what makes a good friend?

“Indeed, I am very sorry to be right in this instance. I would much rather have been merry than wise.”
      - Emma Woodhouse

In this module, we'll explore characterization through the famous Miss Emma Woodhouse, heroine of Jane Austen's novel, Emma. Emma is a complex character, lending well to a character study. Do her strengths of character outweigh her vices? Or do her shortcomings cloud over her charms?

Module summary:

• read the beginning of Jane Austen's Emma
• watch a movie adaptation of ​Emma and take note of Emma's virtues and vices
• write an essay: is Emma ultimately a friend or a foe?

essential questions

• ​How do authors develop characters with depth?
• How do we effectively draw concrete examples from a source to support an argument?​

goals

• Students will understand that one way to develop a character is by combining positive and negative qualities for a more realistic persona.​
• Students will understand that effective note-taking during an activity makes it easier to include concrete examples that support an argument.

daily activities

MONDAY

• Tell tale cards: what makes a good friend?
• Review syllabus and expectations
• Read and annotate passage from the beginning of Emma
  • What do you learn about Emma's character?
  • What questions do you have from the text?
• Watch Emma
  • Take notes: evidence of Emma the friend (virtues) and Emma the foe (vices)

TUESDAY

• Finish watching movie and taking notes
• Discuss: what are your impressions of Emma?
• Plan 5 paragraph essay answering the question, "is Emma ultimately a good or a bad character?"

WEDNESDAY

• Draft essay
  • intro: hook, context (movie summary), thesis
  • support paragraphs: topic sentence, concrete example from story, explanation in defense of thesis
  • find a quote (search online) to include in a support paragraph
  • conclusion: wrap it all up, come back to concept of friendship and universal values

THURSDAY

• Finish drafting, conference with Christine
• Revise as needed

FRIDAY

• Wrap up essay, get syllabus signed off

c-tachs

Writing:

• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Helpful docs

Emma Syllabus
File Size:	46 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Emma Passage
File Size:	42 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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