Curriculum / ELA / 10th Grade / Unit 10: Sanity & Madness in A Streetcar Named Desire & Ma Rainey's Black Bottom / Lesson 1
ELA
Unit 10
10th Grade
Lesson 1 of 23
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Analyze how Catron develops her argument about love and madness using logical reasoning and supporting evidence.
Video: “A Better Way to Talk about Love” by Mandy Len Catron
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Prior to the start of class, print out the quotes in the Hamlet Quote Card resource and glue/tape them to a notecard in order to be prepared for the opening activity. If possible, move the student desks/tables to the side of the room so that there is room for students to walk around. Alternatively, take students to a space outside the classroom where they will have more room to engage in the activity.
Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
Complete a reverse outline of Len Catron’s TED Talk by identifying her overall thesis, logical claims, and supporting evidence.
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What lines, words, and phrases reveal the shifts in points/claims that Catron makes in her talk? What is Catron doing rhetorically to make these shifts?
How does Catron describe the action of "falling in love"? What are the connotations of the diction choices in her description? What rhetorical purpose does this serve?
Catron introduces another metaphor that is frequently used to discuss love: love as madness. How does Catron define the figurative meaning of this metaphor? Why does she cite quotes from Nietsche, Shakespeare, and Beyoncé after introducing this metaphor?
Zoom in on the anecdote that Catron shares in her TED Talk. What story does this anecdote tell? How does it relate to her thesis about the way in which we talk about love?
What solution does Catron propose to resolve the way we talk about love? What makes this solution effective?
What is the most effective claim and evidence pair that Catron uses to develop her argument? What makes this pair effective?
Ultimately, what does Catron teach us about madness? About love? About their relationship to each other?
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
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LO 1.3B — Analyze how the writer's use of stylistic elements contributes to a work of literature's effects and meaning.
RL.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
LO 1.3A — Analyze how literary elements interact to develop the central ideas of a work of literature.
LO 5.1A — Extend the conversation around an idea, topic, or text by formulating questions and recognizing the claims and perspectives of others.
LO 5.1B — Cite relevant evidence and evaluate the evidence presented by others.
RL.9-10.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
SL.9-10.1 — Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9—10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Next
Analyze how Emily Dickinson uses diction and structure to convey ideas about madness.
Standards
LO 1.3BRL.9-10.4
LO 1.3BRL.9-10.4RL.9-10.5
Explain the madwoman in the attic archetype/literary trope.
Apply the madwoman archetype to a close reading and analysis of an excerpt of Jane Eyre.
LO 1.2ARI.9-10.1
Analyze how the speaker in K.P Page’s poem portrays the landlady as a complex character.
LO 1.3ARI.9-10.3
Formulate and share unique arguments about madness and sanity.
Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a Socratic seminar.
LO 1.4BLO 5.1ALO 5.1BSL.9-10.1
Craft an insight piece about your selected research topic, placing the ideas found in various sources and their authors in conversation with one another.
LO 1.4BLO 4.1BW.9-10.9
Analyze how Williams establishes setting and characterization in the opening of A Streetcar Named Desire.
LO 1.3ARL.9-10.3
Analyze how diction and syntax create character in Blanche’s monologue in Scene 1.
Analyze the complex relationship between Blanche and Stanley and how it develops over the course of the scene.
LO 1.3BRL.9-10.3
Analyze how Williams uses tension in the poker scene to further develop his characters and create social commentary.
LO 1.3BRL.9-10.2
Compare and contrast Stella and Blanche’s perceptions of reality in relation to the violence of the poker night.
Analyze how Blanche’s relationship with men functions in the text and what it reveals about her character and the overall meaning of the work.
LO 1.3BRL.9-10.2RL.9-10.3
Analyze how the motifs of light and drinking function in Scene 8 and what they reveal about Blanche’s character and tragic flaw.
Analyze and interpret the ambiguity in Scene 10.
Analyze Williams’ key moments in the final scene including how Williams used them to create meaning in the text.
Formulate and share unique arguments about A Streetcar Named Desire.
Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a summative Socratic seminar.
LO 1.3ALO 1.3BLO 2.3ALO 2.3BLO 2.3CLO 2.3DLO 5.1ALO 5.1BRL.9-10.1RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.3RL.9-10.4SL.9-10.1
Analyze how Williams OR Wilson uses literary techniques to reveal the impact that desire has on each character’s development and the overall meaning of the work.
LO 1.3ALO 1.3BLO 2.3ALO 2.3BLO 2.3CLO 2.3DRL.9-10.1RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.3RL.9-10.4W.9-10.2W.9-10.9
Analyze how Elia Kazan’s cinematic and directorial choices in the 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire contribute to meaning.
Evaluate how Elia Kazan interprets Teneesee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire in his 1951 film of the same title.
Analyze how Wilson establishes characterization and conflict in the opening of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Analyze Levee’s monologue including the emotional and psychological impact his past has on him and how it informs his interactions with other characters.
Analyze how Wolfe’s cinematic and directorial choices in the 2020 film version of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom contribute to meaning; evaluate how Wolfe interprets August Wilson’s’ Ma Rainey’s Block Bottom in her 2020 film of the same title.
Examine key moments in the final scene of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom including how Wilson used them to create meaning in the text.
Formulate and share unique arguments about Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
4 days
Complete the performance task to show mastery of unit content and standards.
LO 2.2ALO 2.2BLO 2.2CLO 2.2ELO 2.4ALO 2.4BLO 2.4CLO 3.3ARL.9-10.5W.9-10.3W.9-10.4
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