Unit Background
Unit Title
Unit Designer
The Catcher in the Rye
Duration
Course / IA
20 days
GR09 Introduction to Literary Genres/ IA1
PBA Prompt:
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and first person narrator in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is a
beloved literary figure because of his universality as a character and penchant for humorous hyperbole.
Like many teenagers before and after him, he struggles with the complexities of growing up. One
significant trauma in his life that contributes to his uncertainty is the death of his brother, Allie, when
Holden, now 16, was 13. Toward the end of the novel, Holden, still confused, meets an old prep school
acquaintance, Carl Luce, who suggests to Holden that he should see a psychoanalyst who can help him
“to recognize the patterns of [his] mind” (148). Which ONE of the THREE patterns of the mind (outlined
below) stunts Holden’s ability to move beyond Allie’s death?
Patterns of Holden’s Mind: Choose one.
1. Search for authenticity:
Holden preoccupies himself with phoniness because he is in search of authenticity in aspects of
his own life--his future career, relationships, and personal pursuits/hobbies.
2. Fear of maturity/adulthood:
Holden is reluctant to grow up, and as a result, he has a desire to arrest time and preserve his
idealization of childhood innocence.
3. Desire for companionship:
Holden is lonely and isolated; he seeks genuine companionship with others though he confuses
the differences amongst sex, intimacy, and friendship.
Key Scenes: Choose three.
1. Chapter 5: Holden writing about Allie’s baseball mitt
2. Chapter 11: Holden’s reminiscence of his summer with Jane Gallagher
3. Chapter 16: Holden’s reflections on the Natural History Museum
4. Chapter 22: Holden’s conversation with Phoebe to be “the catcher in the rye”
5. Chapter 25: Holden’s final scene at the carousel with Phoebe
6. Other scene: Scholars who excel in their understanding of Holden as a character may choose
another scene that resonates with them (pending teacher approval) such as the
Horowitz/Holden conversation about the ducks.
Complete the two story thesis: Fill in the blanks after extended reflection.
One of the central patterns J.D. Salinger explores in his coming of age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is Holden
Caulfield’s (choose one of three patterns here—the underlined phrase only). Holden, the 16 year old protagonist,
with more fully developed explanation of pattern chosen—see sentences under patterns for guidance).
(fill in
Although many of Holden’s
experiences in NYC expose his (restate pattern from first blank but with varied vocabulary), three scenes, in particular,
illustrate how this pattern of the mind stunts Holden’s ability to move beyond Allie’s death: ___(scene 1
choice)__, ___(scene 2 choice)__, and ___(scene 3 choice)__.
Enduring Understandings: What do you want students to know in 10 years about this topic?
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EU #1: Characterization is the method a writer uses to develop a character in a narrative. Authors may
present characters directly by means of description and indirectly through a character’s speech,
thoughts, and actions.
EU #2: Great literature transcends cultural barriers and reveals a truth about the human condition:
Humans have conscious and subconscious fears and problems that stem from traumatic experiences
and manifest themselves in patterns of behavior.
EU #3: Frequently used for humor, hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or
extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. As a figure of speech, it is not intended to
be taken literally.
Essential Questions: What questions will guide this unit and focus learning and thinking?
EQ #1: How does J.D. Salinger use direct and indirect characterization to depict Holden as a
quintessential, yet complex and unique, teenager experiencing the pain of coming of age?
EQ #2: How does a literary work effectively explore a person’s experience with trauma shaping the
patterns of his/her life?
EQ#3: How does Salinger’s use of indirect characterization, especially Holden’s use of hyperbole,
develop our understanding of Holden as a universal character?
PBA Aligned Key Passages
Passage Description
Chapter, Page #
Stradlater asks Holden to write a descriptive essay
for him, and Holden writes about his dead brother
Allie’s baseball mitt.
After leaving Pencey Prep, Holden decides to kill a
few days in NYC. He has Jane Gallagher on the mind
because of Stradlater’s date with her and
reminisces, while in New York, of his past summer
with her. Although he considers calling her, he,
instead, only thinks about her.
Chapter 5, from bottom of 37 “After he left, I put on my
pajamas and bathrobe and hunting cap” to middle of 39
“Because I sort of liked writing about it.”
