Utah Core Standard: Reading: Literature Standard 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.
Objective (s):
To explore the origins and development of a literary genre
To investigate how shared imaginative concerns link the members of a literary period
To examine the evolution of a literary tradition
To compare works of literature from different eras
Learning Outcomes: Students should be able to compare works of literature from different eras by identifying possible interpretations and common themes, as well as provide an objective summary of a piece.
Instructional Procedures:
Students will research Mary Shelley and this research will be discussed in class.
Discuss common themes and elements within the genre of horror (prior to reading Frankenstein).
Read Frankenstein as a class over the course of one to three weeks.
Students will discuss the themes, elements, and interpretations of the story as a class.
Finally, students will be put into groups and asked to watch another supernatural/horror film or book, analyze for shared and differing themes, provide their interpretation of both Frankenstein and the other piece, and present this information to the class using a PowerPoint.
Materials: “Frankenstein” by Gris Grimly (assembled from the original text by Mary Shelley)
Family Connections: Students will be encouraged to watch films and TV shows while remaining open to the idea that there were earlier presentations of the same story line or theme (Examples: She’s the Man and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Easy A and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, The Lion King and Shakespeare’s Hamlet).
Assessment Plan: Assessment will be based upon the final group presentation as well as participation in class discussions while reading the book.