Curriculum / ELA / 10th Grade / Unit 5: Reading as Resistance: Reading Lolita in Tehran / Lesson 21

Reading as Resistance: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Lesson 21

ELA

Unit 5

10th Grade

Lesson 21 of 21

The unit's Socratic Seminar and Performance Task are the primary assessments in this unit. The following additional assessments also accompany Unit 5. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments Teacher Tool.

Warm Read Assessment

The Warm Read Assessment measures students' ability to apply the core reading standards and their knowledge from the unit to comprehend new, topically or thematically aligned texts. It includes multiple choice and an optional on-demand essay.

Vocabulary Assessment

The Vocabulary Assessment measures students' acquisition of text-based vocabulary words from the unit.

Lesson 20

Lesson Map

Develop questions for a research topic, gather and evaluate the credibility of sources, and begin to take notes for research.

Informational Presentation Mentor Text (G10, U5)
Research Topics and Descriptions (G10, U5, L1)
Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer (G10, U5, L1)
Guide for Determining Credibility and Usefulness

Standards

W.9-10.7W.9-10.8

Create an outline for a slideshow presentation.

Informational Presentation Outline (G10, U5, L2)
Informational Presentation Mentor Outline (G10, U5, L2)

Standards

W.9-10.5W.9-10.8

Design and build an information slideshow presentation, complete with clear bullet points, images, and a written paragraph in the speaker notes.

Informational Presentation Mentor Text (G10, U5)

Standards

SL.9-10.4SL.9-10.5W.9-10.2W.9-10.2.aW.9-10.2.bW.9-10.2.cW.9-10.6

Build background knowledge about the Iranian Revolution and discuss themes in the unit text, Reading Lolita in Tehran.

“The Revolution that Led to the Iran We Know Today”

Standards

RI.9-10.2SL.9-10.1SL.9-10.1.cSL.9-10.1.d

Analyze how Nafisi opens her memoir and characterizes her students.

Reading Lolita in Tehran pp. 1–21

Standards

RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.5

Analyze how certain events and anecdotes further develop Nafisi's ideas about life in Tehran.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 24–34 and 37–40

Standards

RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4

progress
monitoring

progress
monitoring

Analyze how the reading group develops Nafisi's ideas about insubordination.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 44–55 and 56–59

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4

Analyze Rushdie's purpose and rhetorical choices in his essay "On Censorship."

“On Censorship”

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.4RI.9-10.6

Analyze the impact of the reading group on the girls' identities and how that relates to Nafisi's theme of individuality.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 59–67 and 70–77

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.5

progress
monitoring

progress
monitoring

Write a descriptive scene.

Day 1 - Brainstorming and Planning

Brainstorm and plan the structure of a scene.

Scene Structure Graphic Organizer (G10, U5, L10)

Standards

W.9-10.3.aW.9-10.5

Day 2 - Drafting

Draft your scene using different points of view.

Scene Structure Graphic Organizer (G10, U5, L10)

Standards

W.9-10.3.aW.9-10.3.bW.9-10.4W.9-10.5

Day 3 - Revising/Language Lesson

Revise a scene by using adjectives, adverbs, and descriptive phrases to add vivid details.

Standards

L.9-10.1.bW.9-10.3.dW.9-10.4W.9-10.5

Analyze how and why Nafisi uses flashbacks to structure her memoir.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 81–96

Standards

RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4RI.9-10.5

Analyze the shifting mood of the revolution and how it impacts life at the university.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 96–106, 111–113, and 117–121

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3

Analyze how individuals show resistance to the government's cultural revolution as it impacts the University of Tehran.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 137–140 and 146–153

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4RI.9-10.5

progress
monitoring

progress
monitoring

Analyze how Nafisi grapples with the moral dilemma of complying with wearing the veil to return to teaching.

Reading Lolita in Tehran pp. 160–182

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.5

Analyze how Rumi conveys meaning through imagery and figurative language.

“Selected Poems by Rumi”

Standards

L.9-10.5RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.4SL.9-10.1

progress
monitoring

progress
monitoring

Analyze the mood and structure at the start of Part IV.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 257–266, 269–273, and 277–283

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.4RI.9-10.5

progress
monitoring

progress
monitoring

Analyze the internal and external conflicts the women in the reading group and Nafisi face over the decision to leave the totalitarian theocracy of Iran.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 283–288, 295–301, and 311–314

Standards

RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.5

Analyze how the final anecdotes of the memoir develop Nafisi's themes about choice, freedom, and fiction.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — pp. 315–328 and 330–339

Standards

RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3

Socratic Seminar

Engage in a Socratic Seminar about Reading Lolita in Tehran by supporting arguments with strong textual evidence.

Reading Lolita in Tehran — full text

Standards

SL.9-10.1SL.9-10.1.aSL.9-10.1.bSL.9-10.1.cSL.9-10.1.dSL.9-10.4

Write a personal narrative.

Day 1 - Brainstorming

Brainstorm a memory for a personal narrative and its details.

Personal Narrative Brainstorm Graphic Organizer (G10, U5, L20)

Standards

L.9-10.1.bW.9-10.3W.9-10.3.dW.9-10.5

Day 2 - Planning

Plan the structure of a personal narrative.

Personal Narrative Structure Outline (G10, U5, L20)
Personal Narrative Brainstorm Graphic Organizer (G10, U5, L20)
Self/Peer Feedback Form (G10, U5, L20)

Standards

W.9-10.3.aW.9-10.5

Day 3 - Drafting

Draft a personal narrative that opens with an engaging introduction that hooks the reader and provides context.

Personal Narrative Structure Outline (G10, U5, L20)
Self/Peer Feedback Form (G10, U5, L20)

Standards

W.9-10.3.aW.9-10.3.bW.9-10.3.d

Day 4 - Revising

Revise a personal narrative to incorporate phrases that indicate shifts in time and place, and to strengthen the conclusion.

Self/Peer Feedback Form (G10, U5, L20)

Standards

L.9-10.1.bW.9-10.3.bW.9-10.3.cW.9-10.3.e

Day 5 - Peer Review

Provide feedback on a peer's writing and then use peer feedback to improve one's own writing.

Self/Peer Feedback Form (G10, U5, L20)
Guide to Effective Feedback Handout (G9–12)

Standards

L.9-10.1.bW.9-10.3W.9-10.4W.9-10.5

2 days

If additional assessment is needed, use the Warm Read and/or Vocabulary Assessments to gauge student understanding of unit content and skills.

Bring Fishtank
to Your School

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free