The Custom House Lesson
The Custom House Lesson
The Custom House Lesson
CCSs:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain.
Assessments: Methods for evaluating each of the specific objectives listed above.
Diagnostic: Students will demonstrate what they already know about themes and authors
purpose in The Custom House by:
Identifying points of confusion/clarifications to address in discussion today (CCSS.ELALiteracy.RI.11-12.1)
Formative: Students will show their progress towards todays objectives by
Participating in a discussion considering authors purpose in The Custom House
(objectives a, b, and c, and SOL Reading 11.4h)
Summative: Students will ultimately be assessed in a future lesson on their understanding of the
objectives by:
Completing a multiple choice and essay assessment on The Scarlet Letter in which they
will need to draw on specific evidence from the text (objective c, SOL Reading 11.4h,
and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1)
Materials Needed:
Overhead projector
PowerPoint presentation on The Custom House
This PowerPoint will include guiding questions for the students to discuss that I will have
previously compiled
My own notes on important themes and points to discuss during this PowerPoint
presentation
Additionally, the students will need paper/a notebook and pencil/pen to record their initial
question about The Custom House
1.
Upon entering the classroom, students will see a do now activity on the dry erase board. This
activity will ask them to try to write down one point of confusion / question they have about
The Custom House. I will reassure them that they likely have many and that thats all right.
However, the point of this activity will be to narrow down their questions to concrete ones that
could be answered during the course of this lesson. Rather than sharing next, I will tell students
that we will have time to address any unanswered questions at the end of the class period. (Many
of their questions may be confronted within the topics of this lesson already.)
2.
At this time, we will begin a brief PowerPoint presentation on the historical background of The
Custom House as well as biographical aspects of Hawthornes life that are relevant to the
literary work. I will incorporate questions to ask of the students as I review this background
information with them, such as asking them what a custom house even is and how much they
know about Hawthornes Puritan ancestral past already. I will provide the students with feedback
loops to guide them to conclusions about why Hawthorne may have wished to include this
introduction in the first place that contains many autobiographical details of his experiences in
Salem.
3. [5 mins.] Step 2: Viewing of the short film version of The Custom House
Students will now view a short film version of The Custom House. This film will help them to
visualize the events in the work, particularly the moment when Hawthorne comes across the
scarlet letter in the Custom House that would become the inspiration for his novel. I will mention
this fact to the students following the film.
4.
One by one, I will display each guiding question on the PowerPoint presentation. Before
beginning to discuss them, I will mention that each has a direct quotation from the work that we
can find in the text before sharing our thoughts. I will urge students to use the book as they
answer these guiding questions. I will have arranged these questions chronologically as they
appear in the text so that we can move forward through Hawthornes narrative to discuss
important points of his introduction to The Scarlet Letter.
As we discuss these questions, I will provide feedback loops to the students to encourage them to
locate the answers to their own questions, either through providing them with higher level
questioning myself or directing them to the text to find more evidence. At times, I may request
for other students to contribute to the discussion if there are several people dominating the
conversation.
Technology Use: Detail specific technology being used in the lesson with explanation for
why it is being used.
As mentioned above, the use of the short film The Custom House as well as the photos and
images featured in the PowerPoint presentation will allow students to visualize the events in the
novel, as well as appeal to students with different learning preferences. These devices will allow
the students to picture the major scenes that we discuss from the text and are especially important
considering the fact that this text is typically very difficult for most students to follow along with
as they read.
How this lesson incorporates specific insights from course readings and/or class discussion:
In class discussion, weve often encountered the issue of tying lessons together so that their
activities seem cohesive throughout. One area in particular that I would personally like to focus
on is showing students how the beginning activities of a lesson connect to their endings or the
overall themes that I wanted them to absorb by the end of class. Requiring students to first pose
their own questions in response to the text will require them to think about this work of literature
as soon as they step inside the classroom. As such, they will be more likely to be prepared to start
discussion as well. Then, a return to their questions at the end of class will show them how much
theyve already learned if their question is already answered, as well as give them the
opportunity to learn more by using the text to guide them toward the answers.
Materials Appendix:
The PowerPoint presentation is attached.
Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too
long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil (11).
What is Hawthornes relationship with his hometown of Salem? Why is he fascinated with this
sense of locality?
What is the mystic symbol that Hawthorne encounters among the old records of the Custom
House (31)? What effects does it have on him, both physically and in terms of his literary
inspiration?