Madeline Fowler

Lesson Plan: “Poison” by Roald Dahl and Vocabulary Review (10/21)

Specific Rationale:
Freshman English 9 students in Period 5 are currently engaged in a unit on short stories
and literary elements. On the unit exam, students will be expected to know and be able to explain
how symbolism and irony works in “Poison” by Roald Dahl. Due to a grammar lesson running
long the previous day, students must finish reading “Poison” in this class in order to stay on track
for their upcoming unit exam. Additionally, throughout the school year, students have been
working on writing thematic statements. Students identify several universal ideas that are present
in a text, such as love, hate, war, racism, etc., and write a broad statement about human nature or
life that the author wants the reader to understand. Students will be practicing this skill, which
eventually will be applied to thesis writing, throughout the school year. Additionally, every two
weeks, students are quizzed on a set of vocabulary words from Wordly Wise Book 9 by Kenneth
Hodkinson and Sandra Adams. Students will have their third vocabulary quiz on Lesson 3 the
day after this lesson. As such, students will be playing vocabulary review games in order to gain
a deeper understanding of the use and application of 15 vocabulary words to prepare for the
upcoming quiz.
Objective/Learning Intentions:
In this lesson, we will finish reading “Poison” by Roald Dahl and identify several universal ideas
present in the text. We will also practice reading comprehension and analysis by individually
writing entries concerning irony and symbolism in our Writer’s Notebooks on Google
Classroom. Students will also practice writing thematic statements based off of our identified
universal ideas in their Writer’s Notebooks. I will read through students’ Writer’s Notebooks to
assess understanding of the text, its literary elements, and thematic statements. Finally, students
will participate in a vocabulary review game in preparation for a quiz the following day.
Content Objective: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to identify theme in a short
story and write an accurate thematic statement.
SEL Objective: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to self-monitor and regulate their
actions during a fast-paced competitive classroom game.
Language Objective: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to accurately identify the
definition of key vocabulary words, as well as synonyms and antonyms.
General Rationale:
By reading a text and identifying crucial elements such as theme, symbolism, and irony, students
are practicing critical reading and thinking skills. These critical reading and thinking skills are
useful for everyday life, from critically reading and thinking about news articles to college/work
materials. Additionally, in this lesson students will practice social emotional skills such as self-
monitoring and self-regulation during a game. Practicing these skills is useful for real life
interpersonal relationships in which students will need to regulate and monitor their behavior.
Finally, students will be practicing vocabulary skills, thus expanding their general vocabulary.
As a result, students will have a larger vocabulary of academic words to use in their academic
writing, as well as in college and beyond.
“1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what a text states explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text” (MA Curriculum Framework for English Language
Arts and Literacy, March 2017, RL, Grades 9-10, #1, pg. 108).
“2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the
course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of a text” (MA Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts
and Literacy, March 2017, RL, Grades 9-10, #2, pg. 108).
“4. Determine the figurative or connotative meaning(s) of words and phrases as they are used in
a text; analyze the impact of words with multiple meanings, as well as symbols or metaphors that
extend throughout a text and shape its meaning” (MA Curriculum Framework for English
Language Arts and Literacy, March 2017, RL, Grades 9-10, #4, pg. 108).
“5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings” (MA Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, March 2017,
L, Grades 9-10, #5, pg. 113).
“1. Write arguments (e.g., essays, letters to the editor, advocacy speeches) to support claims in
an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence
“a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims,
and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence” (MA Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy,
March 2017, W, Grades 9-10, #1a, pg. 110).
“Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and
audiences” (MA Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, March 2017,
W, Grades 9-10, #10, pg. 111).
“4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases
