Ethan Frome Lesson Plan

Story Shapes

Kind of Activity:

Individual Writing

Objective:

Students will reflect on the shape of stories and be able to express their opinions citing textual evidence.

Structure:

For this activity, we will use the following website:

http://www.openculture.com/2014/02/kurt-vonnegut-masters-thesis-rejected-by-u-chicago.html

Using a projector, the class should watch the YouTube video of Vonnegut explaining his thesis and the eight different shapes that stories take. Hold a brief classroom discussion on whether students agree with Vonnegut's thesis or not. Afterward, project the diagrams from the article on Vonnegut's thesis and have the students take notes, or you may...