The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Teacher's Guide - Schedule / Lesson Plans

Introduction

Schedule/Lesson Plans

Capstone Project Ideas

Essay Topics

Additional Resources

NCTE Standards

Credits

Back to Reader's Guide

This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 class study of Leo Tolsoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.

The CD Audio Guides are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide. If your community is not participating, encourage a local organization (such as a library, museum, literary center, arts council, or similar non-profit organization) to apply.

DAY ONE

FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [64K]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD. Read Reader’s Guide essays. Discuss Tolstoy’s preoccupation with death. Write about personal reaction to a death.
Homework: Chapters 1-2 (pp. 31-52).*
Handout One [59K]
Handout Two [55K]

DAY TWO

FOCUS: Culture and History
Day Two Lesson Plan [64K]
Activities: Discuss the relevance of Tolstoy’s social criticism of the bourgeois. Practice patronymics. Write about how Ilyich’s willingness to ruin the lives of others might satirize the bourgeois class.
Homework: Chapters 3-4 (pp. 53-72).
Handout Three [56K]

DAY THREE

FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [64K]
Activities: Explore possibilities of alternative method of narration. Rewrite a brief encounter in Chapter 1 from another character’s point of view.
Homework: Chapters 5-7 (pp. 73-88).

DAY FOUR

FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [56K]
Activities: Discuss the issue of conformity in the novella. Write about a foil to the main character.
Homework: Chapters 8-12 (pp. 89-113).

DAY FIVE

FOCUS: Style and Genre
Day Five Lesson Plan [69K]
Activities: Discuss the respective merits of fantasy and realism. Write about whether Gerasim is a realistically portrayed character.
Homework: Examine use of metaphors and symbols in the novella’s conclusion.

DAY SIX

FOCUS: Symbolism and Figurative Language
Day Six Lesson Plan [68K]
Activities: Analyze symbols in the final chapter. Write about use of metaphors in the novella.
Homework: Apply the Kübler-Ross model to Ivan Ilyich.

DAY SEVEN

FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [54K]
Activities: Discuss Ivan Ilyich as antihero. Write about Ivan Ilyich’s final epiphany.
Homework: List turning points in the plot of the novella.

DAY EIGHT

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [68K]
Activities: Explore possibilities of an alternative plotline. Write about Tolstoy’s ability to generate interest and suspense.
Homework: Prepare to defend Tolstoy’s achievement.
Handout Three [56K]

DAY NINE

FOCUS: Themes of the Novella
Day Nine Lesson Plan [59K]
Activities: Explore Tolstoy’s treatment of the themes of duty, morality, and the purpose of life.
Homework: Prepare outlines and begin essays.

DAY TEN

FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [61K]
Activities: Evaluate the greatness of the novella and its most important themes. Write a defense of the universal relevance of The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
Homework: Finish essays.

* Page numbers refer to the Bantam Classics 1981 edition of The Death of Ivan Ilyich, in the Lynn Solotaroff translation.