based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies” (MA
Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, March 2017, L, Grades 9-10,
#4, pg. 113).
Methodology:
1. The afternoon prior, teachers moved the desks into a U-shaped formation. Before the bell
rings, place name tags at students’ seats. Also set up the following on the computer: the pdf of
“Poison” by Roald Dahl, the audio recording of “Poison” cued at 15:40 (where the class left off
on Tuesday), the “Thematic Statements” Mentimeter presentation, the Writer’s Notebook
prompt, and the Kahoot for Vocabulary Lesson 3 (all accessible through my Freshman Planning
sheet). Help students find their assigned seats in the before the bell and in the first few minutes
of class (0:00-2:00).
2. Begin class by collecting the homework that was due today (15 sentences that use vocabulary
words). Tell students that the seating chart was changed because we will be starting our first
novel in a week or so, and the U-shape helps classroom discussion because we can look at each
other. Also tell students that today we will be finishing the short story “Poison” by Roald Dahl
and studying for the vocabulary quiz tomorrow. Have students take out their copy of “Poison”
while unmuting the Smart Board and projector. (2:00-5:00).
3. Give students a quick refresher of what has happened in “Poison” so far. An accurate recap
would include the following: “we have met our three main characters, Timber, Harry, and Dr.
Ganderbai. Timber and Harry are both white English men and Dr. Ganderbai is Indian; this takes
place during the English colonization of India, before Indian Independence. Harry says he has a
poisonous snake on his belly and Dr. Ganderbai and Timber are trying to saying him. Dr.
Ganderbai has given Harry an antidote serum just in case and is about to soak the bed in
chloroform.” Ask students for questions before the audio begins. Possible questions, answers,
and extension questions include:
Q: Why don’t they just shake the snake off of him?
A: That’s a good question. Timber suggests that himself, but Dr. Ganderbai tells him that
“we are not entitled to take such a risk.” What does that tell us about Dr. Ganderbai’s character?
Q: Has he been bitten by the snake?
A: He hasn’t been bitten, which is why Dr. Ganderbai is working so slowly and carefully
in order to ensure Harry’s survival. What does that tell us about Dr. Ganderbai’s character?
(*Note that analyzing Dr. Ganderbai’s character is helpful towards determining the meaning of
Harry’s actions.) (5:00-10:00)
4. Begin the “Poison” audio at 15:40 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw8x1lzvuIo.)
Students are used to the routine of following along in the text while listening to the audio, but
remind students of this expectation if they are not paying attention. Note that students can access
the texts through multiple modes: audio, printed text, and projected text. This is an example of
UDL Guideline 1.3, “offer alternatives for visual information.” While the audio is playing, write
the following terms on the board (*these were discussed previously in class): “Ambiguity – when
events can be interpreted in more than one way ; Situational Irony – when the opposite of what
we expect to happen happens.” Also write on the homework board “Study Vocab” as a reminder
for the quiz tomorrow. Finally, write “www.menti.com” and the unique code to access the
Mentimeter presentation on the board.
5. When the audio ends, tell students that before we discuss the ambiguous and ironic ending, I
want to see what our own, individual understandings of the text are. Instruct students to take out
both their Chromebooks and the “Universal Ideas” list that we have worked with previously in
class. Switch tabs to the Mentimeter presentation instruct students to join it with the code on the
board. While students are taking out their Chromebooks and joining the presentation, give extra
“Universal Ideas” lists to students who don’t have theirs accessible. Then, as students are joining
the presentation, have them look through the list of universal ideas and submit up to three
universal ideas that they saw in “Poison.” As students submit ideas, Mentimeter will craft a word
cloud of these ideas on the board. Circulate to make sure students are actively working, and
discuss which ideas that are appearing on the board are especially relevant. This is an example of
Lemov’s Technique #24, “Circulate.” If “racism/race” and “hatred” are not submitted by
students, make sure to mention them and write them on the board. (10:00-25:00)
6. Once all students have submitted up to three universal ideas, instruct students to switch tabs to
their Writer’s Notebook on Google Classroom. This is a running Google doc that is attached to
an assignment on Google Classroom where students practice writing and respond to various
prompts throughout the year. Project the following prompt on the board and read it out loud:
ENTRY #4 10/21 “Poison” Response

