Reasons for Teaching The Perks of Being a Wallfower Young Adult - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Reasons for Teaching The Perks of Being a Wallfower

• Young Adult Ficton
• involving (everyday school life)
• perspectve on American High

Schools

• accessible («I» narrator)
• intended for natve speakers
• various references to flm, music

and literature

From: Lehrplan Englisch, Kantonsschule Hohe Promenade, Zürich

Grobziele Oberstufe (3./4. Klasse) Der systematsche Aufau des Wortschatzes und der Erwerb syntaktscher Strukturen erlauben es den Lernenden, sich schriflich und mündlich adäquat und situatonsgerecht auszudrücken und sich zu einfachen Themen verständlich zu äussern. Erste längere Originaltexte können gelesen, verstanden, kommentert und diskutert werden. Gleichzeitg werden sie mit angelsächsischer Lebens- und Wesensart vertraut.

• Erweiterung des Wortschatzes
• Verfeinerung der Grammatk
• Erste idiomatsche und stlistsche Übungen
• Arbeiten mit dem Wörterbuch

• Kleinere Vorträge zu alltäglichen Themen
• Einfache Texte verfassen, z.B. Beschreibung,

Brief, Inhaltsangabe, Erlebnisaufsatz

• Einfache Originallektüre
• Übungen zum Hörverständnis aufgrund von

authentschem Material

schedule

suggested approach: Homework session 1 Introduction session 2 Journal Entry: A day in high school p. 3-42 (part 1), ca. 40 pages session 3 Mind-Map /Character analysis

• p. 45-102 (part 2), ca. 50

pages session 4 Charlie's personal development and maturation

• p. 105-149 (part 3), ca.

50 pages session 5 Literary Analysis Questions

• p. 153-188 (part 4, i), ca.

40 pages session 6 Literary Analysis Questions

• p. 188-231 (part 4, ii),
• ca. 40 pages

session 7 ready to present lyrics

Lesson 1 - Introducton

• Introducton
• Steven Chbosky: Biography
• Introducing the book
• Examining the book's ttle
• Examining the genre: Epistolary novel
• Reading Charlie's frst leter in class
• How would the students describe Charlie's

character based on what they have just read?

• Watching the frst 4 minutes of “The Perks of

being a wallfower“

• Homework: Reading the frst part of the book

Lesson 2 – Part I

• Reading Comprehension Part I:
• Vocabulary?
• Most signfciant event?
• The students journal one of their own days at

high school.

• Diferences in percepton?
• The students are invited to read their pieces in

front of the class.

• The students read part 2 of the book at home

Lesson 3 – Part 2

• Reading Comprehension
• Reading a certain scene from novel with the students that

sheds light on Charlie's unique personality.

• The students discuss the scene with their neighbour
• Results of that conversaton are discussed in class
• The students draw a mind-map of the various characters

they have encountered in the novel so far and how close they are to Charlie.

– The students discuss their mind-maps with their neighbour – The mind-maps are discussed in class

• Homework: The students read Part 3 at home

Lesson 4 - Part 3

• Reading Comprehension

– Charlie's maturaton in the course of the whole novel (writng) – Discussion

• The students are asked to put themselves in

Charlie's shoes with certain events that happened during Part 3

• The students form their own opinions on how

they think Charlie should have reacted in those situatons.

Speaking Assignment Presentaton on lyrics: You will work in groups of three students. Consult the list of Charlie’s mix tape (p. 66). Choose a song, and prepare a short interactve presentaton of the song and the lyrics (10-15 mins). As a group, decide if you were a director planning to turn Charlie’s year as a freshman into a movie where in the story the song should best be placed.

For your presentaton some of the following prompts can serve as questons for a discussion.

• Why does the song ft to the list.
• Who is the speaker(s)?
• Who are the characters in the song?
• What is the subject or situaton in the song?
• What are the events in the song? When and where do the events take

place?

• What changes or development do the characters experience? Are they

positve or negatve?

• What is the central idea the songwriter is trying to communicate?
• What is the attude or tone the songwriter is trying to communicate?
• What is the main theme of the song?
• What lines contribute to the development of the theme?
• How does the central idea, tone, or theme apply to your world? To

Charlie’s world?

consideratons

• A class of 18 students needs about 2 lessons. 24 Students need about 2 ½ lessons.
• Three presentatons fll about one lesson (45 mins)
• It is possible to give grades (speaking).

Group evaluaton criteria

• You speak about the same length of tme.
• You take part in the discussion as a group.
• The discussion lasts for 5-7 minutes.

Single evaluaton criteria

• Pronunciaton and intonaton
• Use of grammar and sentences
• Content (thoughtul contributons, talking about the song)
• Range of vocabulary
• fuency

Write a Leter to Charlie (1 ½ - 2 pages) Select one of the dates below, and write a response in the form of a leter to

• Charlie. Imagine that he is writng to you in confdence and waitng for a

reply. Be specifc; make sure to respond to some of the details mentoned in his leter to you. Feel free to draw comparisons to your own life or people you know, or ofer Charlie advice on how to deal with something he’s struggling with.

April 18, 1992, (pp. 141-147) (note for the teacher: Charlie humiliates Mary Elizabeth at a game of truth or dare) May 11, 1992 (pp. 167-173) (note for the teacher: Charlie spends more tme with Patrick; they kiss in the end) epilogue (note for the teacher: Charlie wakes up in the hospital; the leter closes on the evening before Charlies starts his sophomore year)

Task

• You will read a few sentences from a leter.
• What can you fnd out about the writer?
• Have a conversaton about your thoughts with

your partner!

August 25, 1991 Dear friend, I am writng to you because she said you listen and understand and didn’t try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have. Please don’t try to fgure out who she is because then you might fgure out who I am, and I really don’t want you to do that. I will call people by diferent names or generic (Gatungs-) names because I don’t want you to fnd me. I didn’t enclose a return address for the same reason. I mean nothing bad by this. Honest.