In this passage Holden explains why he loves
the Museum of Natural History. Killing time
before his date with Sally, Holden decides to
walk from Central Park to the Museum of
Natural History. Along the way, he remembers
in detail his school trips to the museum.
Holden has snuck into his own apartment to
see Phoebe. Fortunately, his parents are out for
the night, so they do not find out that he has
been kicked out of another school. He wakes up
Phoebe and they have the conversation that
Chapter 16, from the beginning of the last paragraph
on page 119 “even though it was Sunday . . .” to the
end of the chapter on page 122.
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Chapter 11, from the beginning of the chapter on page
76 to the second to last paragraph on page 80
Chapter 22, from the middle of 169 “You don’t like
anything . . .” to the line on page 173 “’I know it’s
crazy.””
reveals the meaning of the book’s title.
Holden has decided to move out West and
leaves Phoebe a note to that effect, but Phoebe
has different plans and shows up with a
suitcase to accompany him. They get angry with
each other because Holden realizes his effect
on her, that he can’t take her, and that,
perhaps, his plan to leave is not a good idea.
They cry and yell at each other, and then
Holden tries to smooth things over with Phoebe
and takes her to the carousel in Central Park.
Other great passages to consider for
differentiation for scholars who may want more
choice of scenes for their essays:
Chapter 25 from page 210 “’I thought the carousel
was closed for the winter’” to the end of the chapter
on page 213.
Chapter 12: Holden’s conversation with Horowitz
about the ducks in Central Park
Chapter 14: Maurice and Sunny try to “chisel” Holden
Chapter 15: the suitcase metaphor at the end of the
chapter
Chapter 17: Holden’s proposition to Sallie Hayes
Chapter 20: The end of the chapter and Holden’s
ruminations about Allie
Chapter 24: Holden’s “great fall” that Mr. Antolini
describes
Assessment
Summative: Interim Assessment (IA)
Book One
Book Two
(power standards addressed)
(on-demand prompt)
L.7.1 Characterization (direct and indirect))
L.7.1 Characterization
L.7.3 Literary Elements (flashback,
W.26.1.a On-Demand Argument: Position
foreshadowing, point of view)
W.26.2.c On-Demand Evidence: Interpretation
L.7.2 Plot Elements (de-emphasized in unit with
W.26.3.a On-Demand Language: Clarity
inside-out planning of Catcher, so you will not see
it in this unit plan but it is tested on the IA)
L.9.1 Analyzing Poetry
Summative: Unit Exam
(Outline only: not yet developed)
Part I:
Close Reading and
Annotation
Select a passage from
Catcher that was not
discussed in class but
illuminates at least two
patterns of the mind and
how they stunt Holden’s
ability to move beyond
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Part II:
Multiple choice
Using the same
Catcher passage from
Part I and a
hyperbole poem they
have not seen
before, scholars will
answer a series of
SAT-style m.c.
Part III: Quote I.D.
Given a series of quotes
from the text, scholars
must identify speaker,
situation, and
significance.
Part IV:
On-demand paragraph
using the passage from
Part I of the exam.
Allie’s death. Scholars
close read and annotate
for indirect
characterization. Graded
for this part using the
annotation rubric.
questions
Formative:
Interpretive Seminars in Preparation for PBA
#1
Passage: Chapter 11
Focus Q: Why does Holden say, “You never even worried with Jane,
whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy.
You really were?”
Focused Annotation:
P=When they have a Physical connection
E=When they have an Emotional connection
# 2 Passage: Chapter 16 Focus Q: If Holden “loves that damn museum,” then why does he decide
that he “wouldn’t have gone inside for a million bucks” when he gets
there?
Focused Annotation:
C= when things seems to Change
S=when things seem to stay the Same
# 3 Passage: Chapter 22 In response to Phoebe’s question, why does Holden say that the only three
things he likes are Allie, talking with her, and being the “catcher in the
rye”?
