Embedded Files
The novel begins in Cambridge, Massachussetts in 1968 with the experiences of Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli, who recently immigrated to the United States from their native India. Struggling to assimilate to the Western culture, The Namesake explores two generations of the Ganguli family. The novel follows Ashima and Ashoke, and the experience of their son, Gogol, and his sister Sonia as they come of age in the United States. The novel highlights the shared bond between Sonia and Gogol as native born Americans, as well as their prominent Indian culture experienced at home, with all its highlights and challenges. The Namesake explores biculturalism, identity, and the universal quest for love and acceptance. Ultimately, Gogol first resists and then grows to understand his culture, family and establish his identity.
Big Ideas:
Rather than being static or stable, the roles of parent and child can be fluid as individuals adapt and grow; family can be created through community as well as birth and roles within a family can also change.
Choosing a new name (for oneself or for another person) can be a revolutionary act, a way to claim or celebrate a new self and identity.
The feeling of being an “outsider” in American culture is far more widespread than just cultural differences. One can feel like an outsider of society, community, and other areas of life for a multitude of reasons.
The internal struggle of biculturalism and the impact of popular culture on the individual is an ever-changing process.
Family bonds ultimately supersede external factors, even when there is conflict involved.
The quest for love and other emotions are uniquely relative and universal to the human experience, regardless of culture.
Culminating Task:
Culminating Task:
For the Narrative Assessment, students will have three options to demonstrate their mastery and creative writing skills:
For the Narrative Assessment, students will have three options to demonstrate their mastery and creative writing skills:
Novel Continuation → Students will write a short story that details how they imagine Gogol’s life after the end of the novel.
Novel Continuation → Students will write a short story that details how they imagine Gogol’s life after the end of the novel.
Alternate Character Narrative → Students will imagine they are another character in the text and recreate a scene from the other character’s perspective. Original Narrative → This assessment will be more of a “big push” for students. For the original narrative assessment, students will choose an event or issue reflective of a character grappling with issues of identity, sense of home, and/or coming of age. The narrative should demonstrate a mixture of elements and key concepts representative of the unit's goals.
Alternate Character Narrative → Students will imagine they are another character in the text and recreate a scene from the other character’s perspective. Original Narrative → This assessment will be more of a “big push” for students. For the original narrative assessment, students will choose an event or issue reflective of a character grappling with issues of identity, sense of home, and/or coming of age. The narrative should demonstrate a mixture of elements and key concepts representative of the unit's goals.
Lesson Guidance Documents : These documents provide guidance for lesson planning.
Lesson Guidance Documents : These documents provide guidance for lesson planning.
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