion of the prior knowledge.

Another pre-assessment needs to address students' prior knowledge on literary themes present throughout the text. This assessment will give teacher a better understanding of the prior knowledge of the students regarding literary associated with the themes of tradition, community, and sacrifice. Knowing the students' prior knowledge, again, allows for the lesson to be part of a building process. What the students know about the themes can now be used as a platform to build upon a deeper knowledge and understanding regarding the themes. Given that the students may have very limited and superficial understandings regarding the themes, the ability to deepen the understanding of themes comes from the pre-assessment of the students' literacy skills.

A last inquiry to be made needs to come about during the discussion of the text itself. Knowledge gained during this pre-assessment will determine whether on not the alternative activity (reenactment of story) will cause too much mental/emotional stress on the students. This assessment needs to address the deeper understanding of the story and the themes that lie within. Only if the students have a complete understanding of tradition, community, and sacrifice should the reenactment take place.

Modifications:

• 2 Quizzes- one standard and one modified for remediation

• Reading of text by teacher/students (with clarification if needed during reading)

• Reading of quiz offered for students in need of this modification

• Vocabulary introduced before reading to make reading easier for students

About

A complete lesson plan for Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" in which students will be able to 1) understand, identify, and use the literary devices foreshadowing and irony; 2) understand themes within, but not limited to, short stories regarding community, tradition, and sacrifice; and 3) use current knowledge relating to the story to create a suitable alternative ending.