1. Watch Act III.
2. Put up Wilde test questions so students can be prepared for test.
3. Give students the “Same Old Story” handout and have them work together on it in pairs.
4. After a few minutes, have the pairs share their ideas with the class, and record them in a similar chart on the white board. Then, if students haven't mentioned them yet, reveal literary texts that fit each of these criteria.
Element 1: "Wuthering Heights"; "Othello"; "Romeo and Juliet" ("Dawson's Creek"; "Grease"; "Titanic"; "The Notebook")
Element 2: "Jane Eyre"; "The Great Gatsby"; "Pygmalion" “Wuthering Heights ("Sixteen Candles"; Never Been Kissed"; “Pretty in Pink"; "She's All That")
Element 3: "Frankenstein" ("Harry Potter"; "Superman"; "Smallville"; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
Element 4: "Emma"; “The Scarlet Letter” “Romeo and Juliet” ("Clueless"; "Cheers")
Element 5: "To Kill a Mockingbird"; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; "The Crucible" “Hamlet” ("The Lord of the Rings"; "Star Wars")
Element 6: "The Catcher in the Rye"; "Hamlet" “Romeo and Juliet” ("The Breakfast Club"; "My So-Called Life")
Element 7 "The Scarlet Letter"; "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" “Sense and Sensibility ("Gossip Girl")
Element 8: "Beloved," “Les Mis,” ”Tess of the d’Urbervilles ("Harry Potter"; "Star Wars")
Element 9: “Invisible Man”; “David Copperfield” (“Harry Potter”; “Secret Life of Bees”)
5. How many of the elements appear in “The Importance of Being Earnest?”
6. After all of the classic literary examples have been shared, ask students whether they are surprised to see that some of their favorite stories have a lot in common with classic literature. Next, ask: Has anyone here read "Twilight"? If so, what did you think? What story elements from the activity we just did also apply to "Twilight"? If you haven't read it, why not? Why do you think this book series is so popular?
7. As a class, read and discuss the article "Love and Pain and the Teenage Vampire Thing" focusing on the following questions:
a. Do you agree or disagree with the article author that teenagers often feel like situations are "life and death"? Why?
b. Should film adaptations of books be faithful to their source material, or should the screenwriter and director take liberties to make changes? Why?
c. The article refers to the relative lack of modern technology in the book. Do you think that it's necessary for contemporary fictional stories to incorporate how most people use technology? Why or why not?
Homework Collected: Same Old Story handout
Homework Given: Independent Reading: try to finish book by the last week of school and email Mrs. Tyler a response to the book, Searching for Satire, due by April 23rd, Term Paper 4 due on May 7th, no late papers after May 14th
Handouts given out: Same Old Story
To Read: Click here to read "Love and Pain and the Teenage Vampire Thing"
