You guys actually made Shaskespeare fun! There was alot of enthusuasim about this lesson and that was great to see. I liked the multi leveled lesson you gave so that all students can feel success. The fact that your lesson was geared towards students having fun and being succesful will make them enjoy Shakepseare.
This Shakespeare lesson was very interesting. I have always been afraid of Shakespeare and found it very intimidating. The Shakespearean insults made the language seem more fun and would definitely be a great hook for a lesson. I also appreciated the activity where students created a short dialogue about something they would normally discuss but using Shakespearean English. The McDonalds example was especially amusing. Overall I thought this was a great and informative lesson that made Shakespeare fun!
Leah Pells July 14th-2009 Lesson # 3: Shakespeare Lesson: high school This was a great lesson for me to see, as I have no idea how I would ever teach Shakespeare. I did love that it is not in the IRP’s, so a teacher would be teaching something by choice out of passion, as all three of you did. The lesson was very well organized and easy to follow along. I loved the handout that will be useful if I ever do teach HS English. My favourite thing was “give me your best work.” The way Darcy was explaining that he would hand back work that was not their best. It’s a great way to empower a student to be in control of their grade and their work, as they are given the chance to re-do it until they feel it is their best. That was excellent. Thank you, great lesson. Cheers, Leah
I liked how you started the lesson with the insult game – it was silly and fun, but a great hook – the students would definitely be engaged! As you mentioned, all of the activities you did supported those readers who struggled with Shakespearean language. I also think that the lessons from A to D had a nice flow. They all built off the previous one and moved from the simple to the complex. Even in the simpler tasks however, you had challenges built in, which I think would benefit the students who grasped the concept quickly. Finally I think that you guys did a great job in choosing assessment activities that would appeal to every type of learner in your class, as well as all ability levels. You also let the students choose the assignment they felt comfortable with – this was great because if they feel comfortable with the task they are more likely to put in more effort and do their best work. As Sue mentioned, this is a great lesson to introduce a Shakespeare unit. Great job!
It was nice to finally see a lesson that was intended for a higher level. I thought that the package that you put together was great, and if I ever had to go into an English classroom and do Shakespeare I would take it with me. When I was in high school, I never understood Shakespeare and was always frustrated. Your lesson was fun, and I feel that if I was back in high school and my teacher did this with my class, that I would have enjoyed it a lot more. The activity was also engaging, we got to swear at each other and we didn’t even know what we were saying. I can see students loving this activity. One good point that Darcy made was about assessment was that you would give the work/assignment back to the students if it didn’t meet expectations and allow them to do it again. Also, creating rubrics together with the class is great because it gives them ownership. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.
+ I enjoyed the activity of playing with Shakespearen language and using it to hook the students and draw them into the Unit. My brother is an actor and does a lot of Drama for youth groups. Thanks to him and his plays I have had the opportunity to see Shakespeare Live. My personal favorite is Romeo and Juliet. I agree it is important for students to learn about Shakespeare. But I also believe too much Shakespeare can be disengaging and can lead to disinterest of students. It’s like Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in the history of Basketball. Shakespeare is the Michael Jordan of Drama. However, Shakespeare and Michael Jordan are not bigger and grandeur than the game of Basketball and Drama itself. Sorry for my weak analogy. You guys delivered a very good presentation and if I TOC in English I feel more confident with making Shakespeare fun and educational. Thank you! :)
A film in India called Omkara (very well made) came out recently and is based around Othello. There was another film called Maqbool came out few years earlier based around Mcbeth.
The hook to your lesson was great. I could see how highschool students (or any student for that matter) would have a lot of fun coming up with insults to say to each other. It’s a good way to introduce the complex Shakespearean language to students. This is a successful way in getting students engaged in a unit on Shakespeare. I like how you provide students with many different activity options which are wonderful for students with different ability levels. Fantastic Lesson!
Shakespeare’s language and A midsummer night’s dream
Awesome, lesson… I was one of those students that had difficulties with Shakespeare’s. I can see this lesson being interactive and engaging for secondary students. The package was very informative, great resources that I can use. Assessment was even included! I’m not only learning and seeing your lesson techniques but I’m also learning the Shakespeare language myself. I can see students really succeeding with the differentiated teaching strategies given. Students are ultimately trying to discover, investigate as much they can with Shakespeare. Great Lesson! One concern I have is for ESL learners. I think that it is very important to break it down so that it’s more manageable for ESL learners. However, as mentioned by Darcy, there are multiple visual resources we can provide as an alterative way for ESL learners to understand the material.
After my high school experience with Shakespeare I never thought I would be saying this but…. Shakespeare CAN be fun! Congratulations on a great lesson. To begin, I have never had so much fun insulting other people, and I didn’t even know what I was saying. I was completely engaged, it was humorous, and I think it really did work to set up the rest of your lesson nicely. I can only imagine how much fun high school students would have doing this- especially if you followed Darcy’s suggestion and took a few minutes to let the students insult you. I give you all a gold star! Another thing I really liked was the resource package that you would provide to each student and the element of choice for assessment. I thought both your introduction and conclusion were clear and thoughtful and overall I really enjoyed learning a little bit more about Shakespearean language!
