Melissa A. Dailey
When teaching this unit, I intend to target a number of standards. First of all, at the Sound School we teach one Shakespeare play each year. Therefore, we do our best to develop an appreciation for Shakespeare. Students interpret, analyze and evaluate the influence of culture and history on themes in the literature. Through analysis of different productions of the plays, students evaluate the historical and cultural influences on each. Students evaluate the theme of vision, interpretation, and action in the plays Hamlet and Macbeth. They explore the idea of seeing and knowing as presented in the plays. Also, studying his use of language, symbolism, and following a theme throughout a text are crucial to the unit. Using close reading to evaluate these topics and techniques guides the reading and journaling that students do. They engage journaling as well as engaging in the writing process (prewriting, drafting, peer evaluation, revising and rewriting). They evaluate the validity of primary and secondary sources of information on the Internet. Finally, students perform a skit based on the themes discussed in the unit in order to use oral language with clarity, voice and fluency to communicate their message.