Biography- James Thurber

James Thurber's Biography
(Intermediate and Advanced ESOL)

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is to research about the author James Thurber. Students will read information about James Thurber on Wikipedia and create a bulleted list.


Activity

Read James Thurber's biography on Wikipedia. Make a bulleted list of information about his life. The list does not have to contain complete sentences. Begin each item on the list with a capitalized verb. The items on the list do not end with a period since they are not complete sentences.

Example

• Born in Columbus, Ohio on December 8, 1894
• Moved to New York City in 1925
• Contributed short stories and cartoons to the New Yorker magazine
• Suffered from Charles Bonnet syndrome
  

Reading Activity- The Unicorn in the Garden

The Unicorn in the Garden Reading Activity
(Intermediate Level)

Purpose

In this activity, you will engage in a pre-reading discussion, read the story "The Unicorn in the Garden," learn new vocabulary and engage in a post reading discussion.


Pre-reading Discussion

Discuss the following ideas with your classmates:

• Describe the appearance of a unicorn.
• Do you have a name for this mythical creature in your language?
• What does the unicorn represent?
• Compare how American husbands and wives relate to one another with husbands and wives in your culture. How are the relationships similar? How are they different?
• What are common jokes or funny stories about husbands and wives in your culture?
• What is a straitjacket? What is its purpose?
• What happens to the mentally ill in your country?

Reading

Read the story “The Unicorn in the Garden” by James Thurber and note unfamiliar words and expressions.

Vocabulary

Before you check the meanings of the words, try to guess the meaning by the context it is used in the sentence or passage.

• booby: in this context, a crazy person (probably from the name of a stupid extinct bird).
• booby-hatch: a mental institution, a place where the insane are kept.
• breakfast nook: a little side room for eating breakfast.
• browsing: sampling or tasting here and there.
• "crazy as a jaybird": extremely crazy or hopelessly insane
• cropping: clipping or cutting close to the root.
• cursing: using dirty or obscene speech.
• "Don't count your boobies until they are hatched": from the American expression "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched", meaning "Don't count on things to turn out exactly as you planned them."
• gloat: a look of malice or greed.
• institution: a mental institution, an insane asylum.
• moral: in this context, the "lesson" of the story.
• mythical: relating to a myth, hence not real.
• psychiatrist: a mental doctor
• solemn: grave or serious
• strait-jacket: an armless belted jacket used to confine the violently insane
• subdue, subduing: capturing, seizing
• unicorn: a mythical beast which looks like a horse with a horn in the center of the head.
  

Post Reading Discussion

Discuss the following questions with your classmates:

• What is a moral?
• What does the moral of the story mean?
• Do you agree with the moral of the story?
• Do you have a similar moral in your culture?

Welcome ESOL Teachers and Students

ESOL Unit on Marriage

Description

The following lessons deal with the topic of Marriage. The unit begins with a reading of the short story "The Unicorn in the Garden" by James Thurber. Included in the unit are the following lessons:

• A reading activity- Students will read the short story and engage in a discussion of morals.
• A lesson on similes- Students will read a quote from James Thurber, explore simile and create their own.
• A research activity- Students will read a biography of James Thurber on Wikipedia and create a bulleted list of important information relevant to his life.
• A persuasive essay activity- Students will write an argumentative or opinion essay that includes a strong topic sentence and supporting information.
• An art activity- Students will view the tapestry "Unicorn in Captivity" and explore symbolism.
• Grammar lesson- Students will review simple and compound sentences.
• Extension activity 1- Students will read jokes about married couples.
• Extension activity 2- Students will view cartoons created by James Thurber and create their own captions.