Lauren Denis

Dunn / Jackson
TE 407
2 December 2015
Unit Plan
Title: Feminism in Literature
Unit Rationale:
Context: Chicago Public Schools, high school classroom, mostly African American and Latino
students
This unit plan will revolve around the idea of feminism. Building up to The Color Purple,
I am using the short story The Yellow Wallpaper and a form of media to lay the foundation for
what feminism is, how it (along with women) has been viewed in the past, and how it is viewed
now. It is important for students to see how an issue has developed and changed - or not changed
- over time. I want to start by teaching the short story which is already outlined in my lesson plan
from our earlier assignment. From there, I want to look at modern advertisements. I think it
would be fun to have students find their own commercials and magazine ads to bring into class
for discussion. Tying it into real time would make the unit more engaging for students.
Though feminism, by definition, is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of
political, social, and economic equality to men, I want to somehow explicitly incorporate men
into this unit for the male students I have. I want them to know how important such a concept is
for both sexes (despite the name). I was thinking this would be easiest to do through the
dissection of todays media. How are men depicted in the media? How are they viewed by
society? What is expected of them? Finally, the final assignment for The Color Purple would be
to analyze the feminism in the book. I have not decided yet if I want students to pick a character
to focus on or a different more general topic.
Inventory:
For my inventory, I chose to do something that I, as a student, have only done a few times but
have always appreciated. It has been a tool that I have remembered for use in my future
classroom because it made me feel important / like I had a say. On the first day of class, I want to
give students a numbered notecard to answer a series of questions on. What is their name, their
birthday, what do they like to do, what is their favorite text, what do they expect to learn in my
class, etc. This provides an easy way to get to know my students personally and somewhat
academically. It also gives students a chance to be heard right from the start which almost always
elicits a positive feeling.
Unit Objectives:
- Students will be able to read / view a text through a feminist perspective

- Students will understand how / why feminism applies to both genders

Unit Essential Questions:
- How does feminism impact me, my life, and those around me?

- How can we use a feminist lens / perspective to better understand literature?

Unit Materials:
- The Yellow Wallpaper

- Access to advertisements, commercials, media, etc.

- The Color Purple
Unit Assessment:
- Individual lesson plan assessments

- Final paper on The Color Purple

Lesson Objectives:
- Students will know what feminism is

Students will be able to recognize feminism in literature

Students will be able to use feminism to deconstruct an image
Students will be able to read a text through a feminist lens / perspective
Students will know how feminism applies to both genders
Students will understand the importance of feminism and how it impacts them and society as
a whole

Lesson Assessments:
- Individual writing assignments

Group / partner discussions / participation

Choice of advertisement / media to share
Class discussion
Final papers

Instructor: Lauren Denis

Date(s): 2-3 Days
Lesson Plan Title: Recognizing Themes of Feminism in The Yellow
Wallpaper (and Future Texts)
Knowledge: Sense-making of text; Connect prior knowledge to text; Identify
theme of feminism throughout text
Understandings:
1. Students will be able to make predictions (through theme of feminism)
about the story.
2. Students will be able to make connections from prior knowledge to the
text.
3. Students will be able to determine how the theme of feminism develops
the story.
Do:
1. Discuss what feminism means and define it together as a class.
2. Contextualize when the story took place and the social situations that
existed at that time (expand on the ways women were viewed in society
and how mental illness was handled during that time period).
3. Have students make predictions based on the title / cover.
4. Read The Yellow Wallpaper out loud together as a class.
5. Have students identify points where feminism occurs throughout the text
in groups.
6. Have students individually choose a point in the text and write a
paragraph / page on how that point / place of feminism develops the text.
Instructional Resources / Materials: The Yellow Wallpaper text for each
student; paper; writing utensil
Lesson Accommodations (Special Needs & Gifted): Ask for volunteers to
read. When there are none, I will read (in place of students who are shy or
are not strong readers). This also gives stronger readers the opportunity to
read aloud if they choose. If students need more time with their paragraph /
page response, they can take it home for homework.
CCSS: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3

Essential Questions:
(Students should consider these questions)
1. What does the theme of feminism mean to a text?
2. How can I use my prior knowledge to make inferences about and
connections to the theme of feminism?
3. How can I use a theme (like feminism) to make predictions?
Assessment: Assessing each individual students paragraph / page response
regarding feminism.
Summative & Formative Assessment:
1. Informal evaluation of listening to students group discussion
2. Individual responses regarding theme
3. Identify theme of / feminism in a short reading on future quizzes / tests
What will you do if students do not understand?
1. Thumbs up / thumbs down if students feel able to identify at least one
theme and write at least a paragraph about it.
2. Give examples of themes from past feminism texts students
have read in class.
3. Use a shorter text and identify the theme(s) together as a class.
Extended Larning / Homework:
Possible paragraph / page response if not finished in class.

