Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit Title:
A study of feminist literature during the late 1800's through the early 1900's
Grade Levels:
11th Grade
Key Words: Feminism, Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, oppression, freedom, depression,
each
Established Goals:
1)Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain. [R.L. 11-12.1]
3) Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are
introduced, and developed) [R.L. 11-12.3]
29.) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 11 topics, texts, and issues, building
on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. [SL. 11-12.1]
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw
on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue
to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. [SL. 11-12.1 a]
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals
and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. [SL. 11-12, 1b]
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence;
ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge
ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. [SL. 11-12.1 c]
33.) Make strategic use of digital media (e.g. textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive
elements ) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning and evidence and to
add interest. [SL. 11-12.5]
When readers reference or reread text, they are able to develop multiple interpretations of an author's
intentions.
The social context of a work refers to the social conditions that inspired or influenced its creation.
How does the time period of a work influence the author's writings?
In what ways does the author's presentation of the text influence the reader's interpretation of the
text?
What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Theme
External events
Internal events
Plot
Foreshadowing
Social Context
Describe performance tasks that will be used to show that students understand. Remember that you must
use a performance task if you are evaluating understanding. Complete a Performance Task Blueprint for each
performance assessment.
Your goal for this performance task is to create a fantastic magazine layout for a feminist magazine. Your role
will be to act as a writer at a feminist magazine. You will collaborate with another writer (another student) for
this task. Your audience will be the editors of the magazine (the class) and the president of the magazine
(myself, the teacher). You need to create a magazine article comparing and contrasting a famous womens'
rights leader from the late 1800's through the early 1900's to a famous womens' rights leader from the present
day. The articles must contain background information on each person, why they are important, and how the
two people are alike or different. You will need to create a layout that consists of four pages with four pictures.
The length of the text has to be at least five paragraphs. You can use your computers for the research, and use
old magazine articles for layout ideas. Each pair of writers will submit their choices for the two womens' rights
leaders for approval to the president (myself, the teacher). After your two leaders are approved, you will create
the layout for the magazine, and then present the layout to the editors (the class) and the president (myself, the
teacher) to get feedback on your layout. With the feedback, you will go back and revise your layouts, and then
publish your articles on the back wall of the board room (classroom).
The social context of a work refers to the social conditions that inspired or influenced its creation.
Essential Question addressed:
How does the time period of a work influence the author's writings?
29.) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 11 topics, texts, and issues, building
on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. [SL. 11-12.1]
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw
on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue
to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. [SL. 11-12.1 a]
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals
and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. [SL. 11-12, 1b]
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence;
ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge
ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. [SL. 11-12.1 c]
33.) Make strategic use of digital media (e.g. textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive
elements ) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning and evidence and to
add interest. [SL. 11-12.5]
Describe the authentic performance task that will be used to assess the understandings and/or goals listed above:
Your goal for this performance task is to create a fantastic magazine layout for a feminist magazine. Your role
will be to act as a writer at a feminist magazine. You will collaborate with another writer (another student) for
this task. Your audience will be the editors of the magazine (the class) and the president of the magazine
(myself, the teacher). You need to create a magazine article comparing and contrasting a famous womens'
rights leader from the late 1800's through the early 1900's to a famous womens' rights leader from the present
day. The articles must contain background information on each person, why they are important, and how the
two people are alike or different. You will need to create a layout that consists of four pages with four pictures.
The length of the text has to be at least five paragraphs. You can use your computers for the research, and use
old magazine articles for layout ideas. Each pair of writers will submit their choices for the two womens' rights
leaders for approval to the president (myself, the teacher). After your two leaders are approved, you will create
the layout for the magazine, and then present the layout to the editors (the class) and the president (myself, the
teacher) to get feedback on your layout. With the feedback, you will go back and revise your layouts, and then
publish your articles on the back wall of the board room (classroom).
Timeline:
Students will get together with another student, choose their two leaders, then get approval for their choices (5
minutes)
Students will research and work on their layouts (20 minutes)
Students will present their layout to the class and myself ( 15 minutes)
Students will revise, edit, and create a final layout
(8 minutes)
Students will publish their layout on the back wall of the classroom (2 minutes)
Tasks may include student products, student performances, or both. Describe all below:
Describe student products that will be used to provide evidence of the desired understandings and student
proficiency on the stated criteria:
o
Describe student performances that will be used to provide evidence of the desired understandings and
student proficiency on the stated criteria:
o
The students will create a 4 page magazine layout with four pictures and at least 5
paragraphs comparing and contrasting a womens' rights leader from the late 1800's
through the early 1900's and a womens' rights leader from the present day.
