The Shawl
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 Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl. 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 [70K]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD. Discuss Reader’s Guide essays. Write an essay on a career goal or lifetime dream.
Homework: Read the opening story (pp. 3-10).
Handout One [58K]
Handout Two [50K]

DAY TWO

FOCUS: Culture and History
Day Two Lesson Plan [58K]
Activities: Discuss essays from the Reader’s and Teacher’s Guides. Examine Ozick’s description of the death camp. Write an essay on whether or not genocide could take place in today’s society.
Homework: Read from page 13 until the break on page 39.

DAY THREE

FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [65K]
Activities: Discuss the novel’s narrative perspective. Write a scene from the first person point-of-view of a character other than Rosa.
Homework: Read from the break on page 39 until the break on page 53.

DAY FOUR

FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [63K]
Activities: Read Handout Three. Discuss Stella’s letter to Rosa, Simon Persky’s role as a foil to Rosa, and the life Rosa invents for Magda. Write three paragraphs considering whether choice is “the only true freedom.”
Homework: Finish reading the book.

DAY FIVE

FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan [67K]
Activities: Discuss figurative language and the importance of metaphor in Ozick’s writing. Analyze the parable of the lettuce on pages 67-69. Write an essay on why Rosa refuses to forget the Holocaust.
Homework: Review the book to find examples of objects that can be considered symbolic.

DAY SIX

FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [58K]
Activities: Discuss how Magda’s shawl and Rosa’s underwear function as symbols. Write an essay on what buttons might symbolize to Rosa.
Homework: List Rosa’s strengths and weaknesses supporting each trait with a passage from the text.

DAY SEVEN

FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [66K]
Activities: Using the list of character traits from the previous night’s homework, discuss whether or not Rosa is a sympathetic, heroic protagonist. Analyze Persky’s effectiveness as a comic character. Write an essay on the character most highly assimilated to American culture.
Homework: Identify three major turning points in the book.

DAY EIGHT

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [62K]
Activities: Discuss the book’s turning points and what we learn about Rosa during those moments. Outline a sequel to the book.
Homework: Identify three major themes in the book.

DAY NINE

FOCUS: Themes of the Book
Day Nine Lesson Plan [62K]
Activities: Discuss themes of Memory/History, Dignity, and Life.
Homework: Begin working on essays.

DAY TEN

FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [63K]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great work of fiction.
Homework: Work on essays.

Handouts

Handout One: Jewish Life in Pre-World War II Poland [PDF]
Handout Two: The Warsaw Ghetto [PDF]
Handout Three: Jewish Immigration to the United States [PDF]