Substitute Lesson Plan: Peter Pan — Chapter I, "Peter Breaks Through"

Objective

Students will listen to and discuss the opening chapter of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, identify the main characters of the Darling family, and describe the imaginative idea of "tidying up children's minds" and the concept of the Neverland as introduced in the text.

Materials

• The provided text of Peter Pan, Chapter I: "Peter Breaks Through" (printed or displayed)
• Paper and pencils for each student
• Chalkboard/whiteboard or chart paper (optional, for listing characters)

Warm-up (~5 min)

• Ask students: "Have you ever heard of Peter Pan? What do you know about him?" Take a few quick answers (no wrong answers—just activating prior knowledge).
• Tell students: "Today we are going to read the very beginning of the original Peter Pan book, written over 100 years ago. It starts by introducing us to a family called the Darlings—before Peter Pan even shows up!"

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Read Aloud (15 min): Read Chapter I aloud to the class (or have strong readers take turns reading sections). Stop periodically to check understanding:
2. After the Wendy/mother introduction: Ask "Why did Wendy know she would grow up?" (Her mother said "why can't you remain like this forever," so Wendy realized growing up was coming.)
3. After Mr. and Mrs. Darling's introduction: Ask "How did Mr. Darling win Mrs. Darling?" (He took a cab and got to her house first, before the other men.)
4. After the money/mumps calculation scene: Ask "What was Mr. Darling doing with his pencil and paper?" (Figuring out if they could afford to keep Wendy, then John, then Michael.)
5. After Nana is introduced: Ask "What is unusual about the Darlings' nurse?" (Nana is a dog—a Newfoundland—not a person!)
6. After the "tidying up children's minds" section: Ask "What does Mrs. Darling do every night?" (She goes through her children's minds while they sleep, tidying up their thoughts like tidying a drawer.)
7. After the Neverland description: Ask "What are some things Mrs. Darling saw on the 'map' of a child's mind?" (Coral reefs, savages, caves, princes, chocolate pudding day, school, etc.)

1. Character List (5 min): As a class, list the characters introduced so far on the board:
2. Mrs. Darling
3. Mr. Darling
4. Wendy
5. John
6. Michael
7. Nana (the dog nurse)
8. Liza (the other servant)
9. Peter (the mysterious name Mrs. Darling keeps finding in the children's minds)

1. Discussion (5 min): Ask: "At the very end of the chapter, what strange thing does Mrs. Darling discover in her children's minds?" (The name "Peter" scrawled all over Wendy's mind, and appearing in John's and Michael's too, though she doesn't know who he is.) Ask students to predict: "Who do you think Peter might be?"

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

Have students write short answers to these questions on paper (or discuss aloud if time is short):

1. Name three members of the Darling family.
2. What was unusual about the Darlings' nurse, Nana?
3. What did Mrs. Darling do every night to her children's minds?
4. What strange word/name kept appearing in the children's minds that Mrs. Darling could not explain?

Collect papers or have a few volunteers share their answers aloud.

If Time Remains

Have students draw their own "map of their mind" like the one described in the chapter (with roads, splashes of color, and things that matter to them—like "chocolate pudding day" or "first day at school" from the text). Ask a few volunteers to share one item from their map with the class.