The students will work with their peers to create their layouts for the magazine,
and discuss them with the class to get feedback on their work. They will research
the two leaders using the internet, and create a layout for publication.
Describe the criteria you will use to determine students level of understanding (these will be stated and/or
implied in the standards, goals, and understandings of the unit):
Spelling and Grammar, Layout Accuracy (Include 4 pages, 4 pictures, 5 paragraphs),
Co-writers______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Feminist Magazine Article Project
Category
Layout Accuracy
Includes a very
detailed account of the
background
information on each
person, why they are
important, and how the
two people are alike or
different.
Details of the
background
information on each
person, why they are
important, and how the
two people are alike or
different are unclear,
and missing important
facts.
Some difficulty
communicating ideas,
due to voice projection,
lack of preparation, or
incomplete work.
Great difficulty
communicating ideas.
Poor voice preparation.
Little preparation or
incomplete work.
(Include 4 pages, 4
pictures, 5 paragraphs)
Layout Content
(The articles must
contain background
information on each
person, why they are
important, and how the
two people are alike or
different.)
Total
Score:________________/100
Comments:
10
Describe other evidence, such as quizzes, tests, prompts, observations, dialogues, and work samples,
that will be used to evaluate knowledge and skills.
Lesson one- Students will respond to the prompt, "Do all cages have bars?", write down their responses on
their own paper, then share with the class. This will lead into their Performance Task about womens' rights
leaders. Teacher led and group discussion on womens' roles during the time period that "The Yellow
Wallpaper" and "The Story of an Hour" were written.
Lesson two- Students will respond to the prompt, "What does the word free mean to you, and why do you think
Mrs. Mallard repeated it in the story?". The students will log into the Padlet app, and post their responses.
Dialogue on annotation of text. Students will annotate the text of "The Story of an Hour", highlighting evidence
of Mrs. Mallard dying of grief and evidence of Mrs. Mallard dying of joy. They also will mark the imagery, setting,
what season it is, and write down any comments or questions they have throughout the text. We will go over the
annotations, and have a class discussion. Then the students will answer the question, "Did Mrs. Mallard die from
a physical death or an emotional death?". The exit slip for the day will be the students responding to the prompt,
"What does Mrs. Mallard come to realize about life without her husband? Include details from the story". They
will respond with an "AP Chunk that includes a claim, evidence, examples, commentary, explanations, and
Lesson three- Students will answer the following prompt, "What if no one took you seriously?", in
the Padlet app, and we will discuss their responses as a class. We will have a class discussion about
the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper", and how her husband didn't take her seriously. They will
complete a Text Analysis worksheet. For the exit slip, the students will respond to the question, "Do
you think that the narrator is reliable or unreliable? Why or why not? Respond with an "AP Chunk that
includes a claim, evidence, examples, commentary, explanations, and a connection to the real world.
They will post their responses on Blackboard.(Out of class assignment, Respond to one of the
responses on Blackboard for homework. Cite another piece of evidence to support or disprove their
claim.)
Lesson four- Class analysis of "Portrait of Dr. Washington Epps, My Doctor" (1885) by Sir Lawrence
Alma Tadema. We will discuss what the painting means to the class, and how the painting may or may
not have changed their opinion of the characters in the story. Class discussion on the social issues in
both "The Story of an Hour" and "The Yellow Wallpaper". Social Context worksheet.
10
11
Lesson five- Students will read the hand out with "Why I Wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper", then turn and
talk with their peers about how their views on the story changed, or if their views stayed the same.
The students will complete a poster project. Once the students finish the projects they will need to pick
one poster to write about, and write one way the content of the poster connects/enhances their
understanding of the theme of "The Yellow Wallpaper".
Day six- Unit Test
List any other assessments here. This includes formative as well as summative assessments and should include assessments
at the end of the unit as well as those used throughout. These should be indicated in your calendar of activities as well. For
each assessment provide a brief description that indicates the content to measured.
Formative assessments:
Lesson one- Students will respond to the prompt, "Do all cages have bars?", write down their
responses on their own paper, then share with the class. This will lead into their Performance Task about
womens' rights leaders. Teacher led and group discussion on womens' roles during the time period that "The
Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Story of an Hour" were written.
