Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Name: Katrina Haritos Course: Gothic Literature Grade level: 11th Grade

Course Overview Briefly describe the course, with an emphasis on how the course fits into your schools English language arts curriculum. For
IB course plans, please include key and related concepts, global contexts, and ATL skills that are essential to the course and assessed through
course summative assessments, including those structured inquiry assignments definitive of the course.

Our course focuses on Parts 1 (Language in Cultural Context) and 3 (Literature Texts and Contexts) of IB programming to examine several
key works of gothic fiction spanning over 150 years of the genre. Texts include “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Eyre by Charlotte
Bronte, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and the 2018 Netflix adaption of the same name. Students will build upon their skills of textual
analysis, consistently focusing on using textual evidence to support their evaluation of a text. The units progress from examining text in
cultural contexts to interpreting them creatively. Students will complete a variety of projects, including a courtroom-style debate, a filmed
interpretation of a scene, a creative poetry assignment, and a photographic collage. Each of these projects forms a collaborative and
inquiry-based approach to conceptual understandings of the themes and authorial techniques present in Gothic Fiction. Students will
begin by identifying authorial decisions, and in Unit 4, they will be able to rationalize their own authorial decisions. Lessons will
emphasize real world connections: Unit 1 will ask broad questions about gender stereotypes, Unit 2 probes into nature versus nurture,
Unit 3 asks students to think about “inner beauty”, and Unit 4 encourages students to think about the impact of storytelling and
adaptation. Overall, our lessons are designed to provide students with a foundation of textual skills (identifying evidence, analyzing
authorial decisions) that build into performative skills (presentation, creative interpretation, argumentative writing).

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Grading Period: Term 1 (20 Hours)

Unit Title: Gender Representations in Gothic Literature Number of Class Sessions: 20

Unit Summary Provide 1 paragraph description of unit that includes themes, topics, required texts, main learning objective(s), and major
assignments.

In this lesson, students will be reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe. Students will continue to build
on their skills of textual analysis including, but not limited to, comparing and contrasting two pieces of text and engaging with conceptual
themes of authorial decision, reader response, and gender depiction in literature. The learning objects ensure that students are able to
evaluate a character, use textual evidence to support their claims, compare and contrast two texts that incorporate similar themes and
how those texts work together to support claims, and create detailed literary analyses to identify and evolve central themes, making
strong connections between both works. Our lesson plan is based on scaffolding; students will build from discussion significant textual
moments throughout both texts and the evidence of theme and gender in a board sense as it relates to both texts. The lesson will include a
unit long writing assignment that asks students to use textual evidence to compare and contrast how the female character sof Jane Eyre
and Lenore are depicted in their respective texts. The writing assignment will culminate in an inquiry-based project where students will
use their prior knowledge of gothic literature and literary devices, tone, classroom discussions of theme, and textual evidence gathered
from the novel used in both discussion and informal writing assignments/activities to write a poem about the character of Jane Eyre in the
style of Edgar Allen Poe.

Unit Objectives (number each), including
IB objectives (pp. 18-22): Students will….
1. Students will be able to evaluate
textual portrayal of a female
protagonist
2. Students will be able to evaluate
textual evident in support of a claim
3. Students will be able to compare and
contrast two different texts
4. Students will be able to develop
Annotated Common Core Standards
(include number & key terms from
standard)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2
Identify themes, analyze their development,
and describe how they interact to
summarize the text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of an author’s choices.
Guiding Questions/Concepts
Femininity in Literature: How is female
identity portrayed in literature? How can we
identify objectification versus agency? In
what ways are females best expressed in
literature? What are the effects of these
expressions?

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
close, detailed analyses and make
connections between texts.

Texts (including multi-media texts):

 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – all students will be issued a copy of the text by the teacher
 The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe – the poem will be shared with all students via the Google Classroom page. Students will also be
given a paper copy of the poem so that all students have a preferred method of the text.

Technology Integration (include teacher and student resources):

 This course will be using their student-issued iPads for writing assignments, should they choose to have an electronic copy of “The
Raven,” and note-taking. The teacher will be issuing students keyboards that can be plugged in to their iPads during in-class writing
days should students choose to use them to type.
 Google Classroom for all updates on homework, the schedule for the day, learning objectives for the day, all PowerPoints/handouts,
and discussion posts

Unit-Long Writing Assignments:

 Students will be using the classroom discussions that will be held throughout the reading of Jane Eyre and “The Raven” to compare
and contrast character profiles of Lenore and Jane Eyre, encompassing our theme of gender identity in text, as well as utilizing
textual evidence to support claims being made

Culminating Inquiry Projects/Presentations:

 Students will be asked to create a poem in the style of Edgar Allen Poe’s writing about the character Jane Eyre. They are to use their
knowledge of thematic development, our discussions of gender (specifically the female gender as it is portrayed in both texts), the
effects of character depictions from both authors, and literary structures and devices.

Language Focus (refer to the edTPA Planning Commentary):

 The language focuses students will be focusing on are comparing both texts, analyze both texts in respect to the themes and
character development of the female character, as well as author writing style, and evaluating the texts and their claims with
evidence to support their findings.

