Suggestions for Voices of Spoon River Lesson Plan
Marie Duncan, Jon Scoresby, Brett Shelton
Utah State University, Department of Instructional Technology
Unit Introduction
Day 1:
- All periods, introduction to SRA and to VOSR (in classroom), initial homework assignment
Game play 1st method
Day 2:
- Introduction (in lab) and play game.
Day 3:
Day 4:
- Take game play assessment and start discussion
Day 5:
- Continue discussion section
Day 6:
- Take discussion and unit assessment
Discussion 1st method
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
- Discussion assessment, start game play
Day 5:
Day 6:
- Take game assessment and unit assessment, final homework assignment
Suggested Unit Introduction Lesson
- Introduce what an epitaph is and then have the students write epitaphs of some characters in Fahrenheit 451 and discuss.
- Then introduce Spoon River Anthology.
- Entire book is nothing but epitaphs
- Through the epitaphs you can learn about the characters in the town of SR
- Introduce Interactive Fiction & Voices of Spoon River
- During this unit of instruction, students will be given the opportunity to play a game centered around SRA
- Demo another IF game in class (e.g. adverbum or zork)
- Review the read-me
Suggested Discussion Topics
During the discussion intervention, the instructor will be solely responsible for the scheduling of class time and the direction of all discussion. The instructor will be given guidance, in the form of (a) the Spoon River Anthology text, (b) the design documents of both groups (with particularly relevant sections indicated), (c) websites with relevant materials, including lesson plans, and (d) time with the VOSR team to discuss the text.
Possible instructor resources:
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/springbrookhs/spoon/lessonplans.html
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/8405/spoonrivercrazy.html
http://filemaker3.mcps.k12.md.us/spoonriver/FMPro?-db=spoonriver.FP5&-lay=Layout%20%231&-format=search.htm&-view
http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/lsf/orth16.htm
The only study related requirements, during the discussion intervention, will be covering (a) the Judge Somers, Penniwit, Carl Hamblin, and Editor Whedon characters and (c) not covering Harry Wilmans and Judson Stoddard or any additional VOSR related characters (except Judge Somers, Editor Whedon and Carl Hamblin).
- Read select epitaphs and choose from possible discussion topics.
- Use this to teach point-of-view. A lot of epitaphs go together and show both sides of the story, i.e. Jack McGuire and Town Marshal. In class activity would be to have students write the other point-of-view. of an epitaph that is not related to another.
- Final homework assignment (could be started in class) would be to have student develop a cluster that has a problem that can be resolved like in the game. This cluster could include written epitaphs of friends, family, or any relationship they can come up with, or could use SRA epitaphs. Have them apply it to their own lives.
Specific Epitaphs
To Discuss
- Carl Hamblin
- Judge Somers
- Editor Whedon
To NOT Discuss
- McGees (Ollie and Fletcher)
- Judson Stoddard
- Elsa Wertman
- Mrs. Sibley
- Jack McGuire
- Penniwit, the Artist
- Harry Wilmans
Possible Discussion Topics
- Thematic elements
- Relationships
- Revenge
- Justice/Injustice
- Religion
- Jealousy
- Poetic structure
- Epitaph
- Free verse
- Figurative language
- Repetition
- Interrelationships
- What can you infer about the relationships between characters?
- What can you infer about the individual characters’ lives from the information given in the epitaphs?