MAPPING OUT THE ALCHEMIST

JINNA KIM GWEN HALE BETH WEBER REBECCA ZABEL

Time: 40 minutes
• Introduction to the lesson (5 minutes)
• Discussion regarding plot (5 minutes)
• Students create a physical representation of Santiago’s journey (10 minutes)
• Students share their representations with each other (5 minutes)
• Discussion regarding the presentations, personal legends, Coelho’s message (15 minutes)

Setting:
• A “typical high school classroom” – a 9th grade regular Freshman English class with 25 students.

Objective:
• Students remember and understand the plot of The Alchemist.
• Students create personal interpretations of the major themes in the book.
• Students will discuss the major themes of the book, such as personal legends.
• Students participate in collaborative learning.
• Students give informal presentations.

Background:
• This lesson occurs in the middle of a unit on The Alchemist, after students have finished the novel.
The class has been discussing legends; examining both content and format.
• The activities in this lesson have been designed to have students create their own interpretations of
Coelho’s themes, and help them fully understand the concept of the journey.
• Supplementary/historical links can be found on pages 3-4.
• Students will practice many skills with this lesson – performance, cooperation, critical thinking,
and organizational interpretation.

Materials:
• Instructors will be provided with a list of discussion questions.
• Handout with instructions for activity.
• Posterboards
• Markers
• Copies of The Alchemist

Preparation:
• Students will move the desks into small groups when they enter the room, forming groups of four
• Instructors will possess handouts including discussion questions and the handouts with the
instructions for the activity

Procedure:
• The four teachers introduce the lesson to the class by giving a brief overview of activities.
• As a class, the teachers lead the students in a short discussion regarding plot and other review
questions.
• The students count off 1-4 to form four groups of five people. 1’s go with Jinna; 2’s with Beth; 3’s
with Becky; and 4’s with Gwen. The groups each move to the corners of the room, moving the
desks around.
 • In small groups, the five students brainstorm on the obstacles that Santiago experienced on his
journey. They give examples of different types of obstacles, from situational to figurative.
• In the small groups, students count off 1-5. The three odds will work together, and the two evens
will work together in creating a visual representation of Santiago’s journey.
• The instructor reviews the instructions for the project.
• The students work in their mini-groups with support from the instructor.
• The mini-groups share their projects with each other.
• The teacher leads the small group in discussion about the major themes of the novel.
• The teacher collects the projects to be assessed according to the rubric.

Discussion:
• Questions for the whole class discussion
o What is an alchemist?
o Summarize the plot.
o Could there be different interpretations? Elaborate.
o What were the most important lessons that could be learned from this book?
• Questions to follow the presentations of the projects
o What is a personal legend?
o What do you think is Santiago’s Personal Legend?
o How would you define your Personal Legend as you see it now?
o What obstacles do you have?
o How have you overcome obstacles in the past?/How do you plan to overcome your
obstacles?
o Has the definition of an alchemist changed?
• Teachers will tailor the questions based on student responses.

Special Education Accommodations:

• The lesson has been structured in a way as to avoid the need for major changes. The major
activity of this lesson is a hands-on, creative activity that creates an alternative form of assessment
for students and caters to multiple intelligences. This is particularly good for students with
ADD/ADHD. They will be able to get up and move around in order to create this project.
Furthermore, this project requires group work, which will be useful for both students with learning
disabilities and those with serious physical disabilities. Students with learning disabilities will
have the added benefit of working with others to enhance their understanding. For example, a
student with dyslexia will have the help of his peers in reading the instructions and processing his
thoughts onto the page. Students with physical disabilities will not be left out if they are not able
to physically create the map because they will be able to contribute their ideas to the group and be
involved with developing the project. If a student with a wheelchair is present a simple
modification of having group members move to that student will need to be made. This eliminates
the problem of expecting the student in the wheelchair to have to attempt to maneuver around the
room.

