Lesson Plan:
Identifying Major Themes in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Objective:
Students will be able to identify and discuss the major themes in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Materials:
- Copies of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Handouts with quotes from the novel
- Pen and paper
Warm-Up:
- Begin the lesson by asking students what they know about The Hunger Games. What is the basic plot of the novel? What are the main characters?
- Next, provide a brief overview of the novel’s setting and plot for those who are unfamiliar with it.
Direct Instruction:
- Introduce the concept of themes in literature. Explain that themes are the underlying ideas or messages that an author is trying to convey through their work.
- Write the following themes on the board: power, survival, love, friendship, sacrifice, and social class.
- Ask students to think about how these themes might be relevant to The Hunger Games.
- Give students a few minutes to brainstorm and write down their ideas.
Guided Practice:
- Divide students into small groups and give each group a handout with quotes from the novel that relate to one of the themes listed on the board.
- Have each group discuss the quotes and determine how they relate to the theme they have been given.
- Have each group present their findings to the class.
Independent Practice:
- Have students choose one of the themes from the board and find examples of it in The Hunger Games.
- Have them write a short paragraph explaining how the theme is present in the novel and how it relates to the overall story.
Closure:
- Ask students to share their paragraphs with the class.
- Have a class discussion about the themes that were identified and how they relate to the novel as a whole.
Assessment:
- Collect the paragraphs written by students for independent practice and use them to assess their understanding of the themes in The Hunger Games.
- Use the class discussion as a formative assessment to gauge student understanding and participation.
