Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare

Classroom Activities

Lesson One – Who Am I? What are the characteristics that make me unique?

This introductory lesson gives students an opportunity to learn more about the meaning of identity and define their own.

Anticipatory Set: Hand out identity poem (Appendix B) to students and pose the following question: What is identity? Have them read the poem silently. Then, have the students discuss the meaning of the poem with group members to determine their own definition of identity. Groups will present their ideas about identity.

Directed Instruction: Explain various definitions of identity, categorizing these for students. Have students write these in their notebooks. Then, the teacher should model his/her own identity for their students enabling them to better understand the complexity that consists of external and internal forces, as well as the cultural and social aspects.

Activity: Students will create a visual representation of their own identity in any manner they choose: poster, graphic organizer, and/or collage. Individual ideas will also be encouraged. Some class time will be dedicated to the development of the idea. The project is to be completed outside of class.

Assessment: Student Identity Visual Representation

Lesson Two – Who Was Shakespeare?

In this lesson, students will investigate who Shakespeare was by generating, categorizing, and researching questions they have about him. Afterwards, they will create an interactive bulletin board with their questions and answers.

Anticipatory Set: Now that students have a better understanding of identity, students will begin to investigate who was William Shakespeare. Students will be given a list of words (Appendix C) and be asked to predict what type of person he is. Students will reflect on these words. In pairs, students should discuss these words and determine what type of person this would be, his identity. They should explain the reasoning that brings them to think this. After they have had some time for discussion with their partner, they will get together with another pair to form a small group (two pairs). In those groups, they will talk about their answers and reasons why. Then, the whole class will share their responses. The teacher should record this information and keep it in view for students to use later.

Directed Instruction: The teacher should explain to students that they will be learning about Shakespeare – his life and his works. In doing this, they will be generating questions, categorizing them, and researching answers by reading texts and using the Internet. All of these activities will enable them to begin to answer Who was Shakespeare? and What are the characteristics that make him different from others? Teachers may need to review question generating to give them an idea of what types of questions can and should be created. They may also need to review or teach students how to use the Internet for research, including instruction about the reliability of a source.

Activity: In these same small groups, students will generate questions they want answered about Shakespeare. In addition, they will organize these questions into categories surrounding the idea of identity. An example could include: Where was Shakespeare from? Answers could include: England, countryside, small town, big family all of which would point to explaining more about his identity – what he might have been like and why. Students will then be responsible for finding the answers to their questions by reading various texts and researching information on the Internet. They will list their questions and answers on the Shakespeare Interactive Bulletin Board. Throughout the unit, students will continue to post additional questions and answers.

Assessment: Group Question Generation Sheets (on Post-It pad paper/butcher paper)

Lesson Three — Romeo and Juliet

This lesson is a scaffolded reading experience in which students will "progress" through varied texts to better comprehend Romeo and Juliet as well as the character's identities.

Anticipatory Set: Have students respond to the following: Romeo is 16. Juliet is 13. They are in love. Describe who they might be, what you think their relationship is like, and why. Students will write and then discuss their answers with a partner and then with their groups. As a whole class, discuss what they have written.

Directed Instruction: This is the teacher's opportunity to scaffold this reading experience for his/her students going from a comic strip, children's version of the play, and the original acts/scenes from the play. Give students the Knowledge of a Word guide (Appendix D). Have students rate themselves on their knowledge of the four words that will be helpful in their understanding of the plays' characters: protagonist, antagonist, dialogue, and stereotype. Then, the teacher should follow with a class discussion in which the definitions are shared and a communal one is decided upon. Then, review the Characters (Who are they?) – Vocabulary and Helpful Questions guide sheet (Appendix E), telling them these questions should help with understanding the characters' identities in the plays. First, introduce the comic strip. Think aloud for the students, explaining what you notice about the play from the clues of the comic strip. "I see that the colors on the pages start out bright and then gets darker, maybe that means something not good is going to happen. I see that Romeo and Juliet look young. Maybe it is the first time that they are in love. I notice them kissing! There also seems to be a problem between the Montagues and Capulets. Maybe they are two families or groups of people. It looks like they are mad at each other. I wonder what happened between them." Second, read aloud the children's version of Romeo and Juliet, using the proficient reading strategies. "I predict this will be about because…I wonder why they could not tell their families?...I have a connection with the name Juliet, one of my favorite friends in the sixth grade had that name. Romeo seems a little immature, crying or whining about a girl. I cannot believe that Juliet drank that potion. I think she's brave. I would have been too afraid even though it was just to sleep." Third, hand out Romeo and Juliet graphic organizer (Appendix F). Show students how to move through the plays' acts and scenes to uncover what they demonstrate about the characters' identities. Read aloud these portions of the play with expression so that students can understand the depth of the words. You want them to "feel" the words especially since it's their first time. Drumming up excitement is important! Use a Dialectical Journal (Appendix G) for students to be able to analyze the information revealed about the characters' identities within the play. Model for students how to use this by choosing a few lines from the play:

Activity: At each stage: comic strip, children's version, and plays, have students view, read, and discuss with their small groups. Together, they will create a list of the general ideas they have of the play. Then, have students focus on Romeo and Juliet. Have them explain what type of people they were and why do they think this. How would they describe them? What are their identities? For each of these questions they must cite evidence from the sources. Students will use the information they have gained from viewing, reading, discussing, and taking notes in their dialectical journals to complete the culminating activity. They will chose one character and write a paragraph responding to the unit's overarching questions: Who is Romeo/Juliet? What are the characteristics that make him/her unique?

Assessment: Literature Circle Conversations and Post-It Notes, Dialectical Journal and Identity Character Paragraph

Lesson Four – Literature Circles: Macbeth and Othello

Anticipatory Set: Read to students the descriptions of Othello and Macbeth. Have them write down which play they would like to read and why.

Directed Instruction: Review with the students the protocol for Literature Circles, including rules, expectations, and proficient reading strategies. Also, remind students that during this Literature Circle round they should take special care in determining the identities of the main characters. Give students the comic strip/graphic novel, children's story, and original plays with the play lists of important acts/scenes (chosen by you) as well as a Dialectical Journal sheet (Appendix G). If a teacher is unfamiliar with the Literature Circle format, do not begin using this now! Literature Circles are established slowly, following a special formula. A modification for this portion is to group students to read the two plays either by student or teacher choice.

Activity: Use the Literature Circle model to group students according to their choice of play. Students will be organized into small groups of three to six. They will use the same steps in uncovering information about the play's characters as had been modeled for them in the last lesson, about Romeo and Juliet.

Assessment: Literature Circle Conversations and Post-It Notes, Dialectical Journal, and Identity Character Paragraph

Lesson Five – Shakespeare Productions in Spanish

Anticipatory Set: Give students theatre vocabulary words (Appendix H) and a small snack-size zip lock bag or an envelope. Have students cut out the vocabulary words and complete the Word Sorts vocabulary development activity27.

Directed Instruction: As a whole class, definitions are listed by the various groups. Then, after discussion, a whole class definition is reached. Then, students are given time to determine how they want to bring into being their Shakespeare Productions in Spanish.

Activity: Students will review their plays again and use a graphic organizer including columns below to guide them in their organization of their re-writing of the play.

Act

Characters

Action

How is what is happening or what is being said reflect the character's identity?

Re-written lines in Spanish

Assessment: Graphic organizer and Play Productions