The Little Prince (Reading & Critical Thinking)

Lesson Plan: The Little Prince (Reading & Critical Thinking)

Main Aim

To practice reading a narrative text about imagination and perception for gist and detail.

Subsidiary Aims

1. To introduce and practice key vocabulary for description and thought (e.g., magnificent, swallowing, advise, lay aside).
2. To practice speaking for fluency and critical thinking by relating the text's themes to students' personal experiences.

Materials

https://quizlet.com/ua/1095510661/little-prince-flash-cards/?new

https://learningapps.org/display?v=ppv38apsa25

https://create.kahoot.it/details/ef4e5dc9-977b-4243-b234-a25a5ae53062?drawer=

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvOPdOYyeo

Text for reading

Lesson Procedure

Teacher Notes

• Pre-teach Vocab: Only teach words that block comprehension or are necessary for the tasks (e.g., digestion, masterpiece, advise). Use quick concept checking questions (CCQs).
• Gist Reading: Strictly adhere to the time limit to enforce skimming.
• Speaking Task: Encourage Ss to use the target vocabulary from the lesson where possible (e.g., instead, devote myself to, clearly).

Appendix

Reading

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a coloured pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.

But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. 

Speaking

  The Crisis of Perspective: Why do the grown-ups immediately see a hat when they look at the boy's first drawing? What does this tell us about how adults sometimes lose their imagination or limit their perception?

• Follow-up: Can you think of a time when your own imagination helped you see something that others missed?

  The Burden of Explanation: The boy felt he had to draw the inside of the snake because "grown-ups always need to have things explained." Why do people often need a literal explanation instead of embracing the abstract or the simple?

• Follow-up: Do you find it easier to trust your own feelings or the logical explanations of others?

  Prioritizing Skills: The adults advised the boy to "lay aside" his drawings and "devote" himself to subjects like arithmetic and grammar. Why do adults often prioritize practical or measurable skills over creative pursuits like drawing?

• Follow-up: If you had to choose between being very creative (like the boy) or very logical (like the adults), which would you choose, and why?

  The Nature of Fear: The boy asked the grown-ups whether the drawing frightened them. If they had recognized the boa constrictor, why might the image of a creature digesting another animal be scary, even though it's natural?

• Follow-up: What kind of natural "adventures" or elements (like jungles or wild animals) do you find inspiring or intimidating?

  The Boa Constrictor's Rest: The snake sleeps for six months for digestion. If this sleep represents a necessary period of rest or transformation in our lives, what might you need to "sleep through" or pause for a long time in order to fully process and integrate?

• Follow-up: Do you allow yourself enough time to ponder deeply over big decisions, or do you try to rush to the next activity instead?