**Lesson Plan: English Comprehension - Summary: *Death and the King’s Horsemen***
**Grade Level:** Senior Secondary 3
**Duration:** 60 minutes
**Learning Objectives:**
1. Students will understand the plot, themes, and characters of *Death and the King’s Horsemen* by Wole Soyinka.
2. Students will develop skills in summarizing and understanding nuanced themes in literature.
3. Students will improve their ability to identify and discuss key elements and events in a text.
**Materials Needed:**
- Copies of *Death and the King’s Horsemen* (physical copies or digital access)
- Whiteboard and markers
- Handouts: Summary guide with key points
- Projector and computer for multimedia presentations
**Lesson Outline:**
**I. Introduction (10 minutes)**
1. **Greetings and Attendance:** Take attendance and ensure that students have their materials.
2. **Introduction to the Play:**
- Briefly introduce Wole Soyinka and the historical context of *Death and the King’s Horsemen*.
- Explain the importance of summarizing as a tool for comprehension and analysis.
**II. Understanding the Plot (15 minutes)**
1. **Plot Overview:**
- Provide a brief overview of the play's plot.
- Highlight key events, the conflict, and resolution in the story.
2. **Character Analysis:**
- Discuss the main characters: Elesin, Olunde, the Pilkings, and Iyaloja.
- Encourage students to describe the roles and significance of each character.
**III. Group Reading and Discussion (20 minutes)**
1. **Reading Select Excerpts:**
- Divide the class into small groups.
- Assign each group a significant excerpt from the play to read aloud.
2. **Group Discussion:**
- Ask groups to discuss the main events in their excerpts and how they contribute to the overall story.
- Have each group designate a spokesperson to summarize their discussion points for the class.
**IV. Summarizing the Play (10 minutes)**
1. **Guidelines for Summarizing:**
- Distribute the summary guide handout with key points and instructions on how to condense the text.
- Discuss the importance of capturing main ideas without omitting crucial details.
2. **Individual Summary Writing:**
- Instruct students to write a summary of one key event or a general summary of the play, focusing on brevity and clarity.
- Offer to help and answer questions as students write.
**V. Sharing and Review (5 minutes)**
1. **Peer Sharing:**
- Allow a few students to read their summaries aloud.
- Give constructive feedback and highlight particularly effective summaries.
**VI. Conclusion and Homework (5 minutes)**
1. **Recap of Lesson:**
- Summarize the key points discussed during the lesson.
- Reinforce the importance of understanding and summarizing literature.
2. **Homework:**
- Assign students to read the entire play (if not already done) and write a comprehensive summary (1-2 pages) to turn in by the next class.
- Optional: Prepare questions or reflections on the themes and characters for discussion in the next lesson.
**Assessment:**
- Participation in group reading and discussions.
- Quality and completeness of individual summaries written during class.
- Homework summary assignment to be graded based on clarity, coherence, and understanding of the play.
**Reflection:**
- After the lesson, reflect on student engagement and comprehension.
- Adjust future lesson plans based on the observed understanding and feedback from students.
**Extension:**
- Plan a follow-up lesson focusing on thematic analysis and the cultural context of the play.
- Consider a multimedia project where students create visual or digital summaries of the play’s key events.