This unit will incorporate student-centered learning to initiate development of skills that is authentic and relevant to students. A primary means of putting students in charge of the process of inquiry will be the use of Socratic Circle discussions. This activity uses a seminar format to allow students to investigate material with minimal interruption from the teacher after the initial prompt. All students are encouraged to posit new ideas organically as they discuss class material, while the teacher acts as a facilitator for the conversation. These discussions have been extremely successful in my English classes in the past, and I frequently notice an increase in engagement from students who are often more taciturn during teacher-led question and answer sessions.
To advance students’ engagement and feelings of ownership and responsibility in the learning process, I will frequently ask that students submit discussion questions to be used in class, rather than assign comprehension questions for students to answer. Students should be made aware that not all of their questions will be used in class discussions. When teaching Shakespeare in the past, I have found that this practice encourages students to engage more deeply with the complex reading material than if the students are simply looking for the answer to a question about the events of the story.
This unit adapts elements of Kylene Beers’ “Notice and Note” close reading strategy. Using this method, readers hunt for specific plot elements to uncover and explain as they read. One of these plot elements is called “Contrasts and Contradictions,” in which a character reveals a side of him or herself that is unexpected based on what the reader already knows. Incorporating this strategy for close reading will provide students with a more concrete objective as they explore the text. I have found success with this reading strategy in the past, particularly with students who may be reluctant to read. These students tend to respond positively to having a defined purpose while reading, instead of simply reading a text for the sake of finishing an assignment.
I will also provide students with frequent opportunities to make connections between the text and real life. As students explore Hamlet as a multifaceted character, it will be useful to point to examples in the real world of people in the news who may demonstrate contradictory personality traits in different situations. This will allow students to make relevant, authentic connections as we read, and will foster critical thinking skills as students evaluate the actions and motives of people they encounter in life. In my experience, demonstrating how a text may be used as a tool to make commentary on the real world is helpful for students to understand the importance of reading.
Cooperative learning activities will be a frequent practice during this unit. Students will be provided copious opportunities to work collaboratively to complete in-class assignments. I find that small group work is useful for all students in class, particularly when each is assigned a specific position of responsibility (as in “Jigsaw” activities). Additionally, students will be required to complete activities outside of class using collaborative technology. This will provide students with a support network and a community that extends beyond the classroom and after the school day ends.
Student choice will be a crucial element in the construction of our instruction. Students will be required to incorporate findings from a book they have selected independently to complete the comparative analysis component of this unit. When students have some control over the shape that their investigation will take, they will likely invest more in the corresponding tasks. Additionally, the wide variety of student-chosen material to use for comparison to
Hamlet
will reinforce a key concept of this unit: that a conflicted, multifaceted identity is not unique to Hamlet, but that this divided self is a universal idea present in a wide scope of literature.
Finally, differentiated instructional practice will be incorporated. Students will have access to modified, “modernized” versions of the text for reading assignments completed independently. Original text will be used for in-class literary analysis, but modified texts will be available for students who struggle to understand Shakespearean language.
