Spoon River Anthology Enrichment Unit
Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology was a controversial work of literature when it first appeared in 1915. Until that time, small mid-America towns has been portrayed as ideal strongolds of human virtue, or goodness. Drawing on his boyhood experiences in the towns of Petersburg and Lewiston, Illinois, in the Valley of the Spoon River. Masters creates th emythical town of Spoon River and examines the lives of past residents who are buried on The Hill, the town cemetery.
Masters uses the free verse epitaph form to expose the corruption, disappointments, failures, and hidden secrets that bring light to the hypocrisy and spiritual deterioration of Spoon River. There are occasional glimpses into the goodness or optimism found in any town, but most of the blunt revelations present a dark picture of small town life in 1915 mid-America.
These revelations may not seem as shocking or scandalous today as they did over eighty years ago, but readers might be surprised to see the same hypocrisy, injustice, political corruption, and despair in Spoon River that exists in the world today.
Masters uses the free verse epitaph form to expose the corruption, disappointments, failures, and hidden secrets that bring light to the hypocrisy and spiritual deterioration of Spoon River. There are occasional glimpses into the goodness or optimism found in any town, but most of the blunt revelations present a dark picture of small town life in 1915 mid-America.
These revelations may not seem as shocking or scandalous today as they did over eighty years ago, but readers might be surprised to see the same hypocrisy, injustice, political corruption, and despair in Spoon River that exists in the world today.
SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY UNIT PLAN OVERVIEW
Teacher Introduction Option: Guide students through the pre-reading activities, and/or use the poem “The Hill” which is the first poem in the anthology to introduce the cemetery and ways in which the characters in the anthology relate to one another.
Day 1: Pre-Reading, Background Information, Vocabulary, and Making Predictions based on a First-Read
Day 2: Deeper Reading, Guided Questions, Think-Pair-Share
Day 3: Character Analysis Graphic Organizer
Day 4: Introduction to the Project, Exploring Epitaphs, Brainstorming development of the community and the characters
Day 5: Drafting/Revising
Day 6: Drafting/Revising
Day 7: Revising, 2nd Drafting, Editing
Day 8: Editing/Publishing
Day 9: Finishing up Publishing, Designing and Developing the final Presentation
Teacher Introduction Option: Guide students through the pre-reading activities, and/or use the poem “The Hill” which is the first poem in the anthology to introduce the cemetery and ways in which the characters in the anthology relate to one another.
Day 1: Pre-Reading, Background Information, Vocabulary, and Making Predictions based on a First-Read
Day 2: Deeper Reading, Guided Questions, Think-Pair-Share
Day 3: Character Analysis Graphic Organizer
Day 4: Introduction to the Project, Exploring Epitaphs, Brainstorming development of the community and the characters
Day 5: Drafting/Revising
Day 6: Drafting/Revising
Day 7: Revising, 2nd Drafting, Editing
Day 8: Editing/Publishing
Day 9: Finishing up Publishing, Designing and Developing the final Presentation