NYLearns.org -

Learning Experience/Unit

Affairs of the Heart: Interpersonal Relationships in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES

Subject

English Language Arts (NYS P-12 Common Core)

Grade Levels

Commencement, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

Assessment

Students will present their projects to the class. They will also hand in the completed project including a one page reflection. These will be assessed using a rubric. Personal reflection rubric is holistic. This type of rubric works well with an AP class. A rubric assigning more specific points would be appropriate with a lower level (grade or ability) class.

Learning Context/ Introduction

One of the "issues" that often comes up when reading Jane Austen is the relevance of the characters (and story) in today's world. Students often have trouble relating to and appreciating the significance of Austen's work, as its context, significantly the plight of women, is foreign to them. In an attempt to make the work more relevant, students will focus on the interpersonal relationships in the work. The characteristics of personal relationships transcend time and place. We will examine the historical context of the relationship as well as the timelessness of the relationship by examining how it might play out in today's world. This project was presented in a class of twenty AP Literature and Composition students.

Duration

1 day + 42-minute class period Pre-Reading- One day
Post-Reading- Three days
Project- Three days
Presentations- Two Days

Essential Question

What types of relationships are present in the novel and what characterizes them?
What is the historical context for the relationship you have chosen to examine?
How does the relationship transcend time?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

Project can be assigned to be completed at home or on students own time. This will shorten class time by 3-4 days. Project was prepared for an AP Literature class. There were no students in need of special accommodations

Procedure

Day One: Pre-reading Activity/ Assignment

List the three most important relationships in your life (currently)

What characterizes these relationships?

Who has the “power?” Why?

What does each “participant” get from the relationship? What does each bring to the relationship?

How do you communicate with each other? (face to face discussions/ e-mail/ texting/ phone conversations/ letters etc.)

How do you document your relationship? (journaling/ pictures/ scrapbooks etc.)
As you read, find one relationship in the book that is somehow similar to one of your three relationships AND one relationship in the book that intrigues you. Collect quotes and notes that highlight these relationships.

Students are given a week and a half to read the book completely (on their own) while we work on other material in class…

Day Two/Three/ Four: (After book is finished)

1. As a class, brainstorm all of the relationships that are present in the novel (on SMART Board in front of room). (10 minutes)

2. Discuss what characterizes these relationships and how they are historically relevant in the novel. Have students make notes. (20-30 minutes)

3. With a partner, have students choose three of the relationships present in the novel (ideally, ones they documented as they read) and answer the following questions about each. Students must include specific evidence from the text in their answers. (30 minutes)

What characterizes the relationship?

Who has the “power?” Why?

What does each “participant” get from the relationship? What does each bring to the relationship?

How do they communicate with each other?

How is the relationship emblematic of the time?

How would this relationship “play out” in today’s world?

As a class, share reflections on the characters and reactions to the questions focused on the relationships. (40-50 minutes)

Day Five-Day Ten: Project/ Presentations Assign project and hand out rubric.

Students may work with a partner or choose to work alone. Students will have two-three days in the computer lab and we will present for two days in class

Affairs of the Heart-teaching notes.doc

project.doc

Reflections and Feedback

This has always been a book that I have had trouble getting students to engage with. There are several characters and many of the preoccupations of the characters seem irrelevant and ridiculous to many of the students, especially the boys, in the class. By focusing on the "nature" of the relationships we were able to deal with many of these problems.

The first few days following reading, where we discussed all the relationships in the novel, were extremely beneficial in terms of clarifying who each of the characters was and their role/ relevance in the novel.

By focusing on the individual relationships in the novel, everyone (even they boys) was able to find an element of the novel that they could relate to. This made the conversations focused on the novel relevant and engaging to all students and helped avoid the lack of connection that my students have experienced in the past.