Focused Annotation:
A=where Holden speaks or acts like an adult
C=where Holden speaks or acts like a child
Formative:
Explications in Preparation for PBA
Passage Selection: Chapter 11 and Chapter 22 (specific excerpts from these chapters below)
Chapter 11:
I don’t want you to get the idea she was a goddam icicle or something, just because we never necked or
horsed around much. She wasn’t. I held hands with her all the time, for instance. That doesn’t sound like
much, I realize, but she was terrific to hold hands with. Most girls if you hold hands with them, their
goddam hand dies on you, or else they think they have to keep moving their hand all the time, as if they
were afraid they’d bore you or something. Jane was different. We’d get into a goddam movie or
something, and right away we’d start holding hands, and we wouldn’t quit till the movie was over. And
without changing the position or making a big deal out of it. You never even worried, with Jane, whether
your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were.
Chapter 22:
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands
of little, and nobody’s around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some
crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if
they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch
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them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the
only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy.”
Additional Assessed Items
Homework
 Characterization Paragraphs for Catcher in the Rye
Assessed mostly for completion with some unpredictable days for pick-up as an authentic
assessment and periodic placement of random student homework under doc cam for assessment
of quality

Reading Quizzes for Catcher in the Rye
A quick assessment of accuracy to hold scholars accountable for reading at home before class—
many of the questions will be multiple choice in format to mimic the m.c. questions they will see
on the IA covering the standard of characterization and other literary terms
Classwork
 Notes (assessed through rubric and exit ticket—see model unit for details)
 Characterization tracker and paragraph (begun in class while reading and completed for
homework)
Other
 Annotation Collection from Interpretive Seminar
PBA Deep Dive
Craft a sample two-story thesis statements in response to your PBA prompt: Pattern of the Mind #2
One of the central patterns J.D. Salinger explores in his coming of age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is
Holden Caulfield’s fear of adulthood. Holden, the 16 year old protagonist, holds onto his childhood
because he is nostalgic for the time prior to Allie’s death and is subsequently afraid of what he will do
with himself when he grows up. Although many of Holden’s experiences in NYC expose his anxiety with
growing up, three scenes, in particular, illustrate how this pattern of the mind stunts Holden’s ability to
move beyond his death: Holden writing about Allie’s baseball mitt, his reflections on the unchanging
Natural History Museum, and his conversation with Phoebe about being the “catcher in the rye.”
What assertions would support this analytic thesis?
Sample Assertion for Thesis #1
1
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Holden’s description of his brother’s Allie’s death in
Chapter 5 provides an initial layer of explanation of
why Holden’s most significant reoccurring pattern of
the mind is his fear of adulthood.
How this Assertion Supports the
Sample Thesis
This assertion establishes the
basis that Allie’s death is the
primary cause of Holden’s pattern
of reluctance to grow up.
Holden’s development, in many
ways, is arrested from the time of
Allie’s death.
2
Holden’s idyllic musings about his childhood
experiences at The Natural History Museum in Chapter
12 demonstrate his fixation with things not changing
because he does not want to be forced to mature and
leave Allie and his youth behind.
This assertion supports the thesis
because it connects Holden’s
fascination with the static displays
at The Natural History Museum to
his psychological desire to avoid
maturation.
3
In Chapter 22, when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants
to grow up to be “the catcher in the rye,” he not only
reveals that he wants to save kids like him from falling
off the cliff of childhood innocence into adulthood, he
also implies that if someone had saved him when Allie
died that he may not be struggling as much with the
pattern of the mind of avoidance of adulthood.
This assertion supports the thesis
because it explains why Holden’s
professed future job aspiration-the catcher in the rye—reveals
that he wishes someone could
have saved him and understood
him when Allie died. This
fantastical vocation stems directly
from the trauma and reinforces
why he’s scared to grow up.
What evidence would support your thesis? List sample quotes and analysis for each assertion below:
Evidence/quotations (with p. #) for each
What possible interpretations could a
assertion
scholar make?
1
“He’s dead now. He got leukemia and died when No other calendar date occurs in the text:
Holden is vague about time throughout the
we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946” (38).
rest of text, but Allie’s death is seared in his
mind. Subsequently, he can’t get past the
experience and face his pending adulthood.
“I was only thirteen and they were going to have
me psychoanalyzed because I broke all the
windows in the garage. I don’t blame them. I
really don’t. I slept in the garage the night he
died, and I broke all the goddam windows with
my fist, just for the hell of it” (39).
Other great quotes from Chapter 5: Holden
happens to have Allie’s baseball mitt with him,
and he puts on his hunting cap right before he
reveals to the reader Allie’s death (39 & 37).
2
“The best thing though, in that museum was that
everything always stayed right where it was. . . .
Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would
be different would be you. Not that you’d be so
much older or anything” (121).
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Although his parents were going to have
Holden see a therapist, they ultimately did not.
This incident and others—Holden’s father not
having time to talk to him and his parent’s
insistence on sending him away to boarding
school despite his lack of success—reveal
neglect of Holden’s trauma. Although Holden
does not “blame them,” he seems confused
about his violent action by suggesting that he
did the deed “for the hell of it” rather than due
to exceptional loss. Holden’s inability to
recover from this loss is the foundation for his
reoccurring reluctance to grow up.
Salinger chooses to italicize the word
“you” to emphasize the inevitability of
growing up, but Holden downplays the
difference between the fixed displays and
humans. Additionally, Holden moves from
first person, I, in describing his love of the
museum to “you” in identifying the
change over time. He distances himself
from his own reality with the change in
voice.
“Then a funny thing happened. When I got to
the museum, all of a sudden I wouldn’t have
gone inside for a million bucks” (122).
Other great quotes from Chapter 16: the hunting
cap comes out again as he walks toward the
entrance of the museum and he mentions
parents fighting as an example of how a person
might be different as compared to the last time
s/he viewed the Eskimo display at the museum
(122).
3
Holden tries to play with some kids in the
park right before this thought, but their
nonverbal cues suggest to him that they
do not want him around. At this point, he
reconsiders his desire to enter the
museum: he cannot confront the reality of
his looming adulthood in contrast to the
unchanging Eskimos. He demonstrates
some of his repeating immaturity with his
hyperbole of even a “million bucks” would
not get him to enter the building.
“’I like Allie,’ I said. “And I like doing what I’m
doing right now. Sitting here with you, and
talking and thinking about stuff, and’” (170).
Holden can only think of Allie and Phoebe
to describe something he likes, and when
pushed to describe further what he wants
to “be,” he can only craft a nebulous
construct from a Robert Burns’ poem that
he remembers incorrectly to suit his
preoccupation with childhood.
“Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around—
nobody big except me” (173).
Holden situates his catcher in the rye
fantasy in a field populated only with
children and in describing himself, he does
not use terms like young adult or grown
up but rather “big” in comparison to
small—terms less affiliated with
adulthood and maturity.
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Craft a second sample two-story thesis statements in response to your PBA prompt below: Pattern of
the Mind #1
One of the central patterns J.D. Salinger explores in his coming of age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is
Holden Caulfield’s search for authenticity. Holden, the 16 year old protagonist, criticizes those around
him whom he views as phony and disparages himself for his extensive lying because few people have
tried to authentically understand him and help him through his grief from Allie’s death. Although many
of Holden’s experiences in NYC expose his search for authenticity, three scenes, in particular, illustrate
how this pattern of the mind stunts Holden’s ability to move beyond Allie’s death: Holden’s flashback of
his summer with Jane, his reflections on the unchanging Natural History Museum, and his conversation
with Phoebe about being the “catcher in the rye.”
What assertions would support this analytic thesis?
Sample Assertion for Thesis #2
How this Assertion Supports the
Sample Thesis
This assertion supports the thesis
because it explains why Jane
Gallagher is a central figure in
Holden’s search for authenticity
as she is one of the few people
who have not seemed phony to
Holden since Allie died.
1
In Chapter 11, Holden’s reminiscence of his summer
with Jane Gallagher reveals that he values people in his
life—like Jane, who are authentic, rather than phony,
which describe most of his experiences in NYC and at
his four prep schools.
2
Holden’s reoccurring search for authenticity and
simultaneous rejection of phoniness stem from him
attempting to stop time ever since Allie died as in his
irrational love of the static Natural History Museum
displays in Chapter 16.
This assertion supports the thesis
because his pattern of returning
to and finding comfort in the
unchanging Natural History
Museum displays suggest that he
is preoccupied with the authentic
experiences in his life staying the
same and not being adulterated
with phoniness.
