The Age of Innocence
Teacher's Guide - Schedule / Lesson Plans

Introduction

Schedule/Lesson Plans

Capstone Project Ideas

Essay Topics

Additional Resources

NCTE Standards

Credits

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This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 class study of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.

The CD Audio Guides are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide. If your community is not participating, encourage a local organization (such as a library, museum, literary center, arts council, or similar non-profit organization) to apply.

Day One

FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [55K PDF]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD. Write an essay describing how the novel might end.
Homework: Chapters 1-5 (pp. 3-32).*
Handout One [41K PDF].

Day Two

FOCUS: Culture and History
Day Two Lesson Plan [54K PDF]
Activities: Read Handout Two. Choose a work of art (book, play, or painting) and create a dramatic opening scene for your memoir by relating your life to this work.
Homework: Chapters 6-9 (pp. 32-60).

Day Three

FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [50K PDF]
Activities: Analyze a passage with a close reading. Write about an example of Newland’s flawed perception, and about something you think he may get wrong in the future.
Homework: Chapters 10-13 (pp. 60-90).

Day Four

FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [45K PDF]
Activities: Discuss the characters of May Welland, Julius Beaufort, and Ellen Olenska.
Homework: Chapters 14-17 (pp. 91-122).

Day Five

FOCUS: Wharton’s Writing Style
Day Five Lesson Plan [54K PDF]
Activities: Consider the ways Wharton’s ideas from The Writing of Fiction are applied in The Age of Innocence.
Homework: Chapters 18-21 (pp. 122-162).

Day Six

FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [50K PDF]
Activities: Analyze the symbolism of flowers and archery.
Homework: Chapters 22-25 (pp. 163-190).

Day Seven

FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [40K PDF]
Activities: Re-examine the characters of Newland Archer, Ellen Olenska, and Julius Beaufort.
Homework: Chapters 26-30 (pp. 190-225).

Day Eight

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [50K PDF]
Activities: Discuss the major turning points in the novel. Write about two instances when Wharton uses flashbacks or foreshadowing to propel the plot.
Homework: Chapters 31-33 (pp. 225-256).

Day Nine

FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan [45K PDF]
Activities: Discuss the theme of innocence. Propose other important themes in the novel.
Homework: Chapter 34 (pp. 256-270).
Handout Three. [49K PDF] Begin working on essays.

Day Ten

FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [55K PDF]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great novel.
Homework: Work on essays.

* Page numbers refer to the 1999 Modern Library edition of The Age of Innocence.