17 Pilgrim's Progress Essays - Lesson Plan PDF

Katelynn Sutton
LESSON PLANS
12 th Grade British Literature
Lesson Plan I: March 26 and 28, 2018
Lesson Topic
Objectives
Writing Assignment Pilgrim’s Progress
The students will…
1. Communicate their thoughts in writing clearly and effectively
2. Write with correct capitalization, punctuation, and usage
3. Use characters, places and situations from Pilgrim’s Progress to draw a real-life
comparison
4. Demonstrate proper essay format (clear thesis, strong body, restatement of thesis)
5. Demonstrate their ability to write essays in a timely manner (two one-page
essays in one class hour)
6. Display their understanding of how the characters and places and difficulties
Christian faces in Pilgrim’s Progress correlate to the genuine Christian life
7. Display basic reading comprehension by writing about what they have been
reading
8. Demonstrate their ability to cite specific examples from a text to prove a point
about that text
Materials
Needed
‣ Grading Rubric
‣ Lesson Plan/Procedure Outline
‣ Topic Choice List
‣ White Board (to show proper format; to talk about didactive literature)
‣ Notebook paper/pen on test day

Katelynn Sutton
Content or
Skills to Be
Reviewed
New Content
or Skills
Procedures
Characters, places, and situations that students have encountered so far in Pilgrim’s
Progress
Writing about those same characters, places and situations; making the book
personal
Procedure Outline
Monday
I. (8:30-8:35) Discuss with the class the difference between didactive and
affective literature – Pilgrim’s Progress is meant to teach them something.
A. John Bunyan was a preacher in prison—he was not writing to
entertain
B. It is full of Scripture
C. It depicts the Christian life—defeated and victorious
D. It mentions genuine trials we face and real people with whom we
will come into contact
E. They need to make the book personal to their own lives.
II.
(8:35-8:50) Pass out the essay test topic/instruction sheet. Read through the
topics with them and explain.
A. Be clear about my expectations
B. Correlate the relationship between the didactic Pilgrim’s Progress to
this assignment (they will write what they have learned or gleaned)
III.
(8:50-9:05) Pass out and explain the grading rubric.
A. Students will only be graded over what is on the rubric
B. The rubric, although specific, includes things that should already be
true of their writing level as a senior in high school.
C. Remind them of proper essay formatting
D. Be clear about the thesis statement (should be complex; should map
out their points).

Katelynn Sutton
Wednesday
I. (8:30-35) Opening announcements and last minute questions
A. Mrs. Cumbie always opens class with announcements
B. Students will be sure to have questions before they start
II.
(8:35-9:25) Students will have the rest of the period to write their
essays.
A. If the majority of the students do not finish their essays within the
hour, I will “budge” on my time limit and allow them to finish
tomorrow (but I am not going to tell the students that ahead of time;
I want to push them to do their best)
B. Students will not be using their books to write the essays.
C. Students will have two 4x6 cards, containing the information they
deem relevant to use in their writing.
Key Questions
(1) What do we call literature that is meant to teach, not just to please?
(2) What can you apply from the things you have read so far in Pilgrim’s Progress
to your own Christian life?
Activities
Monday
‣ Class discussion
‣ Assignment explanation
‣ Answering of students’ questions
Wednesday

Katelynn Sutton
‣ Answering of last-minute questions
‣ Writing of essays
Summary or Conclusion
Didactive literature is timeless—the authors of didactive literature use timeless,
universal themes. John Bunyan’s book is especially timeless because his themes
come straight from God’s Word. God’s Word never changes. The salvation
experience, difficulties, negative and positive characters, and influences that John
Bunyan pictures for us are the same for Christians in all ages. I simply want them to
write about what from John Bunyan’s allegory is personal and relative to their own
Christian lives.