"The Devoted Friend" by Oscar Wilde: A Lesson in Friendship

In this class, students will learn the value of true friendship through the beautiful Oscar Wilde fairy tale "The Devoted Friend." In this class, we will discuss what is true friendship and what is false friendship. We will discuss how subtle bullying is not true friendship and how we can guard against such manipulation. We will discuss why this is an important lesson for teenagers. 
This is a two-week class. Prior to the first week, learners will be required to read the short story "The Devoted Friend" by Oscar Wilde.  In the first week of class, we will discuss the characters in the story as well as the moral of the fairy tale.  During this class, students will also learn how to write a one to two-page persuasive essay.  Students will choose one of two topics for their persuasive essay.  The first topic will be "What type of friend was the Miller?  What did he do (or not do) that made him a bad friend?" The second topic students can choose is "In what ways could Hans have stood up for himself? Why may he have felt that standing up for himself would make him a bad friend?  Why is this line of thinking incorrect?" 
In week two, learners will present their essays. We will discuss the student conclusions in this class.  
I will teach this class through discussion and PowerPoint presentations. I teach through interaction with the students and their interaction with each other. Discussion is of utmost importance. I believe students learn best when they enjoy what they are learning and when the learning environment promotes discussion. Learners should come to class prepared to think about the lesson of the fairy tale, to write about their opinions, and to have fun in class.