A) By the end of the story, you might suspect that the title refers to more than the venom
of the krait (snake). What other kind of poison is the story about? (2-3 sentences)

B) The ending of the story is both ironic and ambiguous. Do you think there really was a
krait under the sheet, or did Harry imagine that the snake was there? (2-3 sentences)

C) Use the universal ideas list and our word cloud to write a thematic statement for the
story. (1 sentence)
Remind students that the purpose of the Writer’s Notebook is not to be perfectly correct or to
have amazing writing, but to practice writing. Writing is a skill that takes a lot of practice, which
is why I want students to practice often with their Writer’s Notebook. Also tell students that they
can’t really be ‘wrong’ here, but that I am looking for them to practice their writing and express
their own ideas. Finally, remind students that thematic statements include 1-2 universal ideas and
are broad statements that don’t specifically mention the story or its characters. Give students the
next ten minutes or so to complete the Writer’s Notebook prompt. Use this time to employ
Lemov’s technique #24 “Circulate”: circulate around the room to check student progress and
redirect off-task behavior. Give students 5 minute and 2 minute warnings to wrap up their
writing (25:00-35:00).
7. Tell students to wrap up their last thought in their Writer’s Notebooks, and, as they do so,
switch tabs on the computer to the “9.3 Vocabulary” Kahoot! created by Mr. Rea. This activity
will be an example of Lemov’s Technique #5: “Show Me” in which students are actively
showing evidence of their knowledge to the teacher. Note that this activity is another form of
action and expression with vocabulary, other than reading, writing notes, and discussing in class
which have been used previously. This is an application of UDL Guideline 4.1: Vary the
methods for response and navigation. The Kahoot technology also provides multiple tools for
communication, as per UDL Guideline 5.1. Make sure that the nickname option is selected prior
to making the Kahoot! live in order to keep students anonymous and prevent inappropriate
names. Project the code to join on the board. Spend whatever time is remaining in the class (~10
minutes) playing through the Kahoot! Note that time does not permit us to fully complete the
Kahoot! in class, but the link will be provided for students on Google Classroom if they would
like to use it to study. The questions and the correct answers are as follows: (35:00-43:00)
1. Q: v. to refer to in an indirect way (used with to) A: allude
2. Q: to make holy or sacred A: consecrate
3. Q: v. to scatter or spread widely A: disseminate
4. Q: v. to show excessive fondness for (used with on or upon) A: dote
5. Q: v. to urge strongly; to warn or appeal A: exhort
6. Q: adj. careless or irresponsible A: feckless
7. Q: v. to show to be involved with something, especially something illegal A: implicate
8. Q: v. to feel or express grief A: lament
9. Q: adj. of or relating to money or currency A: monetary
10. Q: adj. deep in thought; dreamily thoughtful A: pensive
11. Q: n. a showy or dignified display A: pomp
12. Q: v. to bring under control; to conquer A: subjugate
13. Q: n. a severe bodily injury; emotional shock A: trauma
14. Q: adj. ignoring what is right; excessive or unrestrained A: wanton
15. Q: Which of the following is an ANTONYM for feckless? A: careful
16. Q: Which of the following is an ANTONYM for stilted? A: natural
17. Q: Which of the following is an ANTONYM for wanton? A: serious
18. Q: Which of the following is an ANTONYM for dote? A: deny
19. Q: Which of the following is an ANTONYM for pensive? A: active
20. Q: Which of the following is a SYNONYM for consecrate? A: devote
21. Q: Which of the following is a SYNONYM for allude? A: reference
22. Q: Which of the following is a SYNONYM for wanton? A: immoral
23. Q: Which of the following is a SYNONYM for subjugate? A: control
24. Q: Which of the following is a SYNONYM for exhort? A: urge
25. Q: My friends tried to ____ me into having a party A: exhort
 26. Q: The soldiers suffered from ______ caused by the war A: trauma
27. Q: We _____ the fact that we would not see each other for a year A: lamented
28. Q: The group of mean girls started to ______ gossip about the new student A:
Disseminate
29. Q: The new parents would _____ on their children by hugging them and reading
them books A: dote
30. Q: Her _____ manner of speaking made it hard to relate to her on a personal level A:
stilted
31. Q: Gandhi ______ his life to spreading the idea of peace. A: consecrated.
32. Q: A hero will always ____ the villain in a Hollywood movie A: subjugate
33. Q: The crowning of the Queen included the _____ and circumstance of a royal
ceremony A: pomp
