Digital Unit Plan Template Unit Title: Frankenstein and the Notion of Monstrosity Content Area: English CA Content

Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s): RL 11-12, 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. RL 11-12, 2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. W 11-12, 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. W 11-12, 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. SL 11-12, 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on- one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 1112 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (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. L 11-12, 6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. Big Ideas: -Victor's need to create a living being: his need to play God (or mother?) -Victor's success and subsequent abandonment of his creation -Societal interactions/treatment of the creature (compare to the social "Other") -The creature and the blind man (problems of relying solely on the visual/readily apparent) -The creature's actions and motives (the good, the bad, and the ambiguous) -The creature's intelligence and desperate want for identity, purpose, compassion, and acceptance -Victor's refusal to provide his creature with a mate/companion (a look at feminism, misogyny, and psychology) Name: Artie Loredo Grade Level: 12

Unit Goals and Objectives: 1. Students will learn fundamental aspects of the novel, such as genre and the philosophies of Rousseau, as well as Mary Shelley's background in order to better understand some of the literary choices contributing to the overall meaning and value of this text. 2. After reading about the creature's interaction with the blind Mr. DeLacey, students will assemble in small groups and discuss the effects/problems of relying solely on the visual in the book. They will consider how this interaction informs us about the creature's character and in turn, what we can learn about others when we are not so quick to develop judgements based on appearances or the superficial but instead are willing to listen without prejudice or partiality (postcolonial glance: the Creature as subaltern "Other"). Groups will then share their findings in a whole-class discussion. 3. Students will evaluate the text from a feminist lens by considering questions like the use of science by men as a means of appropriating female abilities for creation; cognitive pursuits (science and philosophy) as a result of envy of the body. 4. Students will understand the concept of social construction and its possible presence in the novel. 5. Students will write a 4-5 page research paper that investigates how Frankenstein speaks to relevant issues of today (e.g. identity, alterity, free will, etc). Students will use textual quotations, secondary sources, and literary terminology to support their claims. 6. Students will take the novel into their own hands by holding a mock trial for the Creature. This requires and demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of Shelley's book as well as the many different approaches/topics we discuss throughout this unit. Unit Summary: In this unit students will be reading Mary Shelley's seminal text, Frankenstein, exploring its various thematic concerns, analyzing important motifs, collaborating on problems the book leaves unresolved, and extrapolating their own conclusions/arguments regarding these dilemmas. One of the important topics we will be covering is this notion of monstrosity that constantly appears and reappears throughout the novel. In considering who the real monster is in this book, we can then also consider other important questions such as: what is a monster, what are its defining characteristics (and are they merely physical/visual)? Does a monster knowingly and willingly choose to be a monster? Is it born that way? Or might it be, to some degree or another, shaped by the events, circumstances, and people in its life ("created," if you will)? After closely considering questions like these students will then be able to address deeper problems of the text like autonomy vs accountability and science vs nature. In doing so, they will establish a tight grasp on some of the meanings beneath the surface and can begin making connections to contemporary society; analyzing the different ways Frankenstein informs us about our sense of identity, societal "othering", free will, and the consequences of apathy or the power of compassion. In short, they will think critically about the ways Shelley's book asks us to reconsider our traditional definitions of what it means to be "human" and if we are indeed living up to those standards or expectations. Assessment Plan: Entry-Level: 1. Quick-Write: What defines a person as good or bad? Where do the criteria we use come from?

Formative: 1. Timeline: Start keeping a timeline of instances where Victors Creature interacts with people. Record a brief summary of the occurrence and cite the page number(s). *Hang on to this until the end of our unit so you can continue adding to it as we progress. 2. Quiz: Comprehension of events, knowledge of characters, and understanding of literary

Summative: 1. Research Paper: Compose a 4-5 page paper that explores an important theme in Frankenstein. This can be on identity,

devices at work in the book. 3. Small Group Discussion: Discuss the interaction between the Creature and Mr. De Lacey. Use this time to consider how the book addresses problems of the visual and how this informs us about human compassion. 4. Graphic Organizer & Debate: Split students into teams, they will be given time to organize their arguments for a debate on whether Victor is trying to play God or trying to play mother. 5. Webercise: Understand the basics of Frankenstein but also ask to dig a little deeper so that students develop a foundational point of reference when we delve even further into this unit. Lesson 1 Student Learning Objective: -Students will understand the concept of social construction and its possible presence in the novel, contributing their thoughts on this issue through such interactives like Socrative and collaborative class discussions. -After reading about the creature's interaction with the blind Mr. DeLacey, students will assemble in small groups and discuss the effects/problems of relying solely on the visual in the book. They will consider how this interaction informs us about the creature's character and in turn, what we can learn about others when we are not so quick to develop judgments based on

alterity, free will, gender, etc. 2. Mock Trial: Students will participate in a mock trial that determines the fate of Frankensteins Creature.

Acceptable Evidence: -The distributed handout of guided notes is completed and notes are filled out with correct information. -Socrative responses are reasonably thought out in approximately 2 paragraphs, clearly stating the students position and briefly explaining that stance. -Class discussions are on topic and demonstrate students ability to analyze the text and make justifiable comparisons/observations.

