Does anyone have a lesson plan for The Lottery that they are especially proud of? I am just stumped here. I teach 9th Grade English, and I'm trying to get as many ideas as possible. I know I want to connect it to our unit on Beliefs/Values, and that I want to talk about Traditions, but I don't know where to begin.
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/lottery-lesson-plans.html http://www.shmoop.com/lottery-shirley-jackson/symbolism-imagery.html That's a good story to use to teach symbolism. Also, a good example of plot development and author's choice ... how would the story have been different if the reader knew all along what the tradition was? Warning - students react negatively to the story. Some are pretty disturbed by it. It's not the type of story that would likely get a parent upset, but have answers ready for "why did we read this?" I teach in a tiny district in a tiny town (we aren't even classified as a "town") - so traditions is HUGE with my students. So, we dissect some of our traditions, and I take them through what it would be like for a newcomer to witness them. Granted, a fight song and bon fire aren't nearly as strange as a stoning, but most of them "get it" There is an Encyclopedia Britannica short movie that follows the story closely. You can find it on YouTube. Here is part 1 (the 2nd part will show up in the sidebar) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIm93Xuij7k
so glad you're teaching this story. It isn't taught in my district any more so I had to order a copy for my own children to read.
As far as suggestions: How about a bellringer about fairness? Prompt could read "does "fair" equal "good?"" compare the lottery selection in The Lottery to that in Hunger Games? set up a mini council that could come up with alternatives to having the lottery. When I have ethical questions I pose to my students I have them vote on a spectrum of how "right" my statements are. For example I might say "Only chlidren's names should be placed in the pool for the lottery because they don't contribute to society." Students can say they definitely agree, agree, neutral, disagree, definitely disagree. You could come up with a series of statements to get them thinking. This could be done before they read with general statements that touch on the story's topics or afterward with specifics.
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I had a drawing for a prize before we started reading. I did two different drawings depending on the class. I had them open their cards before we read or after we read. Then I compared the reactions to winning. I videotaped it and showed them both versions the next day. Interesting discussions and reactions. These were 7th graders.
