Lesson Plan for Teaching with Sita Sings the Blues

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Lesson Plan: Sita Sings the Blues/Ramayana by Valmiki http://lhealey7604.blogspot.com/ http://healigan.blogspot.com/ http://healigan.wikispaces.com/SITA+SINGS+THE+BLUES admissions essay

Please notify me if you plan to use all or part of this plan. Suggestions and comment always welcome. As the students finish their work, it will also be posted on the wiki.

Teacher: Leslie Healey Grade: 12 St. Mark’s High School Subject: World Literature Wilmington, Delaware Honors Phase 4, 5 Date: April 2009

1. Description of Class and Students: This lesson plan will serve 22 twelfth graders, ages 17-18. There are 12 boys and 10 girls. There is one Indian student and two Chinese students, all of whom are bilingual. The students are honors level, Phase V.

2. Lesson Goals-Students’ Learning Objectives

  • Students will recognize Valmiki’s relevance, his ability to capture universal human

behavior and impulses.

  • Students will be able to identify culturally essential aspects of a contemporary

filmed version of the story: Sita Sings the Blues.

  • Students will be able to a) write a critique on one of the social and cultural themes

and aspects of Sita Sings the Blues or b) write a movie critique evaluating the success or failure of the film as a discrete work of art or c) deliver a four-minute presentation on the social/cultural issues inherent in this re-imagination of the Ramayana.

  • Students will use literary knowledge (Ramayana) as the basis for extending

understanding of themselves and their culture.

3. Goals are suitable for these students because… The ability to compare and contrast is a critical thinking skill natural to the human experience. Students in this age group are self-aware and thoughtful in how they evaluate experience and make decisions regarding action. This is an important reason why Sita Sings the Blues/Valmiki’s Ramayana appropriate for this age group. Adding the secondary layer of cultural awareness will serve to emphasize the commonality of human experience. This is the goal of the literary portion of a Language Arts class. The compare/contrast technique is a concrete way to bridge the gap between what the students can understand consciously and what they are close to understanding as they mature. In addition, this lesson will reinforce cultural awareness and a sense of their place in society and culture: that we are all both different and alike in our experience. The students will also apply critical thinking skills to a critique of the film, both as a representation of the original story and an artistic work on its own merits. A side benefit will be an acknowledgement that literature is not irrelevant to their lives.

4. How do these goals support the district’s curriculum, state frameworks, and/or content standards? The following NCTE content standards are supported in this lesson: Standard One-Using written and oral communication appropriately Standard Two-Constructing and extending meaning of a literary text through reading, listening and viewing. Standard Four-Using literary knowledge through print and visual media to connect self to society and culture.

5. How do these goals support broader curriculum standards in Language Arts and/or other disciplines? Since one recognized goal of most writers (certainly a goal of dramatists) is to communicate common experience, adding an additional layer of meaning onto the textual discussion of The Ramayana would enhance the lesson’s relevance by having students focus on the cultural themes of Valmiki’s epic. It is supportive of Delaware state standards that students be instructed in the multiple cultures present in 21st century America: this particular lesson is well suited to this goal, for it exhibits the ease with which subsequent generations have adopted the epic for their own time and culture. As should always be a goal in a Language Arts curriculum, this lesson creates a framework to discuss values and character by acknowledging the cultural aspects of a classic story. Hopefully, the universal appeal of Shakespeare is reinforced for students. In addition, it offers practice in written and oral media, and is particularly strong in promoting visual literacy and self-awareness.

6. How does the teacher plan to engage students in the content? What will the teacher do? What will the students do? Background: Students will already be familiar with Valmiki’s Ramyana, having recently finished a class reading and analysis of the story. An assessment of students’ comprehension of literary aspects of the epic is separate from the goals and assessments of this lesson. The work was discussed with epic techniques, plot development, and religious/cultural values in mind. So students will come to this portion of the unit with understanding of the plot, the ability to identify particular literary techniques used by Valmiki to represent cultural values, and a sense of epic as a distinct genre from poetry, drama or fiction. The study of the cultural values was particularly important as scaffolding for this next section: viewing and evaluating Sita Sings the Blues, a 21th century interpretation or “reimagining” of Valmiki’s masterpiece. Instructor Strategies: The hook for the lesson is foolproof; watching a film (instead of reading) is every student’s fond desire for English class. Comparison of the film and the play will be done in discussion (whole group) and then instructor will assign a choice of written or oral assessment. Introduction/Warm-up (10 minutes): We have read the Ramayana. I know that we have had some discussion regarding whether or not the epic represents values relevant to today’s India. Indeed, if the Ramayana hold universal appeal for present readers, does it also hold true that Sita Sings the Blues also presents universal appeal? Does the filmmaker (Nina Paley) protect the original intent of the story, or has she changed the story and themes? If so, to what end? This film adaptation presents the story of the original Ramayana and adds a new layer of story—the filmmaker’s personal story. Transition: I am going to distribute a sheet noting particular elements of structure related to the genre of film, as well as some particular styles of animation that will help you navigate your first viewing of the film. You should jot down your impressions and questions as we enjoy the movie. Objectives/Goals: By the time this lesson is over, you will identify common themes and language between the movie and epic. You will recognize Valmiki’s characters in their (various) new incarnations in the film. You will be able to discuss what Sita Sings the Blues tells us about culture as a determining feature of literature/cinema. How will I know that you can do this? Because you will either blog your thoughts or present them orally to the class when the movie is over. WATCH MOVIE-should take 2 ½ class periods. 1 hour, 21 minutes Whole Group Discussion (after movie): Allow 12 minutes for general impressions. Then ask for any questions regarding the tension between the two stories. Through questions, make sure the discussion turns to discussion moves to themes-universal and contemporary. Introduce Independent Assessment (8 minutes): The students will have a choice of posting a response to a themed blog entry by the instructor OR presenting a four-minute presentation comparing the two visions of the heroine. Students are already familiar with the technique for compare/contrast. As it is essential for most critical thinking activities, this will add to their experience with the style of composition. They are also familiar with the rules of blogging for class, so a simple reminder will suffice.

