Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Unreliable Narrator

Rationale: In today's society we are bombarded with information from many different sources, these include electronic media such as television and movies; print media, both online and hard copy and any other situations in which we are the receivers of information such as stories we are told or literature that we read. This information is most often conveyed to us through an intermediary source or narrator. Most of the media sources of information we draw from are reputable and are held to certain levels of accountability for the information that they make available to others. The problem is that many times we as readers or viewers believe that everything that is presented to us is factual, unbiased information. The reality is that as receivers of information we must be able to decipher what is being presented to us and separate the facts from the fiction. This lesson will help students come to the realization that not all information presented to them is necessarily factual and will also introduce the concept of an unreliable narrator.

Media/Materials: 30 Copies of Flash Fiction (or 30 photocopies of 232-9979 and A Public Denial)
Video Clips from TV/Movies providing examples of unreliable narrators:

Clip #1 - Monty Python - Red Riding Hood - And 30 copies of text of dialogue from clip

CLIP #2 - The Universe of Man

Students Reading Journals

Smartboard/computer with internet access and printing capabilities

Standards Connections:
NCTE
: 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers and their understanding of textual features. 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions , media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
NYS: Standard 3. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

Unit Goal that this Lesson Supports:
This lessons supports our overall unit on Point of View. By establishing the concept of an unreliable narrator students will understand that the point of view through which information is given is not always reliable.

Objectives:
Students will be able to understand the concept of an unreliable narrator and identify this concept in different forms of media. Students will be able to recognize and write about examples of this concept in their own lives. Students will be able to analyze a text and evaluate the reliability of the source or narrator.

Assessment: Students will demonstrate an understanding of unreliable narrator in different media forms through the discussion and writing activities that follow the reading of the short story and the viewing of the film clips. Students will make a personal connection with the concept through the writing activity in which they provide and analyze an example of an unreliable narrator in their own lives. Students will demonstrate their ability to analyze a text and evaluate the reliability of the narrator through the writing assignment on the reliability of Melinda as a narrator.

Lesson Procedure
Entry:
I will begin the lesson by having the students read A Public Denial on their own. Once everyone has finished I will begin discussion by asking the questions, "Who is the narrator of this story?" "Are the events in this story believable?". This will follow by having the students write in their journals about a story about themselves or their family that is unbelievable but true. Students can volunteer to share a few of these stories with the class. We will close discussion of this story with the question "Do you believe the narrator is telling the truth?" After discussion of this question I will read 232-9979 aloud to the class as they follow along with their own books. I will ask them to underline or highlight key phrases, words or passages that give clues to whether the narrator is telling the truth or not. We will share what students came up with and share selections that both support and call into question the reliability of the narrator. We will conclude this discussion by touching on the idea that the narrator provides us with only one point of view concerning the story and will work as a class to define an unreliable narrator. A student will be writing our working definition on the smart board as we develop it.
Development: The lesson will progress to examine unreliable narrators in media other than the short story. I will show two short video clips in which an unreliable narrator is present and discuss with the class whether or not the narrators can be seen as reliable and more importantly why or why not? We will then have the students produce an in-class writing assignment on an example of an unreliable narrator from their own lives. If the students cannot come up with an example from their own lives they can write about an example from the media. We will share these stories and discuss whether they are valid examples of unreliable narrators. At this point we will go back to our working definition on the smart board and make any changes that the class feels are necessary. Once we have finalized our definition of unreliable narrator we will print each students a copy from the smart board.
Closure: The closure to this lesson will be to take the definition of unreliable narrator we have constructed as a class and apply that concept to Melinda. We will close the lesson with a class discussion on the reliability of Melinda as a narrator and this will help form the basis of their home work assignment.

Assignments: Students will have the option of re-writing a section of Speak from a perspective other than Melinda's (this could be the scene in the closet from the earlier lesson or any other scene in which multiple perspectives can be examined), or re-writing either of the Flash Fiction Stories from the opposite point of view (The Grandfather in A Public Denial or the husband in 232-9979). These responses should be no more than two pages typed and double spaced and are due next class period.

Lesson Analysis: I want the students to feel connected and engaged with the idea of unreliable narrator and to be able to recognize this concept in the world around them. I want to know if the movies and stories are an interesting way to enter the subject or if they fall flat. I am very interested to see where the discussion of Melinda's reliability takes the class.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
What a neat lesson! Do you have copies of the two texts (232-9979 and Public Denial)? I have looked everywhere online and at the library for these texts and the Flash Fiction book is out of print. I would be extremely greatful!

My email is amw5x4@mizzou.edu

Thanks!

Audrey Warmack