3
In Chapter 22, Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to
grow up to be the “the catcher in the rye” because he
hopes to save them from the phoniness that he’s
endured growing up, particularly since Allie died.
This assertion establishes the
culmination of Holden’s
preoccupation with phoniness. As
the “catcher in the rye,” he can
help all of the children in their
search for authenticity and feel
genuine and sincere in saving
them from phoniness.
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What evidence would support your thesis? List sample quotes and analysis for each thesis below:
Evidence/quotations (with p. #) for each
What possible interpretations could a
assertion
scholar make?
1
“You never wanted to kid Jane too much. I think
After Holden considers the phony
I really like it best when you can kid the pants off Stradlater with Jane in the back of Ed
Banky’s car, Holden becomes preoccupied
a girl when the opportunity arises, but it’s a
with calling Jane (though he never does)
funny thing. The girls I like best are the ones I
and reminisces about their summer
never feel much like kidding” (78).
together. His relationship with her is one
of purity and happiness as he remembers
it, and he does not feel like “kidding” her
because he years to maintain the sincerity
of their relationship and not delve into the
phoniness that crisscrosses so much of his
other life experiences.
“Then all of the sudden this tear plopped down
on the checkerboard” (78).
Differentiation: For top scholars, you may want
to suggest they draw a comparison between this
scene on 78 and Holden’s tears over the Maurice
and Sunny incident.
2
“I took my old hunting cap out of my pocket
while I walked, . . . . I kept thinking about old
Phoebe going to the museum on Saturdays the
way I used to. I thought she’d see the same stuff
I used to see, and how she’d be different every
time she saw it” (122).
“Certain things they should stay the way they
are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of
those big glass cases and just leave them alone”
(122).
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Jane is one of the few people who
expresses true emotion to Holden by
allowing him to see her cry. Holden
interacts with many strangers and
acquaintances in his search for
authenticity, but it’s only the
checkerboard tears with Jane that come
close to matching his own grief over Allie’s
death.
Holden’s fond recollections of the Natural
History Museum come to an abrupt halt
when he dons the cap and considers
Phoebe changing over time. His use of the
italicized “she” implies his fear of her
becoming less genuine and phonier as she
gets older. He’s commented several times,
up to this point in the book, that old
Phoebe and he have intimate, authentic
talks—something he may lose as she gets
older.
Although Holden recognizes the ludicrous
nature of such a premise, he still ponders
the possibility of preserving people and
events—here, he means Phoebe but the
implication is Allie and Jane prior to her
time with Stradlater. . Ironically, he is on
his way to his date with Sallie Hayes, one
of the biggest phonies he knows.
3
“’. . . how would you know if you did it because
you really wanted to save guys’ lives, or because
you did it because what you really wanted to do
was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping
you on the back and congratulating in court
when the goddam trail was over . . . . How would
you know you weren’t being a phony?’” (172).
Immediately before Holden tells Phoebe
about his desire to be the “catcher in the
rye,” he responds to her suggestion that
he should be a lawyer “like Daddy” (172).
Holden’s father never interacts with him in
the novel. The reader hears about D.B.
and his visit to Holden, his conversations
with his mother, his wonderful past with
Allie, and of course, his extensive time
with Phoebe. Holden’s Dad’s absence and
Holden’s lack of respect for his profession
implies the lack of authenticity in their
relationship and fuels Holden’s
preoccupation with phoniness.
“. . . and there was James Castle laying right on
the stone steps and all” (170).
Initially, Holden’s flashback to James
Castle seems odd when he is having this
intense conversation with Phoebe about
what he likes. However, James’s suicide,
which Holden perceives is a result of
Castle refusing to take back what he
meant, is interconnected with Holden’s
desire to be the catcher in the rye. Like
Castle, Holden craves validity in his
relationships and vocation. If he can save
the children from the falling off the cliff
into phoniness, then perhaps Castle did
not die in vain, and Allie’s death serves a
higher purpose for him.
10 | P a g e
The Catcher in the Rye AIMS SEQUENCE
Friday, 9/2
Lesson #: 01
Lesson Type:
MGI/Anticipation Guide
for Reading Catcher
Aim: Given the
anticipation guide and the
Carl Luce conversation in
Chapter 19 of The Catcher
in the Rye, SWBAT predict
some of the patterns of
Holden’s mind by
completing the guide and
writing prediction
statements.