Lesson two- Students will respond to the prompt, "What does the word free mean to you, and why do you think
Mrs. Mallard repeated it in the story?". The students will log into the Padlet app, and post their responses.
Dialogue on annotation of text. Students will annotate the text of "The Story of an Hour", highlighting evidence
of Mrs. Mallard dying of grief and evidence of Mrs. Mallard dying of joy. They also will mark the imagery, setting,
what season it is, and write down any comments or questions they have throughout the text. We will go over the
annotations, and have a class discussion. Then the students will answer the question, "Did Mrs. Mallard die from
a physical death or an emotional death?". The exit slip for the day will be the students responding to the prompt,
"What does Mrs. Mallard come to realize about life without her husband? Include details from the story". They
will respond with an "AP Chunk that includes a claim, evidence, examples, commentary, explanations, and
Lesson three- Students will answer the following prompt, "What if no one took you seriously?", in
the Padlet app, and we will discuss their responses as a class. We will have a class discussion about
the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper", and how her husband didn't take her seriously. They will
complete a Text Analysis worksheet. For the exit slip, the students will respond to the question, "Do
you think that the narrator is reliable or unreliable? Why or why not? Respond with an "AP Chunk that
includes a claim, evidence, examples, commentary, explanations, and a connection to the real world.
They will post their responses on Blackboard.(Out of class assignment, Respond to one of the
responses on Blackboard for homework. Cite another piece of evidence to support or disprove their
claim.)
Lesson four- Class analysis of "Portrait of Dr. Washington Epps, My Doctor" (1885) by Sir Lawrence
Alma Tadema. We will discuss what the painting means to the class, and how the painting may or may
not have changed their opinion of the characters in the story. Class discussion on the social issues in
both "The Story of an Hour" and "The Yellow Wallpaper". Social Context worksheet.
11
12
Lesson five- Students will read the hand out with "Why I Wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper", then turn and
talk with their peers about how their views on the story changed, or if their views stayed the same.
The students will complete a poster project. Once the students finish the projects they will need to pick
one poster to write about, and write one way the content of the poster connects/enhances their
understanding of the theme of "The Yellow Wallpaper".
Summative assessments:
Day six- Unit Test
12
13
The calendar can be created as a list and the block calendar deleted if preferred.
Plan Learning
Experiences
and Instruction
For each day you should
write a short summary of
what will be happening
that day. These
summaries should work
together to make it clear
how the unit moves
forward. You may use
bullets to indicate lesson
activities, assessments, etc.
It is not permissible to just
put lecture; instead you
should state what the
lecture is about (Ex.
Lecture on the causes of
the Cold War, or
interactive discussion
about the types of
chemical bonds, etc.)
Include a time estimate for
each activity.
You
should also indicate the
days you plan to co-teach
and the type of
co-teaching you plan to
incorporate.
If your
unit is more than 10 days,
you can add additional
rows to the calendar.
Include the WHERETO
elements in the calendar.
Monday
13
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
14
1
Introduction to the
historical background of
"The Story of an Hour"
and "The Yellow
Wallpaper"
***(This class period was
longer than usual (60
minutes) so I had to
adjust this lesson as well)
The students will respond
to the question, "Do all
cages have bars?" They
will write their answers
on a piece of paper and
then share them with the
class. (5 minutes) [H1,
H2]
We will have a brief
overview of the time
period when these two
stories were written (5
minutes) [W1, W2]
The students will be given
the Performance Task
instruction sheet. They
will get with their
partners and pick their
two leaders to write
about , then submit them
for approval. (5 minutes)
[W1, O, E1]
The students will then
research and work on
their layouts (20
minutes) [E2]
The students will present
their layout to the class
and myself (15 minutes)
[R1, R2]
The students will revise,
edit and create a final
layout. (8 minutes) [R1,
R2]
Students will publish
their layout on the back
wall of the classroom. (2
minutes) [R1]
14
2
"The Story of an Hour"
The students will respond
to the prompt, "What
does the word free mean
to you, and why do you
think Mrs. Mallard
repeated it in the story?"
The students will log into
the Padlet App, and post
their responses. (5
minutes) [H1, H2]
Review of annotation of
text (5 minutes) [W1,
W2]
Students will be given a
handout of the "The Story
of an Hour" and with a
partner they will
highlight and annotate
the text. (15 minutes)
[O, E1]
After the students
annotate the text, we will
go over it as a class (20
minutes) [E2, R1, R2]
Exit Slip- Students will
respond with an "AP
Chunk" to the following
prompt, "What does Mrs.
