Things Aren't Always What They Seem (Grades 9-12)

Master Teacher

Shannon Fike  

Time Allotment

Two 45-minute class periods

Overview

Using video and the Internet, students will learn to make predictions, draw conclusions, determine conflict and determine point of view while reading and viewing the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce. The story will also provide excellent examples of foreshadowing, setting and imagery.

Subject Matter

Language Arts

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

South Carolina Standards

(These Standards are available online at http://www.myscschools.com/Offices/CSO )

Grades 9-12

R1.1  Demonstrate the ability to read independently for extended periods of time . to gain information.

R1.8  Demonstrate the ability to draw conclusions and make inferences.

R2.6  Demonstrate the ability to describe with specific examples how the narrator's point of view or an author's choice of narrator affects a work of fiction.

R2.9  Demonstrate the ability to analyze the impact of conflict (internal and external) on plot and character in a literary work.

C3.2  Demonstrate the ability to interpret and evaluate the various ways events are presented and information is communicated in nonprint sources.

C3.4  Demonstrate the ability to make predictions, . and to make inferences with regard to what he or she has viewed.

Media Components

Video

The Short Story, Lesson 10: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." This video is a visual representation of the short story by the same name. This 27-minute video has minimal dialogue.

Web Site

The Narration in Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (page 1)

http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/lesson441/Poe1(2).pdf

Annenberg/CPB, Exploring Point of View

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/literature/read/pov1.html

(Note to Teacher: Another Web site that provides additional information is found at the following URL address.

ENGLISH III Study Guide-"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"                       

http://jh049.k12.sd.us/OwlCrBr%20SG.htm

This Web site provides a study guide for the conclusion of the story. However, it has specific page numbers that may not match your text.

Materials

Copy of page one of the handout entitled, The Narration in Ambrose Bierce's

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" found at http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/lesson441/Poe1(2).pdf

Copy of the handout entitled, English III Study Guide-"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" found at http://jh049.k12.sd.us/OwlCrBr%20SG.htm

Copy of the short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce.

(1 copy per student) This story can be found in the SC Adopted Textbook, Literature: Course 5 by Glencoe. The story can also be found at the Web site http://eserver.org/fiction/occurrence-at-owl-creek.html

Copy of Activity Sheet 1: "Literary Devices."

Equipment

Prep for Teachers

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Insert the video into your VCR.

Step 2: Cue the video clip to the scene where you see the sign that says, "Order.any civilian. summarily hanged." There is no dialogue, just environmental sounds.

Step 3: Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to answer the question, "Watch the following video clip and be prepared to tell me what the story may be about." START the video clip. PAUSE the video clip when you see the man look standing on top of a rock or hill.

Step 4: Pose the following question to the entire class, "What do you think this story is about?" (something that happened a long time ago, someone will be hanged)

Step 5: Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to answer the following question: "What do you think will happen to the man who is not in a military uniform?" (Possible responses include: he will be hanged, he will be killed, he has done something wrong)

Step 6: START the video again. PAUSE the video when you see the man look over at the water with the sun shining brightly in his face.

Step 7: Pose the following question to the entire class, "Was your prediction correct?"

Ask your students to infer or predict how the man is feeling as he stands there.  The responses will vary.

Learning Activities

Step 1: Explain to the students that the lesson will cover the narrator's point of view, making predictions, foreshadowing, setting, and imagery, and determining conflict.

Step 2: Discuss briefly the five types of point of view:

Objective-tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

Third Person-here the narrator. lets us know exactly how the characters feel.

First Person-in the first person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story.

Omniscient-a narrator who knows everything about all the characters, is all knowing.

Limited Omniscient-a narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.

Step 3: (OPTIONAL) Ask your students to log onto Exploring Point of View http://www.learner.org/exhibits/literature/read/pov1.html. Provide the students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to explore the Web site and complete the matching activity handout, Literary Devices. At the conclusion of this activity, collect the Activity Sheets and use them as a tool for assessment of learning.

Step 4: Discuss briefly the six literary devices:

Imagery-the way writer uses words to describe a place or an event. These words "paint a picture" in the reader's mind. They can also appeal to your five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

Foreshadowing-the clues that a writer gives the reader that prepares the reader for the things to come later in the story.

Setting-the time and place in which the events of a story occur.

Conflict-the struggle between opposing forces in a story.

Internal Conflict-conflict that exists in the mind of a character

External Conflict-conflict that exists when a character deals with an outside force, such as another person, nature, society, or fate.

