In the Penal Colony Lesson Plan

Read the first third of the story, from the beginning to the introduction of the Commandant's original guiding plans (pp. 140-148 in The Complete Stories). Also, read John Updike's foreword to The Complete Stories (pp. ix-xxi). (Encourage students to read the Updike before beginning "In the Penal Colony.")

Common Core Objectives

1. 1

   CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5:

   Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

2. 2

   CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of...