The Nickel Boys Lesson Plan

Bildungsroman

Kind of Activity:

Research

Objective:

Students will research the literary genre of a bildungsroman and discuss how "The Nickel Boys" does and does not fit into the genre.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4

Structure:

In literary criticism, a bildungsroman is more or less a coming-of-age story, and reaches as far back in the canon as eighteenth-century author Goethe. As individuals or small groups, students will research the fundamental facets of a bildungsroman and use the information they've collected to prepare for a classwide discussion on the genre, and how The...