Owl Creek Teacher Copy
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Teacher Annotated Master Copy
Instructional Guide Annotated Resource
Reading Schedule
1st Read: Class Read & Annotate
2nd Read: Nearpod (10/16 & 10/17)
* Guest ed. these days
Quick Start
"Think about a time you were in a situation you felt you could not change..."
Think-pair-share @ tables → Whole Group
Focus Skills
- POV (6A, 6C)
- Structure (6B, 7C)
- Sensory (8D)
I
A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head...
Instructional Stop & Jot
Check for understanding: The Setting and Initial Mood.
Beyond one of the sentinels nobody was in sight; the railroad ran straight away into a forest... The captain stood with folded arms, silent... Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect...
The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His features were good—a straight nose, firm mouth... Pause • Pose • Peruse
The man closes his eyes. He hears a sharp percussion—the ticking of his watch. It slows down, sounding like the "tolling of a death knell."
“If I could free my hands,” he thought, “I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets...”
End Chunk 1
End Chunk 2
Instructional Date: 10/14 - 10/15
6A, 6C
Setting Annotation
"Mark details in paragraph 1 that tell where and when the story takes place."
In Journal Prompt
Predict: What is going to happen to the man?
6A, 6C
POV Analysis
"Mark phrases that indicate point of view in paragraph 3."
Analysis Question
What point of view is used? How does it affect perception?
3rd Person Limited
Teacher Note
"Preteach Shift"
Portray the shift in point of view through narrator thoughts in paragraph 4.
II
Flashback
Peyton Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, of an old Alabama family... One evening while sitting on a rustic bench, a gray-clad soldier rode up...
“The Yanks are repairing the railroads,” said the man... “Any civilian caught interfering with the railroad... will be summarily hanged.”
Stop & Jot while circulating
Monitor student discussion on the soldier's true identity (Federal Scout).
Farquhar asks how he could sabotage the bridge. The scout describes driftwood that would burn easily.
End Chunk 3
Instructional Date: 10/20 - 10/21
6B, 7C
Structure Annotation
"Compare paragraph 10 with paragraph 1 & 2. Mark details that connect the two sections."
In Journal Prompt
Notice the placement of Section II. When does this actually take place?
Paused Answer @ end of Section 2
III
Farquhar falls through the bridge. He enters a dream-like state of intense sensory awareness and imagined escape.
...his brain was on fire; his heart... gave a great leap... his eyes were blinded by the sunlight; his chest expanded convulsively...
Notate & Analyze use of details
How does the imagery change as his "escape" continues?
End Chunk 4
...Suddenly he heard a sharp report... The soldiers had almost finished reloading... The two sentinels fired again... "We can see their actions / no thoughts"
End Chunk 5
Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round—spinning like a top...whirled on with a velocity... that made him giddy and sick...
End Chunk 6
The Resolution
Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.
End Chunk 7
SCR - Exit Ticket
8D Sensory Mastery
"Mark details and sensory language that illustrate Peyton Farquhar's panic."
Tell, without Telling
Instruction: Guide students to describe Farquhar's internal state using only sensory externalization.
Challenge 1
Tell me he's _________________________
Challenge 2
without telling me he's _______________
Core ECR Concept
"How does the author show the limitations of freedom?"
Unit 2 Assessment
Teacher Facilitation Guide
ECR Synthesis Strategy
Unit 2: Informational Writing
Preparation Checklist
- Print student outlines
- Distribute Transitions notes
- Complex sentence notes & practice
- Create "Exemplar creation" model
"Include Complex sentence lesson with Thesis & thesis rephrase"
"Flip the script"
Essay Prompt
In both "Democracy" by Langston Hughes and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, explain how each author addresses the greatest limitation in the struggle for freedom.
Instruction Tracker
Thesis Development:
Body 2 (Owl Creek) Structure:
- C Reason 2
- E What does the text say?
- R What does your quote mean?
- R Why does this matter?
Body 1 Focus: Democracy
C: Claim/Reason 1
E: Evidence Integration
R: Reasoning/Analysis
R: Global Significance
Conclusion Strategy
Step 1: Insert transitional phrases
Step 2: Rephrase Thesis
Synthesis Mastery Check
