• During the lesson, keep the focus on evaluating symbols in literature and understanding how symbols are related to theme. Remind students that even though authors choose specific objects to be symbols, symbolism is subjective and requires the response of the individual reader.
• Use the following checklist to evaluate students’ understanding:

o   Student provides a personal response to what a quilt represents.

o   Student accurately identifies what quilts mean to the three main characters in the story.

o   Student provides evidence from the story to support the response of each of the three characters to quilts.

• Students should understand how symbol relates to other literary elements, particularly to character and conflict. Most importantly, students should understand that symbol is integral to theme. Students have opportunities to explore the interrelationships of several literary elements through the discussions of symbol and to understand that theme is the convergence of all of these elements.

Focus Question: How do symbols add meaning to text? [IS.15 - All Students]

Ask students to take a mental tour of their school and community, looking for symbols. Brainstorm a list of these symbols and write them on the board/interactive whiteboard. [IS.16 - All Students] Then ask students to choose one symbol from the list and freewrite about it. [IS.17 - Struggling Learners] You might suggest one of the following: flag, mascot, sports, corporate logos. Encourage students to write whatever comes to mind when they think about the symbol. Say, “There is no right or wrong response. We all have different backgrounds and different experiences, so two people’s associations for the same symbol may be different.” Ask students to share their work with the class.

Part 1

Introduce literary symbols. Review the definition of symbol. [IS.18 - Struggling Learners] Explain that authors use symbols to emphasize meaning in literature. Give an example of something students may have previously read that has a strong symbol. (Example: The road in “The Road Not Taken” symbolizes life’s journey or the consequences of choices.) Tell students they are going to look for symbols in a short story. Say, “Not everything mentioned in a story is a symbol. A true symbol stands out because characters or events bring out its significance.” Emphasize that symbols must be understood in the context in which they are read and that they are related to other elements of fiction: setting, character, plot, point of view, and especially theme.

Ask students to reread “Everyday Use” and make mental notes of any objects that seem to have deeper significance. [IS.19 - Struggling Learners]

After students have read the story, say, “You already have one idea about theme, but you may discover new themes as we uncover the story’s symbols.”

Distribute the Symbol Chart worksheets (L-L-7-2_Symbol Chart.doc). [IS.20 - All Students] Say, “Find significant objects mentioned in the story that you think may represent something else. Write the name of the object in the left column. Then decide what the object might symbolize.” Have small groups work together to complete the handout and discuss their results. Say, “Not everyone will have the same list. You may find two people have written about the same object but have different ideas of what it symbolizes.”

Project on the computer screen the Sample Completed Symbol Chart (L-L-7-2_Sample Completed Symbol Chart.doc). [IS.21 - Struggling Learners] Ask groups to share their discoveries. Remind students that even though authors choose specific objects to be symbols, symbolism is subjective and requires the response of the individual reader.

Say, “Even though you have found other symbols, let’s further explore the symbol of the quilt.” To be sure students know what a quilt is, show them a picture of a quilt (or display a quilt if you have one). Use one of the resources suggested in Materials, or research your own images. Discuss the uses of quilts and why quilts have different appearances. For example, if you choose an image of a patriotic quilt, say, “Quilts are practical bed coverings, but they can also show what the owners value. This quilt has stars and stripes and looks like the American flag. The owner was probably proud of America and wanted to show it.” Show a different quilt, a log cabin design, for example, and explain, “Some quilts are made of pieces of worn clothing or leftover scraps of fabric. People used whatever was available to make quilts.”

Distribute the Quilt as Symbol Chart (L-L-7-2_Quilt as Symbol Chart.doc). Say, “First, answer the question ‘What do quilts represent in general?’ When you think of a quilt, what words or feelings come to mind? Then think about what the quilts mean to Mama, Maggie, and Dee, and fill in the rest of the chart.”

After students complete their charts, project the Sample Completed Quilt as Symbol Chart on the computer screen (L-L-7-2_Sample Completed Quilt as Symbol Chart.doc).  Complete the chart with students’ responses. As you complete the chart, ask students to verify their responses by asking questions such as “Where is the evidence in the story to show that Maggie feels that way?” Remind students that even though there may be different responses, students should support their interpretations with evidence from the text. [IS.22 - All Students]

Part 2

Using the Sample Completed Quilt as Symbol Chart, ask students to think about theme in relation to the quilt and what it means to the main characters. Remind students that theme is the basic meaning or message of a story. To guide students to the theme, say, “The quilts represent different things to Dee and Maggie, but each seems to greatly value the quilts. Why does Mama give the quilts to Maggie and not to Dee?”

Review the statements of theme developed in Lesson 1. If possible, type or display the completed list for students to review. [IS.23 - All Students] Ask students if any of these themes match the theme established by the use of the quilts as symbol. If not, ask students to state more appropriate themes. Write these themes on the board/interactive whiteboard.

Discuss how a visual symbol can dramatically enhance theme without using words. Say, “The quilts in this story say something about the way people value heritage, about relationships among family members, and about family history. The quilts may seem like a small detail in the context of the whole story, but they have great power in creating meaning.”

Extension:

• Encourage students to make their own quilts out of fabric. Students might also make a collage quilt out of paper. Suggest that students incorporate meaning into the quilt, either through images or through the pieces of fabric or paper they choose.
• Ask students to write a paragraph explaining what would have happened to the quilts if Dee had taken them. Ask students to answer the question “Does the meaning of the quilts change?”
• Have students choose a few symbols from their own experiences and make a collage quilt.
• Have students choose an object from home and tell its story as it relates to their family.