Willa Cather: My Antonia

Created by Mary Gregoski

PTE 856 (Summer 2002)

Curriculum Integration

• Include the following subject areas:– Language Arts (Read My Antonia)– Social Studies (History of Time

Period)– Agriculture (Farming Practices)– Art (Pictures/Drawings of Time Period)– Technology (Create Presentations)– If possible, a trip to Red Cloud

Language Arts

• Students will read the novel My Antonia• Students will be divided into groups and

will be assigned a chapter(s) in which they must create a quiz to add to their final product

• Students will give final presentation in class

• Students will study the life of Willa Cather and will gain knowledge about her other writings

Social Studies

•Students will study the time period of Willa Cather’s life

•Students will complete a time line of her life including the novels written

Agriculture

• Students will study the farming practices of this time period

• Students will gain an understanding of the grasses and lands on which the farmers of this era were working

• Students will make a comparison of farming practices from Cather’s era to today’s

Art

• Students will view pictures/drawings of this era

• Students will attempt to draw a picture of this era by using the knowledge they gain from the text of My Antonia

Technology

• Students will take pictures at the field trip in Red Cloud using a digital camera

• Students will create a web page for their group’s particular chapter(s) including:– Pictures from the trip– Information about the chapter(s)– Information about the life of Willa Cather– A quiz over their particular chapter(s)– Group’s overall reaction to the novel

Technology

• Students will then create a Power Point presentation that will include:– Information about their chapter– Information about Cather that is

interesting to them– Information about what they learned

Technology

• Students will create a brochure to promote Willa Cather’s novels

• The brochure will discuss My Antonia as well as other novels by Cather

• Students must include information about Willa Cather’s writing career

Curriculum Integration

• This is a brief overview of what can be done to complete this unit. There are many more possibilities I am sure but in such a small school as mine I will be fortunate to complete this unit. I will be using this unit this year so we will see how well it works. There are more details that will be needed such as rubrics, reading logs, and overall checklist. I am looking forward to implementing this unit. I am not sure if the trip to Red Cloud will be possible due to budget cuts.

Webliography: Willa Cather Unit

 1. Quiz over My Antonia http://www.gradesaver.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/readers/quiz.cgi?book=myantonia&q_start=1&total_q=40 A simple quiz that will be used as a good example for students when they create their quizzes.  2. Willa Cather’s My Antonia: “the Happiness and the Curse” by Carol Leavitt Altierihttp://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1987/2/87.02.01.x.html 

Great site to have students go in depth about the novel. This site also provides good discussion questions for teachers. It may be site that is more appropriate for teachers but when creating a unit where students need to do the majority of the work, could be a useful resource for them.  3. Willa Cather Home Page http://www.willacather.org/ This site has all you want to know about Willa Cather to begin this unit. 

4. Willa Cather Site

http://fp.image.dk/fpermarxlind/

 

This site goes into even more detail than the previous site. Easy to understand and has much information to offer.

 

5. The Willa Cather Electronic Archive

http://www.unl.edu/Cather/menu.htm

 

This is a great resource for in-depth research or just to locate a few pictures of Willa Cather. This site has much to offer in describing Cather and her writings.

 

Webliography: Willa Cather Unit