Standards Correlations

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

Learning objective

As students read an adaptation of a classic horror story, they will make inferences about the plot and characters.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, genre, compare and contrast, character, cause and effect, theme, interpreting text, critical thinking, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: The play shows the dangers of being greedy and ignoring well-intentioned advice.

Structure: The story is told in chronological order. At one point, a character tells a story that takes place in the past.  

Language: The language is simple and direct. The reader needs to make some inferences to understand the story.

Knowledge Demands: The play mentions India and a holy man.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

Lesson Plan: The Monkey's Paw

Essential Questions

  • Do we have control over our fate? 
  • Is it wrong to get something without having worked for it?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
  • Novel: 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the play. Then help them preview the text features using the following prompts

  • Read the play’s title and the text beneath it. Think about the warning “Be careful what you wish for.”  Have you heard this phrase before? In your own words, what does it mean? Sample answer: “Be careful what you wish for” means your wish may not always be what’s best for you. It may have unintended consequences.
  • Examine the illustration of the house. How would you describe this image? How does it make you feel? What sounds do you hear in your mind when you look at this image? The illustration shows a stone house in a thunderstorm. Inside the house, there’s a warm yellow light, and at least one figure can be seen (as a shadow). It looks cold, windy, and rainy outside—and a bit scary. The sounds associated with this image might be: the whoosh of the wind, the crack of a breaking branch, rain falling on the roof of the house, and thunder.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (souvenir, fate, snatches, mangled, relieved) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students they’ll make inferences while reading “The Monkey’s Paw.” Explain that making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something that isn’t stated. 
  • Point out the activity at the end of the play. Tell students they will complete it after reading.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign roles 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)

  • In the Prologue, how is the mood outside the Whites’ home different from the mood inside it? (compare and contrast) The author uses descriptive language (“cold, stormy evening,” “the wind howls”) to describe a frightening storm outside. By contrast, she describes the living room as warm and safe, and she calls it “cozy.”
  • In Scenes 1 and 2, do the Whites believe that the monkey’s paw really has the power to grant wishes? How can you tell? (character) Mr. White at least somewhat believes in the paw’s power; he rescues it from the fire and asks how to use it. Mrs. White doesn’t believe that the paw grants wishes. When Herbert asks her if she thinks the story about the monkey’s paw is true, she says, “Of course not!” She also tells Mr. White that he imagined the paw moving in his hand.
  • At the end of Scene 3, why does Mr. White fall to the floor? (cause and effect) Mr. White falls to the floor when he hears the messenger say “Two hundred pounds.” This line is shocking; it shows that Mr. White’s wish for 200 pounds has been granted in a horrible way. It has cost him his son’s life. This realization is what causes Mr. White to fall.
  • In Scene 1, Morris says a holy man put a spell on the monkey’s paw to show that “you can’t change fate. And if you try, you’ll be sorry.” How is this idea supported by what happens later in the play? (theme) The idea that trying to change fate will make you sorry is supported by what happens to the Whites. Mr. White tries to make his life better by wishing on the paw for 200 pounds. But his wish brings only suffering and horror to him and Mrs. White.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Mr. White’s final wish is “I wish it would GO AWAY!” Who or what does he mean by “it”? Why do you think he makes this wish? (interpreting text) When Mr. White says “I wish it would GO AWAY!” he is referring to his son Herbert, or more accurately, what has become of him. Earlier in the play, when he is considering making the wish for Herbert to come back, he says, “What will he look like now? What if his body is mangled?” That lets us know he is scared about bringing back a dead body. He makes his final wish because he realizes that the Herbert who has come back is not the Herbert they want back but a creepy and scary version of him. 
  • Do you think Mr. White is right to make his final wish? Why or why not? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Some students might say yes: Mr. White is doing what he believes is necessary. Others might say no: Mr. White is going against his wife’s wishes simply because he’s afraid.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn Anywhere Activity

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

Write a review

Book and movie reviews are useful. They help people decide whether they want to read a certain book or watch a particular movie. You can do the same with “The Monkey’s Paw.” Imagine that a friend is thinking of reading the play. Answer the questions below to help your friend decide.

  • Did the prologue make you want to know what would happen next? If so, why? If not, why not?
  • Which character did you find most interesting? Why?
  • Did the play succeed in making you feel scared? If so, how? If not, why not?
  • Would you recommend this play to other readers? 

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach contractions to improve fluency.

Before reading the play, review common contractions with your multilingual students. This practice will help them to understand and pronounce the contractions in the play. Briefly explain that a contraction is typically made when two words are shortened into one, with an apostrophe standing in for the missing letters. Examples:

  • couldn’t: could not
  • didn’t: did not
  • he’s: he is
  • I’m: I am
  • it’s: it is
  • we’ll: we will
  • would’ve: would have

Then read these lines from the play aloud and ask students to repeat them, breaking each contraction into its original two words:

  • Mr. White: No, I’ll take it! (No, I will take it!)
  • Morris: If you keep it, don’t blame me for what happens. (If you keep it, do not blame me for what happens.)
  • Mrs. White: It’s all in your mind. (It is all in your mind.) 
  • M2: We’ve been sent from the factory. (We have been sent from the factory.)
  • Mr. White: What? Where? What’s wrong? (What? Where? What is wrong?)

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.

Print This Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech