Unit 2 - Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit
“"All of our experiences fuse into our personality..."”
Lesson 1 - In this first lesson of the unit, students begin analysis of Leslie Marmon Silko’s personal narrative essay, “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit.” Students read and analyze the first three paragraphs of the essay, in which Silko introduces the reader to her family history and Laguna Pueblo heritage. Students explore how Silko structures the beginning of her text, analyzing how she engages and orients the reader.
- Classwork - read and annotate the first three paragraphs of “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit," (from “From the time I was a small child” through “Many worlds may coexist here”).
- Homework - respond briefly in writing to the following prompt: Analyze how Silko creates a smooth progression of events at the beginning of her text.
Lesson 2 - In this lesson, students analyze paragraphs 4–10 of Silko’s “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit,” in which Silko describes significant people, stories, and memories from her childhood. Students explore central ideas that emerge through Silko’s description of her childhood.
- Classwork - read and annotate paragraphs 4–10 of Silko’s “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit” (from “I spent a great deal of time” to “The rain is simply itself”).
- Discussion/Study Questions - individual or groups
- QuickWrite - respond briefly in writing to the following question: How do the author’s interactions with other individuals develop an idea in paragraphs 4–10?
- Homework - Analyze how Silko uses one of the following narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. Also remember to use the Short Response Checklist and Rubric to guide your written responses.
Lesson 3 - In this lesson, students read and analyze paragraphs 11–16 (from “My great-grandmother was dark and handsome” to “she is a sprightly grandmother walking down the road”). In this section of text, Silko describes the ways of the old-time Pueblo people in greater detail. Students identify emerging central ideas and trace their development in the text.
- Classwork - read and annotate paragraphs 11–16 (from “My great-grandmother was dark and handsome” to “she is a sprightly grandmother walking down the road”).
- Discussion/Study Questions - individual or groups
- QuickWrite - respond briefly in writing to the following prompt: Determine two central ideas in paragraphs 11–16 and analyze how they interact and build on one another.
- Homework - respond in writing to the following prompt: Analyze how Silko uses a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone or outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution). (Refer to the Short Response Rubric and Checklist to help improve your writing responses.)
Lesson 4 - In this lesson, students continue to read and analyze “Yellow Woman and Beauty of the Spirit,” paragraphs 17–24, in which Silko continues to describe the ways of the old-time Pueblo people, specifically focusing on gender identity and femininity in Pueblo society.
- Classwork - read and annotate paragraphs 17–24 (from “‘When I was growing up, there was a young man” to “To show their gratitude, the old folks refused to kill any flies”).
- Discussion/Study Questions - individual or groups
- QuickWrite - respond briefly in writing to the following question: Analyze how a central idea in paragraphs 17–24 interacts with and builds on a central idea from paragraphs 11–16.
- Homework - Write a list of ideas about how you would respond to the following college interview question. Remember to keep in mind your task, purpose, and audience as you consider your response. To respond to the interview question, you should conduct brief online searches for information about a college that interests you. You will practice responding to this interview question in the following lesson. What can you contribute to our college campus? Also, respond briefly in writing to the following prompt: Analyze how Silko uses precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
Lesson 5 - In this lesson, students conclude their reading of “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit.” Students read paragraphs 25–32, in which Silko discusses Kochininako, Yellow Woman, and how her beauty and courage saved her people in the old-time stories.
- Classwork - read and annotate paragraphs 25–32 (from “The old stories demonstrate the interrelationships that the Pueblo people have maintained” to “Yellow Woman and all women are beautiful.”
- Discussion/Study Questions - individual or groups
- QuickWrite - respond briefly in writing to the following question: Analyze how Silko uses and refines the meaning of the term beauty over the course of the text.
- Homework - For homework, respond briefly in writing to the following prompt: Analyze how Silko provides a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. In addition, look over your notes and annotations in preparation for the End-of-Unit Assessment.
Lesson 6 - End-of-Unit Assessment - In this final lesson of the unit, the End-of-Unit Assessment, students compose a multi-paragraph response to the following prompt: Analyze the effectiveness of the structure Silko uses in her exposition, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging..