Teaching William Shakespeare

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Teaching William Shakespeares A
Midsummer Nights Dream Robbinsville Middle
School Eighth Grade Language ArtsAlan Hobbs
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Unit Overview

• Students will read A Midsummer Nights Dream as
  an introduction to the works of William
  Shakespeare. They will utilize higher order
  thinking skills in reading, discussing, and
  completing related activities that will enable
  them to better understand the complexities of the
  play and its many universal themes. During the
  four week unit, students will be assessed in a
  variety of ways for comprehension and will be
  required to do a technology-based presentation as
  the culminating project for this unit.

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Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to
• Interpret the figurative language, wordplay, and
  imagery in A Midsummer Nights Dream.
• Analyze relationships among the main and
  supporting characters and understand their
  motivations and actions.
• Identify themes and issues of the play that are
  relevant to people today.
• Write on a variety of related prompts.
• Conduct research using a variety of print and
  electronic sources to learn about Shakespeare and
  the theater of his time.
• Synthesize these sources and create a technology
  based presentation as the culminating activity of
  the unit

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21st Century Learning Goals for Unit

• Being open and responsive to new and diverse
  perspectives.
• Exercising sound reasoning in understanding.
• Using technology as a tool to research, organize,
  evaluate and communicate information.
• Working appropriately and productively with
  others.

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Unit Timeline

• Week One
• Introduce play and do internet
• scavenger hunt for terms and
• information relating to the play and
• Shakespeares theater.
• Read Acts I and II discuss and do
• blogs respond to journal prompts.
• Quiz on each act.
• Week Two
• Read Acts III and IV discuss and continue
• blogs respond to prompts.
• Quiz on each act.
• Week Three
• Read Act V discuss and complete blogs and
  prompt
• responses.
• Quiz on act.
• Rewrite scene using modern dialogue and share
  with class.
• Review and test on play.
• Week Four

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Essential Questions

• How does literature help us better understand
  ourselves and others?
• What are the themes and issues in A Midsummer
  Nights Dream that are relevant to today?
• How does Shakespeare still speak to audiences
  today?

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Related Activities

• Students will be asked to
• Work in small groups to rewrite a scene from A
  Midsummer Nights Dream and convert it into
  modern English.
• Identify language elements and discuss in large
  group setting.
• Blog from the point of view of one of the
  characters.
• Do a variety of journal prompts relating to
  character actions/motivations and themes.
• Work in pairs to create a ten slide power point
  presentation on something in Shakespeares time,
  such as the Tower of London, Elizabethan theater,
  etc. and present it to the class as the
  culminating activity.

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Assessment Summary

• Use of different levels of questions in
  discussion to check students understanding of
  the play
• Quizzes on each act and a final test
• Evaluation of journal responses and blogs using
  writing rubric
• Evaluation of final project based on content,
  effective use of technology and presentation
  skills.

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Resources

• A Midsummer Nights Dream Play by Shakespeare.
• William Shakespeare Site Map. 2005
• http//www.william-shakespeare.info/.
• shakespeare-play-a-midsummer-nights-dream.htm
• Shakespeare Resources Center. 2 August 2008
• www.bardweb.net.
• Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Nights Dream.
• Ed. Alan Durband. Hauppage, NY Barrons, 1985.