HW: Take statements 1012 from the anticipation
guide and turn them into
prediction statements
based on the Chp. 19 Carl
Luce conversation. Write
in complete sentences and
proofread, proofread,
proofread.
11 | P a g e
Tuesday, 9/6
Wednesday, 9/7
Thursday, 9/8
Friday, 9/9
Lesson #: 02
Lesson Type: Control the
Game (CTG)
Lesson #: 03
Lesson Type: MGI
Lesson #: 04
Lesson Type: MGI
Lesson #: 05
Lesson Type: CTG
Aim: Given Chp. 1, SWBAT
identify basic literary
elements (point of view,
hyperbole, flashback,
setting) that frame the
novel’s construct and
brainstorm some of the
patterns of the mind by
annotating for these
elements in the margins.
Aim: Given Chapters 1-2,
SWBAT locate examples of
indirect characterization
(IC) in the text and classify
the type of IC by
completing the “bullets” in
the characterization
tracker.
Aim: Given Chapters 1-3,
SWBAT craft
interpretations about
Holden by using the IC
examples from yesterday’s
characterization tracker to
write a characterization
paragraph.
Aim: Given Chapter 5,
SWBAT predict why Allie’s
death is significant to
Holden’s development as a
character by participating
in a whole-class read
aloud, annotation of the
text, and paragraph
writing exercise.
HW: Read chapter 3 and
HW: Read chapter 4 and
complete 3 bullets in the
tracker. From one of the
three bullets, complete a
characterization
paragraph. See exemplar
provided in class.
HW: Reread Chapter 1
and annotate again for the
patterns of Holden’s mind
that you predict will be
important. Use a different
colored pen, so I can see
the difference between
class work and homework.
(Notice how when you reread a
text you find something new
that you did not notice in the
first read.)
complete 3 bullets in the
characterization tracker. Begin
your psychoanalyst’s list on the
pink sheet: what patterns of the
mind are you noticing about
Holden? Make note of repeating
behaviors and expressions. This
is a brainstorm list to come back
to throughout the text.
HW: Study for a reading
quiz over Chapters 1-5:
quotation identification,
m.c. questions on literary
terms, definitions and
interpretations of indirect
characterization. Update
your psychoanalyst list
with at least TWO entries
for Chapter 4 and TWO
entries for Chapter 5.
Monday, 9/12
Lesson #: 06
Lesson Type: DIRT 1-5
Quiz (Did I Read it
Thoroughly?) and reading
day
Aim: 1. Given a reading
assessment, SWBAT apply
their reading
comprehension and
literary analysis skills by
taking the quiz.
2. Given Chapters 6-9,
SWBAT read with stamina
and focus by maintaining
the 8:2 ratio (8 minutes of
reading and 2 minutes of
writing. Rinse, repeat).
HW: Finish reading at home
what you did not complete today
for Wednesday’s class—the
reading and one characterization
paragraph. Update the
scavenger hunt list with at least
TWO more repeating behaviors
that you are noticing (don’t
forget to write in complete
sentences and cite the page
numbers).
12 | P a g e
Tuesday, 9/13
Lesson #: 07
Lesson Type: MGI
Aim: Given a nonfiction
article about Sigmund
Freud and his explanation
of defense mechanisms,
SWBAT restate the main
idea at the paragraph level
by writing summarizing
sentences at the end of
each paragraph.
HW: In your spiral, complete a
text-to-self assignment. In the
first paragraph, describe a lifechanging experience you have
had, like Holden losing his
brother. In the second
paragraph, compare your
reaction to your experience to
Holden’s reaction to Allie’s death
(punching out the garage
windows). In the third
paragraph, explain which
defense mechanisms you put in
place to cope with such an
experience (choose at least 1
defense mechanism from the
nonfiction article in class today).
In the fourth paragraph,
compare your defense
mechanism strategy to Holden’s
primary ones.
