The+Old+Man+and+the+Sea

The Old Man and the Sea is a literary classic that will be great for middle school students to read. I loved this book when I read it as a teenager, and I think it would be perfect for a middle school class. The story is about an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago. Santiago is a very humble man, but he knows the sea like no other. He has had a streak of bad luck and hasn’t caught a single fish in a very long time. He is teased by the other fisherman and is often ridiculed by the other village people. He has had to face many trials and tests throughout his life, but his fight with the marlin is the biggest test of his strength and endurance. Manolin, Santiago’s young apprentice loves the old man and looks up to him even when his parents force the boy to go out on a different fishing boat. The old man’s enduring struggle for the marlin and his respect of the sea and its creatures is truly a remarkable story that needs to be told. This book would be great for a two-week unit of study in Language Arts. It would be great to use for a look at Cuban history and culture; Cuban dishes and a power point of Cuba would be fun and interesting! Even an author study on Ernest Hemingway would be a great way to incorporate biography/autobiography into the classroom. This book would also be great for discusses endurance, hardship, and struggles. Students could end the unit with an essay about a struggle they have overcome; this would be great for character development in the students. During the book, students could get into pairs after a chapter and discuss or sketch out what happened. The old Man and the Sea would be a great tool for discussing symbols and imagery in literature. Students could also do a project that required them to write and perform a monologue of Santiago, Manolin, or the marlin. They could dress up to make it even more fun and interactive. Simulated interviews could be done with one student as a reporter and the other student as the old man; the students would be able to empathize with the old man and understand how he feels. There are so many creative ways to integrate all sorts of mini lessons into this novel study.

Hemingway, E. (1952). //The old man and the sea//.