Mallard come to realize
about life without her
husband? Include details
from the story. (15
minutes) [R1]
Class discussion on
handout and introduction
on Poster Project(5
minutes) [W1, O, W2]
Work on Poster Project,
then hang posters on the
wall. (30 minutes) [R1,
R2]
Gallery Walk and
commentary (10
minutes) [R1]
15
15
16
Unit Test
Large Font test
for those who
are visually
impaired, Extra
time if necessary
[T] [O]
Lessons :
LESSON ONE DAY ONE
Stage 1 Desired Results
Heather Watford
16
10
17
"Story of an Hour"
Established Goals (Include ACOS standards in this section):
29.) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 11 topics, texts, and issues, building
on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. [SL. 11-12.1]
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw
on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue
to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. [SL. 11-12.1 a]
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals
and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. [SL. 11-12, 1b]
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence;
ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge
ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. [SL. 11-12.1 c]
33.) Make strategic use of digital media (e.g. textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive
elements ) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning and evidence and
to add interest. [SL. 11-12.5]
18
Essential Question(s):
How does the time period of a work influence the author's writings?
18
19
Performance Task(s):Your goal for this performance task is to create a fantastic magazine layout for a
feminist magazine. Your role will be to act as a writer at a feminist magazine. You will collaborate with another
writer (another student) for this task. Your audience will be the editors of the magazine (the class) and the
president of the magazine (myself, the teacher). You need to create a magazine article comparing and
contrasting a famous womens' rights leader from the late 1800's through the early 1900's to a famous womens'
rights leader from the present day. The articles must contain background information on each person, why they
are important, and how the two people are alike or different. You will need to create a layout that consists of
four pages with four pictures. The length of the text has to be at least five paragraphs. You can use your
computers for the research, and use old magazine articles for layout ideas. Each pair of writers will submit their
choices for the two womens' rights leaders for approval to the president (myself, the teacher). After your two
leaders are approved, you will create the layout for the magazine, and then present the layout to the editors (the
class) and the president (myself, the teacher) to get feedback on your layout. With the feedback, you will go
back and revise your layouts, and then publish your articles on the back wall of the board room (classroom).
None
Other Evidence:
bell ringer activity
Stage 3 Learning Plan (Include approximate time for each activity in the learning
plan)
19
20
21
Introductory Activity:
The students will respond to the prompt, "Do all cages have bars?". We will discuss their
responses with the class. (5 minutes)
21
22
Description of co-teaching strategy used in this lesson. If co-teaching was part of this
lesson, describe: co-teaching model used, how and why this particular strategy was
employed, role (lead teacher/secondary teacher), and details of the implementation of the
co-teaching model.
Co-teaching strategy- One teach, one observe
Accommodations were not needed for this lesson, but Peer tutors and extra time would be made
available if needed.
Established Goals (Include ACOS standards in this section): 1.[RL. 11.1] Cite strong and
through textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
22
23
drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Essential Question(s):
support a claim?
How do you analyze a text while reading and use textual evidence to
Performance Task(s):
23
N/A
24
Other Evidence: The assessment will be a bellringer and exit slip at the end of class.
Stage 3 Learning Plan (Include approximate time for each activity in the learning
plan)
Materials needed for the lesson: Print outs of Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour", highlighters,
pens and paper
Bell ringer (if one is used): The students will need to respond to the prompt, "What does the
word free mean to you, and why do you think Mrs. Mallard repeated it in the story?" The students
will log into the Padlet app, and post their responses. (5 minutes)
Introductory Activity:
24
Bellringer
25
Body of the lesson: The students will be given a hand out of the story. With a partner, they will
highlight in green all of the evidence that points to Mrs. Mallard dying from grief. They will highlight
in yellow all of the evidence that Mrs. Mallard died from joy. They will answer the question, "Did
Mrs. Mallard die from a physical death or an emotional death?" They must also mark where there
is imagery, setting, what season, and write down comments throughout the text. (15 minutes)
After the students read through the text on their own with their partners, we will go over the
information together as a class (20 minutes)
When we finish going over the text, the students will respond with an "AP Chunk" to the following
prompt, "What does Mrs. Mallard come to realize about life with out her husband? Include details
from the story. (15 minutes)
N/A
N/A
Description of co-teaching strategy used in this lesson. If co-teaching was part of this
lesson, describe: co-teaching model used, how and why this particular strategy was
employed, role (lead teacher/secondary teacher), and details of the implementation of the
co-teaching model.
