Unit Overview
Contributing YOUR Verse to Life's Poem
Why we NEED to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower
High school. It is, most probably, the most exciting, but confusing time, when you find yourselves moving ever closer to adulthood. During this time, you will also face some difficult, potentially life-altering decisions as well as some temptations. You are old enough and mature enough to start making some of these decisions on your own. But wouldn’t it be nice to have another perspective? Why should teenagers have to go through the toughest time in their lives all alone? The Perks of Being a Wallflower can become one sort of perspective, along with various other art forms.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a popular but highly controversial book that deals with a number of important issues including sex, drugs, alcohol, abusive relationships, homosexuality and suicide from an adolescent perspective. Although many parents and educators may protest the content in the novel, I believe that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is important for the very reason that said issues need to be handled maturely, and what better way to do so than in the safe space that we will create in this classroom.
As you navigate through high school, you are faced with a tremendous amount of new issues that you will be forced to deal with, some of which include the temptation of drugs, dealing with bullying, and the struggle to find a place where you feel like you can fit in. As such, it has become more important than ever for teachers to do their part in preparing their students for these issues. As teenagers, you are used to television, movies, music, the internet, and video games to deal with your issues, but why not use classroom literature as well?! You may not realize it yet, but you engage with art on a daily basis. So, now is the time to understand how these art forms shape your identity, and what you learn about yourself - conscious or unconsciously - by interacting with art daily.
As you read the book, you are encouraged to think about your own lives. Have you faced what Charlie faces? If so, how have you dealt with the issues? If not, what did you learn about these issues and yourself while reading? Of course, you are not expected to agree or disagree with the choices that Charlie makes, nor are you expected to become the person that Charlie is; however, I encourage you to read the novel and consider what you are learning about yourself by engaging with Charlie's identity. By stepping into the world of this art piece, think about how you are similar or dissimilar to Charlie or any other characters in the novel. Art is all around us, whether it be fiction or non-fiction, so, throughout the unit, consider how your identity is shaped, moulded, and influenced by external forces.
In discussing the novel and the issues it presents, I insist that all students cooperatively work together to form a safe space in our classroom, in which students can share their opinions and judgments, without spreading hate or creating animosity between students and myself. Let’s enjoy our time spent discovering how stepping into the world of a different character can help shape your own identity!
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a popular but highly controversial book that deals with a number of important issues including sex, drugs, alcohol, abusive relationships, homosexuality and suicide from an adolescent perspective. Although many parents and educators may protest the content in the novel, I believe that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is important for the very reason that said issues need to be handled maturely, and what better way to do so than in the safe space that we will create in this classroom.
As you navigate through high school, you are faced with a tremendous amount of new issues that you will be forced to deal with, some of which include the temptation of drugs, dealing with bullying, and the struggle to find a place where you feel like you can fit in. As such, it has become more important than ever for teachers to do their part in preparing their students for these issues. As teenagers, you are used to television, movies, music, the internet, and video games to deal with your issues, but why not use classroom literature as well?! You may not realize it yet, but you engage with art on a daily basis. So, now is the time to understand how these art forms shape your identity, and what you learn about yourself - conscious or unconsciously - by interacting with art daily.
As you read the book, you are encouraged to think about your own lives. Have you faced what Charlie faces? If so, how have you dealt with the issues? If not, what did you learn about these issues and yourself while reading? Of course, you are not expected to agree or disagree with the choices that Charlie makes, nor are you expected to become the person that Charlie is; however, I encourage you to read the novel and consider what you are learning about yourself by engaging with Charlie's identity. By stepping into the world of this art piece, think about how you are similar or dissimilar to Charlie or any other characters in the novel. Art is all around us, whether it be fiction or non-fiction, so, throughout the unit, consider how your identity is shaped, moulded, and influenced by external forces.
In discussing the novel and the issues it presents, I insist that all students cooperatively work together to form a safe space in our classroom, in which students can share their opinions and judgments, without spreading hate or creating animosity between students and myself. Let’s enjoy our time spent discovering how stepping into the world of a different character can help shape your own identity!
Understanding Goal
By the end of this unit, students will understand that, through reading, you can step into the world of different characters and try on multiple identities before shaping your own.
Learning Goals
- Define "stereotype" and give examples.
- Define “coming-of-age” and Bildungsroman
- Define epistolary novel
- Define transformation/evolution
- Define abuse (in all of its various forms)
- Define allusion
- Define prelapsarian & postlapsarian
- Define progression, regression, and stasis
Skill Goals
- Identify with characters in the novel, and develop self-expression through a connection with art pieces, in order to produce a piece of creative writing based on how various art forms contribute to the formation of his/her identity (“Anthology of Self-Discovery”).
- Create a representation of various coming-of-age experiences, as well as express different character traits, through various art pieces.
- Relate themes and patterns (especially the theme of "coming-of-age”) of literary works to one's own personal experiences.
- Step into the world of a character in a novel and try on the character’s identity in the hopes of realizing their own individual identities.
- Reflect on inherent assumptions and beliefs.
- Discuss thoughtfully in group discussions to contribute to team effort, to activate prior knowledge, and to critically analyze own thoughts