Assessment:
Based on the work of Bach, Crane, Fujiyoshi, Ress, and Stauffer (2002), an informal technique will be used
to monitor discussion for student engagement, thoughtful response, and knowledge about the text.
• A , +, - system will be used to evaluate free write responses.
• A + means that all prompt questions were answered thoughtfully.
• A means that most or all of the questions were answered, but the student engaged in little
reflection.
• A - indicates that the response was either not completed or answered few questions with little
depth of thought. The response is vague and over-generalized.
There will also be a rubric to assess the project the students create:
• The project will be worth 10 points.
• Each obstacle will be worth 1 point, for a max of 5.
• There will be 2 points awarded for creativity.
• There will be one point for accuracy.
• There will be one point for the captions.
A , +, - system will be also be used for the presentation of the project:
• A + means that all the students participated evenly and did a good job explaining how the
captions related to the obstacles presented.
• A means that all of students participated somewhat, and the captions are somewhat well
related to the obstacles presented.
• A - indicates that one or more of the students did not participate in presentation, and the
captions are not well related to the obstacles presented.

Extension Ideas:
• Students could write a paper describing their own Personal Legends.
• Students could write an epilogue to The Alchemist.
• Students could create a Legend map detailing their own obstacles.

Source of Activity
Original
• The rubric for discussion originally appeared in “Ambush: Quick Decisions and Narrative Style,”
a lesson plan written by Barb Bach, Steve Crane, Kay Fujiyoshi, Mary Ress, and Brooke Stauffer.

Resources and References:

• “Avoiding the Baited Hook.” Dennison Berwick: Canadian Author and Traveler (on Buddhism).
http://www.dennisonberwick.toronto.on.ca/baitedhook.html This article does not tie directly to
The Alchemist but offers some insight into Buddhism, which Coelho eclectically combines with
Christian, Hindu, and Muslim beliefs to express the spirituality in The Alchemist.
• Bible. www.biblegateway.com Genesis 14, Hebrews 5-7, and Psalm 110 provide some
background on King Melchizedek, one of the alchemist’s manifestations and a character students
might otherwise be confused by.
• “Confessions of a Pilgrim: Chapter One.”
http://www.fireandwater.com/microsites/coelho/downloads/confessions.html This interview with
Paulo Coelho focuses more on the author’s concept of omens and his spiritual beliefs.
• Dennison Berwick: Canadian Author and Traveler.
http://www.dennisonberwick.toronto.on.ca/paulo.html This article discusses the art of alchemy,
including its four pillars, and Coelho’s intentions in writing The Alchemist.
• Hassapi, Anna. Book Review of The Alchemist.
http://bookreviews.nabou.com/reviews/thealchemist.html This review offers a summary and
commentary on what Coelho may be trying to suggest about Personal Legends, dreams, and “God
language.”
• The Paulo Coelho Website. www.paulocoelho.com This website provides the author’s biography,
personal interviews with him and frequently asked questions about his books. It also provides
information on the school edition of The Alchemist.
• Reading Group Guides. http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides/alchemist.asp This site offers
a book summary, a biography of Paulo Coelho, and discussion questions for literary circles about
The Alchemist.
 • Sofer, Barbara. “Paulo Coelho tries tossing letters to heaven.”
http://www.jpost.com/com/Archive/14.Oct.1999/Books/Article-3.html This article takes a look at
Coelho’s style and interviews him about his journey as a writer and his spirituality.

Reflection:
The first thing we did was discuss general ideas about the book. The Alchemist draws on universal concepts
that cross religion, culture, and philosophies. Even though the book is in the format of a fable or myth, it
has a simple structure with complex ideas. We discussed what would be the best concept to teach. We
wanted to make connections to the students’ personal lives and help them grow. We chose to focus on
Personal Legends, not only because it is a crucial aspect of the book, but because learning how you
perceive life and your own development is important for teenagers. We thought the best way to explore
personal connections to the text would be through a visual representation of Santiago’s journey, which
encourages students to form their own interpretations about what is important in the novel. Students will
then take their interpretations and apply them to their own lives through a discussion of their own Personal
Legends. The lesson is intended for all the members in the group to participate evenly. The discussion
questions are aimed at having the students critically think about the themes in the novel. The Alchemist
inspired us to create our nine week unit plan on fables and myths. Lastly, the labor of research and
development was divided equally between the four group members.

Standards:
• 1.C.3b Interpret and analyze entire narrative text using story elements, point of view and theme.
• 2.B.3c Analyze how characters in literature deal with conflict, solve problems, and relate to real-
life situations.
• 4.B.3a Deliver planned oral presentations, using language and vocabulary appropriate to the
purpose, message and audience; provide details and supporting information that clarify main
ideas; and use visual aids.
• 4.A.4a Apply listening skills as individuals and members of a group in a variety of
settings (e.g. lectures, discussions, conversations, team projects, presentations, interviews).