Unit Summary

Welcome to our Digital Unit! For this lesson, we will be discussing the important themes of independence and self-expression in Kate Chopin's The Awakening. This unit will focus on the expectations of tradition and the limitations women had during the 1800's. We will see how those aspects are depicted in American literature, specifically in The Awakening.  To better understand the themes of the novel, we will research how women have been viewed and treated throughout American history.  We will learn about important dates, women, and events that have helped shift the views of women.  We will use various web and multimedia sources, so be prepared to spend a significant amount of time doing research online. You will need a reliable internet connection at home. If you have any concerns about this, make sure to come see me after school, or you can also have a parent/guardian contact me.

big ideas

Throughout history, society’s views on women have evolved. How did society norms during the 18th, 19th, and 20th century affect the way women were viewed and treated? Make connections to The Awakening and discuss traditional attitudes about the role of women in society during that time and how it compares to today’s society. How does The Awakening speak to the roles of women and the conventions of literature at the end of the 19th century?

student learning objectives

1. Students will gain background knowledge of 18th, 19th, and 20th century societal views in America, of women in particular, and discuss how they changed over time. 
2. By acquiring background knowledge, students will be able to identify and analyze two major themes presented in The Awakening.
3. At the end of reading the novel, students will be able to write a 3 to 4 page essay analyzing one or two major themes they encountered in The Awakening by drawing evidence from the text and supplemental readings to support their analysis.

California content standards

Reading Standards for Literature
12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
12.9 Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

Writing Standards
12.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, 
reflection, and research.
    

Subject area/grade level

12th Grade English