Instructional Strategies: Communication Collection Collaboration Presentation Organization Interaction

Lesson Activities: -Teacher delivers a Prezi lecture on social construction and Othering while students write down important information and their personal thoughts with a guided notes handout. -Students will also post a response on Socrative that assesses the notions of autonomy and accountability and how they relate to characters in the book. -Students engage in small discussions as well as whole-class discussions that explore social construction in Shelleys novel, considering whether environmental factors play a role in shaping character/behavior.

appearances or the superficial but instead are willing to listen without prejudice or partiality (postcolonial glance: the Creature as subaltern "Other"). Groups will then share their findings in a whole-class discussion. Lesson 2 Student Learning Objective: - Students will learn fundamental aspects of this novel, such as genre and the philosophies of Rousseau, as well as Mary Shelley's background in order to better understand some of the literary choices contributing to the overall meaning and value of this text. Lesson 3 Student Learning Objective: - Students will evaluate the text from a feminist lens by considering questions like the use of science by men as a means of appropriating female abilities for creation; cognitive pursuits (science and philosophy) as a result of envy of the body.

Acceptable Evidence: - Basic information is filled in and correct. -Student responses are clearly stated and present cogent argumentation.

Instructional Strategies: Communication Collection Collaboration Presentation Organization Interaction

Lesson Activities: -Students will complete an online Webercise that directs them to specific web pages where they will read the information and then answer questions about what they read. Some of the questions for this assignment require a very brief collection of information and others will ask more analytical questions that require students to put forth their own thoughts on deeper or more complex subjects. -After the Weberscise has been completed, students will discuss their thoughts on Rousseau and present their Wordles on their chosen character.

Acceptable Evidence: -Graphic Organizer makes a definitive claim. -Textual evidence sufficiently supports the students central claim. -GO is organized and follows the criteria of the grading rubric provided. -Debate is respectable as well as thorough in presentation.

Instructional Strategies: Communication Collection Collaboration Presentation Organization Interaction

Lesson Activities: - First students must decide whether they feel that, throughout this novel, Victor has been trying to play the role of God or the role of woman/mother. After they have considered this question and come to their conclusion, they then create a concept map that illustrates their reasoning and evidence. - Students will assemble into small groups to collaborate responses and add to their GOs. - Mini-debate: Students will get together and present arguments from both sides to decide which interpretation the class favors most or, at the very least, which side defends their position more effectively.

Unit Resources: 1. This is an interesting article that expounds on the creature's vegetarianism. Reading this might give you an edge in our discussions and even in developing your paper. http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/adams.html 2. Here is a brief but informative page that goes into the intersections of Frankenstein and the Prometheus myth. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist257s02/students/Becky/prometheus.html 3. Take a glance at this page describing Mary Shelley's famous and feminist mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. Try to see if her mother's political writings might have influenced Shelley's portrayal of women in Frankenstein. While it might not seem so at first, our feminist glance at the book might make you think otherwise. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wollstonecraft/ 4. Look at this video depicting the monster's interaction with the blind De Lacy. While you're viewing this clip, start thinking about the similarities and differences in the text. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKdtuwTr-iM 5. If you're having a little trouble with the language in Frankenstein, here is a short list of defined terms that are specific to the book. The page numbers likely won't match up but it should still prove a valuable resource. http://www.cibacs.org/teacherpages/jbronkar/PDFs/Frankenstein%20Vocabulary%20List.pdf 6. This is a terrifically gruesome overview of some of the scientific procedures, like galvanism, that inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein. http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/frankensteinandbodyissues.html 7. If you find yourself needing a little help reading this book, consider using this free audiobook. Just make sure to match up the chapters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDxDyBV3oc&list=PL450B1C4CB015558A 8. In Frankenstein, Victor experiments with the limits of science, knowledge, and the body. Explore this website for the Human Genome Project that some people consider to be doing the same thing. Make comparisons, identify differences, devise conclusions, and let me know what you think! http://www.genome.gov/10001772 9. In connection with the above link, here is one that leads to information on Dolly the sheep, the first successful (living) clone. As you are reading (or after you've finished), consider this scientific project and how it might relate to the book. What do you think about the advances being made in science? http://www.roslin.ed.ac.uk/public-interest/dolly-the-sheep/ 10. This page looks at some basic elements of epistolary writing. To some extent, Frankenstein can be considered an epistolary novel. How do you think this adds to or diminishes the overall effect of the novel? https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Epistolary_novel.html Useful Websites: 1. http://www.cibacs.org/teacherpages/jbronkar/PDFs/Frankenstein%20Vocabulary%20List.pdf A short list of definitions to words youll see throughout the book. 2. http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/frankensteinandbodyissues.html Overview of some of the experimental scientific procedures that inspired Shelleys novel. 3. http://www.u.arizona.edu/~atinkham/Rousseau.html Explains some of the philosopies of Jean Jacques Rousseau that connect with some

themes of the book.