Description
Engage your students in a meaningful study of Willa Cather’s “The Burglar’s Christmas” with this classroom-ready lesson plan. This resource guides students through a close examination of how Cather reimagines the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, deepening their understanding of source material, thematic development, and authorial craft.
Students analyze themes of repentance, forgiveness, and unconditional love while exploring how the story transforms its original narrative from Luke 15:11–32 into a more modern, character-driven context.
The lesson is designed for smooth implementation, keeping learners actively involved through anticipation guides, comparison activities, textual analysis, and reflective discussion.
Included in this resource: a Before Reading activating strategy, academic vocabulary support, the full text of “The Burglar’s Christmas,” reading comprehension and literary analysis questions, a figurative language practice activity, the full text of “The Prodigal Son,” a Venn diagram comparison of the two texts, After Reading discussion questions, and complete answer keys.