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Objectives-to-Activities-to-Assessment Thread (How is each learning objective/CCSS integrated into unit activities and assessed?):*See
Note 1 at end of template for integration of IB principles. To meet the course’s IB requirements, you must explicitly identify how your units
provide opportunities for and the assessment of:

 Inquiry-based learning (can include experiential, problem-based learning activities)

 Conceptual understanding, including what the essential or big concepts are that students will come to understand through the
content and what skills students will need to develop and demonstrate to reach conceptual understanding.
 Contextual diversity, in which students have opportunities to explore and critique concepts across diverse contexts (times and
places), including their own lives as context
 Collaborative learning, including collaborative opportunities among students and between the teacher and students

Learning Types of Activities Formative Assessment Summative Assessment

Objective # and
CCSS #

In-class activities below will scaffold our Our formative assessments below The unit-long writing
CCSS.ELA- discussions of textual evidence and theme into use annotation guides, exit slips, assignment asks students to
LITERACY.W.11- conceptual discussions of gender, authorial and data-driven classroom compare character portrayals
12.2 decision, and reader response. discussions to bridge the gap between texts. Students will
between student understanding have to draw connections and
CCSS.ELA- and comprehension. The make distinctions between
LITERACY.RL.11 opinionnaires will allow me to two literary works, as well as
-12.3 gauge where student opinions are develop their ideas about our
at in respect to the topic. discussion of gender
depiction in literature.

Students will be asked to share their favorite
LO #1 female character from any text or film and why
it’s their favorite. I will then present students
with an opinionnaire in which students will have
to rate their opinions/reactions to scenarios
presented to them that center around the female
identity and its portrayal will allow students the
opportunity to begin developing their own
Students will be asked to fill out
their opinionnaires and then
participate in a whole-class
discussion over the course of
multiple days, analyzing the
scenarios and the depictions of
female characters.
The unit-long writing
assignment asks students to
compare and contrast Lenore
and Jane Eyre as female
characters within gothic
literature. This will require
students to make evaluations
of the characters using textual

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Semester-long Course Plan
claims on the question. This will allow us to dive
into the discussion of female character portrayal
within texts.
Throughout the course of the text, I will be
LO #2 reading aloud from the text whole chapters while
openly commenting on my thoughts and
opinions as a way to further comprehension. The
read-alouds will then lead students in to small
group discussions with their tables on the
chapters as we read them, allowing them to craft
and develop claims for their unit-long writing
assignment.
Students will be given days in class throughout
the reading of Jane Eyre and “The Raven” to
LO #3 compare and contrast character profiles of
Lenore and Jane Eyre, encompassing our theme
of gender identity in text, as well as utilizing
textual evidence to support claims being made.
The students will be using
annotation guides to help further
along their comprehension.
Throughout the reading of Jane
Eyre, I will be utilizing quote
quizzes to ensure comprehension,
and to gauge where student
comprehension is and whether
there is a disconnect between my
teaching and student learning. I
will also be checking for
annotations throughout the
reading to ensure students are
actively reading as a way to gauge
student comprehension and to
check in and make sure students
are following along with the
reading schedule and not falling
behind.
During the formal discussion,
students will need to use textual
evidence to support claims made
on the differences and similarities
between the character of Lenore
and the character of Jane Eyre.
Students will be evaluated on the
strength in which they utilize
textual evidence in support of
Haritos – Gothic Literature
evidence. Students will think
conceptually about what
empowers a character with
the ability to be evaluated by
a reader.
The unit-long writing
assignment asks students to
compare and contrast Lenore
and Jane Eyre as female
characters within gothic
literature using textual
evidence. This will require
students to make evaluations
of the characters using textual
evidence. Students will think
conceptually about what
empowers a character with
the ability to be evaluated by
a reader. They will need to
analyze and identify
significant tones, themes,
and/or devices that Poe and
Bronte use and apply them.
The unit-long writing
assignment asks students to
compare and contrast Lenore
and Jane Eyre as female
characters within gothic
literature. This will require
students to make evaluations
of the characters using textual
evidence. Students will think
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Semester-long Course Plan
Students will be given multiple days in class to
LO #4 craft revise their unit-long writing assignments,
comparing and contrasting the female character
Lenore and the female character Jane Eyre.
Students will practice claim writing with mini-
lessons to help development of claims, as well as
utilizing strong evidence to support their claims.
their claims and their
participation in meaningful
discussion.
Peer revisions and in-class work
days will allow me to gauge
where students are at in their
preparation and crafting of their
writing assignments. This will
give me the opportunity to check
in with any students that may
need more support, while also
allowing students to utilize their
peers for peer reflection should
they choose.
Haritos – Gothic Literature
conceptually about what
empowers a character with
the ability to be evaluated by
a reader. They will need to
analyze and identify
significant tones, themes,
and/or devices that Poe and
Bronte use and apply them.
Students will also be asked to
highlight their analyses of
each text and how they
interact with each other in
connection to the theme of
female characters in
literature.
The unit-long writing
assignment asks students to
compare and contrast Lenore
and Jane Eyre as female
characters within gothic
literature. This will require
students to make evaluations
of the characters using textual
evidence. Students will think
conceptually about what
empowers a character with
the ability to be evaluated by
a reader.
This final project asks
students to compare and
contrast the females
characters Lenore and Jane
Eyre from Poe’s “The Raven”
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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
and Bronte’s Jane Eyre
respectively, answering
inquiry based questions
looking for a response
including literary analysis and
textual connection.

