English 11
Lesson Plans
Monday: Begin thematic unit on mental health. We will discuss expectations for this unit because of how sensitive the topics we will cover in this unit are. If you have any personal experience with the topics we will discuss in class feel free to share with the class, this is a judgement free environment. Introduce students to the DSM-5 and show them the diagnosis for different mental disorders.
Tuesday: Introduce the book Suicide Notes and assign mental illness power point presentations Due: Thursday we will present these in class.
Wednesday: Workday in class for mental illness presentations
Thursday: Students will present their mental illness projects to the class. At the end of class we will pass out Suicide Notes and if there is time left I will answer any questions students still have over mental illness or the book.
Friday: We will begin Suicide Notes and read chapters 1-2 in class. HW: Read chapter 3 by Monday.
Tuesday: Introduce the book Suicide Notes and assign mental illness power point presentations Due: Thursday we will present these in class.
Wednesday: Workday in class for mental illness presentations
Thursday: Students will present their mental illness projects to the class. At the end of class we will pass out Suicide Notes and if there is time left I will answer any questions students still have over mental illness or the book.
Friday: We will begin Suicide Notes and read chapters 1-2 in class. HW: Read chapter 3 by Monday.
Recommended Reading List
Unit One: The Holocaust
The Diary Of Anne Frank- Read the recovered diary of Anne Frank that was discovered in the Secret Annex that Anne and her family were living in during WWII. The diary explains what life was like for her family living in hiding from the Nazi's during the Holocaust. The Diary Of Anne Frank is the most sold book in the world selling more copies than the bible, and does a great job at portraying what it's like to live as a Jewish person during WWII.
Night by Ellie Wiesel: Night is a memoir about a teenager who was held in Auschwitz concentration camp with his father. He writes his experiences of being held in a ghetto, being transported in a train car, his experience in Auschwitz, and being transported on foot from one concentration camp to another. It is an extremely moving book about the holocaust. This book we will be reading as a class. |
Unit Two: LGBT Issues
Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger: Catcher In The Rye is a story about growing up and follows the perspective of a teenager, Holden Caulfield, as he leaves school and has to take care of himself in New York. Now Catcher In The Rye isn't necessarily an LGBT book however there are moments that are believed to be LGBT if you read into them which I will be discussing in class. I recommend skimming this book for class.
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party: This is not a book but actually a movie about an LGBT youth who is surrounded by religion and scared of how his sexuality and his faith will clash. The plot of the movie observes the main character's birthday party as we see the concept of sexuality and religion clash and learn how everyone feels on the issues. We will be observing the movie trailer in class but it might be nice to have seen the entire movie so that you can add more meaning thought to our classroom discussion. I will warn that the movie does have some sexual indications and does have triggers such as self harm, alcoholism, and attempted suicide. Stitches by Glen Huser: What's great about this book is that being gay is not the main focus of the book but instead it is an underlying theme. The book touches on bullying and how not to treat gay youth, but the main character also has supportive parents and shows how you should treat LGBT youth. This is the book we will be reading in class. The Trevor Project: A suicide hotline for LGBT youth, |
Unit Three: Mental Health
Suicide Notes: This book is about a high school teenager who is institutionalized because of a suicide attempt. While he is there he meets multiple people with different mental illnesses. The best part of this book is that there is such a variety of mental illnesses showcased in this book which will allow you to learn a little bit about a lot of different mental illnesses. This is the book we will be reading in class.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher: This book is bad when it comes to teaching about mental health. The problem is that it romanticizes depression and suicide. The main point is that if Clay Jenson, the main character of the book, told Hannah that he loved her then that would have saved her life. Which is untrue, it also emphasizes that her high school consular didn't believe her with her problems, which says to readers that you can't talk to anybody about your problems. That is not a good thing to have for a book targeted towards youth struggling with mental health. I will be referencing this book talking about the fallacies it portrays. If you decide to read this book please keep in mind that it is not good for portraying mental health in a positive way. Suicide Hotline: A hotline to use if you or someone you know is in a suicidal state. These are professionals that know what they are doing. |