Attitudes toward women have changed radically in the last hundred years. The first lesson in a six-part unit that uses Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour" as an anchor text begins with a shared reading of "The Role of Women in 19th Century America," which provides class members with background knowledge of the values and mores of the times. Partners then engage in an interactive reading of the story's beginning and respond to comprehension questions on the provided worksheet.

Concepts

kate chopin, elements of a short story, literary analysis, the nineteenth century, women's history, women's rights, gender bias

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Instructional Ideas

• Because materials generated will be used throughout the unit, instruct class members to keep all work in their binders or file them in their folders kept in the classroom
• Set aside extra prep time to read the 12-page introduction to the unit and prepare the materials needed for the lesson

Classroom Considerations

• Requires copies of "The Story of an Hour," projection equipment for the slide show and the video, and copies of multiple documents
• First of six lessons in "The Story of an Hour" unit

Pros

• A link to an overview of the entire unit is provided in the Included Materials section
• The attached video suggests how to provide additional scaffolding for ELLs
• The interactive reading worksheets encourage close reading

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.8.10 SL.8.1.a SL.8.1.b SL.8.1.c SL.8.1.d SL.8.6