Key Strategies (R = Required; O = Optional):

(*For IB integration, you must explicitly frame your differentiation and connection efforts in terms of how you will:
 Affirm identity and build self-esteem, particularly as these efforts relate to integrating student experience and out-of-school lives into
instruction
 Value students’ prior knowledge, including how you will identify and build on what students already know about the content and big
concepts
 Scaffold learning, including the role of strategies, collaboration, and talk in instruction
 Extend learning by providing opportunities for students to engage content, concepts, and skills in different ways and demonstrate
learning in different ways):

Differentiation and Student Support Strategies

Students will be using their prior knowledge of literary devices and thematic topics to analyze authorial decisions and textual significance.
They will use their knowledge to bridge the gap from text to concept. Students’ learning will be scaffolded; their in-class lessons move
from discussing female identity in the form of an opinionnaire to discussing and analyzing moments in the texts, applying their broader
discussion to more specific and complex characters. The activities and formative assessments are designed to support student learning as
they approach the concepts of gender and authorial decision, preparing them to apply their skills of textual evidence from both pieces of
literature to thematic concepts, and applying real-world scenarios depicting the female to those they are introduced to in Jane Eyre and
“The Raven.” Several of the student activities ask students to describe how they reacted to the text, which will not only help them navigate
through the texts and investigate reader response, but will also create an opportunity to affirm student identity and self-awareness in
showing them that their reactions are valuable regardless of how they were expressed and whether or not they enjoyed the text. Their
reaction to a text is the central basis in analyzing the impact of authorial decision, so classroom discussions will be centered around the
questions of why the author chose to do that, and specifically looking at tone as well.

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Real-Life Connections and Integration, including Global connections:

By beginning the unit with an opinionnaire in which students will have to rate their opinions/reactions to scenarios presented to them
that center around the female identity and its portrayal will allow students the opportunity to begin developing their own claims on the
question. They will then continue to evolve their claims and ideas through the readings and classroom discussions, having the
opportunities to bring their thoughts and opinions about both pieces of text and their out-of-class experiences as evidence to support their
claims. In order to maintain sensitivity throughout this unit, students will be asked to think about female stereotypes in and out of
literature, emphasizing their response as readers/peers. Why do we feel the way we do about certain female characters in literature? How
does that connect to the way we feel about females outside of literature, or is there no connection at all? What is the author doing to create
those reactions, and why might they be trying to elicit those types of reactions/were those reactions their intention?

Parent and Community Connections:

Students will be asked to think about the women in their lives and in the media they are constantly succumbed to on a daily basis. How
does gender representation in media affect women in real life? For one homework assignment, students will be asked to conduct an
interview with one female in their family or community about how/if their gender has impacted their lives, and how the media/literature
has played a part in that.

Teacher Support (What professional and resource support will you need to teach this unit?)

Throughout this unit, I will be accumulating resources and strategies as to how complicated discussions of gender are best handled in the
classroom. My main priority will be to handle the topic sensitively, while also allowing students the freedom to express their opinions. The
research will support classrooms of differentiated, yet collaborative, discussion, while also allowing my students to feel that their opinions
are valid.

UNIT 1 COMPLETED

Grading Period: Term 2 (20 Hours)

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Unit Title: Making Monsters Number of Class Sessions: 20

Unit Summary Provide 1 paragraph description of unit that includes themes, topics, required texts, main learning objective(s), and major
assignments.

In this lesson, students will be reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde to discuss the question of nature versus nurture, and how either or both contribute to the birth of monsters. Students will be
addressing these themes as they become present throughout the texts, using literary analysis, textual evidence, and classroom discussions.
The learning objectives for this unit will ensure that students are able to evaluate the theme of what makes a monster within both texts
while using evidence from both to support their claims. The activities will be scaffolded for students to continue building on their claims of
what makes a monster, preparing them for their writing assignment in which students are asked to explore the conceptual questions
about how the texts parallel one another in the depiction of the development of a monster. Their cumulative assignment will be in the
form of a formal discussion where they will be asked to take on the persona of a lawyer charged with defending a literary “monster.” After
the discussion, students will be asked to explain their rationale using reasoning and evidence, as well as analyze character development
using textual evidence across both texts, in a reflective writing assignment.

Unit Objectives (number each), including Annotated Common Core Standards Guiding Questions/Concepts
IB objectives (pp. 18-22): Students will…. (include number & key terms from
standard)
1. Students will be able to compare and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1 Nature vs. Nurture: Are people born as
contrast two given texts. Cite textual evidence to support analysis. monsters, or are they simply a product of
2. Students will be able to evaluate textual their environment?
evidence in support of a claim.
3. Students will be able to analyze claims
and counterclaims made in discussion.
4. Students will be able to develop close,
reflective and detailed analyses of texts
while making connections across texts.

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Texts (including multi-media texts):

 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
 The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Technology Integration (include teacher and student resources):

 This course will be using their student-issued iPads for writing assignments and note-taking. The teacher will be issuing students
keyboards that can be plugged in to their iPads during in-class writing days should students choose to use them to type.
 Google Classroom for all updates on homework, the schedule for the day, learning objectives for the day, all PowerPoints/handouts,
and discussion posts

Unit-Long Writing Assignments:

 Students will be asked to write an argumentative response to a prompt following their discussion that asks them to demonstrate
their conceptual understanding of our guiding questions: Who were the true monsters of the texts? How were the texts parallel to
one another? What is it that makes someone a monster?

Culminating Inquiry Projects/Presentations:

 Students will be participating in a fishbowl discussion, taking on the role of a lawyer charged with defending a literary “monster”
based off of the characteristics of Dr. Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr. Jekyll, and My. Hyde. Students must use textual
evidence to support their claims. Once the discussion (which will be taking place over the course of multiple days), students will
then write a reflective response based on their discussions, further exploring the question of whether nature or nurture births a
monster.

Language Focus (refer to the edTPA Planning Commentary):

 The language focuses students will be focusing on are comparing both texts, analyze both texts in respect to the themes and
character development of the female character, as well as author writing style, and evaluating the texts and their claims with
evidence to support their findings.

