Great Books: Pride and Prejudice Teacher's Guide
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Great Books: Pride and Prejudice
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 9–12 Curriculum Focus: Literature Lesson Duration: Two class periods
Program Description
The perfidious nature of first impressions is at the heart of this Jane Austen classic. The
complicated love story of Elizabeth and Darcy, caught in the matchmaking machinations of
Elizabeth's mother, paints a brilliant tableau of middle-class English life while exploring the
universal themes of love, marriage, and social expectations.
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
• Understand that classics are pieces of literature that continue to be popular long after they were
authored, and that they tend to have universal themes.
• Discuss universal themes of Pride and Prejudice.
• Demonstrate their familiarity with Pride and Prejudice by updating a selected scene from it to the
21st century.
Materials
• Great Books: Pride and Prejudice video
• Miscellaneous scenes that your community would consider acceptable from Clueless, the 1995
movie loosely based on Austen’s Emma
Procedures
1. Ask the class why think some works of literature are considered “classics.” Explain that classics
continue to be popular long after they were authored because they tend to have universal
themes. For example, although its setting and characters are certainly dated, Pride and Prejudice
has remained a popular novel since its publication in 1813. Have the class talk about why they
think the novel has retained its popularity.
2. After giving students some time to think about the question of Pride and Prejudice’s enduring
popularity, ask students to list the elements of the novel that are universal. For example:
• It’s a great love story with twists, turns, and obstacles, and the right girl(s) and
guy(s) ending up with each other.Great Books: Pride and Prejudice
Teacher’s Guide 2
• In addition to the multifaceted Elizabeth and Darcy, the novel presents stock
characters we all understand (the interfering, well-intentioned but ridiculously
foolish mother; the pompous Mr. Collins; the snobbish Miss Caroline Bingley;
and the scoundrel Wickham).
3. Once students have talked about universal themes in the plot and characters, have them work
as a class to update these elements into a modern-day scenario. For example, what might
happen in a modern-day love story with similar characters and challenges? What might a
modern-day Mr. Collins act and look like? To illustrate what you have in mind, you could give
students a summary of Austen’s novel Emma and show appropriate scenes from the 1995 movie
Clueless, which is loosely based on the novel.
4. Then with the class, divide the modern-day scenario into a number of scenes that, taken
together, will cover the entire plot line. (Alternately, they could simply choose a scene from
Pride and Prejudice to adapt into a modern-day scene.) Assign a different scene to each of several
small groups who will draft an actual script for it.
5. Go over with the class important elements of a dramatic scene:
• The script of a scene must contain both dialogue (the conversations and asides of the
characters) and stage directions (descriptions of setting, characters, and action). Not all
descriptions show up in stage directions, however; sometimes playwrights drop
descriptions of setting and of characters right into characters’ dialogue.
• The characters might not resolve a problem or an issue in a scene, but a scene must contain a
problem or an issue that the characters are considering, and a scene must end in a satisfying
way rather than simply trail off.
6. Raise with the class the following questions about updating literature:
• How trendy should the locales and clothes be?
• Will the characters speak in a local dialect or in a language understandable throughout the
English-speaking world?
• How do adapters handle content that in the 21st century may be considered sexist, but that
is critical to the plot or theme as envisioned by the original author nearly two hundred years
ago?
7. After groups have completed their first drafts, share with them a checklist such as the
following, giving them time to revise as necessary so that they can answer “yes” to all the
questions.
• CONTENT: Does the dialogue or do the stage directions clearly show the characters
contemplating and dealing with a problem or an issue? Does the scene end naturally, rather
than artificially?
• STYLE: Is the dialogue realistic and easy for an actor to say?
• GRAMMAR, USAGE, MECHANICS: Have I checked to make sure capitalization, spelling,
and matters such as agreement, comparison, and pronoun reference are correct?
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Teacher’s Guide 3
8. Each group should get a chance to read or perform its adaptation in front of the class. Here are
pointers for how to proceed:
• Each student in a group should get a copy of that group’s final manuscript.
• The members of the group should use their scripts to read the scene for the rest of the class.
They may use props during their reading. As appropriate, actors should read or perform
stage directions.
9. Once each group has performed, the audience should comment on strengths of the adaptation
and parts of it that were unclear or need improvement.
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.
• 3 points: Students’ script contains all key ingredients (themes, actions, characters) from the
selected section of the text; script clearly introduces a problem or an issue and develops or
resolves it; actors read very clearly and in a well-paced manner.
• 2 points: Students’ script contains most key ingredients from the selected section of the text;
script introduces but does not develop a problem or an issue; actors read clearly in a well-paced
presentation of the scene.
• 1 point: Students’ script omits key ingredients from the selected section of the text; script does
not focus on a problem or an issue; actors read poorly.
