Check out ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre's American Collection website at pbs.org for additional teacher information

Friends of Childhood
By Kim Deskin

Overview

This multifaceted lesson gives students the opportunity to utilize online text editions of Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. Presented here as an introductory lesson to get student "into" the content by becoming familiar with characters and situations prior to viewing the film, the lesson plan also includes a suggestion to follow up film viewing. Groups of students are assigned select chapters from the novel's Part I. Together they read the chapter, analyze its content for writing style and character development, and make predictions about subsequent story components. As a follow up essay, students will be directed to reflect on influences from their own childhoods.

Objectives

The students will:

Utilize educational technology

• Recognize elements of descriptive writing
• Explore characterization
• Demonstrate an understanding of character
• Analyze relationships and discuss personal influences

Skills Attained

Effective use of educational technology

• Cooperative teamwork
• Descriptive writing abilities
• Analysis of characters
• Prediction of character outcomes

Materials

Computers with Internet access  (OR copies of text or of select chapters)

• Instructions for Students copied for distribution or posted on overhead
• AMERICAN COLLECTION American Writing Gateway for Cather online resources

Anticipated Length of Lesson 

50-60 minute activity prior to viewing The Song of the Lark

10-15 minute activity to follow viewing

1-3 day personal writing assignment

Recommended Chapters for Character Study

Following is a quick glance at appropriate introductory chapters and characters involved. Please note:

a. The suggested chapters reflect introductions to the characters. Part One actually includes 20 chapters which could be added for more student options and/or higher level students.

b. Progressive chapters do reflect growth and time passing. With this in mind, students will be able to evaluate the content as directed, even without the continuity.

c. The grouped chapters are relatively short, but could be assigned separately.

d. Two chapters (Mrs. Archie and Lily) are more or less "decoy" chapters in that the characters do not affect Thea as directly as the others. I think, however, that they provide good dimension and would provoke interesting predictions from students. They could, of course, be eliminated.

Character	Chapter
Doctor Howard Archie	I
Mrs. Kronborg	II
Aunt Tillie	III, IX
Professor Wunsch	IV, X
Fritz and Mrs. Kohler	IV, X
Mrs. Archie	V
Johnny Tellamantez	VI
Ray Kennedy	VII
Lily Fisher	VIII

The Lesson

I.  Anticipatory set

1. Focus/Journal writing  Have students write about an adult they remember from their childhoods. This could be a neighbor, a relative, a music or art teacher, a little league coach, a family friend. Students could do a brief character sketch of the person or recount an event they remember. (A word of caution: though most of these memories will be positive, issues of abuse may surface. To avoid a dramatic disclosure, share with the students your legal obligation to report any previously undisclosed instance of abuse or other illegal activity.)  Sharing of stories is optional.

2. Introduce your plan for movie viewing.

3. Introduce the plot line of The Song of the Lark as Thea Kronborg's story. Tell students they will be exploring the novel's Part One, "Friends of Childhood," as they investigate novel chapters for information about Thea and one of her "friends."

4. Review or introduce classroom computer and Internet use. Tell students what you expect as a product: individual notes and/or group papers and/or oral sharing.

5. Assign groups for chapter study. Be sure to identify the minor character for study, as many chapters include other characters.

II.  Guided/Independent Practice

Hand out Character Research Worksheet using the online resources in the AMERICAN COLLECTION.

III.  Conclusion of activity

1. Have students present their explanations to the class OR "jigsaw" student groups to share character observations (students from different groups get together and share what they learned).

2. As time allows, discuss the novel's other section titles: "The Song of the Lark," "Stupid Faces," "The Ancient People," "Doctor Archie's Venture," and "Kronborg." What predictions about the characters can be made from these?

IV.  Optional Follow up after the movie

1. Regroup students and hand back their original discussion notes.

2. If you have not reviewed the content of the film, take the time to let students discuss the plot line.

3. Have students confer about the relationship between "their" character and Thea.  They may refer to their predictions and evaluate their initial guesses.

4. Have students also discuss to the quoted passages they'd selected. Were any of the phrases included in the movie narration/dialogue? Can the students come to any consensus of why the passages were or were not included?  To read an essay on "What the Movie Didn't Tell You" click here.

5. Gather student feedback. Did they enjoy the activity? Did "meeting" the characters before seeing the movie add to their interest? How did they feel about their character throughout the story and in the actual outcomes? How did they feel about Thea and the choices she made?

• Adapt assignment to be done individually or as homework, where appropriate
• Include references to culture and to setting in the chapter survey
• Take time to visit other Cather websites from the AMERICAN COLLECTION while students are online
• Look into Cather's history to find autobiographical connections to the story
• Post Viewing Alternative: Students recall the film and refer to online text chapters. They would follow procedure above, but instead of predicting, the students would trace the character's role in Thea's life. This could be presented in a timeline, a paragraph, or a journal entry composed in the voice of the alternate character.

Assessment

In assessing student performance, look at:

• Appropriate use of the computer
• Cooperative effort with the group
• Application to literature
• Quality of response

In addition, teachers might also include separate daily grades for computer application and response to literature, followed by a composition grade for the reflective essay.

Related Works

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn has many adult "friends," and Charles Dickens's Pip in Great Expectations, like Thea, receives a monetary gift which contributes to his education. Any coming of age story would lend itself to comparison, as adult characters are sure to provide positive or negative influence central to the plot.

Interdisciplinary Links

Obviously, the computer skills students attain while researching the project is beneficial. Further focus could be placed on culture in social studies, American history, American cultures, and humanities courses. A sociology or psychology teacher might explore interpersonal relationships between the characters.

Kim Deskin teaches in Lake Washington School District in Washington.

Character Research Worksheet

Tune in

1. You will be looking for passages in the text that provide information about character and that demonstrate good description. Make sure, as a group, that you understand these concepts.

2. Don't divide the work. Each of you should look for each element so you can discuss them fairly.

3. Decide how to read the chapter. Some of you may prefer to read silently, but some may want a group member to read aloud. (You know that different people learn in different ways. If there is a problem, try to work together to solve it.)

Your prediction of the development of the relationship