34. Q: Rodin’s ‘Thinker’ is a statue of a(n) _____ pensive man in a thoughtful pose with
his fist on his chin A: pensive
8. In the last two or so minutes of class, students can exit the Kahoot! game and begin packing
up. Remind students to study for the quiz tomorrow with the Quizlet, Kahoot!, and packet on
Google Classroom. Dismiss class with the bell (43:00-45:00)
Assessment:
The content objective will be assessed through the Writer’s Notebooks. In order to meet the
objective, the thematic statement should have the following three qualities: 1. Contain 1-3
universal ideas from the list, board, and/or word cloud; 2. Does not refer to the story or
characters specifically; 3. Is a statement about life or people in general (not an opinion). If the
majority of thematic statements do not meet these three qualities, I will be reteaching thematic
statements to the entire class (retaught 10/25). If the majority of thematic statements do contain
these three elements, we will continue thematic statement practice without reteaching. Finally, if
most students were able to write a thematic statements with the three qualities but a few were not
able to include all the qualities, I will provide one-on-one support during the next thematic
statement writing exercise.
The SEL objective will be assessed through observation during the Kahoot! game. In previous
classes, we have talked about maintaining calm and not getting aggressive (i.e. not getting out of
our chairs, not insulting others, not asking who on the board is who, etc.). During the game, I
will be watching to see if any student is not able to self-monitor and self-regulate to meet these
expectations. If any students are not able to meet these expectations, I will make sure to reiterate
my expectations and reasoning before we play another Kahoot! game in class. If all students are
able to self-regulate and self-monitor, I will know that we can continue with in class games as
they are.
The language objective will be assessed through the vocabulary quiz that will take place the next
class period. On this quiz, students will need to accurately identify synonyms, antonyms, and
definitions of this section’s fifteen vocabulary words. There are 40 points on the quiz – students
who get at least 30/40 on this quiz will be meeting the objective. Students who get below 30/40
may need more one-on-one assistance while learning the next set of vocabulary words.
Aim:
My aim during this lesson is pacing, which is also my SMART goal. We have a lot of content to
get through in this lesson, including finishing a short story, writing a notebook entry, and
preparing for a vocabulary quiz. I want to make sure that I give students enough time to finish
everything they need to, while also making sure that we get to the last activity (vocab review) so
that they can be successful on the quiz. Because I had so much to do in this lesson, I had to make
the decision on the spot to cut out “Poison” discussion in order to prioritize vocabulary review.
However, this resulted in students not really understanding the story, and, as a result, I had to
spend quite a bit of time reteaching on Monday.
References:
CAST (2018). UDL Guideline 1.3. The UDL Guidelines. CAST UDL Guidelines. Retrieved
from http://udlguidelines.cast.org.
CAST (2018). UDL Guideline 4.1. The UDL Guidelines. CAST UDL Guidelines. Retrieved
from http://udlguidelines.cast.org.
CAST (2018). UDL Guideline 5.1. The UDL Guidelines. CAST UDL Guidelines. Retrieved
from http://udlguidelines.cast.org.
Dahl, R. (1950). Poison. https://charlton6.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/6/2/10621939/poison.pdf.
Google. (2014). Google Classroom (Version 2). Google LLC. https://classroom.google.com/.
Hodkinson, K. & Adams, S. (2007). Lesson 3. Wordly Wise Book 9. (Third Edition). Educators
Publishing Service Inc.
Lemov, D. (2015). Technique #5: Show Me. In Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques that
put students on the path to college (pp. 47-51). Jossey-Bass.
Lemov, D. (2015). Technique #24: Circulate. In Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques that
put students on the path to college (pp. 183-187). Jossey-Bass.
Lewis Kirk [Lewis Kirk]. (2021, August 12). Roald Dahl | Poison – Full audiobook with text
(AudioEbook). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw8x1lzvuIo.
Massachusetts 2017 English Language Arts and Literacy Curriculum Framework. (2017).
Malden, MA: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Mentimeter. (2014). Mentimeter [Computer software]. https://www.mentimeter.com/
Rea, Christopher [crea27]. 9.3 Vocabulary. [Computer software]. Kahoot!
https://create.kahoot.it/share/9-3-vocabulary/3bcc3f57-bc15-40a1-a4a6-a6d532abf0e2.
Rea, Christopher. Universal Ideas List. Ludlow High School, 2018.

