7th Grade The Red-Headed League Lesson Plan

Topic:The Red-Headed League

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to analyze how Arthur Conan Doyle uses language and characterization to keep the reader engaged in the Red-Headed League.

Materials

• Copies of "The Red-Headed League" for each student
• Handouts with rhetorical devices and techniques for analysis (e.g.3-act structure, characterization, foreshadowing)

Warm-up

• Begin by asking students what they know about Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes.
• Encourage students to share their ideas and any interesting facts they know.
• On the board, write the phrase "Rhetorical devices and techniques" and ask students what this means.
• Discuss how authors use language and storytelling techniques to engage the reader and create an entertaining and captivating story.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the unit on rhetorical devices and techniques by explaining that these are tools authors use to create a unique and engaging writing style.
• Use the handout to go over the different types of rhetorical devices and techniques, explaining each one and giving examples.
• As a class, read an excerpt from "The Red-Headed League" and identify the rhetorical devices and techniques used.
• Discuss how these devices and techniques contribute to the overall tone and excitement of the story.

Guided Practice

• Using the handout as a guide, have students work in pairs to identify the rhetorical devices and techniques used in another excerpt from "The Red-Headed League."
• Have each pair present their findings to the class and discuss how the devices and techniques contribute to the overall tone and excitement of the story.
• As a class, read another excerpt from "The Red-Headed League" and identify the rhetorical devices and techniques used.

Independent Practice

• Using a pen or pencil, carefully trace over the lines of the first page of "The Red-Headed League" handout to create a duplicate of the original text.
• Using a red pen or pencil, highlight the rhetorical devices and techniques in the text.
• Write a short paragraph explaining how the highlighted devices and techniques help to make the story exciting for the reader.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, emphasizing the importance of being able to recognize and understand rhetorical devices and techniques in literature.
• Ask students to share one thing they learned about rhetorical devices and techniques in "The Red-Headed League" that they didn't know before the lesson.

Assessment

• Have students complete a short quiz or test on the different rhetorical techniques used in "The Red-Headed League", including alliteration, metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and sarcasm.
• Have students write a short paragraph explaining which rhetorical device or technique they found the most interesting or effective in the story and why.