Lesson Title:  Will the Real Text Please Stand Up?

 

By: Pat Lowe

 

Burning Question: 

Did the authors of the retold stories stay true to Mark Twain’s characters?  Did they use literary license, or did they alter the message to achieve another purpose?

 

Objectives:

• Students will understand the concept of literary license.
• Students will analyze text content and an author’s intent.
• Students will use the reading comprehension strategy of compare and contrast.
• Students will use critical thinking skills to form an opinion.
• Students will write a persuasive response.

 Context:

 Grade Level:  4^th - 6^th

The lesson could be used in a storytelling unit or during the study of Classics Retold:  Tom Sawyer.

 

Materials:

·         Copy to read aloud of:  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer #2: The Best Fence Painter

• Brook, Henry and Mark Twain.  Usborne Classics Retold:  Tom Sawyer. London: Usborne Publishing Ltd., 2008. Individual copies of pages 16-21 for student use (“The Happy Artist” chapter)
• Graphic organizer/study sheet for each student

·         Rasmusen, Kent. Mark Twain for Kids: His Life & Times, 21 Activities (For Kids series). Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2004.

 

Time Span:  Two sessions of 30 to 40 minutes

 

Procedures:

• Teacher will read aloud the text, The Best Fence Painter.
• With a partner, students will read “The Happy Artist” chapter (Usborne book).
• They will respond orally about similarities and differences between the two texts.
• Each student will list similarities and differences on the study guide.
• In a small group, students will share their analysis, and discuss the study questions.
• The teacher will present information about literary license, and the role of a storyteller.  (A brief discussion of copyright is on page 133 in the Rasmussen text.  An incident concerning plagiarism is on page 95.)
• The teacher will lead a class discussion of the differences in the two retold texts, and perhaps read Chapter 2 of the original text.
• Each student will form an opinion about the retold stories, and write a persuasive  response to the burning questions.

 

Extensions: 

• Students might write a different ending to the story, and explain why it should be that way.
• Students could have a debate about which retold story was “better.”
• Students might write an advertisement or review for their preferred version of the story.

 

Rationale:

Giving students the opportunity to analyze different versions of a popular story will help them practice critical thinking skills.  They will think about audience, author’s purpose, and the use of appropriate literary license.

 

Resources:

·         Nichols, Catherine (Adapter) and Mark Twain. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer #2: The Best Fence Painter (Easy Reader Classics). New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 2006.

·       Brook, Henry and Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer (Usborne Classics Retold), London: Usborne Publishing Ltd., 2008.

·       Mucci, Tom (Author) and Rad Sechrist (Illustrator). All-Action Classics: Tom Sawyer. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 2007.

·       Rasmusen, Kent. Mark Twain for Kids: His Life & Times, 21 Activities (For Kids series). Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2004.

 

 

·        Study Sheet for “Whitewashing the Fence”

 

“The Best Fence Painter (entire text)		Usborne Classics Retold: Tom Sawyer (pgs. 16-21)

 

1. Who is the audience for each text?

 

2. Which differences seem O.K.?     Why?

 

3. Which are not true to the story?

 

4. How do they change the story?  Why?

 

5. Is the change important?  What are the consequences of the change?

 

Assignment:  Respond to the following questions:  Did the authors of the retold stories stay true to Mark Twain’s story and characters?  Did they use literary license, or change things too much? Give specific examples to support your opinion.