Instructor: Lauren Denis

Date(s): 2-3 Days
Lesson Plan Title: Using Feminism to Deconstruct the Media
Knowledge: Acknowledging how men and women are portrayed in the
media; Recognizing why this is; Understanding societal views of men and
women and how they are used to sell / get attention; Connecting ideas of
feminism from the past to current examples of feminism today.
Understandings:
1. Students will be able to deconstruct pieces of media by using a feminist
perspective.
2. Students will understand the differences between how men and women
are portrayed in the media and why this is.
3. Students will understand the roll of feminism in their lives and will be
able to consider how it impacts them personally.
4. Students will be able to make future connections about feminism to other
texts / situations.
Do:
1. Have students bring in pieces of media (advertisements, magazines,
commercials, video clips, etc.) that can be viewed through a feminist lens /
that struck them as a feminist piece.
2. Check to make sure all materials are appropriate.
3. Group students and have them share why they chose the piece they did.
4. Have an open class discussion about pieces of media / what was
discussed in groups.
5. Short individual writing assignment about what each student took away
from the class.
Instructional Resources / Materials: Pieces of media; paper; writing utensil
Lesson Accommodations (Special Needs & Gifted): Making individual
adjustments for students who are shy or quieter when it comes to group or
class discussions so everyone feels comfortable enough to share.
CCSS: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1

Essential Questions:
(Students should consider these questions)
1. How are men / women portrayed in the media and why?
2. What do the differences between the portrayal of men and women say
about societys values?
3. How does feminism impact me, my life, and those around me?
4. How has feminism changed over time?
Assessment: Assessing students choice of media, group conversations, and
participation in class discussion.
Summative & Formative Assessments:
1. Informal evaluation of students media choices.
2. Informal evaluation of listening to students group discussions.
3. Individual participation contributing to class discussion.
4. Exit ticket on what students took away from the lesson.
What will you do if students do not understand? Model an example of
deconstructing a piece of media I chose; Have discussion questions for a
back up plan in case class is quiet.
Extended Learning / Homework: None

Instructor: Lauren Denis

Date(s): 1 week
Lesson Plan Title: Journaling a Novel
Knowledge: Thinking forward / planning ahead; Connect prior knowledge to
text; Selecting important parts of the text and recognizing why these parts
are important
Understanding:
1. Students will be able to select one character or event in the text to focus
on each day and across the board that relates to the topic at hand
(feminism).
2. Students will be able to use note taking / journaling skills to better
formulate future assignments.
Do:
1. Have students create a journal of their choice (blog, notebook, folder,
etc.)
2. Have students develop an entry about their thoughts on / reactions to
every days reading
3. Check each day if students journals are complete
4. Students will use these journals in the future for their final papers
Instructional Resources / Materials: Notebook / Form of journal; Writing
utensil / Technology of choice; The Color Purple
Lesson Accommodations (Special Needs & Gifted): Journal entries can be
completed in class while reading or for homework.
CCSS: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2

Essential Questions:
(Students should consider these questions)
1. What am I interested in writing my final paper about?
2. What happened in todays reading?
3. What connections regarding feminism can I make to past readings, texts,
conversations, etc.?
Assessment: Check if students have completed each days journal entry
Summative & Formative Assessments:
1. Occasional exit tickets / share out about what students wrote in their
journals each day.
2. Check daily journal entries.
3. The incorporation of journaled thoughts into the final paper.
What will you do if students do not understand? Provide a model journal
entry to articulate what Im looking for.
Extended Learning / Homework: Journaling for that days reading
-

Unit Assessment:
Final Paper
Feminism in The Color Purple
After having discussed the idea of feminism, deconstructed what this means in different
types of texts, and read The Color Purple, it is now time to synthesize everything we have
learned. Using your novel journal as a guide, you will lead readers through what it means to view
a text (or a portion of it) through a feminist perspective.
In this paper, you will focus on a specific character or a specific event that occurred in the
novel. You will write on this character or event through a feminist lens. For example, some
questions you might consider could be:
- What character was oppressed the most and why? By who?
- Who was the most oppressive character and why?

- How did a particular event or happening change / alter the plot, storyline, or character?
You may use whatever character (male or female) or event you want as long as you can
successfully explain, using feminism, how they / it deepens or gives meaning to the text. This is
not a summary of the novel. As the writer, your job is to develop a clear reading of a character or
event through the use of feminism.
Requirements:

Choose ONE character or event to write on

MLA format
Minimum of 2 pages (double spaced)
The use of the feminist lens / perspective

Rubric:
Final Paper - Feminism in The Color Purple
Rubric
1

(Outstanding)

Writer does not

effectively use a
feminist lens /
perspective

(Above Average)

(Average)

Content

Writer clearly uses

a feminist lens /
perspective
throughout paper

Writer uses a
feminist lens /
perspective
throughout most of
paper

Content

Writer chooses
ONE character or
event to focus on
throughout paper

Writer mostly sticks Writer includes

to ONE character
more than one
or event
character and / or
event throughout
paper

(Less Than
Satisfactory)

Writer does not

use a feminist
lens / perspective

Writer includes
multiple characters
and / or events
throughout paper

Content

Writer gives a well

developed and in
depth explanation
of a characters or
events greater
meaning to the text
as a whole

Writers
explanation of a
character or event
is mostly
developed

Writer gives a
shallow
explanation of the
importance of a
character or event

Writers
explanation of a
characters or
events meaning to
the text is unclear
and
underdeveloped

Mechanics

Little to no
grammar, spelling,
or punctuation
errors

Very few grammar,

spelling, or
punctuation errors

Some grammar,
spelling, and
punctuation errors

A lot of grammar,
spelling, and
punctuation errors

Mechanics

Writer followed all

Writer followed
MLA requirements: most MLA format
name, teacher
requirements
name, class, date,
page numbers, in
text citations,
works cited page

Writer somewhat
followed MLA
format

Writer did not

follow MLA format