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
Objectives-to-Activities-to-Assessment Thread (How is each learning objective/CCSS integrated into unit activities and assessed?):*See
Note 1 at end of template for integration of IB principles. To meet the course’s IB requirements, you must explicitly identify how your units
provide opportunities for and the assessment of:

 Inquiry-based learning (can include experiential, problem-based learning activities)

 Conceptual understanding, including what the essential or big concepts are that students will come to understand through the
content and what skills students will need to develop and demonstrate to reach conceptual understanding.
 Contextual diversity, in which students have opportunities to explore and critique concepts across diverse contexts (times and
places), including their own lives as context
 Collaborative learning, including collaborative opportunities among students and between the teacher and students

Learning Types of Activities Formative Assessment Summative Assessment

Objective # and
CCSS #

All activities ask students to draw on textual Formative assessments will The unit-long writing
CCSS.ELA- evidence from each of the texts. develop students’ abilities to use assignment asks students to
LITERACY.W.11 textual evidence in a variety of craft a reflective response to
-12.1 ways, including written responses their discussion that asks
and classroom discussions. them to demonstrate their
conceptual understanding of
our guiding questions: Who
were the true monsters of the
texts? How were the texts
parallel to one another? What
is it that makes someone a
monster?

This will require students to

make evaluations of the
characters using textual
evidence. Students will think
conceptually about what
empowers a character with
the ability to be evaluated by

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Semester-long Course Plan
LO #1 Students will be given scenarios in which they
will analyze whether the main character of the
scenario is a monster or not. Through this, we
will be developing what the definition of a
monster is and how one is birthed/created.
Students will then use their definitions to
compare and contrast Dr. Frankenstein and
Frankenstein’s Monsters while reading
Frankenstein. As students read The Curious Case
of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, they will compare and
contrast Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Students will participate in a fishbowl debate on
LO #2 who the true monster of each text is, utilizing
textual evidence to support their claims.
Students will be asked to write a reflective
response based on their discussions, further
LO #3 exploring the question of whether nature or
nurture births a monster.
The discussions the students have
will allow further development of
their definition of a monster and
how one is created. It will also
bring about the questions of what
constitutes a monster, furthering
the discussion as to which
character from each book is the
monster.
The fishbowl discussion will allow
me to gauge where student
comprehension is and how
students utilize textual evidence
to support their claims. This will
be eventually used as practice for
their unit-long writing
assignment.
The reflective writing assignment
will allow students to further
develop their claims and their
comprehension of what a creates
a monster and what it means to
be a monster. This will ultimately
lead up to their final writing
assignment, in which they can use
this reflective paper as a resource
to build off of.
Haritos – Gothic Literature
a reader.
The writing assignment and
cumulative project ask
students to use textual
evidence to make and defend
a claim. Students will be
practicing this skill
throughout the discussions of
comparing and contrasting,
utilizing textual evidence to
support their claims.
The writing assignment and
cumulative project ask
students to use textual
evidence to make and defend
a claim. Students will be
practicing this skill
throughout the discussions of
comparing and contrasting,
utilizing textual evidence to
support their claims.
The writing assignment and
cumulative project ask
students to use textual
evidence to make and defend
a claim. Students will be
practicing this skill
throughout the discussions of
comparing and contrasting,
utilizing textual evidence to
support their claims. Students
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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
must be analyzing both texts
and which characters they
believe are the true monsters
in each text.

Students will be asked to write an argumentative
LO #4 response to a prompt following their discussion
that asks them to demonstrate their conceptual
understanding of our guiding questions: Who
were the true monsters of the texts? How were
the texts parallel to one another? What is it that
makes someone a monster?
Students are asked to respond to
the writing prompt: Who were
the true monsters of the texts?
How were the texts parallel to one
another? What is it that makes
someone a monster? This will
formally showcase students’
abilities to synthesize two pieces
of text as well as create a
definition and utilize textual
evidence in support of their
definitions and claims. This will
allow me to gauge student
comprehension of both pieces of
text and the unit question.
The writing assignment and
cumulative project ask
students to use textual
evidence to make and defend
a claim. Students will be
practicing this skill
throughout the discussions of
comparing and contrasting,
utilizing textual evidence to
support their claims. Students
must be analyzing both texts
and which characters they
believe are the true monsters
in each text. Students will also
be defining what a monster is
and how one is
creating/birthed, using
textual evidence to support
their definition as well.

Key Strategies (R = Required; O = Optional):

(*For IB integration, you must explicitly frame your differentiation and connection efforts in terms of how you will:
 Affirm identity and build self-esteem, particularly as these efforts relate to integrating student experience and out-of-school lives into
instruction
 Value students’ prior knowledge, including how you will identify and build on what students already know about the content and big
concepts
 Scaffold learning, including the role of strategies, collaboration, and talk in instruction

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
 Extend learning by providing opportunities for students to engage content, concepts, and skills in different ways and demonstrate
learning in different ways):

Differentiation and Student Support Strategies

Students will be using their prior knowledge of literary devices and thematic topics to analyze authorial decisions and textual significance.
They will use their knowledge to bridge the gap from text to concept. Students’ learning will be scaffolded; their in-class lessons move
from discussing the argument of nature vs nurture, what births a monster, and then applying their claims to a scenario-like situation in
which students will be asked to take on a role of a lawyer defending a monster. The activities and formatives assessments are designed to
support student learning as they approach the concept of nature versus nurture in relation to what makes a monster, building on their
prior skills of analyzing authorial decisions and continuing to prepare them to apply their skills of textual evidence from both pieces of
literature to the thematic topic and real-world scenarios. Several of the student activities ask students to call upon their thoughts and
reactions to the text, while will help them navigate through both texts and investigate authorial decisions. It will also give students the
opportunity to debate and discuss what goes into the creation of a monster, or what should be considered a monster in general. Students
will be asked to think about their out-of-classroom lives and situations in which they perhaps encountered or heard of a “monster”
(perhaps the form of a bully they witnessed in media for example) and what went in to making that person to act the way they do.

