State of Israel

Ministry of Education
English Inspectorate

Unit Planner

Teacher’s Name: Gita Dorman and Regina Beilin Date: 15.04.10

Name of School: Multidisciplinary High School Ramla Piece #: 2

Name of Literary Text: The Blanket by Floyd Dell Type: Story

Targeted Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) for Methodology used for Teaching HOTS (Inductive or
Analysis and Interpretation Deductive)
poem= 1 / short story = 2 / play or novel=3

1. Inferring Deductive 1

2. Uncovering Motives Deductive 2

Relevant Literary Terms to be Taught

Tone- The author’s attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject. Some possible attitudes are pessimism, optimism, earnestness,
seriousness, bitterness, humorous, and joyful. An author’s tone can be revealed through choice of words and details.

Mood -The climate of feeling in a literary work. The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and words all contribute towards
creating a specific mood. For example, an author may create a mood of mystery around a character or setting but may treat that
character or setting in an ironic, serious, or humorous tone

Symbol-smth that stands for smth else; a person, a place, event or object that has a meaning in itself but suggests another meaning as
well (water is a symbol of a clean new start, new life)
Indirect characterization: the author does not directly state a character’s traits; instead, the reader draws
conclusions and discovers a character’s traits based upon clues provided by the author
Poetic Justice-In real life, people don’t necessarily get what they deserve. Sometimes, good people have bad
things happen to them, and bad people have good things happen..However, in fiction, authors can reward or
punish characters for their actions. This is called poetic justice(because it is literary and the characters get
what they deserve)

Targeted Benchmarks in the Domain of Appreciation of Literature and Culture

Recognize the use of literary techniques in a variety of genres

Interpret literary texts
Are aware of the author’s background and the cultural, historical and/or social themes in literary texts or other cultural products
Are aware of how cultural practices are reflected in various literary and cultural products
Unit Planner (continued)

Le
sso List of
n# Key attached
Activity/ies
/ Components worksheets
Da (when used)
te

Analysis & Explicit teaching of the HOTs of Inferring Worksheet 1

Interpretation Applying the HOTs to students' lives

Pre-reading Brainstorming: getting into the theme of the story by describing the picture Worksheet 2

1. Can you tell a story according to the picture? 2. How do you think of the family environment
in the picture? 3. What is the moral of the picture?
Let’s read the story and while reading, let’s fill in the following vocabulary table, so that we
Basic Worksheet 3
Understandin could understand it better
Fill the synonyms of the words in the chart using the words from the list below.
g
Part I Plates

Song

Sort (of person)

Bring

A slight wind

Happy

Slip
 A bother

Bend down

Speak quietly

Breeze; dishes; fetch; fiddle; kind; merry; nuisance; really; slide; stoop; tune; whisper
Choose the best answer.
Petey's dad bought Granddad.1
.a. a fiddle
b. a blanket
c. a new home

He bought it.2
a. as a farewell gift
b. because it was fine
c. to keep Granddad warm

The blanket was.3

a. expensive
b. thick and warm
c. Both a and b are correct

Granddad was going to.4

a.send Petey away
b.live in a special Home
c.move to a new home

They spent the evening.5

a.listening to music
b.talking about old times
c.discussing the new home

Petey was glad they would move to the new house.6

a.because the old hut would be full of sad memories
b.because the hut would be too small once there were more children
 c.because it would be near to the home where Granddad would live

7. Why is Granddad being sent away?

1. What good reasons does Granddad give for going away?
a. ___________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________

8. What happened when dad returned with the girl?

9. What happened in the end?

Applying the HOTs to the text Inferring
Analysis Worksheet 3-
Where might “Away” be? What clue helps you know that the blanket is
and important to the story? What can you tell about the relationship between Petey
Interpretatio and Granddad? How do you think Granddad is feeling? What makes
n
you think so? What makes Petey realize that Granddad is really going to the nursing home?

How do you think Petey feels about his dad’s girlfriend? How might the girlfriend have
influenced Dad’s decision to send Granddad away? Why does the girlfriend leave?

Uncovering Motives of the characters of the story Explain why

*.Dad decided to send Grandpa away1
.Petey's father brought a double blanket *
.Petey fetched Granddad's fiddle .*
.Granddad brought the blanket instead of a fiddle *
.The girl went away angrily .*
Petey fetched the scissors .*
.Petey and the two men began to cry *
Did Dad change his decision in the end? Explain(Inferring) .*
Literary The tone- How does the tone change towards the end of the story ? Find Worksheet 4
terms the words/expressions which helped you decide. How does it enhance your
understanding of the story?
 (Expected answer:The tone of the story changes,however, when the child becomes
“teacher”, for his statement (in a paradoxical way) reflects the warmth and goodness of
the grandfather)


 Symbolism What’s the meaning and function of the blanket?