25
26
Heather Watford
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
Established Goals (Include ACOS standards in this section):
1)Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain. [R.L. 11-12.1]
27
External events
Internal events
Plot
Essential Question(s):
In what ways does the author's presentation of the narrator's point of view give readers a limited
perspective on the story?
27
28
Performance Task(s):
None
Other Evidence:
bell ringer activity, exit slip
Stage 3 Learning Plan (Include approximate time for each activity in the learning
plan)
29
internet connection
smartboard
pens, pencils
paper
text analysis handout
Introductory Activity:
The students will complete their bellringer and respond to the question, "What if no one took you
seriously?" (10 minutes)
30
narrator shares in the story in the first column. In the second column, the students will indicate
whether the narrator's account of the event is reliable or unreliable. (25 minutes) After they
complete the worksheet, the students will go on Blackboard and respond to the question, "Do
you think that the narrator is reliable or unreliable? Why and why not? Respond using the "AP
Chunk" and provide your claim, evidence, commentary, and exigence (theme connection) (10
minutes)
Description of co-teaching strategy used in this lesson. If co-teaching was part of this
lesson, describe: co-teaching model used, how and why this particular strategy was
employed, role (lead teacher/secondary teacher), and details of the implementation of the
co-teaching model.
Co-teaching strategy- One teach, one observe
Accommodations were not needed for this lesson, but Peer tutors and extra time would be made
available if needed.
30
31
Heather Watford
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
Established Goals (Include ACOS standards in this section):
1)Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain. [R.L. 11-12.1]
3) Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are
introduced, and developed) [R.L. 11-12.3
32
Analyze meaning
Create a graphic organizer
Essential Question(s):
How does the author use social context in the story?
Performance Task(s):
None
Other Evidence:
bell ringer activity
32
33
Stage 3 Learning Plan (Include approximate time for each activity in the learning
plan)
34
Analyze the painting "Portrait of Dr. Washington Epps, My Doctor" (1885), by Sir Lawrence Alma
Tadema.
Introductory Activity:
The students will complete the bellringer by discussing as a class what the painting means to
them. We will also discuss how the painting may or may not have changed their opinion of the
characters in the story. (5 minutes)
35
Description of co-teaching strategy used in this lesson. If co-teaching was part of this
lesson, describe: co-teaching model used, how and why this particular strategy was
employed, role (lead teacher/secondary teacher), and details of the implementation of the
co-teaching model.
Co-teaching strategy- One teach, one observe
Accommodations were not needed for this lesson, but Peer tutors and extra time would be made
available if needed.
Heather Watford
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
Established Goals (Include ACOS standards in this section):
1)Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain. [R.L. 11-12.1]
36
Theme
External events
Internal events
Plot
Essential Question(s):
In what ways does the author's presentation of the text influence the reader's interpretation of the
text?
36
37
Performance Task(s):
None
Other Evidence:
Discussion in pairs, and whole group discussion,
Hook ("Why I Wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" ")
project
commentary on projects
Stage 3 Learning Plan (Include approximate time for each activity in the learning
plan)
37
38
Introductory Activity:
The students will read the handout of "Why I Wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" " respond with their
partners to the prompt on the whiteboard. (5 minutes)
38
39
Description of co-teaching strategy used in this lesson. If co-teaching was part of this
lesson, describe: co-teaching model used, how and why this particular strategy was
employed, role (lead teacher/secondary teacher), and details of the implementation of the
co-teaching model.
39
40
DAY SIX
UNIT TEST
Multiple choice items:
1. How does Mrs. Mallard feel right after she accepts that she will be free?
a. relaxed
b. ill
c. afraid
d. triumphant
2. How do Mr. and Mrs. Mallard feel about each other?
a. She loves him, but he does not love her.
b. He loves her, and she loves him at times.
c. They love each other very much
d. Neither of them loves the other
3. John's cure for the narrator's illness is for her to
a. write down all her feelings
b. do only a little housework
c. spend all her time outdoors
d. Rest and avoid all work
40
41
4. What does the woman in the wallpaper tell you about the social context of the late 1800's?
a. Women disliked living in houses with wallpaper
b. Husbands' rules made some women feel trapped.
c. Husbands could not really love their wives.
d. Women's sicknesses controlled their minds.
