Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.2, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read a play and make inferences about the plot and characters.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, elements of fiction, interpreting text, author’s craft, critical thinking, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: Based on a classic story, the play explores themes of love, jealousy, and fairness.

 

Structure: The play is chronological and has six scenes and a prologue.

 

Language: The play includes some figurative language. The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: No special knowledge is required.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

SEL Connection

This play and lesson plan promote responsible decision-making and relationship skills.

Lesson Plan: The Choice

Essential Questions:

  • Which is more powerful: love or jealousy? 
  • What is a cliff-hanger in a story or a movie? What effect does it have on the reader or viewer?

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the play in their magazines or online. Then preview the text features using the following prompts:

  • Look at the illustration included alongside the caption “Trial by Ordeal.” Describe what you see in the image and how you think each person is feeling. Sample answer: The illustration shows an arena where a king is seated on a throne, watching the action below. Beside him is a woman, maybe a princess based on her crown. A man in the arena stands near two large doors, looking up in the direction of the king and the princess. The king looks like he’s enjoying what’s happening, while the princess looks worried. The man in the arena looks terrified and desperate for help.
  • Read the text in the box labeled “An Anti-Fairy Tale.” In what ways do you think “The Choice” might be different from a typical fairy tale? Make a prediction. Answers will vary. Students might guess that “The Choice” has a surprise ending, or simply that the play doesn’t have a happy ending. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (authority, justice, accused, impartial, vicious) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow

Make a Plan for Reading

  • Before students read the play, set a purpose for reading by telling them that they will make inferences about “The Choice.” Explain that making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something that isn’t directly stated. (You may also consider showing our “Skills in Action: What Is an Inference?” video.)

 2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign parts to students and read the play aloud as a class. Stop after each scene and ask students to summarize what happened.
  • After reading, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • Based on Princess Margaret’s words and actions in Scene 1, how does she feel about her father’s justice system? (inference) Princess Margaret has doubts about the fairness of the system; however, she doesn’t press the issue with her father. This may be because she doesn’t feel strongly enough about it or because she doubts that questioning her father would make a difference.
  • In Scene 3, Princess Margaret says that Thomas loves her. King John replies, “Of course he does. You’re a princess. He has everything to gain. . . .” What does he mean? (interpreting text) The king means that Thomas’s “love” for the princess might not be real. He suspects that Thomas is interested in the princess because of greed. The king believes that Thomas hopes to gain wealth and status by marrying the princess.
  • In Scene 5, Lady Anne and Lady Helen take turns describing Isabella as “beautiful,” “kind,” and “wise.” What might be the author’s reason for presenting information in this way? (author’s craft) The author likely presents the information in this way to be funny and also to show that Isabella is a great person. It introduces the idea that Thomas might be pleased to marry Isabella.
  • What happens at the end of the play? Why do you think the story ends this way? (author’s craft) At the end of the play, Thomas opens the door the princess signals him to choose, trusting her completely. However, the reader never finds out if she led him to the tiger or to Isabella. The author likely ended the play this way to keep the reader’s curiosity alive, leaving them to wonder what the princess’s decision might have been and to think about the consequences of each possibility for both Thomas and her.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • How did your opinion of Princess Margaret change over the course of the play? Answers will vary. Students might say that they sympathized with the princess at first, as she was unable to marry the person she loved and seemed powerless against her father’s cruel rules. However, as the play progresses and her jealousy causes her to hesitate in saving Thomas, students may come to see her in a less favorable light.
  • Answer the question posed in the caption “An Anti-Fairy Tale.” Why do you think this story is sometimes called an anti-fairy tale? Fairy tales have clear, straightforward endings—usually “happily ever after.” This play does not have a straightforward ending, and no matter what happens, the princess will not be happy. Plus, most fairy tales are stories of good versus evil. The characters in this story are not so clear-cut.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn-Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Finish the Story

What choice do you think Princess Margaret makes? After reading the play, think about the princess’s character. Decide whether she would be more likely to send Thomas to the lady or to the tiger. 

Then, working alone or with a partner, write a Scene 7 for the play. In this scene, show readers what choice Princess Margaret makes and what happens as a result. Try to answer all of these questions in your scene:

  • How does Princess Margaret feel about the choice she made?
  • How does Thomas feel about the choice? (If he isn’t killed by the tiger, how does he feel about marrying Isabella? Does he still prefer the princess?)
  • What do Lady Anne and Lady Helen think? Are they surprised?
  • How does the king react?

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Have a Parts-of-Speech Scavenger Hunt

After reading the play, quickly review four of the eight parts of speech. Remind students that a noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea (for example, shark or friendship); that a verb is an action word (such as write or sing); that an adjective describes a noun (for instance, colorful in the phrase “colorful dress”); and that an adverb describes a verb (quietly in the phrase “speaking quietly”). 

To ensure that students understand the purpose of each part of speech, ask them to identify the noun, verb, adjective, and adverb in the sentence “The tall girl walked slowly.”

Now ask each student to find three examples of each part of speech in the play. Here are some examples:

  • Nouns: anger, arena, justice, king, lady, princess, Thomas, tiger, trial, trumpet
  • Verbs: choose, explain, follow, hide, sit, stroll, think
  • Adjectives: beautiful, bold, guilty, handsome, innocent, powerful, quick, sweet, wise
  • Adverbs: deeply, quietly, sharply, softly, suddenly  

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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