Step 5: Give the students a copy of the short story and ask them to read the first paragraph. Ask the students to state the setting of the story and to describe the imagery used in this paragraph.

Step 6: Instruct the students to continue reading until they come to the paragraph that ends with the words, with "invader's farthest advance."

Step 7: Provide the students with a Focus on Media Interaction, asking them, "What do you think will happen to the man next?" (the man will be hanged, the sergeant will step off the board, the board will break, the man will fall into the water)

Step 8: START the video clip again. PAUSE the video when you see the officer step off of the board.

Step 9: Pose the following question to the entire class, "Was your prediction correct?" (He was hanged.)

Step 10: Instruct the students to review the previous paragraphs and locate any clues that would tell us that the man was to be hanged. Discuss these foreshadowing clues. Instruct the students to continue reading until they reach Part III of the text.

Step 11: REWIND the video or have a separate video with just the opening clip of the sign at the beginning of the story. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction, asking the students to look carefully at the sign and see if the producer gave any clues (foreshadowing) of the events to come. START the video. STOP the video after the sign is no longer visible.

Step 12: Pose the following question, "Did the producer provide foreshadowing?" Continue by asking, "Why do you think we may have missed this clue the first time?" (because we could not read it, because we did not think it was very important, because it was the opening of the video and we often do not pay attention at the beginning)

Step 13: (OPTIONAL) Ask the students to give examples of other movies, books or stories in which the beginning was key to the understanding of the story. Discussion will vary depending on the experiences of the students.

Step 14: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction, asking the students to watch the video and answer the question, "What actually happens to the man being hanged?" START the video clip where the soldier steps off of the board.  PAUSE the video when you see the man come up out of the water.

Step 15: Pose the following question to the entire class, "What happened to the man?" (he fell into the water, untied himself and swam to the top, he survived the fall off the bridge because he got away, the rope was too long to hang the man)

Step 16: Instruct the students to begin reading again. Have them stop when they read paragraph that ends with, "Their movements were grotesque and horrible, their forms gigantic." Ask the students to predict what will happen to the man now that he has escaped the ropes.

Step 17: Instruct the students to continue reading until they read the paragraph that ends with, "He sprang to his feet, rushed up the sloping bank, and plunged into the forest."

Step 18: Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction, by asking them to predict "Where do you think the man will go?" "Do you think he will get away?". START the video again. PAUSE the video when you see the man begin to run.

Step 19: Pose the following question to the students, "From what you have seen, where do you think the man will go?" (home, to a safe place, to a place where he can hide from the troops)

Step 20: Instruct the students to continue reading the text and to stop when they read the sentence, "He springs forward with extended arms." Pose the following question to the students, "Was your prediction correct?"

Step 21: Before you conclude the story, ask your students to list the internal and external conflicts within the story.

Step 22: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction, asking the students to watch the video, "What do you think will happen next?" START the video where the man is entering the gates and begins to run. PAUSE the video when you see the woman coming towards the man and the man running towards the woman.

Step 23: Pose the following question to the class, "What are the possible things that might happen at this point?" (the soldiers will come out of the house and kill the man, the man will live happily ever after, the man has a heart attack from running)

Step 24: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction, by asking the students, "Watch the conclusion of the story and see if your predictions are correct." START the video again. STOP the video when you see the soldiers marching off the bridge.

Step 25: Pose the following question, "Was your prediction correct?"

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Using the handout, The Narration in Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (page 1), complete the type of narration for the various portions of the story. Collect the handouts for use as Assessment.

Step 2: Explain that many writers use foreshadowing, conflict, point of view, imagery and surprise endings to make their stories more interesting.

Step 3: Instruct the students to "Write a Short Story" where the ending is a surprise or is completely different from what is expected at the beginning. Remind the students to include details about the setting, imagery, foreshadowing and conflict.

Step 4: Give the students a copy of the handout, English III Study Guide-"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Have the students complete the handout and collect the handouts as an assessment tool for learning.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Social Studies: Have the students locate information about the Civil War and information about Federal Scouts.

Have your students explore the The American Civil War Home Page found at the following Web site: http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html

An excellent Web site for Civil War links.

You need to preview the site prior to asking your students to view the site.

Community Connections

Invite one or more Civil War re-enactors to come to your classroom in his/her historical attire and explain the historical importance of the clothing or weapons. These resources can be found at the following Web sites:

• http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html
• http://www.cwreenactors.com/

Activity Sheets (PDF)