Teaching Unit — mesizs EXPLORING DAI i Sh 1 aaa ama Bie Ua = [La] se =i = = Exploring Literature Author Carmela M. Kreuser Cover Art and Illustrations Lee Brubaker Editor Jacqueline I. Gross Copyright © 1989 Milliken Publishing Company All rights reserved. 11643 Lilburn Park Drive St.
Louis, MO 63146 www.com A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Objectives: To help teachers introduce students with a range of reading abilities to fine literature. To reinforce reading skills such as recalling details, understanding the main idea, comparing/contrasting, sequencing, understanding cause/ effect relationships, drawing conclusions, and predicting. To introduce students to the elements of fiction, including setting, characterization, plot, point of view, and theme. To expose students to the skill of analyzing a novel through class discussion.
To provide teachers with a complete kit of class room-tested skills pages, comprehension and vocabulary worksheets, and tests. The kit includes a chapter-by-chapter list of points for discussion, as well as a brief analysis of the elements of the novel. The accessibility of these materials will save teachers hours of preparation time. The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher/purchaser to reproduce copies by duplicating master or any photocopy process for single classroom use.
The reproduction of any part of this book for use by an entire school or school system or for any commercial use is strictly prohibited. MP3175 Table of Contents IntrodUuction. c2 Q Q n n n HH n HH nh KH kg vu vu v1 và ii Background. c2 2n HH nh nh nh nà hà kh nh ke iii Unit 1: Chapter Ì.
nent nen nes 1 Unit 2: Chapter 2. enn nnn ees 5 Unit 3: Chapter 3. 2n HH HH nh nh nh nh kh hà th nà 9 Unit 4: Chapter 4.QQ QQ Q n n n HH HH HH nh nh HH KH hà sài 13 Unit 5: Chapter Š. TT n nh nh nh HH nh hà nà 17 n9.
ch nh nh nh nh nh hà kh hà 25 Dnít 8: Chapter Ổ. een ete kh ha 29 Unit 9: Chapter Ö.QQ QQ Q ng HH HH nh nh kh n HH kh tà 33 Unit 10: Chapter lŨ.QQ Q n HH ng nh nh nh nh kh nh nà 37 Dnít 11: Chapter l]. cv nh nh nh nh nh nh ha 41 Unit 12: Chapter ]2. nh nh nh ng nh hà xa 45 Closing Discussion.
nh nh nh nh và 51 Writing ProjeetS. nh nh nh nh nh nh nh hà nà th nà kinh hề 53 Answer K@Y. ch nh nh nh nh nh nh nh kh nh ki hư hy 55 © Milliken Publishing Company i A Wrinkle in Time/MP3175 Introduction This guide is divided into twelve units of study, and includes the following components: Pre-reading Discussion This is a detailed section on the key elements that readers will encounter in the reading assignment. The Pre- reading Discussion centers on the literary elements of A Wrinkle in Time and gives suggestions for provoking interest in the chapters ahead.
The section ends with ideas for initiating class discussions about the important concepts in the book. Study Guide and Vocabulary List Each unit contains a study guide and vocabulary list, along with a corresponding reading assignment. Study guide pages are designed to be duplicated and distributed when the reading assignment is given. Students should answer the questions and study the vocabulary words.
Each study guide contains a “Writing Forum” section, in which students are asked to write a brief explication of some textual element. You may want to choose one or all of the questions listed; students may keep the Writing Forum questions in a continuing notebook. The following day’s class session could begin with a review of the written work before proceeding to a discussion of the chapters. Discussion Concepts This section details the important concepts that students have encountered in their reading of A Wrinkle in Time and may be used to initiate class discussions.
Discussions should involve events in the story and their relevance to the characters, important themes, and comparing and contrasting actions and statements. Stu- dents should be able to find quotes to support their opinions when necessary. Teachers may want to ask students to practice note-taking periodically during this discussion. Tests Tests of comprehension and vocabulary are included in the A Wrinkle in Time guide.
Varied formats challenge students to think intently and creatively about the material. Writing Projects The writing projects at the end of the guide may be used as students progress through A Wrinkle in Time, or after the class has finished Unit 12. © Milliken Publishing Company ii A Wrinkle in Time/MP3175 Background Type of Literature A Wrinkle in Time is a novel of science fiction that draws extensively from the literary traditions of fantasy, fairy tale, myth, and fable. It concems itself with issues of good and evil, the power of love, and the importance of concern for others.
Setting and Atmosphere The setting of the story, or the time and place in which the events of the story occur, plays an important role in A Wrinkle in Time. The novel begins in an unspecified locale on earth where the Murry family lives, shifts to the planet Uriel, moves on to Orion’s belt, to Camazotz and Ixchel, and finally returns to earth for the last scene. The uniqueness of each foreign place provides an atmosphere of fantasy to A Wrinkle in Time. The story takes place in the latter half of the twentieth century, during the popularity of the Cape Canaveral explorations.
