The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

School:: Lely High
Subject:: Language Arts
Teacher:: Laura Thompson-Fresenius
Students Impacted:: 60
Grade:: 9
Date:: August 7, 2017

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Drs. Carl and Anne Angstrom - $268.79

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 53

Fifty-three students were impacted by the grant for a class set (30 copies) of The Hunger Games. This is the total number of Freshman Honors students in my class this year. In addition, I was able to find the books at a cheaper price than originally researched, so I was also able to purchase an audio version of the book (for possible future use with students with special accommodations) and a teaching guide, which includes critical thinking questions and projects.

Key outcomes were as follows: students identified and analyzed similarities between The Odyssey and The Hunger Games, citing ways that the literary “Hero’s Journey” is a timeless theme in literature. Students also learned to recognize key literary character types, such as protagonist, antagonist, and foil. Students also examined metaphorical references and themes which are similar in both texts, such as the hero’s helplessness in the hands of fate, and his or her powerlessness to change the course of events. As a final assessment, students wrote an argumentation essay in which they explored wither or not Odysseus and Katniss were, in fact, victims of fate, or if they controlled their own destinies.

Without the grant, the themes of both texts would not have been as thoroughly analyzed by my students; the comparison of texts, as well as the study of a modern, young adult novel, helped retain their interest in the themes and in the hero’s journey itself.

grant photo

All of the goodies!

grant photo

A student enjoys reading in class.

Original Grant Overview

Goal

Students will: analyze elements of a literary hero's journey, such as plot, setting, theme, and character as well as its figurative language; determine the central idea of a text, analyze the ideas and events presented, and cite textual evidence.

What will be done with my students

Students will: read the text and reflect on each chapter by completing various graphic organizers and creative thinking projects; analyze characterization, the various methods through which the author reveals and develops the personalities of characters within the text; identify the characteristics of the typical literary hero and identify which characteristics are evidenced in the text; view pertinent clips from the 2012 film and and compare to text version; cite textual evidence while writing an informative essay comparing and contrasting the dystopian society in the novel with today's global climate.

Benefits to my students

Students will sharpen critical thinking skills by reflecting on the following questions: how do humans endure in the face of adversity; how can some people endure unimaginable extremes while others break down? Students will also compare the hero's journey in The Hunger Games with the journey of Odysseus in The Odyssey, a companion unit from the Collections Text.

Budget Narrative

30 copies of the novel at $8.79 each = $263.70. The DVD is available for 5.09. Prices found at Amazon.com.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	The Hunger Games Novel-30 copies at $8.79	$263.70
2	The Hunger Games DVD-2012	$5.09
	Total:	$268.79

Please share this page to help in fulfilling this grant.