What part does justice, social class and equity play in The Count of Monte Cristo?

Objective:  The students will study and discuss social justice and injustice and how it affects people in real life and in fiction.  They will also address the proper ways to voice disapproval of injustices and the proper way to seek justice.   

Performance Activity/Assessment

Focus:  Listening and Speaking/Writing

Common Core Standards Covered:  

Duration:  6-8 weeks

Essential Questions:
1.  How does an author create a great piece of literature?
2.  What is justice?
3.  Who has the right to carry out justice?
4.  What are the causes of injustice?
5.  How do we stand up against injustice?
6.  How does social class affect equity in society?

What do we want the students to know?

• Elements of narrative
• Characterization (direct and indirect)
• Setting
• Tone and how it's created (connotation)
• Theme (universal and personal)
• Figurative language
• Point of View
• Narrator and Voice
• Irony and Ambiguity

What do we want the students to do?

• Compare tone in fiction and nonfiction
• Analyze dialogue
• Analyze Structure of narrative
• Analyze theme across genres.

Common Core Standards Covered:

• Reading: 1, 2, 3,  4, 5, 6
• Writing:  1 (a, , c, d, f), 2 (a, b, c, d, e, f), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• Listening and Speaking:  1 (a, b, c, d), 4 (a, b), 5

Pre-assessment Task
Justice, Equity and Frank McCourt Essay Prompt

Final Performance Tasks
Monte Cristo Soundtrack Project
Monte Cristo Movie Poster Project
Monte Cristo Theme Analysis Essay

Riverside Unified Common Performance Task

or

The New Improved, District Approved (hopefully) Final Performance Tasks

What is Justice and Equity and How It Affects an Individual

Close Reading Assignment:  "Typhoid Fever" by Frank McCourt from Angela's Ashes

Day 1 and 2: 

Define:  Justice/Injustive
            Equity/Ineguity
            Typhoid
            Diptheria
            Dole

Materials:
1.  "Typhoid Fever Packet"

Close Read:

1)  Go over the Writing Prompt with students for the Essay Writing Assessment.
2)  Go over Literary Devices List as a Review from Last Year.  Students will need to find these as they Close Read.
3)  Using the How to Close Read Handout, complete the steps necessary before reading the text.
4)  Model Close Reading:  First two pages (focus on lit devices and justice/equity).
5)  Students complete story.
6)  After reading, go over their highlights/comments making sure all examples of justice/equity are discussed.
7)  End Notes:  Interpret (Identify and Explain Theme)
                        Extend (Apply theme to today's society/our life)
                        Challenge (Critique the text, author and overall worth of the text)

2.  "The Education of Frank McCourt"

3.  "Home for the Heart:  Irish History"

4.  "No Irish Need Apply"

 Writing Assessment:  Literary Response to Literary/Expository Text

Day 3 and 4:  Writing the essay.

Social Justice, Equity and Frank McCourt writing prompt

How We Start This Darn Essay?

1.  Breaking Down the Prompt:  Highlight and Label the 3 things that are needed to pass the essay according to the directions.
2.  On the prompt:  Identify Subject:
3.  On the Prompt:  Write Your Thesis

Now you know what you are going to write about and what you will strive to prove and the three things you have to do in the paper in order to prove it.

Inverted Triangle Format Intro:  Here is the formula to write a great, simple intro paragraph in three minutes.

1.  2-3 general statements about the subject.
2.  2-3 more specific statements about the subject + the literature being referred to + the author.
3.  Thesis statement.

Inverted Triangle Intro Power Point

"The Pedestrian": A Cautionary Tale of Future Injustice

Day 1:

Vocabulary Words to Know:

1.  manifest
2. scrutinized'
3. enticing
4. ebbing
5. subjective
6. manifest
7. pilgrimage
8. intermittent
9. riveted
10. incandescence

Vocabulary Sheet
The Pedestrian Exercises

Monte Cristo Introduction: What was going on in Europe and in the Author's Life That We Need to Know Before We Read?

Monte Cristo Intro:  All You Need to Know Before You Read

Monte Cristo Power Point

Final Performance Tasks
Monte Cristo Soundtrack Project
Monte Cristo Movie Poster Project
Monte Cristo Theme Analysis Essay

Napoleon and Elba Video

 

The Count of Monte Cristo: Chapters 1-10

What to know:

• Exposition:  Characters, Conflict, Setting
• Protagonist: 
• Secondary Protagonists:
• Antagonists:
• Round Characters vs. Flat Characters
• Dynamic Characters vs. Static Characters

Monte Cristo Chapters 1-10 Study Guide Questions

The Count of Monte Cristo: Chapters 11-20 and a little non-fiction to analyze the Baptism Symbol

Chapters 11-20 Study Guide Questions

Baptism Symbol Worksheet

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapters 21-30

Monte Cristo Chapters 21-30 Study Guide

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapters 31-40

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapters 31-40 Study Guide

The Count of Monte Cristo: Chapters 41-50

Monte Cristo Chapters 41-51 Study Guide

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapters 51-60

"Stump the Teacher"

Directions:  You will write 2 questions (with their answers) from each of the chapters 51-60 for a total of 20 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

You want to make them as hard as possible.

We will have a simple one question Quiz to see if you have read.  If  you pass the quiz next Monday, you will participate in "Stump the Teacher" to have the chance for extra credit.

 IF YOU DO NOT PASS THE QUIZ, YOU MAY NOT TURN IN YOUR QUESTIONS OR PARTICIPATE. Instead, you will complete an essay during the class period.


For each question that you ask me that I can not answer in 3 seconds, you get 5 Extra Credit Points.


Your goal, 25 points of E.C. 

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapters 61-End

Complete the book on your own.

 If you have invested all of this time and effort to get this far, you don't need any other motivation (Study Guides, Stump the Teacher) other than wanting to know how it all turns out.

Work with your group partners to finish your Movie Poster and Soundtrack Projects.