Speak lesson plan

This novel follows the story of a high school freshman named Melinda Sordino who is persistently haunted by a secret—she was raped at a party the summer before school started, and this event has traumatized and effectively silenced her. Struggling to find some semblance of self expression, Melinda must find a way to move forward although she feels paralyzed by the events of her past.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

          I.     Standards & Objectives

A.   Key Ideas & Details: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

B.    Reading Standards for Literature #3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of the text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

        II.     Procedures

A.   Students will have finished reading this book.

B.    Play the song “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel and distribute lyrics. (5 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsX03LOMhI

C.    Discuss which lyrics of this song pertain to Melinda and her journey—particularly the lines “A vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping” and “I saw ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never shared.” Use these lyrics to generate discussion about Melinda’s silence and inability to open up (10-15 min.)

D.   Have class stand up and all stand on one side of the room behind a line of masking tape

E.    Call out different events/experiences and tell students to cross the line if they have ever done/felt this—i.e. felt left out, felt like you couldn’t speak up, had a secret, lost touch with a friend who was once close (15 min.)

F.    Divide class into groups of 4 or 5 and have each group discuss why Melinda felt she could not speak up, and what it was that made her finally speak up. Students can share personal experiences to relate to each other—discussion should reflect the empathy that Melinda so desperately needed

G.   Distribute a short paper response to the day’s activities. Paper should be 1-2 pages in length, and should pertain to Melinda’s silence, and how her silence could have been ended much sooner. Students should talk about the “If you really knew me exercise” regarding how a lack of empathy can cause us to judge people we truly do not know

      III.     Assessments

A.   Key Ideas & Details: Silence is the prevailing theme of this lesson, so the writing assignment should definitely refer to silence as an overwhelming theme of the novel and the role that it plays in Melinda’s character evolution. Students may refer to the song lyrics and group activities done in class to support their analysis of this theme.

B.    Students should recognize that Melinda is not silenced for the entirety of the novel; she does eventually break her silence, and that is a key part of her characterization. The writing should at least mention that she does, in fact, break her silence eventually.