Teach young scholars how to determine the theme of a story, an insight the author wants to share with readers, with a lesson that uses Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" as an anchor text. Learners examine the internal and external conflicts in the story with dialectical journals, engage in a philosophical chars discussion, and then create a graphic that represents what they see as the theme of the short story.

Concepts

literary analysis, elements of a short story, conflict, internal conflict, literary themes, author's purpose, guy de maupassant, debate, external conflict

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Instructional Ideas

• Save several examples of the One-Pagers to use as examples in subsequent years
• Use the lesson at the beginning of the school year to build confidence in analyzing a literary text
• Set aside extra prep time to prepare and collect the many materials needed for the lesson

Classroom Considerations

• Scholars require devices with internet
• A projection device is also needed for the slideshow and video
• The One-Pager worksheet, the directions for the dialectical journal, and the directions for the philosophical chairs activity are appropriate for any literary text
• Remind participants during the debate to move only after a classmate has finished speaking

Pros

• The lesson is carefully crafted and scaffolded
• Teacher's notes offer suggestions for how to enrich the lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.1