National Endowment of the Arts - The Big Read

My Ántonia
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 Willa Cather's My Ánotnia. 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. Page numbers refer to the 1994 Vintage Classics edition of My Ántonia.

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 [PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD, Track One. Distribute Reader's Guide essays, "Willa Cather," "The Model for Ántonia Shimerda," and "Cather and Her Other Works."
Homework: Read My Ántonia, the Introduction (pp. 3-6) and Book One, Chapters 1-7 (pp. 9-42).

Day Two

FOCUS: Culture and History
Day Two Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD, Track Two. Distribute Handout One [PDF] and Handout Two [PDF] from this guide along with the essay "Willa Cather's Nebraska" from the Reader's Guide.
Homework: Book One, Chapters 8-16 (pp. 43-91).

Day Three

FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Tell a story by focusing on a significant person from your childhood.
Homework: Book One, Chapters 17-19 (pp. 92-106) and Book Two, Chapters 1-5 (pp. 109-130).

Day Four

FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Explain protagonist and antagonist. Introduce foil. Perform character review of Ántonia, Jim, Mr. Shimerda, Lena and the Land.
Homework: Book Two, Chapters 6-12 (pp. 131-169).

Day Five

FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Using imagery, write about a childhood memory.
Homework: Book Two, Chapters 13-15 (pp. 170-189).

Day Six

FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Analyze the major symbols of the snake, the crossroads, and the plough.
Homework: Book Three, Chapters 1-4 (pp. 191-218).

Day Seven

FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Map the development of three major characters: Jim, Ántonia, and Lena.
Homework: Book Four, Chapters 1-4 (pp. 221-238).

Day Eight

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Review the stages of plot development. See if steudents can identify the crisis, conflict, and resolution of the novel.
Homework: Book Five, Chapters 1-3 (pp. 241-272).

Day Nine

FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Develop an interpretation based on a theme: memory, the taming of the land, the immigrant experience in America, or happiness.
Homework: Write outlines and begin essays. Read Handout Three [PDF].

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 Cather ’s novel successful. Have students review each other's paper outlines or drafts.
Homework: Essay due next class period.