Mark Twain
Overall Learning Goal: Understand the life and literature of Mark Twain and how his experiences shaped his writing.
Learning Goals from the Iowa Core:
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (RL.8.1) (DOK 1,2,3)
Steps to complete: Draw inferences when comparing Life on the Mississippi and The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaverus County
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and
analyze its development over the course of the
text, including its relationship to the characters,
setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of
the text. (RL.8.2) (DOK 2,3)s
Steps to complete: Read The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaverus County and discuss the characters and complete study on Jim Smiley
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision. (RL.8.3) (DOK 2,3)
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.
(RL.8.4) (DOK 1,2,3)
Steps to Complete: Finish the "one-eyed cow" story that Jim Smiley starts to tell at the end of the Notorious Jumping Frog and keep to his dialogue.
Introduction to Mark Twain
A photo of Mark Twain. Image linked from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain
A Mini Biography on Mark Twain from Biography.com