Wednesday, 9/14
Thursday, 9/15
Friday, 9/16
Lesson #: 08
Lesson Type: Class
Discussion
Lesson #: 09
Lesson Type: Interpretive
Seminar Part I
Lesson #: 10
Lesson Type: Interpretive
Seminar Part II
Aim: Given Chapters 1-9,
SWBAT categorize
Holden’s repeating
behaviors into patterns of
the mind by taking notes
that not only record
information but also aid
reflection.
Content Aim: Given an
excerpt from Chapter 11,
SWBAT explain the
significance of Holden’s
relationship with Jane by
participating in a second
round of reading, one
focused annotation, and
discussion of the
annotation.
Content Aim: Given the
fully annotated passage
from Chapter 11 and their
A+ response to the focus
question, SWBAT analyze
how Holden’s relationship
with Jane reveals some of
the patterns of his mind by
participating in seminar
and revising their A+
responses.
*Teacher Note: Teacher
should ensure that the BIG
REVEAL has occurred by
the end of class. Scholars
should now have access to
all three patterns of the
mind outlined in the PBA
prompt.
HW: Read Chapters 10-11.
Annotate the chapter 11 excerpt
(given as a printed handout) for
IEQ annotation (*important,
!emotion, ?question). You
cannot participate in day 01 of
the seminar if this reading and
annotation has not occurred.
Skill Aim: Given seminar,
SWBAT annotate quality
inferences in the margins.
HW: Complete an A+
response for the focus
question. Brainstorm
answers to the cluster
questions, too. You cannot
participate in day 02 of
seminar if the A+ response
is not complete.
Skill Aim: Given seminar,
SWBAT clearly state an
assertion without using
like and annotate for
quality inferences if
outside the fishbowl.
HW: Read Chapters 12-13;
complete 3 bullets in the
tracker. From one of the
three bullets, complete a
characterization
paragraph.
Monday, 9/19
Tuesday, 9/20
Wednesday, 9/21
Thursday, 9/22
Lesson #: 11
Lesson Type: DIRT 6-13
Quiz and Reading day
Lesson #: 14
Lesson Type MGI
Lesson #: 13
Lesson Type: Interpretive
Seminar Part I
Lesson #: 14
Lesson Type: Interpretive
Seminar Part II
Aim: Given Chapters 1416, SWBAT read with
stamina and focus by
maintaining the 8:2 ratio
(8 minutes of reading and
2 minutes of writing.
Rinse, repeat).
Aim: Given teacher
comments on your
characterization
paragraphs submitted thus
far, SWBAT appraise their
feedback and apply it to a
revised draft of their best
characterization paragraph
by annotating the teacher
feedback and then
rewriting the draft.
Content Aim: Given an
excerpt from Chapter 16,
SWBAT to explain the
significance of Holden’s
fascination with the
Natural History Museum
by participating in a
second round of reading,
one focused annotation,
and discussion of the
annotation.
Aim: Given the fully
annotated passage from
Chapter 16 and their A+
response to the focus
question, SWBAT analyze
how Holden’s fascination
with the Natural History
Museum reveals some of
the patterns of his mind by
participating in seminar
and revising their A+
responses.
HW: Annotate the chapter
16 excerpt (given as a
printed handout) for IEQ
annotation (*important,
!emotion, ?question). You
cannot participate in day
01 of the seminar if this
reading and annotation
has not occurred.
Skill Aim: Given seminar,
SWBAT annotate quality
inferences in the margins.
HW: Finish at home what
you did not complete in
class—the reading, 3 more
bullets for your
characterization tracker,
and one additional
characterization
paragraph.
Teacher note: Teacher must
hand back feedback and grades
from seminar last week prior to
second seminar occurring
tomorrow.
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HW: Complete an A+
response for the focus
question. Brainstorm
answers to the cluster
questions, too. You cannot
participate in day 02 of
seminar if the A+ response
is not complete.
Skill Aim: Given seminar,
SWBAT clearly state an
assertion without using
like and annotate for
quality inferences if
outside the fishbowl.
HW: Read Chapters 17-18 for
Monday and complete 3 bullets
on the characterization tracker.
Choose your best bullet to write
a characterization paragraph.
Study for a DIRT quiz over
Chapters 14-18 for Monday.
