An Inter-Disciplinary Mini-Unit

Level: Elementary, Intermediate, Junior High, High School

Purpose: To apply knowledge about literary characters and authors to a new situation

Overview: These lessons will focus on researching and studying various characters from literature and the authors who created them. The end product will involve a written synopsis of the researched peoples` interactions and an actual dinner with the students playing the parts of characters and authors.

Lesson One: Students will compose and share journals written as characters from literature they have studied. (Language Arts)

Lesson Two: Students will research the lives of several authors whose works have been read in class. They will record their information in paragraph form. (Language Arts)

Lesson Three: Students will work in cooperative groups to compose a dialogue among the characters and authors explored by members of the group. The dialogue should center around a dinner or some sort. (Language Arts)

Lesson Four: Students will take the roles created in their dialogues and will dress accordingly. Each group will hold their dinner party as a class presentation. At this point, students may bring food for a classroom literary feast from either the era of the author or the characters used. (Language Arts)

Lesson One

 Objective:

Students will compose and share journals written as characters from literature they have studied.

Materials:

none

Procedures:

1. Using a list of literature studied through the year, have students choose a few characters and write a journal in the voice of those characters. Some variations can be made as the students bring their characters into the current time period, into their school, or remain in the character’s time period.

2. Allow students to share their journals with the class.

Lesson Two

 Objective:

Students will research the lives of several authors whose works have been read in class. They will record their information in paragraph form.

Materials:

Educational Structures

Procedure:

1. Using a list of authors studied through the year, have students choose one to research. Students should record their findings in paragraph form, being sure to cite their sources.

Lesson Three

 Objective:

Students will work in cooperative groups to compose a dialogue among the characters and authors explored by members of the group. The dialogue should center around a dinner or some sort.

Materials:

work completed in lessons one and two

Procedure:

1. Arrange students in groups that can share different characters and different authors. Allow them some time to share their information from their journals and research.

2. Have the groups create a dialogue among their characters and authors. Tell them to consider topics of discussion on which these characters would agree and disagree. Students should write one copy of their dialogue to be turned in to the teacher.

3. Students should be ready to present their dialogue in the next license.

Lesson Four

 Objective:

Students will take the roles created in their dialogues and will dress accordingly. Each group will hold their dinner party as a class presentation. At this point, students may bring food for a classroom literary feast from either the era of the author or the characters used.

Materials:

dialogue written in lesson three

student costumes

food (optional)

Procedure:

1. Each group of students from lesson three should present their dialogue while dressed as their characters and authors. Students may limit their dialogue to the number of students in their group or they may have costume changes within their performance.

The students should be able to research an author and compile their results in paragraph form.

The students should be able to work together to write a dialogue among characters and authors.

The students should be able to present their dialogue in costume for the class.