Real-Life Connections and Integration, including Global connections:

By beginning the unit 7 different smaller scenarios in which students are introduced to characters who may or may not be considered a
monster depending in the circumstance and student perception, it will allow students to create a stance on where they believe monsters
come from before we begin the reading of the texts. Throughout the scenario discussions and the readings, students will continuously be
asked to develop and revise their claims and stances, using both their real-life experiences, what they see on the media, and what they are
learning from the texts.

Parent and Community Connections:

For homework and practice for the formal discussion, students will be asked to debate with an older family member about a topic that
they don’t necessarily agree with them on. Students will then be asked to write a reflective post on Google Classroom about who they
spoke with, what the topic they talked about was, how the student handled/navigated the discussion, and who “won?” Students will also
be asked to express how they felt during the discussion, how did discussing an argument with someone who didn’t agree with you feel?

Teacher Support (What professional and resource support will you need to teach this unit?)

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Throughout this unit, I will incorporate mini-lessons on argumentative discussion, specifically on meaningful uptake to what another peer
has said and how to expand on that, whether students agree or disagree with what was previously said.

UNIT 2 COMPLETED

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Grading Period: Term 3 (20 Hours)

Unit Title: The Self: Character Motivation and Desire Number of Class Sessions: 20

Unit Summary Provide 1 paragraph description of unit that includes themes, topics, required texts, main learning objective(s), and major
assignments.

In this lesson, students will be reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde to address questions of physical versus inner beauty.
Students will explore the question of what makes a person beautiful, looking at the character of Dorian Gray and discussion what he is
motivated by and what his consequences are from his quest for external beauty and youth. The learning objectives will ensure that
students are able to evaluate character development and using textual evidence to support their claims, building upon their previous
skills of argumentative discussion and utilizing textual evidence. Students will be asked to participate in meaningful classroom discussions
that bridge out text to themes of the real world, and how the concept of beauty is portrayed in the media. Students will then complete a
culminative creative multimedia project to express their interpretations of the text, as well as an argumentative writing assignment about
what makes a person beautiful, using the character of Dorian Gray to support their claim.

Unit Objectives (number each), including
IB objectives (pp. 18-22): Students will….
1. Students will be able to utilize
technology to analyze a theme in a given
text.
2. Students will be able to evaluate textual
evidence in support of a claim.
3. Students will be able to analyze and self-
assess personal work.
Annotated Common Core Standards
(include number & key terms from
standard)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and evidence.
Guiding Questions/Concepts
Beauty in Literature: What is Dorian Gray
motivated by? What are the consequences of
his actions? What value does society place
on physical beauty?

Texts (including multi-media texts):

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Technology Integration (include teacher and student resources):

 This course will be using their student-issued iPads for writing assignments and note-taking. The teacher will be issuing students
keyboards that can be plugged in to their iPads during in-class writing days should students choose to use them to type.
 Google Classroom for all updates on homework, the schedule for the day, learning objectives for the day, all PowerPoints/handouts,
and discussion posts
 Cameras (cell-phones will be an acceptable camera) for their culminating project
 PowerPoint of Google Slides to create presentation of multimedia project (culminating project)
o Should students have the capability to use another program to create a slideshow/presentation, they must first seek
permission from teacher and explain how it works – please note that if students wish to use another program other than the
two options given by the teacher, should their presentation note work for any reason on their presentation date, students
will be deducted points due to lack of preparation

Unit-Long Writing Assignments:

 Students will using classroom discussions and their culminating multi-media project to create an argumentative paper on where
beauty comes from and the standards in which society today holds beauty to, using the character of Dorian Gray to support their
claim

Culminating Inquiry Projects/Presentations:

 In small groups, students will be creating a photography slideshow where they will be taking pictures of themselves depicting the
most important scene from every two chapters throughout the novel. Members should take an even amount of chapters where they
are “directing” the picture, including becoming the editor and making filter decisions. After students present their projects, they
will be writing a 1-2 page reflection on the reasoning behind at least three of the pictures they have creative decision over and the
elemental effects they decided to use/why.

Language Focus (refer to the edTPA Planning Commentary):

 The language focuses students will be focusing on are comparing both texts, analyze both texts in respect to the theme of beauty
within literature, as well as author writing style, and evaluating the texts and their claims with evidence to support their findings.