Submitted separately: a pdf of the Mentimeter presentation, a pdf of “Poison” by Roald Dahl,
and a pdf of Lesson 3 from Wordly Wise Book 9.
The following is a handout by Chris Rea used when writing thematic statements:
Universal Ideas
A non-comprehensive list of universal ideas derived from an original document provided by John Williamson
 
Fantasy Pleasure
Addiction Fear Poverty
Alienation Fidelity Power
Ambition Freedom Predestination
Anarchy Friendship Pride
Apathy Gluttony Progress
Apostasy  Grace Purity
Atonement Greed Race
Beauty Growth Reality
Belonging Hate Rebirth
Betrayal Heresy Redemption
Brotherhood Heroism Regret
Change Hope Renewal
Chaos Humility Revenge
Community Identity Salvation
Companionship Imagination Savagery
Conformity Immorality Secrecy
Corruption Immortality Sin
Courage Individuality Sloth
Curiosity Infidelity Solidarity
Death Innocence Solitude
Defiance Jealousy Stability
Desire Justice Struggle
Destruction Judgment Submission
Dishonesty Knowledge Success
Disobedience Life Suppression
Disbelief  Longing Survival
Dominance Loyalty Sustainability 
Doubt Lust Temptation
Duty Madness Tradition
Dystopia Materialism Trust
Ego Maturation Truth
Empathy (Im)Morality Vanity
Encouragement Mortality Vengeance
Enlightenment Obligation War
Eternity Obsession Work
Failure Patriotism
Faith Peace Etc.
Family Perseverance
The following is a copy of the Writer’s Notebook prompts.
ENTRY #4 10/21 “Poison” Response

A) By the end of the story, you might suspect that the title refers to more than the venom of the
krait (snake). What other kind of poison is the story about? (2-3 sentences)

B) The ending of the story is both ironic and ambiguous. Do you think there really was a krait
under the sheet, or did Harry imagine that the snake was there? (2-3 sentences)

C) Use the universal ideas list and our word cloud to write a thematic statement for the story. (1
sentence)

ENTRY #3 10/14 “The Scarlet Ibis” Response

Write 150 words or more in response to the following prompts about “The Scarlet Ibis.”
 Brother says that he is ‘cruel’ multiple times in the story. Why do you think he acts cruel
at times? Do you think that Brother loves Doodle, despite being cruel to him? 
 Why might we be cruel to the ones we love?
A quote that may guide your writing or give you a starting place: “There is within me (and with
sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our
blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle.”

ENTRY #2 9/17 Check-in - 100 words or more 

We've made it through the first three weeks of school. How have they been for you? How is this
year shaping up compared to last? What's making your days better? What's stressing you out?
How is this class going? What questions do you have? If you need more to write about, share
whatever's on your mind. 

ENTRY #1 9/15 "The Most Dangerous Game" Response

Write 150 words or more in response to the following prompts about "The Most Dangerous
Game."
 What is your reaction to the ending? Did you enjoy this story?
 Continue the narrative of the story, imagining what Rainsford what will do next and
where the story might go.