1. Lesson 17: Summarize Frankenstein
About this lesson
Students read an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Frankenstein. They ask questions about excerpt and write a brief summary.

2. We read Progress Report 10 and parts of Progress Report 11 from “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes and analyzed how irony impacts our understanding of characters and events in the text.
Let’s Review!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~1 minute
Directions:
Briefly review the previous learning.

3. Write a brief summary of the excerpts from Chapter 4.
Today we will:
Read and examine the language of excerpts from Chapter 4 of Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
Write a brief summary of the excerpts from Chapter 4.
Let’s Prepare!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~1 minute
Directions:
Read the slide.
Briefly explain how this lesson prepares students for another lesson and/or the end-of-unit assessments.
Throughout the lesson, compare students’ responses and work to the student look-fors. Determine the students who need additional support with reading, understanding, or expressing their understanding of complex, grade-level texts. During this lesson or before the next lesson, support those students individually or in a small group using the Additional Supports for Diverse Learners.

4. The sentence expansion handout
You will need:
The excerpts from Chapter 4 of Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
Your reading log
The sentence expansion handout
Let’s Prepare!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 3 minutes
Directions:
Distribute the text.
Access and distribute the sentence expansion handout.
Ask students to locate their reading log.

5. What do you already know about Frankenstein?
Follow along as I read aloud the excerpts from Chapter 4 of Frankenstein.
Let’s Read!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 5 minutes
Directions:
Write “Frankenstein” in a circle or box on the board or chart paper.
For 30 seconds, ask students to call out what they know about Frankenstein.
As they call out their answers, write them around the circle/box on the board.
Depending on what students identify, correct or connect their initial thoughts to the purpose for reading. For example, you might say: “Today we are going to read an excerpt from Frankenstein. As you identified, the story is about creating something, a monster perhaps? The story of Frankenstein is actually about a human created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein. As I read aloud the first part of this text, think about how the actual text compares with what we already know about Frankenstein.”
Read aloud the first three paragraphs of the excerpts as students follow along.
Possible Supports During the Lesson:
During the read aloud, provide a synonym or student-friendly definition for difficult words. For example, when reading, “After so much time spent in painful labor, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires was the most gratifying consummation of my toils,” say, “After so much time spent in painful labor, to arrive at once at the summit or top of my desires was the most gratifying or satisfying consummation or completion of my toils or hard work.” Possible words for this section:
inquiries: questions
application: work
proceeded: moved forward
“endued with”: given
acquainted: familiar
sufficient: enough
exemplified: illustrated or seen
“bestowing animation upon”: giving life to
summit: top
gratifying: satisfying
consummation: completion
toils: hard work
acquirement: gaining
Student Look-Fors:
Students might initially understand that while they often associate Frankenstein with the name of a monster, Frankenstein is the name of a doctor who creates a human being. Some students may begin to draw conclusions that having the ability to create life seems “monstrous” and/or that the human the doctor is able to create is more like a monster than a human.

6. Write down in the margin a question you have for each paragraph.
Follow along as I read aloud the excerpts from Chapter 4 of Frankenstein.
Write down in the margin a question you have for each paragraph.
The question should focus on what you wonder about or notice in each paragraph.
Let’s Read!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 15 minutes
Directions:
Say: “I’m going to reread the first three paragraphs. As I reread the first page, for each paragraph, write down at least one question in the margin. Your question should focus on what you wonder about or notice in each paragraph.”
Reread aloud the first three paragraphs of the excerpt as students follow along.
Pause after each paragraph to allow students time to write their question.
Write the initial question (“Why do we associate the name Frankenstein with a monster?”) on the board or chart paper.
Ask students to share their questions with the class.
Record 4-5 student questions on the board or chart paper.
Then read aloud the final three paragraphs as students follow along.
Repeat the process of recording student questions.
Possible Supports During the Lesson:
If students share statements, prompt the class to direct you in turning the statement into a question.
During the second read aloud, provide a student-friendly definition or synonym for difficult words. For example, when reading, “No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success,” say, “No one can conceive or think of the variety of feelings which bore me or pushed me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success.” Possible words for the last three paragraphs of the excerpts from Chapter 4:
capacity: ability
inconceivable: unbelievable
“hardly appeared adequate”: did not seem good enough
“a multitude of reverses”: many obstacles
resolved: decided
contrary: against
intention: plan
conceive: believe or understand
bore: pushed or moved
“unremitting passion”: passion that would not stop
loathsome: disgusting
“engrossed in my occupation”: involved in my work
oppressed: beat down
Student Look-Fors:
Student questions might range from “What does XX (word from the text) mean?” to “Why does Victor Frankenstein seem so obsessed with dead bodies?”
Depending on the quality of student questions, consider incorporating a few “teacher questions” along with the student questions. Possible questions to include:
Why is Dr. Frankenstein obsessed with dead bodies?
What does it mean to study the human frame?
What secret does Dr. Frankenstein learn?
How does Victor Frankenstein discover the secret of human life?
Why won’t Dr. Frankenstein share the secret?
How long does it take Dr. Frankenstein to create a human?
What does Victor Frankenstein doubt in paragraph 4?
How does Victor Frankenstein overcome his doubts in paragraph 4 to create a human?
How is Victor Frankenstein affected by his experiment?

