This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 day class study of Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. 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.
Audio Guide CDs 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 CD. Non-participating communities can listen to the full audio online.
Day One
FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read Audio Guide. Read Reader’s Guide essays. Write a second chapter to the novel.
Homework: Chapters I-VII (pp. 3-41).
Day Two
FOCUS: Culture and History
Day Two Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Read and discuss Reader’s Guide essay “Hemingway and the Lost Generation,” Handout One [PDF] and Handout Two [PDF]. Play the Surrealist game "exquisite corpse."
Homework: Chapters VIII-XII (pp. 42-78).
Day Three
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Tell the story from the point of view of a secondary character.
Homework: Chapters XIII-XVIII (pp. 81-116).
Day Four
FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Explain protagonist and antagonist. Introduce foil.
Homework: Chapters XIX-XXIV (pp. 117-159).
Day Five
FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Examine Hemingway's dialogue. Use metaphors in personal description.
Homework: Chapters XXV-XXVII (pp. 163-193).
Day Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Explore the symbol of the snake.
Homework: Chapters XXVIII-XXXII (pp. 194-233).
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Explore Henry's beliefs.
Homework: Chapters XXXIII-XXXV (pp. 237-263).
Day Eight
FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Chart a time line of the story. Write the opening of a sequel.
Homework: Chapters XXXIII-XXXV (pp. 237-263).
Day Nine
FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Develop an interpretation based on a theme: Hope/Hopelessness or Relationships.
Homework: Chapters XXXVIII-XLI (pp. 289-332).
Day Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great novel and the voice of a generation. Examine qualities that make Hemingway’s
novel successful. Have students review each other's paper outlines or drafts.
Homework: Essay due next class period.
HANDOUTS
Handout One: World War I - The Great War [PDF]
Handout Two: Modernism [PDF]
Handout Three: Hemingway's Writing Style [PDF]
