Lesson Plan

Pride and Prejudice: Directed Reading Thinking Activity

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Can you judge a book by its cover? Decide who and what Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is about with a prediction activity. Before reading the first three chapters of the book, kids answer questions based on their interpretation of the cover of the book. They then read Chapters 1-3 and decide if their predictions were true.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Have kids work together to come up with predictions about the book based on the cover and prior knowledge about the setting
  • Assign a writing prompt in which kids reflect on a time when they were prejudiced, or experienced prejudice aimed at them
Classroom Considerations
  • Glosses over some pretty important background information about 18th century England; consider adding your own lessons about societal expectations during this time period
  • Requires only one-sentence answers for each question, which may limit critical thinking when making predictions
  • Includes a judge and jury element in the student worksheet, but doesn't reference this part of the lesson in the teacher version
  • Kids' answers to the prediction questions will vary depending on the version (and cover) of the book you use in class
  • Font on the worksheet is in all caps, which could hamper understanding for some learners
Pros
  • An interesting way to introduce the literary theme of prejudice and judging someone before you get to know them
Cons
  • None