### Year 12 English Lesson Plan: Introduction to Literary Criticism
#### Lesson Title:
Understanding Literary Criticism
#### Duration:
90 minutes
#### Learning Objectives:
1. To introduce students to the concept of literary criticism and its importance.
2. To familiarize students with different schools of literary criticism.
3. To develop critical thinking and analytical skills by applying criticism to a text.
#### Materials Needed:
- Whiteboard and markers
- Projector and screen
- Handouts with excerpts from different critical essays
- Copies of a chosen text (e.g., a short story, poem, or chapter from a novel)
- Notebook and pens/pencils for student notes
#### Lesson Outline:
1. **Introduction (10 min)**
- Greet students and take attendance.
- Briefly introduce the topic of literary criticism.
- Discuss the purpose of literary criticism: to interpret, analyze, and evaluate texts.
2. **Lecture: What is Literary Criticism? (15 min)**
- Explain the definition of literary criticism.
- Discuss its historical context and evolution.
- Define key terms: critic, critique, interpretation, evaluation.
**Example Explanation:**
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. It often involves an analysis of the text’s language, structure, and meaning. By critiquing a text, critics aim to uncover deeper meanings and offer new perspectives.
3. **Introduction to Different Schools of Literary Criticism (20 min)**
- Provide a brief overview of major schools of literary criticism:
- Formalism/New Criticism
- Structuralism
- Post-structuralism/Deconstruction
- Marxist Criticism
- Feminist Criticism
- Psychoanalytic Criticism
- Reader-Response Criticism
- Post-colonial Criticism
- Use a projector to display key characteristics of each school.
4. **Group Activity: Applying Criticism (15 min)**
- Divide students into small groups and assign each group a school of literary criticism.
- Distribute handouts with excerpts from critical essays representative of each school.
- Ask each group to read their excerpt and discuss how their assigned school of criticism would approach a chosen text (provide a short story, poem, or excerpt from a novel).
5. **Group Presentations (20 min)**
- Each group will present their findings to the class, describing how their school of criticism interprets the text and sharing insights from the critical essay.
- Encourage questions and discussion after each presentation.
6. **Class Discussion: Comparing Criticism (10 min)**
- Facilitate a discussion comparing the different approaches.
- Highlight how different perspectives can reveal various aspects of a text.
- Ask for student reflections on which approach they found most insightful and why.
7. **Individual Assignment: Critical Response (15 min)**
- Assign students an individual task to write a short critical response to the chosen text using one school of literary criticism.
- Provide guidelines for the response: 250-300 words, include textual evidence and analysis.
- Explain the assessment criteria: understanding of critical approach, depth of analysis, coherence, and writing quality.
8. **Conclusion and Homework (5 min)**
- Summarize the key points of the lesson.
- Answer any remaining questions.
- Assign homework: complete the Critical Response due in the next class.
- Provide a reading assignment for the next lesson.
#### Assessment:
- Group presentations will be informally assessed for understanding and engagement.
- Individual Critical Response assignments will be formally assessed based on the criteria provided.
#### Homework:
- Complete the Critical Response assignment.
- Read the assigned text for the next lesson.
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This lesson plan not only introduces students to the concept of literary criticism but also actively engages them in applying different critical perspectives, fostering deeper understanding and critical thinking.