Character Development The characters in A Wrinkle in Time are developed through their words, actions, and feelings. The central character in A Wrinkle in Time is Meg, the young girl who is called upon to test her courage and resource- fulness. Charles Wallace and Calvin are important characters who possess qualities that complement Meg’s personality. Together they are a strong team.
Minor characters in the novel include Father, whose disappearance is the impetus for the children to try to find him; Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, who provide the means for the children to undertake this task; Aunt Beast, who supplies the complete and unconditional love that Meg needs; and IT, which represents all that is evil in the world. When A Wrinkle in Time begins, Meg feels unhappy, unloved, and angry at her inability to fit in at school.
She is having difficulties adjusting to the growing maturity of her friends, and she is unable to perform for her teachers because she lacks the patience necessary to do things the way everyone else does. Meg is unhappy trying to conform, and she is angry about references made to her missing father. She is experiencing adoles- cence and feels that she is, as Charles Wallace says, “not really one thing or the other.” Meg feels that she is a misfit and is dismayed at her many faults, which include anger, impatience, and stubbornness. These shortcomings, however, allow Meg to rescue both her father and Charles Wallace.
When she sees her father imprisoned in ITs column, she puts on the magic glasses and rushes into the column without concern for her own safety. Her anger at Charles Wallace’s disappearance and determination not to be taken over by IT are her worst attributes put to good use. By the time Meg returns to Camazotz to save Charles Wallace from IT, she has learned from her experiences with both evil (in the touch of the Black Thing) and goodness (in the love of Aunt Beast). She now understands that “like and equal are two entirely different things.” She has recognized that it is essential and natural that all people are different; she has learned to love herself.
Once Meg realizes how much love she has inside herself, she can save Charles Wallace. She understands that love is always more powerful than hate, so she is, in fact, stronger than IT. When the novel ends, Meg has a new understanding about being different, and about tolerance for differences, as well as a new self-confidence. Meg has emerged from her experiences wiser, more mature, and more accepting of herself.
© Milliken Publishing Company iii A Wrinkle in Time/MP3175 The minor characters in A Wrinkle in Time facilitate Meg’s development, though they themselves are static. Father, whose character is revealed by the feelings of his wife and children early in the book, is a loving husband and father. He is a dedicated scientist and is committed to his work. When Meg frees him from his prison in the column, he demonstrates characteristic love and concern for Meg and even for the strange Charles Wallace until he realizes that his son’s body is occupied by IT.
His conversation with Calvin reveals his courage in exploring the unknown “tesseract,” and his decision to tell his colleagues upon his return home to proceed more carefully with its study shows his humanness and humility. Which, Mother, Calvin, and Charles Wallace are also static characters. Though the character of Calvin does not change, the reader's perception of him evolves as Meg’s view of him changes. As Calvin and Meg grow closer during their adventures, Meg begins to see Calvin less as the school’s star athlete and more as a person, like herself, who isn’t exactly like everyone else.
The character of Charles Wallace, too, stays the same, though he also changes in Meg’s eyes. At first, Meg sees him as a perfectly brilliant, perfectly loving and omniscient little brother; however, as the story progresses, she realizes that he is not perfect, but flawed, as she is. Once Meg is able to understand that she can save the “lost” Charles Wallace with the strength of her love, she realizes that this love makes her special and powerful. The “three W's” act as guides for Meg’s development.
They represent much more than mere characters in A Wrinkle in Time; they are symbols of hope, love, and goodness in the world. Plot The plot consists of the series of events that introduce, develop, and resolve the major conflict in the story. Conflict exists in every narrative, and may appear in various forms. Conflict may exist between one person and another, between one person and a group, or between one person and nature or the environment.
Several major conflicts may exist within one story; these are subplots. Conflicts are resolved, though not necessarily happily, by the end of the text. The plot of A Wrinkle in Time centers around the conflict between good and evil. Representing goodness are Mrs.
Which, Father, and the children; IT, or the Dark Thing, represents evil. On one level of the text, the rescue of Father from the clutches of IT is the plot of the novel. On a deeper level, the children represent the struggle of all humankind against war, poverty, violence, and hatred. At the same time that the children struggle against the Dark Thing, Meg struggles to resolve feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem through the challenge of rescuing her father and Charles Wallace.
The major conflict is resolved when Meg uses her love to triumph over IT and rescue Charles Wallace. Meg's inner conflict is resolved when she learns to accept her imperfections and to use them in positive ways. Until now, Meg’s impatience has served no useful purpose, but, in rescuing Charles Wallace, her determination and unwillingness to give up the fight lead to her success. The confidence she feels and the lessons she learns change her forever.
Point of View A Wrinkle in Time is told from the limited omniscient point of view. The reader is allowed to see and understand everything that happens in the book, but can understand only Meg's thoughts. © Milliken Publishing Company iv A Wrinkle in Time/MP3175 Theme The theme of a book may be either directly stated or implicit.