  Expected answer: It has different meanings to three characters—granddad, son,
and the girl. For the granddad, it is the last thing that his son left him in this family
and it also indicates that he’ll leave the family forever. For the son, it means
departure from his granddad and it’s the embodiment of his father’s coldness to his
granddad. And for the young girl, it means too much money; it’s too expensive for
an old man. Actually, it symbolizes the family conflict, being the symbol of warmth
and security for Granddad.

 Characterization: How do Dad’s and Petey’s characters are presented in the

story? Find the words which can help you understand their chatracters better.

 Expected characterization:Granddad: easy-going old man; trying his best to make

easier; being consistent with his way of life to deal with the hard problems in life;
self-sacrificing to maintain the happiness of the whole family;
 2) The boy: naïve, but full of righteousness, respecting old man; clever;
 Poetic Justice:
 Think of some examples of poetic justice in the story.Fill in the chart below and list
each character’s actions and list the things that happen to each character in the
third column:

 Character  What the character  What happens to

him or her at the end
 does
 Petey  Shows his anger  Granddad stays
about dad sending him away
 home with him
and Dad
 Granddad  
 Dad  
 The fiancee  


Bridging
How does the following quote enhance your understanding of the story? Write 60-80 words. Worksheet 5
Text and “This tale of the “golden rule” succeeds, in part, because of its simplicity of theme. Floyd Dell
Context makes good use of irony in his choice of the blanket as symbol, for with (the timing of) the
giving of this gift, the qualities of warmth and fineness are negated. (This is not a “warm” or
unselfish gift, but one given to make up for the guilt that Petey’s father feels.) “
 The main idea of the quote/article is _____________________________
_________________________________________. Now that I know this new information, I
can understand the story/character/ ___________________________ better. Before this new
information, I thought that
_________________________________________________________________.
I now understand that _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
Inductive Eliciting the use of the HOTS of Uncovering Motives
teaching of
the HOTS of What did we do to understand the character’s motives behind their what they said and their
uncovering behavior? (Remind students the questions you asked)
motives
We applied the Higher Order Thinking skill of__________(Students choose from the list of
the HOTS)-Inferring.

Applying the HOTS of Inferring to students lives-where in real life do we use the HOTS of
Inferring?

Post-
:Choose one of the following options Worksheet 6
Reading Make up a conversation between Petey and Granddad the morning after the incident with the .1
Activity blanket
In groups of four . Divide into pairs. One pair makes a list of reasons to justify sending elderly.2
people to a parents' home. The other pair makes a list of reason for having one's grandparents
.live at home. Then, as a foursome, share your ideas
Your class has been asked to work on a volunteer basis at a senior citizens' home. Brainstorm .3
.ideas about what you could do for the residents of the home
Summative Test Test
Assessment

Reflection Worksheet7
Sentence Emoticon I can infer that…….

Worksheet 1
The HOTS of “Inferring”

When we “infer” we “read between the

lines”. We pay attention to the information
we are being given, and infer information
that is NOT being given explicitly.
I have to go now.
We draw or make inferences when we read a
text (literature, or an “unseen” passage, for
example).

Inferring is also a very important social tool.

We make inferences in our inter-personal
relationships with our friends, family,
teachers, etc. A person may TELL us
something in words, but either the words
they do NOT say, or their body language
COULD be implying a different message
entirely.

I. Below is a sentence which can have very

different meanings when we infer meaning
from the emoticons that follow. What can
you infer about the meaning of the sentence
based on each separate emoticon?
 Worksheet 3

Brainstorming: getting into the theme of the story by describing the picture

Plates II. Write a sentence and add emoticons that enable the reader to infer different
meanings for the same sentence OR act out a role play that shows how different
Song intonations and body language can cause the audience to infer different
Sort (of person) meanings.

Bring

A slight wind

Happy

Slip

A bother

1. Fill the synonyms of the words in the chart using the words from the list below.

Bend down LOTS

Speak quietly
Breeze; dishes; fetch; fiddle; kind; merry; nuisance; really; slide; stoop; tune; whisper
Choose the best answer.
Petey's dad bought Granddad.1
.a. a fiddle
b. a blanket
c. a new home

He bought it.2
a. as a farewell gift
b. because it was fine
c. to keep Granddad warm

The blanket was.3

a. expensive
b. thick and warm
c. Both a and b are correct
Granddad was going to.4
a. send Petey away
b .live in a special Home

Applying the HOTs to the text Inferring

Where might “Away” be? What clue helps you know that the blanket is
important to the story? What can you tell about the relationship between Petey
and Granddad? How do you think Granddad is feeling? What makes you think so?
c. move to a new home

They spent the evening .5

a. listening to music
b. talking about old times
c. discussing the new home

Petey was glad they would move to the new house .6

a. because the old hut would be full of sad memories
b. because the hut would be too small once there were more children
c. because it would be near to the home where Granddad would live

What makes Petey realize that Granddad is really going to the nursing home?