5. What do Mrs. Mallard, from "The Story of an Hour", and the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" have
in common?
a. They both are very happy in their marriages
b. They both are oppressed by the men in their lives and society.
c. They like to have only the house to worry about instead of having a career.
d. They are both nurses.
True/False Items:
True/False
2. Women in the 1800's had very little say in their medical treatment, and were forced to rely upon
their husbands', and doctors' orders. True/False
3. The narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" was able to chose the room that she and John stayed in.
True/False
4. The woman in the wallpaper is symbolic of the narrator's feelings of confinement. True/False
5. In "The Story of an Hour", Mrs. Mallard was absolutely horrified, and felt that life couldn't go on
without her husband. True/False
41
42
Matching items:
2. He took her to the country so that she could get rest that she needed for her problems.
John
3. She said "free, free, free" when she found out that her husband was dead.
Mrs. Mallard
4. "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage." the narrator of "The Yellow
Wallpaper"
5. What was the treatment for post partum depression during the 1800's?
rest cure
1. Give two details that the narrator first notices about the bedroom, aside from the wallpaper. The
room is airy and takes up nearly the whole floor (line 63). The room has windows on each wall (lines
63-64). The room used to be a nursery and playroom for children (lines 64-65). The room has barred
windows and rings in the walls (65-66).
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2. How does John show that he does not take his wife seriously? Include two details from the story.
John often laughs at his wife ( lines 7 and 99-100). He gently mocks the things that she says (lines
9-11). He dismisses her strange feelings about the house (lines 45-46).
He does not consider her opinions about their bedroom (lines 51-53). He calls her "little goose" (line
109) and "little girl" (line 265).
3. What does Mrs. Mallard come to realize about her life without her husband? Include two details
from the story. Her future will belong only to her (lines 46-47). She can live for her own wants and
needs (lines 49-50). She values this freedom for herself more than she values her husband's love (lines
55-57).
4. Name one way that Mrs. Mallard seems to change physically when she realizes what her future will
be without her husband. She comes down the stairs with a look of triumph (lines 68-69). She walks
like the goddess of Victory (lines 69-70).
5. Give one reason why Mrs. Mallard feels free after her husband's death. She understands that her
future will belong only to her (line 47). She can live for herself instead of for her husband (lines
49-50). Her husband loved her, but expected her to obey his will (lines 50-52).
1. What do the details beyond Mrs. Mallard's window help you predict about what she believes her
future holds? Use two details from the story to support your response. Students should recognize that
what Mrs. Mallard sees and hears outside her window are signs of spring and of new life. These sights
and sounds foreshadow a new life for her. They can use the following details to support, The treetops
quiver with "the new spring life" (lines 16-17). The hint of rain in the air is "delicious" and a
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"breath" implying both life and relief (line 17). A peddler cries out his wares in the square below (lines
17-18), indicating that life goes on even in the face of death. The sound of someone's singing far away
(lines 18-19) is another indication of life and happiness. Mrs. Mallard hears the sound of many
sparrows in the eaves, signifying new life (lines 19-20) Bits of blue sky show through the clouds
suggesting an improvement in Mrs. Mallard's situation (line 21).
2. Do you agree or disagree that Mrs. Mallard would have been happier without her husband? Support
your opinion with details from the story. Responses will vary. Students may agree she would have
been happier because of her new freedom. Students may use the following details to support their
opinions, Mrs. Mallard repeats the word free (line 38) and her excitement at this word warms and
relaxes her (lines 40-41). Mrs. Mallard recalls the pressure of her husband's will which is now gone
(line 50-52) She will be glad to live without it. They can also disagree and use the following as support,
Mrs. Mallard's grief at her husband's death is very real (lines 10-11). Mrs. Mallard acknowledges her
husband's kindness, tenderness, and love for her (lines 44-45). She may soon realize the absence of his
affection.
3. Using details from "The Yellow Wallpaper", explain the implication that a women very much like the
narrator once occupied this room. Students should recognize that details of the room seem to match
the behavior that the narrator eventually exhibits, suggesting that someone has already behaved in
this way in the room. Students may also consider the woman in the wallpaper to be a symbol of that
previous occupant. Students can talk about the bed being nailed to the floor, suggesting that the
previous occupant tried to move it around. They can also discuss the stain on the wall, as if someone
else paced around the room like she is. They can also discuss the rings on the wall that may have a
sinister meaning, as if the person who was in there before was detained.
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