The Catcher in the Rye (2021)

Lesson 1
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ELA

Unit 11

10th Grade

Lesson 1 of 26

Objective


Identify narrator’s tone based on diction and support with relevant textual evidence. 

Readings and Materials


  • Short Story: “A&P” by John Updike 

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

What can the reader infer about Sammy based on Updike’s diction?

Multiple Choice

What does paragraph 1 suggest about the narrator?

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Sample Response

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Which of the following quotes supports your answer above?

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Sample Response

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Key Questions


  • In the first paragraph, identify the point of view. Circle all diction that helps indicate the character of this narrator. 
  • As you read the second paragraph, continue to circle diction that supports our hypothesis about Sammy.
  • Circle all diction in paragraphs 3–4 that the narrator uses to describe Queenie. Make a margin note. what does this diction indicate? How does Sammy view Queenie?
  • What is the narrator’s tone when he uses the word “sheep” in paragraph 5?
  • Explain the difference between how Sammy sees Queenie and how Sammy sees the other shoppers at the A&P. Consider all details you’ve gathered in paragraphs 1–6
  • How does Sammy view Stokesie?
  • How does this viewpoint reinforce a central idea from earlier in the text?
  • What is the narrator’s tone in paragraph 9?
  • In paragraph 10 the narrator spends a lot of time describing the setting. What do we learn about the town and its relation to the summer colony?
  • How does the description of the setting reflect the difference between Queenie and the other women Sammy sees at the A&P?
  • What does paragraph 11 suggest about Sammy?
  • What major theme does the list of goods in the aisle in paragraph 12 emphasize? 
  • What is the narrator’s tone when he uses the word “cute” to describe Queenie’s actions? What theme does this reinforce?
  • What does Sammy assume about the difference between his family and Queenie’s?

Notes


  • Students are reading this text as an introduction to tone and unreliable narration, and this short story should also be used as a vehicle for the teacher to assess students’ interactive reading skills, basic comprehension skills, and independent and whole-group reading abilities. 
  • Vocabulary for explicit instruction should be rolled out before beginning the text.
  • The vocabulary routine should set the precedent for vocabulary routines for the rest of the unit/year.

Next

Explain how the narrator’s final words reveal theme. 

Lesson 2
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Lesson Map

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