How do you think Petey feels about his dad’s girlfriend? How might the girlfriend have influenced Dad’s decision to send Granddad
away? Why does the girlfriend leave?

Uncovering Motives of the characters of the story Explain why

Dad decided to send Grandpa away.1

.Petey's father brought a double blanket .2
.Petey fetched Granddad's fiddle .3
.Granddad brought the blanket instead of a fiddle .4
.The girl went away angrily ..5
Petey fetched the scissors 7. Petey and the two men began to cry. 8. Dad changed his decision in the end? Explain(Inferring) .6
Worksheet 4 Literary terms

The tone- How does the tone change towards the end of the story ? Find the words/expressions which helped you
decide. How does it enhance your understanding of the story?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Symbolism What’s the meaning and function of the blanket?

Meaning_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Fu
nction
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What does it symbolize? How does it help you understand the story better?

 Characterization: How do Dad’s and Petey’s characters are presented in the story? Find the words which can help
you understand their chatracters better.
 Petey-
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________

 Dad___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Poetic Justice:

Think of some examples of poetic justice in the story.Fill in the chart below and list each
Character What the character What happens to character’s actions and
him or her at the list the things that
does end happen to each
Petey Shows his anger Granddad stays character in the third
about dad sending column:
home with him
him away
and Dad
Granddad  
Dad  
The fiancee  
I now understand that _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

Worksheet 5 Bridging the Text and Context

How does the following quote enhance your understanding of the story? Write 60-80 words.

“This tale of the “golden rule” succeeds, in part, because of its simplicity of theme. Floyd Dell makes good use of
irony in his choice of the blanket as symbol, for with (the timing of) the giving of this gift, the qualities of warmth
and fineness are negated. (This is not a “warm” or unselfish gift, but one given to make up for the guilt that
Petey’s father feels.) “

The main idea of the quote/article is _____________________________

_________________________________________. Now that I know this new information, I can
understand the story/character/ ___________________________ better. Before this new information, I
thought that _________________________________________________________________.
Worksheet 6 Post-reading Activity
:Choose one of the following options
Make up a conversation between Petey and Granddad the morning after the incident with the blanket .1
In groups of four . Divide into pairs. One pair makes a list of reasons to justify sending elderly people to a .2
parents' home. The other pair makes a list of reasons for having one's grandparents live at home. Then, as a
.foursome, share your ideas

3.Your class has been asked to work on a volunteer basis at a senior citizens' home. Brainstorm ideas about what
you could do for the residents of the home.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Worksheet 7 Reflection Look though all of the work you have done in this unit and answer the following questions:
1. Did you like the story? Explain your answer in at least two sentences.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. As part of this unit of work you were taught two Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).

Inferring Uncovering Motives

What did your teacher do to

teach it to you?

How did the HOTS help you to

?better understand the story

How can you use it in your life?

.Which literary terms did you study ?Choose one and ex[lain how it helped you better understand the story
Which activity did you like best and how it helped understand the story?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Summative Assessment
LOTS (6x5 points)
1.Petey believed that Granddad was being sent away as soon as he heard about it Right/Wrong

Choose the correct answer: The girl that his dad wanted to marry .2
a.liked all the family
b.was liked by all the family
c.caused the problems

……………………………………………………………………………………… Complete the following: Granddad showed her .3

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… When she saw the

Complete the following : He decided to cut the blanket in half .4

a .in order to give it to his father as a gif
b. so that the girl would not have to argue
c. because Granddad did not need a double blanket

Another title for the story might be: a)Father Gets Married Again b)Old People Make a Lot of Problems .5
c)Father Gives Granddad a Beautiful Blanket d)Giving Presents is Not as Important as Giving Love

H OTS Questions (5x10 points).

.Did Granddad really want to leave? Explain .6

What was the real reason why Granddad was being sent away .7

.Granddad tried to make Petey think his going away was a bad / good/ sad/terrible thing.8

?Why do you think the girl in the story has no name.9

?"When Granddad said, "I knew you didn't mean it", what did he mean by "it .10

Bridging Text and Context 20 points

How does the following quote help you understand the story better? (write 80-100 words)

“Floyd Dell’s stories consider: the anger which may result from alienation among family members, the pure
unselfish love of a parent for a child, the celebration of the love of a child for a parent, the impact of society on the
family, the child as “healer”, reversed roles of children and parents, the child as extension of the parent, etc.”

From: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/3/83.03.03.x.html

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