Cross Curriculum Lesson Plan:
Language Arts
Student Resource: From "Amanda
and the Wounded Birds," by Colby Rodowsky
Media Type: Short Story
Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Explain the importance of learning and practicing effective communication
skills.
- Describe some typical sources of stress in the lives of teenagers.
- Identify resources within the school and community that teens can turn to
when they need help with a problem.
Introducing the Lesson
On the board write the phrase "Hello, caller—you're on the air."
Ask students what this phrase brings to mind (call-in talk shows). Elicit names
of such shows that students have watched on TV or listened to on the radio, and
have students discuss their format. Emphasize that a common feature of these programs
is providing advice to people who are faced with problems.
Reveal that the story students are about to read revolves around just such
a show hosted by a fictional psychiatrist, Dr. Emma Hart, and around one particular
caller, a teen named Amanda. Add that this story has a unique twist: Amanda is
Dr. Hart's daughter.
Teaching Strategies
This tale is told from the point of view of Amanda, the teen caller. Because
the version here is an excerpt of the longer, full version of the story, some
background information will need to be provided to students. Explain that:
- Amanda is the only child of a single parent.
- Amanda is faced with stressful problems that are typical of the teen years.
- The "wounded birds" of the title is Dr. Hart's affectionate name
for her callers.
Because of the story's length, even in its abbreviated form, you may wish to
have students read it aloud, with different students taking different parts.
After students have completed the reading, you may either use the following
as class discussion questions or assign them as individual or group work.
Follow Up
- Summarizing.What problem does Amanda tell Dr. Hart about during her
first call to the program? What advice does Dr. Hart give her?
- Analyzing. What is Dr. Hart's assessment of Amanda's relationship with
her mother? Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?
- Evaluating. How many personal problems altogether does Amanda mention
having in the story? Which of those do you think is the most difficult to deal
with as a teen? Explain your answer.
- Synthesizing. One critic, in reviewing "Amanda and the Wounded
Birds," commented that Amanda ends up "giving her mother a dose of her
own medicine." Explain the meaning of this remark in the context of the story.
- Extending. What does this story teach about the importance of strong
communication skills?
- Analyzing. Amanda chooses in the story to phone the "Dr. Emma
Hart Show." Name other resources in your school or community that a teen
in Amanda's situation could turn to for help with a problem.
Integrating Literature and Health
Identify some common problems that teens often face. Working with a partner,
take turns role-playing talk show host and caller. The caller is responsible for
coming up with a problem typical of the teen years. The host is responsible for
devising a solution to this problem. Together, decide which problem-solution pair
you find to be most useful and present it to the class, either orally or in written
form.
