The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

Overview:

Level: IBDP English Year 1 HL

Time Frame: 5 weeks

Created by: Nehal Ez El-Dein

Understandings:

 An author's style and tone create the meaning of his or her work.
 Authors comment on the societies in which they live, encouraging their
readers to question the status quo and potentially take action.
 The way the role of women is viewed by society determines how they will
be treated.
 Unhealthy relationships come from a misunderstanding of Biblical roles.

Essential Questions:

 How does A Handmaid's Tale reflect modern western society? What is

Margaret Atwood's purpose for painting this picture?
 How does religion restrict the ability to make moral judgments? How does
faith set us free?
 How does the author’s style and tone affect the meaning of his or her work?
 What does this novel show us about how society's view of women affects its
treatment of them?
 What stereotypical misconceptions about the physical aspect of relationships
do the characters demonstrate? How do societal norms distort the true nature
of intimacy?

Knowledge and Skills:

The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

The students will understand...

 how sex is used symbolically in literature.

 a balanced view of feminism as a reaction to oppression and abuse.
 the purpose of the dystopian perspective in literature.

The students will be able to...

 identify theme and explain its effects on a work.

 identify symbols used in a work and analyze their meaning.
 identify point of view and analyze its affect on reader understanding.
 identify and describe characteristics of an author's style and register.
 identify different type of allusions and explain how they affect a text.
 identify flashback and explain its significance to the readers' understanding.
 identify imagery (color imagery) and analyze its effects.

.
The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

RESOURCES

 Novel: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (see reading schedule

attached)
 Textbook: Writer's Inc Handbook: The College Edition
 Resource Book: How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C.
Foster (chapter 16 "It's All about Sex...", chapter 17 "Except Sex...", chapter
7 "Or the Bible", chapter 12 "Is It a Symbol?" )
 Resource Materials: IBO A2 Programme Guide
 Video: The Handmaid's Tale
 Articles and Essays:"A Vindication of the Rights of Women" By Mary
Wollstonecraft; “What Women Want” by Nancy Gibbs
 PowerPoints: Symbolism PowerPoint, Point of View PowerPoint; Allusion
PowerPoint

Assessments:

Weekly Activities (Formative Assessments):

Define and identify 1-2 stylistic devices or literary terms each week:

 point of view
 allusion
 theme
 1st person POV (point of view)
 3rd person POV
 3rd person limited POV
 3rd person omniscient,
 Narrator
 unreliable narrator
 flashback
 symbol
 imagery

Summative Assessments:

IBO Written Task and Rationale

The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

A2 HL Year 1 Daily Lesson Plans: Week 1

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Daily how the author’s background how cultural and historical how cultural and
Objectives can influence the structure of events, particularly historical events,
a novel. allusions, affect the tone of particularly allusions,
(Students will a literary work. affect the tone of a
understand...) literary work.

Learning
Activities
*Margaret Atwood Power *Three-step Interview about *Presentations for Web
Point Foster reading Quest Power Point
Assignment
* Class discussion about the *KWL graphic organizer
setting of the novel *Whole class discussion
*Allusion Power Point about Web Quest topics
* Read aloud chapters 16 and
17 from Foster novel * Handmaid’s Tale Web
Quest Power Point
Assignment on the
following topics: Gilead,
American Puritanism,
Feminism, Dystopian
literature, and Christian
Fundamentalist Movement

Formative Paragraph Analysis on Foster Web Quest Assignment Reading Assignment :

Assessment Chapters Foster Chapter 7

Class Discussion

Summative Students will complete IB Students will complete IB IB Written Task due.
Assessment written task from the previous written task from the
unit. previous unit.
The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

A2 HL Year 1 Daily Lesson Plans: Week 2

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Daily how shifts in point of view the thematic tones in the the thematic, style, and
Objectives affect the plot development of novel The Handmaid’s register from a passage in
a novel. Tale. the novel The
(Students will Handmaid’s Tale.
understand...)

Learning
Activities
*Reading Quiz #1 *Theme Power Point *Present Theme Graphic
Poster Assignment
* Think-Pair-Share about * Work time on Theme
previous reading assignment Graphic Poster Assignment *Review IB Paper 1
Requirements
*Power Point on POV and
flashback *In-class passage analysis
(Paper 1 practice)
* Passage analysis: use of a
flashback

* Work time on flashback

assignment

Formative Flashback Assignment Theme Graphic Poster Theme Graphic Poster

Assessment Assignment Assignment

Summative
Assessment
The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

A2 HL Year 1 Daily Lesson Plans: Week 3

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Daily the use of symbols within a the meaning of symbols the meaning of symbols
Objectives literary work. used in the novel The used in the novel The
Handmaid’s Tale. Handmaid’s Tale.
(Students will
understand..)

Learning
Activities
*Reading Quiz #3 *Anticipatory Set: Comic *Presentation for Cartoon
Strip Race Strip Assignment
* Anticipatory Set: Identify
the Symbol * Present Symbol Cartoon * Gallery walk and
Strip Assignment “Artist’s Notes” Exercise
* Small group discussion:
What is a symbol? * Work time on Cartoon * Classroom discussion
Strip Assignment about symbols/imagery
*Symbol Power Point used in the novel
*Read Aloud: Foster chapter
12- “Is it a symbol?”

Formative Discussion Teacher observation Student presentation

Assessment
Teacher Observation Teacher observation

Summative
Assessment
The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

A2 HL Year 1 Daily Lesson Plans: Week 4

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Daily the progression of feminist the requirements for an IB the structure of an IB

Objectives thought by analyzing written task. Paper 1 exam.
supplementary texts.
(Students will
understand..)

Learning
Activities
*Reading Quiz #3 *Carousel Review *IB Paper 1 Practice Test
using the following texts:
* Jigsaw: "A Vindication of *Review IB Written Task
the Rights of Women" By Requirements "A Vindication of the
Mary Wollstonecraft; “What Rights of Women" By
Women Want” by Nancy *Assign Handmaid Written Mary Wollstonecraft
Gibbs Task
“What Women Want” by
*Work time on written task Nancy Gibbs

Formative Teacher observation Student Discussion

Assessment
Teacher observation

Summative IB Written Task and IB Paper 1 Practice Test

Assessment Rationale
The Handmaid’s Tale Unit Plan

A2 HL Year 1 Daily Lesson Plans: Week 5

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Daily the intellectual and artistic the intellectual and artistic the knowledge and skills
Objectives differences between a movie differences between a for the unit The
and a literary work. movie and a literary work. Handmaid’s Tale.
(Students will
understand..)

Learning
Activities
*Watch portions of the movie *Finish the movie The *Snowball activity
The Handmaid’sTale Handmaid’s Tale
* Final class discussion
*Peer-edit written tasks about the novel

Formative The Handmaid’s Tale Movie The Handmaid’s Tale Discussion

Assessment Study Guide Movie Study Guide

Summative IB Written Task and IB Written Task and IB Written Task and
Assessment Rationale Rationale Rationale