Lesson 1
We will begin our analysis of the final concept to be studied in our unit: values. This lesson will focus on Chapter 11 in Friday Night Lights and how Bissinger describes the values of the citizens of Odessa and Midland during the oil boom and bust of the 1980s. We will analyze how Bissinger presents this information, and we will gather evidence about how Bissinger supports these claims.
Lesson Goals
Can I read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension of Friday Night Lights?
Can I formulate and use questions to establish and deepen my understanding of values in Friday Night Lights?
Can I evaluate the effects of Bissinger’s use of literary devices and rhetoric in Friday Night Lights?
Texts
Core
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- Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger, Da Capo Press, 1990
Materials
Tools
Reference Guides
Question Sets
Editable Google Docs
Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss
We will introduce the section by reviewing the Central Question and framing questions.
Step 1
Review the unit’s Central Question:
How do high school athletics reflect American society?
Respond to the following question in your Learning Log:
If you were to provide an answer to the Central Question today, what would it be?
Step 2
Now Review the Framing Questions, paying special attention to Question 4, which is the focusing question for this fourth section of the unit and connected to the Culminating Task:
Framing Questions:
How do fans impact student athletes?
How do racial and socioeconomic factors shape the perspectives of student athletes?
How do ideas about gender and gender roles impact student sports culture?
How do the lessons student athletes learn about values impact their perspective of American society?
Discuss Question 4 with a partner or small group. Think about what you have read in Chapters 1-10 of Friday Night Lights. Share insights gleaned from the discussion with the whole class.
Activity 2: Read – Write – Discuss
We will discuss our homework reading of the first three parts of chapter 11 in Friday Night Lights by answering a series of text-dependent questions. We will begin our analysis of the concept of values and how Bissinger approaches this concept in the text.
Review your annotations for your homework reading of the first three parts of Chapter 11.
As a class, answer and discuss the text-dependent questions from the Section 4 Question Set:
Reread the fourth paragraph on the first page of Chapter 11. Discuss Bissinger’s description of Odessa and Midland. Why is this description so impactful? What language does he use to make it impactful?
Read the following quote from page 231: "They sang the high praises of a black waiter named Max because of his flawless performance at formal dinner parties at their homes." Why does Bissinger include this detail about Max? What does this tell you about the citizens’ values and views of class structure?
Why does the author begin Part 2 of Chapter 11 with the anecdotes he uses? What purpose does this have in his writing?
On page 233, Bissinger describes welders "who had trouble getting through the alphabet without taking a break making between $80,000 and $90,000 a year…" What point is Bissinger illustrating with this statement?
Reread the second full paragraph of Part 3 in Chapter 11. What is Bissinger’s purpose for including this paragraph? How do you know?
Reread these lines from page 235: "‘There was euphoria round here that was almost like an opiate,’ said Giebel. ‘It was an opiate. And I succumbed to it. And I don’t know a guy who did not. You just get caught up. You get caught up in the euphoria, like you’re sitting down at the gambling table.’" What comparisons is Bissinger making? Why does he use this figurative language?
On page 236, Bissinger states that people like Giebel want to "build an empire, a lasting monument." Why are these phrases important? What do they say about the citizens? Why does he use the terms empire and monument?
Reread the paragraph on page 237 that begins with, "From 1937 through 1981…" How can you connect these ideas to the Permian football team?
On pages 238-239, Bissinger describes the actions of the wealthy in Odessa and Midland. What is he foreshadowing? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
Reread the first full paragraph on page 240 that begins, "And then it had ended." How does Bissinger describe the bust? Is it effective?
Why does Bissinger refer to peoples’ businesses as empires? What is he implying?
On page 241, Bissinger refers to these empires as glass-house empires. What is he implying?
Write down key takeaways from the discussion in your Learning Log.
Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write
We will create Word Maps for key terms from chapter 11 of Friday Night Lights.
With your group, complete a Word Map for each of the following terms from Chapter 11 in Friday Night Lights:
revelry
euphoria
perilous
grandeur
succumb
Continue to practice defining vocabulary using context or by referencing sources such as a dictionary.
Activity 4: Write
We will complete an exit ticket as we conclude the lesson. We will respond to a prompt and turn this response in as we exit the class. This response will help demonstrate our learning from this lesson.
Respond to the following question in your Learning Log to check your understanding:
How does Bissinger show what is important to the citizens of Odessa and Midland during the boom years of the 1980s? What language and literary techniques does he use to illustrate this?
Activity 5: Read
We will finish reading chapter 11 in Friday Night Lights for homework.
For homework, finish reading and annotating Chapter 11 for homework, paying attention to how Bissinger uses language to illustrate the values of the citizens of Odessa and Midland.
Be sure to write down new or interesting words in your Vocabulary Journal.
Write down sentences that stand out to you as interesting or that represent a strong example of a particular concept you have learned in your Mentor Sentence Journal.