Suggestions for Voices of Spoon River Lesson Plan

Marie Duncan, Jon Scoresby, Brett Shelton

Utah State University, Department of Instructional Technology
March 17, 2006
Consent/Assent Forms
Monday, March 20
Handed out with instructions to bring in on Tuesday
Tuesday March 21 Thursday March23
Reminder for students who have not returned forms (as needed)
Unit Introduction
Friday March 24
All periods, initial survey, introduction to SRA and to VOSR (in classroom),
initial homework assignment
Game play 1st
Monday March 27:
Periods X, Y, Z introduction (in lab) and play game.
Tuesday March 28:
Periods X, Y, Z play game
Wednesday March 29:
Periods X, Y, Z take game play assessment and start discussion
Thursday March 30:
Periods X, Y, Z Continue discussion section
Friday March 31:
Take discussion and unit assessment
Discussion 1st
Monday March 27:
Periods A, B start discussion
Tuesday March 28:
Periods A, B discussion continued
Wednesday March 29:
Periods A, B take discussion assessment, start game play
Thursday March 30:

Periods A, B continue game play

Friday March 31:

Take game assessment and unit assessment, final homework assignment

Suggested Unit Introduction Lesson (Friday, March 24)

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.
o Entire book is nothing but epitaphs
o Through the epitaphs you can learn about the characters in the town of SR
Introduce Interactive Fiction & Voices of Spoon River
o During this unit of instruction, students will be given the opportunity to
play a game centered around SRA
o Demo another IF game in class (e.g. adverbum or zork)
o 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 p.o.v. 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
o Relationships
o Revenge
o Justice/Injustice
o Religion
o Jealousy

Poetic structure
o Epitaph
o Free verse
o Figurative language
o Repetition

Interrelationships
o What can you infer about the relationships between characters?
o What can you infer about the individual characters lives from the
information given in the epitaphs?