7. What difficulties do students typically experience in this area, and how will I plan to anticipate these difficulties? First, their comparison/contrast skills are still developing, so I may have to monopolize the first five minutes of the discussion after the film to answer questions. I may also interrupt the film when indicated. The handout/worksheet will also direct their attention to salient points in the movie. Second, they have not formally studied the genre of cinema, so there will doubtless be some questions regarding the movie’s construction and style. Third, I will be vigilant regarding what they say during the discussion. I also take care to be sensitive to how the Hindu/Sikh student(s) react(s). The students usually take care to respect each other, but even as seniors in high school, they are sometimes embarrassed and ask their questions in an immature way, so it is important that I model the proper tone, vocabulary and degree of respect that I want them to show. I also expect some energetic commentary on the Indian-style dress, paintings and puppets. Fourth, some students are better at gathering information than expressing themselves on sensitive issues. I will offer assessment choices to acknowledge this fact. These will serve to support the success of the different strengths of the students.

8. What instructional materials or other resources, if any, will I use?

  • The equipment necessary will be the movie (watched at

http://www.thirteen.org/sites/reel13/blog/watch-sita-sings-the-blues-online/347/) and the projector. I understand a DVD of the film will be available for purchase soon, and an episodic version is already up on YouTube.

  • The handout will be copied for each of them. I will collect it as they finish the project.
  • They have Valmiki’s Ramayana in their textbooks for backup. I will also post links to

relevant sites on Valmiki’s Ramayana and Sita Sings the Blues on our class wiki at http://healigan.wikispaces.com/SITA+SINGS+THE+BLUES, which they can use to reinforce their knowledge of the movie.

  • I will use a rubric tailored to each assignment for assessment.

9. How did I plan to assess student achievement of the goals? What procedures will I use? I will assess understanding by classroom discussion after the film. I will also review the worksheet they completed during the film. The formal assessment will be the writing assignment or the presentation. Since this is a portion of a larger unit, I will have already tested their understanding of the original text through a test and a short critical response paper. This unit is the large part of the Asian unit, which takes an entire quarter to finish. It is worth it!

10. How do I plan to use the results of the assessment? The critical response admissions essay and the Sita Sings the Blues project will together account for 50% of the quarter’s grades. So for the cultural awareness part of the unit, the project will serve as the total assessment.

Leslie Healey http://healigan.bogspot.com/ Wilmington Delaware http://healigan.wikispaces.com April 3, 2009

RUBRIC: Blog/Movie Critique NAME______________________________ MS. HEALEY APRIL 2009 ORGANIZATION 20 ____ 3 paragraphs? ____ topic evident in each para ____ Minimum 5 sentences per para ____ CONTENT 20 Strong obvious thesis? ____ Main points noted & supported with specific examples from text ____ Strong conclusion ____ Logical progression of points made ____ MECHANICS/STYLE 10 Name of epic/film italicized ____ Tone appropriate/diction ____ Punctuation-minimal errors (apostrophe, commas, sentence endings, semicolon, quotation marks) ____ Use of appropriate vocabulary Grammar-minimal errors (s-v agree, pronoun references, verb forms, syntax, etc) ____ FOR PURPOSES OF THIS ASSIGNMENT, NO POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR USE OF FIRST OR SECOND PERSON


World Lit 4, 5 Sita Presentation Ms. Healey April 2009 Now that we have finished watching Sita Sings the Blues, it is time for you to evaluate. We had some class discussion regarding the backstory for Sita. I heard from you regarding Nina Paley’s interpretation of this ancient archetypal story as well as your impressions of the importance of cultural heritage in the development of an individual’s world-image. It is important-and not just to the individual, but also to all of us. Bravo! I would like you to prepare a four-minute research presentation about one aspect of the techniques used in development of the film OR compare the themes of the original epic to the themes highlighted in Paley’s version. You may play a song or make a poster, create a video or shadow box, or talk to us. You must consult at least three sources, all of which may be online—be careful. Whatever media you use, I will need a list of your sources, your poster or a copy of anything digital when you present. Be ready to present on the 21st. Dazzle me just as Sita dazzled us!


CRITIQUE: SITA SINGS THE BLUES St. Marks High School World Lit: Mrs. Healey Wilmington, DE

ANALYSE THE ELEMENTS OF THE FILM TO EVALUATE ITS SUCCESS/FAILURE. USE THIS PAGE TO MAKE NOTES AS YOU WATCH.

Premise of film-basic suppositions underlying film Characterization-belief, voice, actions Plot/Structure Music/soundtrack Setting/set decoration Style-animation Motif Dialogue Originality Effects Writing/script Integration

  • Identify movie, director, date, genre, one-paragraph synopsis
  • Must comment/note references to other works, whether they inspired the

Film or were actually the source material.

  • Check the wiki for links and additional web materials to support your writing.
  • More information to come as I develop it or YOU find it on the web. Please add any

Good web sources on the wiki.

  • Compare to other versions, plots, genres, etc.
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