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Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Objectives-to-Activities-to-Assessment Thread (How is each learning objective/CCSS integrated into unit activities and assessed?):*See
Note 1 at end of template for integration of IB principles. To meet the course’s IB requirements, you must explicitly identify how your units
provide opportunities for and the assessment of:

 Inquiry-based learning (can include experiential, problem-based learning activities)

 Conceptual understanding, including what the essential or big concepts are that students will come to understand through the
content and what skills students will need to develop and demonstrate to reach conceptual understanding.
 Contextual diversity, in which students have opportunities to explore and critique concepts across diverse contexts (times and
places), including their own lives as context
 Collaborative learning, including collaborative opportunities among students and between the teacher and students

Learning Types of Activities Formative Assessment Summative Assessment

Objective # and
CCSS #

These activities provide several opportunities for
CCSS.ELA- conceptual understanding, collaborative
LITERACY.W.11- learning, and contextual learning by connecting
12.1 our practice of making arguments to real world
scenarios. Students will be asked to evaluate and
analyze the text, utilizing evidence to support
their claims.
Formative assessments will
develop students’ abilities to use
textual evidence in a variety of
ways, including written responses
and classroom discussions.
Students will also be asked to
create a multimedia project with
a group in which they are to take
what they have discussed and
learned throughout the course of
reading the text and develop
pictures depicting what they
believe is the important event for
every two chapters.
Students will using classroom
discussions and their
culminating multi-media
project to create an
argumentative paper on
where beauty comes from and
the standards in which
society today holds beauty to,
using the character of Dorian
Gray to support their claim.

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Semester-long Course Plan
The opinionnaires will open the pre-reading
LO #1 discussion for students to think about what they
consider beauty, and what power beauty holds
within society. Why do so many people seek it
out? Students will then be using their findings
and opinions to guide them through their
reading of Dorian Gray, seeking answers and
looking at evidence to support their claims.
In-class writing days and peer review days
LO #2 allows students to work on their unit-long
writing assignments, giving them the
opportunity to conference with me and their
peers. Students, at this point, will have all
presented their group photography projects and
will be able to use their classmates analyzations
as well as information from informal class
discussions to help the development and
creation of their writing assignments.
In small groups, students will be creating a
LO #3 photography slideshow where they will be taking
pictures of themselves depicting the most
important scene from every two chapters
The opinionnaire will allow
students to prepare to analyze a
theme throughout their reading.
Beauty, being the theme in the
text that we are looking at, will be
portrayed and focused on
throughout the reading. Students
must be aware of that theme and
have a solid understanding and
background knowledge going in
so that they can analyze the text
with that in mind.
Peer review days, along with in-
class work days, allows students
the freedom to work with me
being available to answer
questions as needed. This also
gives me the opportunity to see
where student learning is, and if
any mini-lessons on writing or
synthesizing evidence are needed
for this particular assignment.
After students present, they will
be individually completing a 1-2
page reflection on the reasoning
behind at least three of the
Haritos – Gothic Literature
Students will using classroom
discussions and their
culminating multi-media
project to create an
argumentative paper on
where beauty comes from and
the standards in which
society today holds beauty to,
using the character of Dorian
Gray to support their claim.
Analyzing the theme will
allow students to strengthen
their claims and support then
findings of textual evidence
throughout the novel.
Students will using classroom
discussions and their
culminating multi-media
project to create an
argumentative paper on
where beauty comes from and
the standards in which
society today holds beauty to,
using the character of Dorian
Gray to support their claim.
Utilizing their many resources
will allow students to gain a
deeper comprehension of the
text.
Students will using classroom
discussions and their
culminating multi-media
project to create an
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Semester-long Course Plan
throughout the novel. Members should take an
even amount of chapters where they are
“directing” the picture, including becoming the
editor and making filter decisions. After students
present their projects, they will be writing a 1-2
page reflection on the reasoning behind at least
three of the pictures they have creative decision
over and the elemental effects they decided to
use/why.
pictures they had creative
decision over. They are to explain
why they chose the elemental
effects they decided to use, and
how those effects added to what
their pictures were trying to
depict as well as the connection
to the chapters and authorial
tone.
Haritos – Gothic Literature
argumentative paper on
where beauty comes from and
the standards in which
society today holds beauty to,
using the character of Dorian
Gray to support their claim.
Utilizing their many resources
will allow students to gain a
deeper comprehension of the
text. Analyzing tone and
authorial decisions will help
students with claim writing
and decided on evidence to
use throughout their writing
assignment. The reflection
will also allow students to
self-assess themselves, which
they can then use to
strengthen their writing.

Key Strategies (R = Required; O = Optional):

(*For IB integration, you must explicitly frame your differentiation and connection efforts in terms of how you will:
 Affirm identity and build self-esteem, particularly as these efforts relate to integrating student experience and out-of-school lives into
instruction
 Value students’ prior knowledge, including how you will identify and build on what students already know about the content and big
concepts
 Scaffold learning, including the role of strategies, collaboration, and talk in instruction
 Extend learning by providing opportunities for students to engage content, concepts, and skills in different ways and demonstrate
learning in different ways):

Differentiation and Student Support Strategies

20
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
Students will be using their prior knowledge of literary devices and thematic topics to analyze authorial decisions and textual significance.
They will use their knowledge to bridge the gap from text to concept. Students’ learning will be scaffolded; their in-class lessons move
from discussing beauty standards in the form of an opinionnaire to discussing and analyzing beauty within the text and applying their
broader opinions to a specific character. The activities and formative assessments are designed to support student learning as they
approach the theme of beauty and what it means, building on their prior skills of analyzing authorial decisions and continuing to prepare
them to apply their skills of evidence from the text to the topic in relation to real-world scenarios. The assessments are activities vary in
order to extend learning by using written assignments and discussions to create multimedia projects concerning the development of
Dorian Gray’s character throughout the text in relation to the theme of beauty. The written assignment is designed to evaluate students
argumentative skills, as practiced in previous units, rather than evaluating them on textual analysis. The final cumulative project will ask
students to design a create portrayal of the text in the form of pictures, allowing students the freedom to express their feelings and
attitudes towards the text and the events throughout the text.

