Composition & Essays

Lord of the Flies

Other Studies

Poetry

Shakespeare

To Kill A Mockingbird

Vicki Schraeder

Grade Level: 10
Subject: English
Duration: 10 lessons
Duration of Lessons: 77 minutes

The Class: A Grade 10 Honors class in which the units are intended to last 2 weeks each. Each class is 77 minutes long. In preparation for entrance into the International Baccalaureate Program, the students do three novel studies, a Short Story Unit, Poetry, Debating, Media, and Shakespeare in addition to a unit each of Grammar and Vocabulary interwoven throughout the semester. The students are generally bright and capable of taking ideas into more abstract, philosophical realms; however, it is still critically important that they are scaffolded to that point and that their foundational skills are developed along with their cognitive skills. This unit addresses one of the novel studies.

The Novel: Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit is a philosophical novel that examines the human condition as fundamentally influenced by our self-constructed culture. Ishmael, the ‘teacher,’ is a gorilla who communicates through a type of mental telepathy to our protagonist, the ‘student.’ Both are interested in saving the world and it would seem that the gorilla has figured out how; now, he must spread the word by challenging the student, and the reader, to examine how ‘we’ and the world have gotten to where we now are: a dilapidated state by which we cannot stop ourselves from further destroying the world. This novel challenges the reader to consider the state of the world, the environment and our relation to it. It also challenges the reader to consider various “mythologies” upon which our culture is founded, their respective truths, how they interact with one another, and how they influence our daily thoughts and activities. This novel should stimulate critical thinking and challenge the students to reach beyond past considerations and even the bounds of the novel, itself. This novel will likely challenge the students to consider their daily approach to life and their environment.

Most Basic, Underlying and Abstract Objectives That I Hope Our Marathon through Ishmael Will Produce:

  • to enhance the students’ ability to think critically about philosophical issues
  • to facilitate students’ understanding by providing various thinking strategies such as questioning, journaling, discussion and cooperative learning
  • to enhance cultural awareness
  • to help students engage in problem solving and evaluative skills
  • to encourage students’ sense of “learner responsibility”
  • to observe a unique literary style for the novel