Lesson Title: Huck Finn as a storyteller
By: Mary Thomas
Burning question:
How can students appreciate the role of story-telling in the novel?
Context:
This lesson is designed for an 11th grade English class.
It is assumed that students will have read the novel prior to this lesson.
Objective: After completing this lesson, students will be able to
- Identify and analyze the audience and purpose of Huck’s stories
- Place Huck’s stories in the context of the novel as a whole and identify the purpose of the stories
- Compare and contrast Huck and Tom’s stories
- Discuss what Huck’s stories reveal about the development of his character
- Write their own stories or responses crafted for a particular audience and purpose
Materials:
§ Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Puffin Classics). London: Puffin, 2008. (a copy for each student)
§ Handouts of the Anticipation Guide
§ Handouts of Huck’s Stories guide and questions
§ Pens and pencils
§ Paper
Procedures:
- Have students complete the anticipation guide. Students will share their responses in small groups of 4. Each group will pick one of the examples to discuss with the class.
- Discuss the importance of story-telling in Huck Finn. Explain that students will be examining several of Huck’s stories in order to understand the development of his character and the societal context of the novel.
- Distribute the handout of Huck’s stories to each group. Assign roles--scribe, spokesperson, discussion leader, quality control person. Explain the role of each student.
- Demonstrate the procedure by discussing one of the stories as a class.
- Each group is responsible for analyzing one story. Check on the progress of each group’s work.
- Groups present their findings to the class.
- Class discussion—
a. Compare and contrast Huck and Tom’s plans for Jim’s escape.
b. What do the plans reveal about each character?
c. Why does Huck abandon his own plan in favor of Tom’s plan?
d. How do Huck and Tom’s stories reflect their different childhood experiences?
· Individual writing assignment- Students choose one of the following topics-
a. Write letters from Huck to Jim or Huck to Tom discussing Jim’s escape.
b. Pick one of the situations and write an alternative story that Huck might have told.
c. How does Huck change over the course of the novel? How do his stories provide evidence of his development?
d. What does Huck learn from the stories that the other characters tell?
The paper should include a minimum of 5 specific annotated references to the text.
Rationale:
This lesson encourages a close reading of the text. Students analyze the “story within the story” and consider Huck as a storyteller.
Extensions:
Students may research some of the specific issues that are raised by Huck’s stories:
1. Legal issues-children’s rights
2. Children’s games, rituals, and stories
3. Realism in children’s literature
4. Modern childhood games and stories
Resources:
· Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Puffin Classics). London: Puffin, 2008.
§ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- Anticipation Guide
Pick two of the following and write a short response (one paragraph).
Consider your audience and purpose.
- Your teacher assigned 3 pages of math homework and you only completed 1 page. What is your excuse?
- Your 4 year old brother is bored and wants you to tell him a story.
- Think of a time when you had to invent a story quickly. What were the circumstances? What did you say?
- You want to persuade your parents to let you borrow the car.
- “Huck’s Stories”
Directions--
- Read the story carefully.
- Identify the purpose of the story.
- Identify the audience.
- Does the story fulfill its purpose? Why or why not?
- What is Huck’s attitude regarding the story?
- Identify specific details that are critical to the story.
- What does the story reveal about Huck? What does the story reveal about the audience?
- What does the story reveal about the society?
- Chapter 7- Huck creates the “murder” scene.
- Chapter 11-Huck (disguised as a girl) meets Mrs. Judith Loftus.
- Chapter 15-Huck lies to Jim.
- Chapter 16-Huck sees two men on a skiff.
- Chapter 26-Huck tells Joann about England.
- Chapter 28-Huck tells the truth.
- Chapter 30-Huck explains his actions to the King.
- Chapter 31-Huck tries to convince himself to betray Jim.
- Chapter 34- Huck and Tom compare plans for Jim’s escape.
Carla Beard wrote a lesson plan “Tom, Huck, and Susy; Three Views of Childhood, July 2004, which asks students to consider tone, point of view, audience: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/tomhuck.pdf