Pygmalion Lesson Plan

The New Small Talk

Kind of Activity:

Creative Writing

Objective:

To think about how much of language is invented, and to imagine the mischief that Henry willingly suggests when he advises Clara to use “the new small talk” in her future social engagements.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Structure:

Begin by telling the students that they will be exploring the idea of slang and fashionable language that plays out in Act Three. Bring their attention to the pages where Eliza appears in Mrs. Higgins’s home, where Henry Higgins excuses her language by calling it the new small talk, and where Clara...