The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Cmmn Cre Standards Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment Cncept: Characterizatin/Character Develpment Primary Subject Area: English Secndary Subject Areas: n/a Cmmn Cre Standards Addressed: Grades 9-10 Grades 11-12 Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details Analyze hw cmplex characters (e.g. thse with multiple r cnflicting mtivatins) develp ver the curse f a text, interact with ther characters, and advance the plt r develp the theme. Vcabulary Acquisitin and Use Acquire and use accurately general academic and dmain-specific wrds and phrases, sufficient fr reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the cllege and career readiness level; demnstrate independence in gathering vcabulary knwledge when cnsidering a wrd r phrase imprtant t cmprehensin r expressin. Analyze hw cmplex characters (e.g. thse with multiple r cnflicting mtivatins) develp ver the curse f a text, interact with ther characters, and advance the plt r develp the theme. Presentatin f Knwledge and Ideas Present infrmatin, findings, and supprting evidence such that listeners can fllw the line f reasning and the rganizatin, develpment, and style are apprpriate t task, purpse, and audience. The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Cmmn Cre Standards 1
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Lessn Plan Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment Overview: This class will discuss the characterizatin and develpment f the five characters central t the text: Schwartz, Henry, Owen, President Affenlight, and Pella. Objectives: Students will be able t: Discuss their initial impressins f the five central characters as the authr first presents them. Identify the ways in which these characters change thrugh chapters 1-22 f the nvel. Make predictins abut the ways in which these characters might change in chapters 23-53 f the nvel. Materials: Cpies f The Art f Fielding Cmputer Other Resurces: Key Vcabulary Terms General Discussin/Cmprehen sin Questins Text References Useful fr Analysis Assignments r Essay Questins Supplementary Materials Chart Warm-Up Activity: The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Lessn Plan 2
Lessn Plan The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin "#$#%&'()%#%*%+$(*&%+,-(.(*/,+,(0+)'1-#%%2(/-3(.()%0+1.2+0+.%(0#4 5.26+0%789()0:8;6()8<0(#-'()%"//()1-=2%8+)'<(11+> 9+3(%2(?-)'-3-'&+11:86-%2*&%=0*&,'-#.&##-*)8.*?(&,6-%2*)( +'@(.%-3(%2+%%2(:%2-)$A(#%'(#.0-A(#(+.2*/%2(#(.2+0+.%(0#> B2(-0+)#6(0#6-11=()(0+%(%2('-#.&##-*)-)%2(=0*&,+.%-3-%:%2+%/*11*6#> Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment Shrt Lecture & Partner Activities: Discuss the literary elements by which an authr can reveal characterizatin. Allw the class t cntribute and give examples write them n the bard. (Sme t cnsider dialgue, dictin, tne) Have the students think abut descriptin, dialgue, cntext, and mre general textual elements, such as the characters relatinships t ne anther. Yu can use qutatins pulled frm the Textual References Useful fr Analysis page as examples. Grup Activity The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Lessn Plan 3
Lessn Plan The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Have students divide int five grups and distribute t each grup a large piece f paper r psterbard and markers. Assign each grup ne f the central characters: Schwartz, Henry, Owen, President Affenlight, and Pella. Give the students five minutes t cme up with a list f their assigned character s traits, using the adjectives frm their warm-up activity as a starting pint. Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment Give the students ten minutes t find textual examples f the traits they have identified. When they have finished, have each grup present their list and the textual examples they have fund. When all f the grups have finished presenting, hang up the lists as a reminder f these first impressins. This activity will be dne again upn students cmpletin f the text t identify the ways in which these characters develp. Discussin Wrap-Up: Ask students t make predictins abut the ways in which these characters will change in the next sectin f the text. What is the evidence that this change might be pssible? Are there any textual examples that freshadw such changes? Find them. Writing Activities/Evaluatins: The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Lessn Plan 4
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Lessn Plan Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment Analytical: Althugh the nvel is predminantly tld frm the perspective f cllege students, Harbach spends a lt f time discussing President Affenlight. Using Chapter 6 (p. 50-57) and Chapters 7-8 (p. 58-69) as prtraits f Affenlight in the past and present, respectively, identify the ways in which Harbach cnstructs his character. What are the literary elements in use here? What evidence d we have that Affenlight has changed? Stayed the same? Creative: Given what yu have learned abut each f the characters, chse ne f the five and imagine his r her reactin t Owen s injury immediately when it happens. (Use page 69 fr reference.) What is ging thrugh yur chsen character s mind? What are his/her varying emtins? Write a mnlgue fr the character yu have chsen, describing these reactins and feelings. The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Lessn Plan 5
