Composition & Essays

Lord of the Flies

Other Studies

Poetry

Shakespeare

To Kill A Mockingbird

Gail Fowler

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Grade: 8

Rationale:
This unit will taught to a Humanities 8 class which incorporates both English and Social Studies. The unit will be based on the IRP for English 8 with some overlap of Social Studies 8. For many students, the play represents their first experience with William Shakespeare. How often do students complain drearily, “Who is this guy? And why do I have to read him?” This situation can be averted, however. In order for teachers to encourage their students to become Shakespeare enthusiasts lessons should be fun and engaging. This unit therefore, is designed to maximize students’ interaction with the play, and it de-emphasizes “formal” writing as a means of assessment. Comprehension of the play and development of literary analytical skills is essentially, but lessons and activities must foster interest and enthusiasm if students are to learn. Because the objective is for students to be engaged, teachers should seek their input as much as possible when determining activities for lessons.

Moreover, because plays are made to be seen, not merely read, students must experience and, optimally, participate in them, particularly in the case of Shakespeare’s plays in order to understand them fully. Beyond the barrier of language, visual presentation of the genre facilitates students’ comprehension of characterization, plot, theme and other literary devices. Many students, particularly those with learning disabilities, learn better through visual stimulation rather than simply reading words off of a page. Moreover, gifted students and students with attention deficits may be stimulated through active participation with the play.

Since the play constitutes the English component of the Humanities 8 course, students must also understand the context of the play. Students will study the Renaissance in conjunction with Shakespeare for the Social Studies component of the course. The context of the play with respect to culture, society, gender roles, and familial relations must, therefore, be provided where appropriate. To enhance students’ appreciation of the relevance of the literature, connections will be made to popular culture both during Shakespeare’s era and students’ own lives.