In this lesson, you will develop more ideas about what it means to be connected and about the role technology plays in shaping your relationships and the ways you think.In this lesson, students will develop more ideas about what it means to be connected and about the role technology plays in shaping their relationships and the ways they think.

In this lesson, students will learn about some of the principles of writing an effective conclusion. As they consider how bias works in an argument, they'll apply their new insights about bias to their essay.

People often say that mankind should learn from history. Charles Dickens, whose books are considered classics, set his novel A Tale of Two Cities in the past. He wanted his readers to learn from the bloody French Revolution and from the widespread brutality in London. Both cities (Paris and London) offer the reader a glimpse into dark and dangerous times. As students read about Dickens's Victorian setting and learn his view of the French Revolution, they will think about what makes a just world. Students will have a chance to think about their own experiences, and, using techniques they have learned from Charles Dickens, they will do some writing that sends a message about your own world.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

To complete the unit accomplishments, students will:

Read the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities.
Read several short pieces, including a biography of Dickens and excerpts from other literature, to help them understand Dickens’s world and the world of the novel.
Explore new vocabulary to build their ability to write and speak using academic language.
Practice close reading and participate in several role plays and dramatic readings to help them experience the dramatic writing style of Charles Dickens.
Write a vignette and a short narrative piece, and practice using descriptive detail and precise language.
Write a reflection about the meaning of Dickens’s novel.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

How does good storytelling affect the reader, and how can a good story promote change in the world?
What was the Victorian view of gender roles?
How can power be abused?
What is loyalty ? What are the limits of loyalty?

In this lesson, to help you enter into the world of A Tale of Two Cities, you will think about Dickens’s time period and the reasons that he wrote a novel that takes place before he was born.In this lesson, to help them enter into the world of A Tale of Two Cities, students will think about Dickens’s time period and the reasons that he wrote a novel that takes place before he was born.

In this lesson, you will consider the relationship between character and caricature, and discuss the ways that Dickens presents his characters—whether realistically or as exaggerations—and begin to explore the reasons he might have had for presenting his characters in this way.In this lesson, students will consider the relationship between character and caricature, discuss the ways that Dickens presents his characters— whether realistically or as exaggerations—and begin to explore the reasons he might have had for presenting his characters in this way.

In this lesson, you will focus on writing description that is effective by using concrete, specific details that send a clear impression to your reader.In this lesson, students will focus on writing description that is effective by using concrete, specific details that send a clear impression to their reader.

In this lesson, you will review Dickens’s biography and his concerns as a writer, and you will begin to read and annotate A Tale of Two Cities.In this lesson, students will review Dickens’s biography and his concerns as a writer, and they will begin to read and annotate A Tale of Two Cities.

In this lesson, you will talk about the ways in which images send social and political messages to the reader.In this lesson, students will talk about the ways in which images send social and political messages to the reader.

In this lesson, after they envision the setting of the novel, students will hear about a tableau and take part in creating one for presentation to the class. Finally, students will consider ways in which Dickens creates suspense and mystery.

In this lesson, students will explore the titles of the chapters and the way that they echo a central pattern, or motif, in the novel.

In this lesson, students will review dramatic irony and verbal irony and learn how Dickens is using different kinds of irony to make the readers feel suspense, fear, and horror.

In this lesson, students will discuss the actions of the Revolutionaries in France and discuss whether or not they are being fair and just.

In this lesson, students will consider their final impressions of Charles Darnay and Madame DeFarge, deciding just how good he is, and just how bad she is.

In this lesson, students will discuss what Dickens’s use of Manette’s point of view adds to the novel, and will discuss another central question: How is power abused?

In this lesson, students will think about the theme of sacrifice in the novel, and reflect on the novel’s final impact on themselves as readers. They will also pay careful attention to the famous lines that conclude the novel.

In this lesson, students will consider the ways that Dickens continues to build suspense for his readers and discuss one of the central questions of the novel: What is loyalty?

In this lesson, you will think about the way the politics of France have taken a turn toward Revolution, and you will reflect on the ways that private individuals confront public politics.In this lesson, students will think about the way the politics of France have taken a turn toward Revolution, and will reflect on the ways that private individuals confront public politics.

In this lesson, you will focus on filling your writing with vivid detail. You will complete a brainstorming exercise and work on your writing assignment.In this lesson, students will focus on filling their writing with vivid detail. They will complete a brainstorming exercise and work on their writing assignment.

In this lesson, students will focus on grammar as it relates to this section of A Tale of Two Cities.

In this lesson, you will have a chance to involve yourselves in the dramatic language of Dickens by performing parts of the text.In this lesson, students will have a chance to involve themselves in the dramatic language of Dickens by performing parts of the text.