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Discussin & Cmprehensin Questins 6 Discussin & Cmprehensin Questins The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment What d yu make f the Westish Cllege fight sng that is included befre the first chapter f the bk? Why d yu think Harbach has chsen t include the fight sng? Based n the reading yu have dne s far, if yu were given the task f rewriting the Westish Cllege fight sng, what wuld yu change it t? Can yu relate the wrds f the fight sng ( S be cheery my lads/let yur hearts never fall/while the bld Harpner/Is striking the ball ) t any f the central characters? What was yur first impressin f Mike Schwartz? Of Henry? Of Pella? Of President Affenlight? Of Owen? Why d yu think Mike Schwartz feels such a clse, almst paternal cnnectin t Henry? What kinds f cnnectins have yu made with the five central characters? Are there any t whm yu feel mre clsely cnnected? Wh d yu trust? Distrust? Mike devtes much f his time and energy t mentring and helping Henry. Des he give Henry t much f his time and energy?* What d yu make f Henry s cnnectin t his baseball bible, The Art f Fielding? After a lng streak f errrless games, Henry lses his nce-effrtless thrw. What changes in Henry? D yu think this srt f crisis is unique t athletics? Culd an artist r perfrmer g thrugh a similar crisis?* *These questins were pulled frm the Questins And Tpics Fr Discussin addendum in the reading grup guide at the end f the nvel
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Key Vcabulary 7 Key Vcabulary The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment Wrd: Definitin: Panache Flambyant cnfidence f style r manner Daguerretype A phtgraph taken by an early prcess emplying an idine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapr Avuncular Kind and friendly t a yunger r less experienced persn Mellifluus Sweet r musical; pleasant t hear Extemprize T cmpse, perfrm, r prduce smething withut preparatin; t imprvise
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Text References 8 Text References The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment B A G L (Page 55) At first, Affenlight felt uneasy abut his newfund sense f ease. He cnsidered himself a failed writer, nthing mre, and there didn t seem t be much hnr r grandeur in having read sme bks. But sn he decided whether because it was true r because he needed it t be true that academia was a wrld wrth cnquering. There were fellwships t win, jurnals t publish in, famus prfessrs t impress. Whatever he applied fr, he gt; whatever he hinted he might apply fr, his classmates shied away frm. (Page 91) But smething happened, t her and him, when Pella learned t read. He wuld struggle ut f bed after a late night s wrk t find her already awake and dressed, in the breakfast nk f their twnhuse n Shepard Street, reading frm sme r anther nvel Judy Blume, Trixie Belden, her abridged Mby-Dick r else sme picture-laden science bk culled frm the stacks f Widener. She read with clred pencil in hand, cpying the best sentences and sketching members f her favrite phyla nt sheets f cnstructin paper. A few last Cheeris, flating in a bwl beside her elbw, impressed Affenlight as symbls f utter independence. (Page 102) That happened tw years after his mm died f cancer. He was living by himself. He d never met his dad his parents had been engaged at ne pint, but his dad drank and bet n sprts and left befre Schwartz was brn. When the wman frm Children and Family Services came by a mnth after his mm s funeral, he d tld the wman he was abut t turn eighteen. The wman s paperwrk clearly said therwise, but he was already six feet tall, weighed a hundred eighty punds, and had little truble buying cigarettes and smetimes even beer. Cme n, he d said as he std in the apartment drway, arms flded acrss his chest, the dg yapping behind him. D I lk like I m furteen? Baffled, the wman left, and thugh it wuldn t have taken much investigatin t prve him a liar, she never returned.
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Text References 9 Text References The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin Bk: The Art f Fielding Authr: Chad Harbach Lessn Type: Character Develpment B A G L "#$%&'()%*)+%#,),#-,'**.%/*',0% % +#**%1#"%2*'$$1-30%'%.-43%-1,%5#$23)#-,
The Art f Fielding and Characterizatin: Class Handut Title Field: Class Handut Name:
Fter-Title Field (duble-click The t Art edit): f Supplementary Fielding and Materials Characterizatin: Chart Supplementary Materials Chart The Art f The Categry f Resurce Interview Descriptin f Resurce Radi interview with Chad Harbach Ptential Educatinal Uses f Resurce This interview with the authr is particularly interesting because he is asked a few questins specifically abut the characters names and persnalities. Link t Resurce http://www.wbez.rg/blgs/clairezulkey/2012-07/chad-harbachinterview-101211