Chassidy+Guidry's+Lesson+Plan

Old New York City Opera House Image Courtesy of :

This Lesson Plan should be used for chapters 1-9 of Edith Wharton's //The Age of Innocence//. In these chapters setting and societal themes are introduced. The way of life of the characters is established according to Old New York customs. This lesson can be completed over the course of one week. Below is a detailed list of the components of this assignment.

Monday- Read chapters 1-3 and be prepared to discuss the characters and how they interact with each other. Be sure to add discussion on the fact that the story is being told from a male's point of view. How does this effect the story and the tone so far? After the discussion the students will break into groups to further their discussion with a short activity. Each group will talk amongst themselves and come up with 5 differences they see between Old New York society, and their current lives. It will be interesting to see how the students relate and feel about this status seeking society.

Wednesday- Chapters 4-6 should be read before class, and students should be ready to discuss themes and motifs that have come up in reading. Some examples of themes are the lack of individualism, and love.

Friday- Chapters 7-9 should be read before class. Since this is the last day of the week for this assignment, all students should have an understanding of all concepts presented in the novel thus far. The final assignment will be a 4 page in class essay. The essay should be written in first person from Newland Archer's point of view. Students should predict how Newland will act in the future for the rest of the novel. Newland begins to give hints of curiosity about Ellen Olenska and her exotic lifestyle. Students should correlate this new information with Newland's predictable New York lifestyle.