Lesson plan: Class 10 - Unit 4 supplementary - The aged mother

 LESSON PLAN

Lesson Plan: The Aged Mother

Unit: 4

Text: Supplementary Reading – “The Aged Mother”

Author: Matsuo Basho

1. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand the cultural value placed on the wisdom of the aged in the Japanese folktale.
• Identify and appreciate the deep love and affection between a son and his mother as depicted in the story.
• Analyze the moral lesson conveyed by the folktale regarding the importance of respecting and valuing elders.

2. Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

1007 reads, comprehends, and responds to complex texts independently.

1011 writes paragraphs, narratives, etc., by planning revising, editing, rewriting, and finalising.

1008 reads stories and literary texts, both fiction and non-fiction, with understanding for pleasure and enjoyment and discusses about these.

1001 listens to announcements, instructions, read-aloud texts, audio, videos for information, gist and details; responds by answering questions accordingly.

• Recognize the importance of wisdom and experience that comes with age in their day-to-day lives.
• Demonstrate empathy and appreciation for the sacrifices and love of their family members, especially elders.
• Apply critical thinking to understand societal problems and propose solutions that respect human dignity, particularly that of the elderly.

3. Introduction

The teacher will introduce the lesson by asking a few questions to engage students:

• "Have you ever made a difficult decision that involved someone you love?"
• "Do you believe that older people have a special kind of wisdom or insight?"
• "What do you think happens when a society stops valuing its elders?"

4. Reading and Understanding

• Students will be instructed to read the entire supplementary text, "The Aged Mother," from their textbook.
• While reading, students should pay attention to unfamiliar words and refer to the glossary provided in the textbook to understand their meanings.

Key Vocabulary from Glossary:

• despotic (adj.) – tyrannical, cruel
• proclamation (n) – announcement
• barbarous (adj.) – extremely brutal or mercilessly harsh
• abandon (v) – desert, give up completely
• reverence (n) – deep respect
• mandate (n) – an official order
• summit (n) – the topmost point of a hill or mountain
• injunction (n) – an order restraining someone from performing an act
• shriveled (adj.) – wrinkled and contracted due to old age or due to strain
• gravely (adv.) – seriously

5. Mind Map (Flowchart of Key Events)

The teacher will guide students to create a flowchart summarizing the main events of the story.

6. Consolidation and Presentation (Summary)

"The Aged Mother" is a Japanese folktale that takes place in the country of Shining, ruled by a cruel and despotic leader who orders all elderly people to be put to death. A poor farmer, out of love and reverence for his widowed mother, reluctantly takes her up Mount Obatsuyama, the mountain designated for abandoning the aged. During the arduous journey, the wise mother, despite her own pain, drops tiny piles of twigs along the path to ensure her son can find his way back safely. This selfless act profoundly moves the son, who, realizing her deep love and wisdom, defies the law and brings her back home, hiding her under his kitchen floor.

Later, the governor issues an impossible demand: a rope of ashes. Distraught, the son consults his hidden mother, who devises a brilliant solution involving twisted straw and flat stones. When the farmer presents the perfect rope of ashes, the astonished governor demands to know how he achieved it. The farmer reveals his secret, and the governor, enlightened by the mother's sagacity, understands that "with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom!" He immediately abolishes the cruel law, demonstrating the tale's central message about the invaluable wisdom and love of the aged.

7. Reinforcement

• The teacher will emphasize that this story is an adaptation of a Japanese folktale and highlights the traditional Japanese value of filial piety and respect for elders.
• The story's moral, "the aged are sharp witted," is a timeless message found in many cultures worldwide.
• The author, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), is one of the most famous poets of Japan, known for traveling to gain inspiration for his writing, with many of his poems found on monuments and traditional sites.

8. Evaluation

• a) Lower Order Thinking Question: "What cruel proclamation did the despotic leader in Shining make?"
• b) Middle Order Thinking Question: "How did the mother’s action of dropping twigs help her son, and what does this reveal about her character?"
• c) Higher Order Thinking Question: "'The old are wise.' Prove this statement with reference to the story 'The Aged Mother,' giving specific instances from the plot."

9. Remedial Teaching

For slow learners, the following methods can be employed:

• Simplified Plot Points: Provide a simplified version of the plot in bullet points, focusing only on the most essential events.
• Visual Aids: Use simple drawings or stick figures to illustrate key scenes (e.g., son carrying mother, mother dropping twigs, rope of ashes).
• Paired Reading: Have students read the story aloud in pairs, helping each other with pronunciation and comprehension.
• Sentence Scramble: Provide key sentences from the story on strips of paper for students to arrange in the correct chronological order.

10. Writing

Students will be asked to write a short paragraph (approximately 50-75 words) on one of the following options:

• Option 1: Imagine you are the farmer. Write a short diary entry expressing your feelings before and after your journey up the mountain with your mother.
• Option 2: Write about the importance of respecting and listening to elders, drawing inspiration from the mother's wisdom in the story.

11. Follow Up

• Homework/Assignment: Students will research and bring to class one example of a folk tale from their own culture that emphasizes the importance of wisdom or family bonds. They should be prepared to briefly share the story's moral.
• Activity: In groups, students can brainstorm modern-day "impossible tasks" that could be solved with simple, out-of-the-box thinking, similar to the "rope of ashes" problem.

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