As an English teacher at Wilbur Cross Annex High School in New Haven, Connecticut, an alternative, urban setting for students who are unable to sustain adequate high school credit for a myriad of reasons, I find developing curriculum presents a unique challenge. These at-risk students lack both fundamental skills and the motivation to learn. They are, however, very capable intellectually, possess tremendous "street smarts" and, if presented with the right hook, can learn. They are visual learners and work well when there is a finished product or visual representation that they can actually hold with pride. Working under eight regular education teachers, the approximately 150 students are not separated by grade level but rather are grouped according to specific course credit needed. There are two 90 minute block periods and three single class sessions within the day. I teach across all grade levels, 9 through 12, within a single class period with inclusion students as well. Absenteeism is a major problem.
Shakespeare is part of the required high school curriculum. The world of Shakespeare and the world in which my students live, would appear, at first glance, to be 180? apart. My students are products of the "hood" where crime, drugs, guns, and teen pregnancy are a way of life. They fear leaving their homes during the evening hours. I asked myself if anything could be more incongruous than their experiencing the world of Shakespeare. "Shakespeare is poetry with men in tights" the students would respond. Then I took a hard look at the story of
Romeo and Juliet.
There
are
warring family gangs, murder, teen sex, and death by drugs. Presented in this light,
it is my firm belief that they can read and view Shakespeare and other quality stories with great interest and excitement.
Because my students lack so many of the fundamentals of learning, it is necessary to provide them with activities that both instruct and provide basic skills. Within this unit I need to promote engagement with text and film for the purposes of reflection as well as basic recognition strategies such as context clues, literary conventions and structural analysis. There will be assignments in technology usage and research investigation. Cooperative learning will help counter classroom strife that exists in the diverse population within our school setting. Finally, incorporating a variety of "back door" assignments, my students will be encouraged to write and respond, skills that they are clearly missing. They would balk at a straight up essay assignment.
Through an interdisciplinary approach, using Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory, I will hook my students into Shakespeare who is relevant to a broader cultural investigation of dating, teen love, parental blockage, and marriage. Using a series of well thought-out and designed lesson plans, my students will explore ideas centered in the following three domains: analytic, introspective, and interactive. They will act and interact with each other; express their feelings, values, and attitudes; and see, hear, imagine, and connect to larger social understandings. This interaction is crucial when dealing with students who live in turmoil and where they are convinced that education has little value in their lives. There will be specific projects that will result in finished products that the students can take pride in. These experiences fall squarely into Gardner's nine intelligence profiles:
bodily/kinesthetic; interpersonal; intrapersonal; logical; naturalist; verbal; visual; and existential
. Using
this approach will provide my students the hands-on experience that they so desperately need.