7. Copy this sentence in your reading log.
Then complete this stem:
This sentence means….
“After days and nights of
incredible labor and fatigue,
I succeeded in discovering the
cause of life; nay, more,
I became myself capable of
bestowing animation upon
lifeless matter.”
Let’s Work With Words!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 8 minutes
Directions:
Read aloud the quotation from “Flowers for Algernon”: “After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.”
Prompt students to copy the sentence in their reading log and complete the sentence stem on the slide: “This sentence means....”
After 2 minutes, ask 1-2 students to share how they paraphrased or interpreted the quotation.
Prompt students to use the following stems to guide the conversation.
“Another way to say this sentence is…”
“I made meaning of this sentence by...”
“I looked at….”
Use teacher talk moves so students clearly express their ideas (Goal One), listen carefully to understand others’ ideas (Goal Two), provide evidence to support their claims (Goal Three), and establish new ways of thinking (Goal Four).
Student Look-Fors:
Students should indicate that this sentence means that Dr. Frankenstein worked really hard to discover how to create life where no life existed before.

8. Write down what you notice about this sentence in your reading log.
Then discuss with a partner:
“I noticed ___, which means….”
“I knew ___, so I ….”
“After days and nights of
incredible labor and fatigue,
I succeeded in discovering the
cause of life; nay, more,
I became myself capable of
bestowing animation upon
lifeless matter.”
Let’s Work With Words!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 8 minutes
Directions:
Ask: “What do you notice about this sentence? How does what you notice help you understand the sentence?”
Give students 60 seconds to write their answers in their reading log.
Divide the class into pairs using an established classroom routine.
Purposefully pair together students with different levels of language proficiency.
Direct pairs to select a partner A and B.
Prompt partner A to use the following conversation stems to start the conversation.
“I noticed ____, which means….”
“I knew ____, so I….”
Then direct partner B to respond and share using the same conversation stems.
Allow pairs 2-3 minutes to discuss.
Conduct a whole-class discussion for students to share what they notice about the sentence, describe how the sentence is put together, and explain how those ideas contribute to their understanding of the sentence. Possible questions:
“What are the parts of this sentence?”
“What does ‘capable’ mean in this sentence?”
“What phrases or clauses do you notice? How do those help you understand this sentence?”
“Can we rearrange this sentence? What do we have to remove or change? How does rearranging this sentence change its meaning?”
During the discussion:
Mark the grammatical elements students notice on the sentence and record any additional comments on the board or chart paper.
Prompt pairs to use the conversation stems learning tool.
Use teacher talk moves so students clearly express their ideas (Goal One) and listen carefully to understand others’ ideas (Goal Two).
Student Look-Fors:
Students should indicate that this sentence means that Dr. Frankenstein worked really hard to discover how to create life where no life existed before.
Students might notice:
The sentence begins with a prepositional phrase indicating when these events happened (“After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue”).
The sentence can be rearranged in different ways to produce new sentences with slightly different meanings. For example:
“I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter after days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue.”
“I succeeded in discovering the cause of life after days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue.”
“In discovering the cause of life, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.”
“After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, which is more than just discovering the cause of life.”
“More than just discovering the cause of life, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter after days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue.”

9. Expand the kernel sentences to summarize the excerpts from Frankenstein.
Let’s Express Our Understanding!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 8 minutes
Directions:
Read the directions and example on the sentence expansion handout.
Direct students to answer the questions for each of the kernel sentences about Frankenstein.
Then prompt students to expand each kernel sentence to summarize the excerpts from Frankenstein.
Remind students to begin their expanded sentence with “when” if it is one of the question words.
As needed, direct students to complete the sentence expansion handout for homework.
Possible Supports During the Lesson:
Before engaging in the task, model how to expand sentences using the example or the first kernel sentence on the sentence expansion handout.
Project a blank sentence expansion handout.
Say: “When we write, we need to think about what the reader might or might not know about the topic. When the reader might need more information, we should expand our sentences to provide more information for the reader.”
Read aloud the first kernel sentence: “Frankenstein observes it.”
Explain that this is a sentence because it has a subject and a predicate, but it provides little information to the reader.
Ask each question under the kernel sentence (i.e., “What does Frankenstein observe?” “Why does Frankenstein observe it?”), and record student responses.
Explain to students that when they see dotted lines, they should only write key words and phrases, not complete sentences. They should use abbreviations and symbols when appropriate.
Then, expand the kernel sentence by adding students’ answers to the question words.
As needed, have students work in pairs/small groups to complete the task.
Purposefully pair together students with different levels of language proficiency.
Be sure that each student is held accountable for demonstrating their understanding. For example, direct partner A, who has lower language proficiency, to orally dictate the answers the the questions for the first kernel sentence while partner B, who has higher language proficiency, writes the answer. Tell them to swap roles for the next kernel sentence.
Student Look-Fors:
Access the completed sentence expansion handout.
Students should understand that Dr. Victor Frankenstein wants to create a human being. He studies decomposition and the human frame until he discovers the secret of creating life. Then he spends day and night creating the human being, which affects his health.
Access additional information about this sentence strategy through The Writing Revolution’s Language Links for Flowers for Algernon.

10. You also wrote a brief summary of a complex text.
In this lesson, you asked questions about Dr. Frankenstein’s motivations and process for creating a human being.
You also wrote a brief summary of a complex text.
Let’s Close!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~1 minute
Directions:
Read this slide