Jorge Borges: Short Stories Lesson Plan

Does Context Matter?

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

To look closely at the use of context in textual analysis and reading comprehension, and to assess whether it is better to read with biographical details in mind or to read a text as if it is an independent entity.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1

Structure:

Is context helpful in understanding a literary work, or is it better to experience the work only in terms of the words on its pages? In other words, does it give me more insight to know about an author’s motives and the events surrounding the time when she wrote a novel,...