Real-Life Connections and Integration, including Global connections:

By beginning the unit with an opinionnaire in which students will have to rate their opinions/reactions to scenarios presented to them
that center around the female identity and its portrayal will allow students the opportunity to begin developing their own claims on the
question. They will then continue to evolve their claims and ideas through the readings and classroom discussions, having the
opportunities to bring their thoughts and opinions about both pieces of text and their out-of-class experiences as evidence to support their
claims. In order to maintain sensitivity throughout this unit, students will be asked to think about female stereotypes in and out of
literature, emphasizing their response as readers/peers. Why do we feel the way we do about certain female characters in literature? How
does that connect to the way we feel about females outside of literature, or is there no connection at all? What is the author doing to create
those reactions, and why might they be trying to elicit those types of reactions/were those reactions their intention?

Parent and Community Connections:

In this unit, students will further develop their argumentative skills from the previous unit to more real-world concepts. Our classroom
discussion will ask students to directly respond to contentious, real-world scenarios and rationalize them in connection to our theme of
beauty. Students will be asked to pay attention to beauty standards in the media and how it relates to the theme of beauty in the text.

Teacher Support (What professional and resource support will you need to teach this unit?)

Throughout this unit, I will be using guided tools to keep discussions on track and allowing students multiple in-class opportunities to
work on and complete their culminative multimedia projects.

21
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

UNIT 3 COMPLETED

22
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
Grading Period: Term 4 (20 Hours)

Unit Title: Gothic Literature: From Text to Screen Number of Class Sessions: 20

Unit Summary Provide 1 paragraph description of unit that includes themes, topics, required texts, main learning objective(s), and major
assignments.

For the final unit, students will be asked to read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and then view the 2018 Netflix series
adaptation of the novel. The text will begin our discussion of story adaptation and the broader discussion of text to media. Students will be
comparing and contrasting the text and the television adaptation with source material to discuss the benefits, consequences, and impacts
of changing a story. Students will examine the differences between a piece of gothic literature from 1959 to a cinematic horror adaptation
of gothic literature from 2018. Students, in pre-chosen groups, will choose which episode they wish to work on, analyzing the gothic
conventions within the episode in comparison to gothic conventions in the text. Students will be asked to discuss the pros and cons of text
adaptations and what is lost or gained through creating a film based off literature. Students will then reflect on the discussion of text to
media in relation to gothic conventions using both the episode and the text as evidence through the form of an argumentative paper.

Unit Objectives (number each), including
IB objectives (pp. 18-22): Students will….
1. Students will be able to compare and
contrast two given forms of a text.
2. Students will be able to evaluate textual
evidence in support of a claim.
3. Students will be able to analyze and self-
assess personal work.
Annotated Common Core Standards
(include number & key terms from
standard)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story.
Guiding Questions/Concepts
Conventions of Gothic Literature: How
does a story change as it is adapted? What is
lost or gained between interpretations.
What are the elements of a successful
adaptation?

Texts (including multi-media texts):

 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
 Netflix Original TV show “The Haunting of Hill House” (2018)

Technology Integration (include teacher and student resources):

23
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
 This course will be using their student-issued iPads for writing assignments and note-taking. The teacher will be issuing students
keyboards that can be plugged in to their iPads during in-class writing days should students choose to use them to type.
 Google Classroom for all updates on homework, the schedule for the day, learning objectives for the day, all PowerPoints/handouts,
and discussion posts
 Netflix for episodes
o Teacher will ensure at least one person in the group has access to a Netflix account to watch their respective episode, or will
otherwise get the groups their respective episode downloaded if needed

Unit-Long Writing Assignments:

 Students will using classroom discussions and their presentations analyzing the different episodes to answer a writing assignment
prompt on the difference of gothic conventions between text and film, what the pros and cons are to adaptations, and what is
gained or lost through the adaptation.

Culminating Inquiry Projects/Presentations:

 In pre-selected groups, students will be choosing an episode of the Netflix original series “The Haunting of Hill House” to examine
gothic conventions that we have learned about through our reading of the text and how they are applied to the adaptation. Students
will be asked to self-evaluate themselves by filling out two rubrics, one for themselves and one for their group as a whole.

Language Focus (refer to the edTPA Planning Commentary):

 The language focuses students will be focusing on are comparing both mediums, analyze both mediums in respect to gothic
conventions, as well as author writing style, and evaluating the texts and their claims with evidence to support their findings.
Students will be asked to reflect on their individual and group work based on their presentation.

Objectives-to-Activities-to-Assessment Thread (How is each learning objective/CCSS integrated into unit activities and assessed?):*See
Note 1 at end of template for integration of IB principles. To meet the course’s IB requirements, you must explicitly identify how your units
provide opportunities for and the assessment of:

 Inquiry-based learning (can include experiential, problem-based learning activities)

 Conceptual understanding, including what the essential or big concepts are that students will come to understand through the
content and what skills students will need to develop and demonstrate to reach conceptual understanding.
 Contextual diversity, in which students have opportunities to explore and critique concepts across diverse contexts (times and
places), including their own lives as context
 Collaborative learning, including collaborative opportunities among students and between the teacher and students
24
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature

Learning Types of Activities Formative Assessment Summative Assessment

Objective # and
CCSS #

In class, students will be focusing on an episode Students will be analyzing gothic Students will using classroom
CCSS.ELA- of the Netflix original series adaptation of Shirley conventions within the film discussions and their film
LITERACY.RL.11 Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, by the same adaptation of The Haunting of Hill adaptation presentations to
-12.1 name. House in comparison to the way answer a writing assignment
gothic conventions were prompt on the difference of
introduced and discussed in text. gothic conventions between
text and film, what the pros
and cons are to adaptations,
and what is gained or lost
through the adaptation.