Friday, 9/23
NO CLASS—SERVICE DAY
FIELD TRIP AND YALE
LUNCH
Monday, 9/26
Tuesday, 9/27
Wednesday, 9/28
Lesson #: 15
Lesson Type: DIRT 14-18
quiz and reading day
Lesson #: 16
Lesson Type: Interpretive
Seminar Part I
Lesson #: 17
Lesson Type: Interpretive
Seminar Part II
Lesson #: 18
Lesson Type: MGI
Aim: Given Chapters 1922, SWBAT read with
stamina and focus by
maintaining the 8:2 ratio
(8 minutes of reading and
2 minutes of writing.
Rinse, repeat).
Content Aim: Given an
excerpt from Chapter 22,
SWBAT to explain the
significance of Holden’s
desire to be “the catcher
in the rye” by participating
in a first and second round
of reading, one IEQ
annotation, one focused
annotation, and discussion
of the annotation.
Aim: Given the fully
annotated passage from
Chapter 22 and their A+
response to the focus
question, SWBAT analyze
how Holden’s desire to be
“the catcher in the rye”
reveals some of the
patterns of his mind by
participating in seminar
and revising their A+
responses.
Aim: Given an exemplar
explication and a short
excerpt from the Chp. 22
interpretive seminar
passage, SWBAT craft
assertions that explain
why Holden wants to be
the “catcher in the rye.”
HW: Finish the reading at
home that you did not
complete in class, 3 more
bullets for your
characterization tracker,
and one additional
characterization paragraph
from your best bullet.
Teacher note: Teacher
must hand back feedback
and grades from seminar
last week prior to third
interpretive seminar
beginning tomorrow.
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Skill Aim: Given seminar,
SWBAT annotate quality
inferences in the margins.
HW: Complete an A+
response for the focus
question. Brainstorm
answers to the cluster
questions, too. You cannot
participate in day 02 of
seminar if the A+ response
is not complete.
Skill Aim: Given seminar,
SWBAT clearly state an
assertion without using
like and annotate for
quality inferences if
outside the fishbowl.
HW: Read chapters 23-24
for Monday. Complete the
ABCs of The Catcher in the
Rye.
Thursday, 9/29
*Teacher Note: Make a big
deal that this is their FIRST
EXPLICATION of many this
year. Stress that explications
are a key ingredient to their
success in reading in high
school and beyond.
HW: Finish first draft of
Chp. 22 explication using
the steps outlined on the
exemplar explication given
in class today. Don’t forget
about finishing chapters
23-24 for class on Monday
if you did not already finish
them.
Friday, 9/30
NO CLASS—TEACHER
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT DAY
Monday, 10/3
Tuesday, 10/4
Lesson #: 19
Lesson Type: DIRT 19-24
Quiz and CTG
Lesson #: 20
Lesson Type: Cooperative
learning groups
Aim: 1. Given a reading
assessment, SWBAT apply
their reading
comprehension and
literary analysis skills by
taking the quiz.
2. Given Chapters 25-26,
SWBAT assess if Holden is
intrinsically “so damn
happy” by participating in
a whole-class read aloud
and annotation.
Aim: Given their IA1
exam, SWBAT review key
content and skills by
participating in a study
session in cooperative
learning groups.
HW: Yeah! You are finished
with this awesome book. Don’t
you wish you could meet Holden
in person? In your spiral, craft
a one-page conversation you
would have with Holden. Make
sure to capture the authenticity
of Holden’s voice and your own.
Write the dialogue and put in
parenthesis any explanation you
have for nonverbal
communication on your part or
Holden’s.
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HW: Study for your IA1
exam.
HW due the Monday after
IA exams: Final draft of
explication (based on
feedback provided by
teacher today when
explications were
returned).
Wednesday, 10/5
Thursday, 10/6
IA1 Exams are Wednesday, 10/5, through
Friday, 10/7.
Friday, 10/7
Note: After-school
opportunity on Friday-Show Frontline video,
which explains why Mark
David Chapman used The
Catcher in the Rye as his
impetus and motivation
for killing John Lennon.
Scholars watch video and
participate in a follow-up
discussion. By doing so,
they have an opportunity
to replace their lowest
formative assessment
grade for quarter one with
a 100% or their two lowest
homework grades with
100%. Videos are on
YouTube.
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