Age: 11-12 years

Duration: 80 min

Objectives

• Read a short critical excerpt and identify its interpretive claim.
• Recognize theme, motif, and symbol in a literary passage.
• Write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with the critic.

Vocab

• criticism: "Literary criticism explains what a text means."
• interpret: "Readers interpret symbols in different ways."
• theme: "The theme is the big idea about life."
• symbol: "The storm is a symbol of inner conflict."

Warm-up (5min)

Show a familiar symbol (a dove, a broken clock). Ask "What might this stand for in a story?" Collect two interpretations to show that texts can mean more than they say.

Main Activity (65min): "Critical Reading: Literary Criticism"

"Interpretation Table" — Round 1: read a short literary passage, then a brief critic's excerpt (~150 words) about it. Round 2: claim find — box the critic's main interpretive claim and restate it in your own words. Round 3: evidence check — reread the passage for theme, motif, and symbol; note where the text supports (or resists) the critic. Round 4: stance form — decide agree / partly / disagree and gather two textual reasons. Round 5: response paragraph — write 5 sentences: name the critic's claim, state your stance, support with two quotations or details. Two students share.

Wrap-up (10min)

Interpretation poll: how many agreed vs disagreed with the critic, and why. Exit ticket: "One symbol in the passage is ___ ; I think it means ___ ."

Teacher Tips

• Choose an accessible passage; the challenge is interpretation, not decoding.
• Validate multiple readings as long as they cite text — this builds evidence habits.
• Connects G4/G5 literary response to essay-level evidence citing (Lesson 16).