This unit plan focuses on introducing 11th grade English students to poet Sylvia Plath over the course of five days. On the first day, the teacher will give a presentation on Plath's life and notable works. Students will then read excerpts from The Bell Jar and craft written responses. They will listen to an audio recording of Plath's poem "Daddy" and draw illustrations. Later in the week, students will read and analyze additional Plath poems, write their own poems on similar themes, and watch clips depicting Plath's life to analyze her voice in her poems. The teacher will assess students based on their participation in discussions, drawings, written responses and poems.

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Ally Lawhon
Professor Watson
CI350-203
14 April 2016
Unit Plan
My topic is Sylvia Plath.
Analyze Learners: I have an 11th grade English and Creative Writing class.
There are 23 students, including nine boys and fourteen girls. There are fourteen
Caucasian students and four African American students. I have two students with
ADHD.
State Objectives:
ELA.11.R.C1.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a literary text and
analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact
and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective
summary of the text. (CCSS RL.11-12.2)
ELA.11.R.C2.3 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific
parts of a literary text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to
provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and
meaning as well as its aesthetic impact. (CCSS RL.11-12.5)
ELA.11.C17.2 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships
and nuances in word meanings.
 interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole , paradox ) in context and analyze
their role in the text.
 analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
(CCSS L.11-12.5)
ELA.11.SL.C13.3
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning and use of evidence and rhetoric,
assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis
and tone used. (CCSS SL.11-12.3)
ELA.11.W.C9.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

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 engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation or
observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view
and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression
of experiences or events.
 use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection and
multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events and/or characters.
 use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and
outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth or resolution).
 use precise words and phrases, telling details and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting and/or characters.
 provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed or resolved over the course of the narrative.
(CCSS W.11-12.3)
Media and Materials: For my unit, I will need paper, pencils, colored pencils,
markers, a computer, smart board, and printed poems.
Websites: PoetryFoundation.org has Plath’s poems that I will print out and give to
the students. I can also show them on the Smart Board for them to read.
Youtube.com has the trailer and certain scenes of the movie about Sylvia Plath’s life.
I will show these clips to the students for them to determine her character, voice,
and how the media portrays her. Goodreads.com has quotes and pieces of Plath’s
novel that I want the students to read. I will show this on the Smart Board, or I will
print out individual papers for them to read and annotate, if they want. Or, I will let
the students go to the website on their own. Schmoop.com has audio recordings of
Plath’s poems that I will have the students hear.
Utilize Media and Materials: This is a five-day plan. On the first day, I will
give a class presentation about Sylvia Plath’s life. I will show my students a Prezi,
showing pictures of Plath, basic information, and notable works. The students will
see this Prezi on the smart board. After the presentation, I will have a class
discussion and answer any questions the students have.

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Then, we will read sections of The Bell Jar, and the students will craft their own
written responses. This is a creative assignment, and I will walk around the room to
make sure they are working, but they will also have a lot of freedom for this
assignment. The students will reflect on what they read and describe what the
passages mean to them. Then, they will have the opportunity to share their
responses. Next, we will listen to an audio recording of Plath reading “Daddy”, and
the students will draw what they think the poem illustrates. At the end of class, I will
ask them to turn in their drawings. The students will have pencils, colored pencils,
and markers to use.
In addition, we will read at least five other poems by Plath, and the students will
write their own poems about similar topics. If they prefer, the students can go
online and listen to the poems. I will put them into groups of four or five. I will walk
around and look for similar themes, like loneliness, creation, death, and loss. Then,
the students will have the chance to read the poems to the class.
Finally, we will watch clips of the movie about Sylvia’s life, on YouTube, and the
students will have to note the voice of Plath in her poems and the interpretation on
screen. For this, we will have a class discussion. I will go around the room and have
each student give an answer. Then, I will ask for any further questions about the
topic.
Learner Participation: I will require participation out of the students through
drawings, written responses, group work, and class discussion. The lower level and
more shy students will understand and learn more when they draw illustrations,
after hearing Plath’s poem. The higher-level students will learn and participate in

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the group work, when they work together to write poems. The last activity and
follow-up activity will be a classroom discussion, so they will stay engaged about the
topic.
Evaluate and Revise: Overall, I will grade students by their participation and
creative work. For example, I will assess their achievement when I read their
written poems and responses to Plath. I will be able to tell if they paid any attention
to her voice and tone, and if they reflected on her impact. Mainly, I will assess on the
group poems and individual written assignments by checking if the students put in
enough time and effort into understanding the content. They will not be tested at all.
Also, I will require all of the students to speak when the class discusses about Plath
and her poems.