Asking students to think about their favorite
LO #1 book and their feelings if it were to be adapted
into a television series or movie (if it hasn’t been
already) opens up the conversation of looking at
texts and their respective film adaptations, and
the pros and cons of the adaptations.
Later in the unit, as a culminating activity,
students will be put in to pre-selected groups
where they will be choosing an episode of the
Netflix original series “The Haunting of Hill
House” to examine gothic conventions that we
have learned about through our reading of the
text and how they are applied to the adaptation.
Students will be asked to Students will using classroom
compare and contrast the text discussions to answer a
and the film adaptation, so writing assignment prompt
beginning with this activity will on the difference of gothic
allow me to gauge where student conventions between text and
comprehension of gothic film, what the pros and cons
conventions are and how they can are to adaptations, and what
be carried on through different is gained or lost through the
adaptations, and what the adaptation.
changes might do to the original
version.
Students will be asked to examine
gothic conventions that we have
learned about and discussed
through our reading of the text
and how they are applied to the
adaptation.

25
Semester-long Course Plan
Students will be given in-class work time to
LO #2 complete their writing assignment, answering
the prompt: What are the difference of gothic
conventions between text and film? What are the
pros and cons to adaptations? What is gained or
lost through the adaptation?
Students will be asked to self-evaluate
LO #3 themselves after their presentations by filling out
two rubrics, one for themselves and one for their
group as a whole.
Using their presentations
comparing the gothic conventions
within the text and the gothic
conventions present in the Netflix
adaptation, as well as discussion
throughout the reading about the
gothic conventions present in the
text, students will have multiple
pieces of evidence to support
their claims of gothic conventions
in literature through multiple
mediums.
By asking students to self-assess
themselves and their groups,
students are taking on the
responsibility of holding
themselves accountable for their
work and are given the ability to
give themselves feedback to use
when it comes to the writing
assignment.
Haritos – Gothic Literature
Students will using classroom
discussions to answer a
writing assignment prompt:
What are the differences of
gothic conventions between
text and film, what are the
pros and cons to adaptations,
and what is gained or lost
through the adaptation?
Students will have multiple
means of answering the
prompt and may utilize all
resources given to them, as
well as information gathered
and learned through the
presentations as well as in
discussion to support their
claims. Students will be using
evidence from both the text
and the adaptation to support
their claims on the prompt.
Students will using classroom
discussions to answer a
writing assignment prompt
on the difference of gothic
conventions between text and
film, what the pros and cons
are to adaptations, and what
is gained or lost through the
adaptation. Students will be
developing a stronger
understanding of not only
gothic conventions present in
multiple modes of literature
26
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
and can use their self-
assessments to help them
with their writing, seeking
what strengths they showed
during the presentation and
how that might translate into
their writing, and what they
believe they need to work on
and how that might translate
to their written work.

Key Strategies (R = Required; O = Optional):

(*For IB integration, you must explicitly frame your differentiation and connection efforts in terms of how you will:
 Affirm identity and build self-esteem, particularly as these efforts relate to integrating student experience and out-of-school lives into
instruction
 Value students’ prior knowledge, including how you will identify and build on what students already know about the content and big
concepts
 Scaffold learning, including the role of strategies, collaboration, and talk in instruction
 Extend learning by providing opportunities for students to engage content, concepts, and skills in different ways and demonstrate
learning in different ways):

Differentiation and Student Support Strategies

Students will be using prior knowledge of gothic conventions to analyze the film adaptation in connection to the text. The projects and
activities in this unit ask students to develop and analyze episodes in relation to the text and how the episode plays with the conventions
of gothic literature that have been learned and discussed in prior units. The writing assignment for this unit centers on students
comprehension of the conventions of gothic literature and how they can be applied to present gothic adaptations. Student learning will
continued to be scaffolded throughout the unit, moving from identifying gothic conventions throughout the text and how Jackson presents
them, to how the film adaptation uses those gothic conventions and what the strengths and weaknesses are.

27
Semester-long Course Plan Haritos – Gothic Literature
Real-Life Connections and Integration, including Global connections:
We will begin the unit by have an informal discussion about the different gothic conventions and how they are applied in literature. I will
also ask students to share their opinions on film adaptations of movies, asking students to think about a favorite book they have and how
they would feel if it were created into a movie or television show. By beginning the unit like this, giving students the freedom to express
their thoughts on film adaptations of texts, we can begin to read The Haunting of Hill House focusing on gothic conventions. Once the
students have finished reading the text, with discussions throughout the reading to scaffold their opinions in development of a claim,
students will then be split up into pre-chosen groups where they will be asked to choose an episode from the Netflix adaptation of the text
to analyze.

Parent and Community Connections:

In this unit, students will further develop their skills from the previous unit to connect gothic literature conventions to current, more
popular forms of literature. Our classroom discussions will ask students to further their comprehension of gothic conventions in literature,
and how text-to-film adaptations have both pros and cons in development, and what those pros and cons are. Students will then be able to
have conversations with family and friends about the importance of understanding where certain film adaptations come from in respect to
their original texts.

Teacher Support (What professional and resource support will you need to teach this unit?)

Throughout this unit, I will be using mini-lessons and work days to further student development and understanding of gothic conventions.
I will also ensure that students have access to a Netflix account to watch the episodes, or download the episodes on to the Google
Classroom page so students have access to them throughout the entirety of the assignment.

UNIT 4 COMPLETED

28