Vocabulary
appraisal
Definition: An act or instance of assessment
Context: When Elizabeth is able to come to a true appraisal of Mr. Darcy, she realizes his fine
qualities and accepts his marriage proposal
astute
Definition: Having or showing awareness and clear thinking
Context: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice includes astute observations about the nature of love
and marriage.
degradation
Definition: Decline to a low, destitute, or demoralized state; moral or intellectual decadence
Context: Mr. Darcy feels that a connection with Elizabeth’s unpolished family will be a source
of degradation.
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Teacher’s Guide 4
discernment
Definition: The quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure
Context: Elizabeth prides herself on her discernment when judging people and must learn that
she has made a mistake in the case of Mr. Darcy.
orchestrate
Definition: To arrange or combine so as to achieve a desired or maximum effect
Context: Mr. Darcy orchestrated accidental meetings in order to have contact with Elizabeth.
scoundrel
Definition: A disreputable person.
Context: The scoundrel Mr. Wickham lies, cheats, and takes advantage of innocent people.
suitor
Definition: One who courts a woman or seeks to marry her
Context: Jane Austen is believed to have had one or two serious suitors in her life, but she never
married.
unrequited
Definition: Not reciprocated or returned in kind
Context: For some time, Mr. Darcy had to live with the knowledge that his love for Elizabeth
was unrequited.
Academic Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
• Language Arts—Reading: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
• Language Arts—Reading: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a
variety of literary texts.
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
• http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.Great Books: Pride and Prejudice
Teacher’s Guide 5
DVD Content
How To Use the DVD
The DVD starting screen has the following options:
Play Video—This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by
using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause
button is included with the other video controls.
Video Index—Here the video is divided into sections, indicated by video thumbnail icons. Watching
all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video from start to finish. Brief descriptions and total
running times are noted for each part. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the remote for
TV playback; on a computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read the accompanying text
description and click again to start the video.
Curriculum Units—These are specially edited video segments pulled from different sections of the
video (see below). These nonlinear segments align with key ideas in the unit of instruction. They
include onscreen pre- and post-viewing questions, reproduced below in this Teacher’s Guide. To
play a particular segment, press Enter on the TV remote or click once on the Curriculum Unit title
on a computer.
Standards Link—Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic
standards the video addresses.
Teacher Resources—This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address.
Video Index
I. Overview (11 min.)
An introduction to Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's story of Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet and her
sisters, 19th-century women all searching for the perfect husband.
II. Austen’s Romantic Comedy (15 min.)
Learn about Jane Austen's own life while taking a closer look at the romantic comedy genre. Lizzy
forms an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Darcy after meeting him at a party.
III. A Marriage Refusal (12 min.)
After refusing Mr. Collins' marriage proposal, Lizzy refuses the same request from Mr. Darcy
because she has a poor opinion of him. Lizzy's search for love is mirrored in modern-day tales.
IV. Reevaluating Darcy (14 min.)
After receiving a letter from Darcy in which he explains himself, Lizzy reevaluates her opinion of
him. But their road to love, like many real-life romances, is littered with obstacles.
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Teacher’s Guide 6
Curriculum Units
Segment 1: Pride and Prejudice: A Timeless Love Story
Pre-viewing question
Q: What is the greatest love story you have ever heard?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Do characters in the romantic comedy genre generally fall in love at first sight?
A: No, typically the characters immediately dislike one another but eventually have a change of
heart and fall in love. In romantic comedies, such characters are fated to be together.
Segment 2: The Search for Mr. Right
Pre-viewing question
Q: Have you ever misjudged somebody based on a first impression?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Why do you think Lizzy was Jane Austen's favorite character?
A: She is intelligent and independent. It has been said that Lizzy was based on Jane Austen herself,
which would make the author partial to her.
Segment 3: First Impressions, Worst Impressions
Pre-viewing question
Q: Would you act against your own principles in order to help your family?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: In what way does Lizzy misjudge Mr. Wickham?
A: She believes him to be compassionate and caring because he shows such ease and grace.
Segment 4: Lizzy Falls in Love
Pre-viewing question
Q: Have you ever unwittingly created a bad situation through good intentions?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Why does Lizzy change her mind about Darcy?
A: After reading and rereading his letter she begins to understand his position and is able to see
him for the man that he is rather than for the man that she assumed him to be.
Segment 5: Jane Austen's Life
Pre-viewing question
Q: Do you think Jane Austen believed in true love?
A: Answers will vary.
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Teacher’s Guide 7
Post-viewing question
Q: How did Jane Austen's life change after the initial rejection of First Impressions?
A: Her family moved, and her father died. It has been rumored that she lost a love as well, but that
has never been confirmed.
Segment 6: . Austen's Timeless Tales
Pre-viewing question
Q: What were the accepted careers for 19th-century women?
A: Women were limited to social and domestic duties. They could work as a governess, tutor, or
writer. But marriage was the most widely accepted path.
Post-viewing question
Q: Do you think Austen's stories are still relevant today?
A: Answers will vary.
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