Thanks for giving us so many great ideas! As an elementary teacher having said I will TOC in high school classes as well as elementary, I appreciate any sort of help I might be able to get for that. I especially liked the idea of giving students the choice on how they are to show their learning. In high school, my favourite teachers were the ones who gave me choices, and I always appreciated being able to use my creativity and to feel like I had more control over my learning. I also really liked that you brought humour into an introduction to Shakespeare, because this is often a difficult aspect for students to catch on to when they are learning a new language. To many kids, Shakespearean English is definitely a new language! It makes a topic that they have probably heard is extremely tough a lot easier to tackle.
I loved the way this lesson was introduced. The Shakespearan insults was a great way to minimize the preconceived fears of Shakespeare and engage the students. I thought your whole package was really informational and helpful and will be a useful resource if I find myself teaching Shakespeare. I also really like the bit on rubrics and that the teacher's only criteria is that the student's "do their best work". This addresses all levels of learners and it challenges students to do their best. I liked that the rest of the rubric was up to the class to create. This creates a balance of the teacher's expectations and the student's expectations. Great lesson full of tons of ideas and resources....
Congratulations! In a sea of elementary examples you showed us how to make high school fun! I love Shakespeare, always have, but I know that I am a bit odd in that regard. It was wonderful to see how you made Shakespeare accessible to all students by making it an engaging and freeing experience. I would love a copy of the lesson plan… if you don’t mind bringing it again next week. Somehow I forgot to pick one up on Monday. It was also great to see how engaging an hour and a half lesson can be… when you are used to planning for 20 min attention spans 80 min can be a bit daunting, but you showed us how to keep their attention and make the time fly by. Thanks
Krista, Darcy & Jacqueline - Shakespearean language
What a great way to hook students into Shakespeare! :) I think this lesson was great because I think it was very engaging, getting an opportunity to learn Shakespeare by insulting each other. With the fun activity to pre load students to the type of language they will be exposed to was helpful and would definitely help students look at Shakepeare differently. Who knew Shakespeare could be fun? :)
I liked how the lesson was broken up and familiarized students with Shakespeare by having them translate Shakespeare into english and english into Shakespeare. I also liked how students were allowed to write their Shakespeare pieces based on today's world. I think this would help students because it is something that they can connect with and is relevant to them. Though they are using the Shakespearean language, the students are coming up with a dialogue they were have normally and translating it.
Overall, I thought this lesson was great and the Shakespearean insults are a great hook to get students wanting to participate in Shakespeare. I can hear the insults being hurled at teachers now :)
I would like to reiterate what I had said in class. Congratulations on talking a subject that so many have chosen to drop from their syllabuses. You have created a great way to help students not only engage with the subject of Shakespeare in a fun and interesting way but also created a way to deal with “Shakespeare anxiety” as was described by one of you so well. We have all learned that front loading vocabulary is essential for success in reading, yet at the high school level, especially with Shakespeare is not as widely utilized. The Shakespearean insults not only engage the students in the vocabulary in an effective way, but as Darcy said, it gives them a chance to ‘get you’. What student doesn’t want to speak their mind in a way that doesn’t get them in trouble?
I remember using the “Coles Notes” (do these still exist?) when I was still in high school. Coles Notes were looked down upon but the students all knew their very survival through the play was dependent upon the Coles Notes. It was refreshing to see that parallel book and how accessible the whole curriculum was around this subject.
Overall, this was very interesting and very usable. My only comment is that it was obvious that this material was Darcy’s and he carried a large part of the presentation. ______________________________________________________________________________
Although I felt like I was instantly beamed back to English 12 and began to feel the sensation of sweaty palms at the beginning of your presentation, I actually really enjoyed what you presented! Thinking back, my English teacher in high school made NO attempt to make Shakespeare fun. NONE. This was totally different! I really had a great time with the Shakespearean insults -- a great way to start a unit on Shakespeare; showing students a lighter side of the subject students generally DREAD is an excellent hook. Bringing humour in like this was a great idea. Additionally, your idea that the unit be "front loaded" with vocab and translation (and giving them the resources to look back to) is also a great idea- once students get past the language (which many students again, dread) they can learn that Shakespeare is actually really quite interesting and amazing.
The various activities you demonstrated (especially the Shakespearean conversation about Wendy's vs. McDonalds, and the translation of Shakespearean text into modern day English) gives students practical experience -- increasing their knowledge and ability may allow them to overcome the fear. It's similar to helping younger children with decoding so they can focus less of their attention and energy on the words they are reading and more on understanding the text...
The exercises that you showcased in your presentation were fun and practical - they might actually reel HS students in enough to enjoy what they are reading. I also liked that your presentation included project choices suited for different levels of confidence/ ability, and catered to students different learning styles. Also - thank you for the package you handed out... I know this WILL come in handy at some point! :) Darcy - I really like the idea you had asking your students for their "best work" - knowing a teacher will return sub-par assignments and ask for it to be redone definitely solidifies teacher and student expectations. Your presentation flowed well, was interesting, practical and well organized... I think you did a great job teaching a huge topic in very little time-- as well as introducing something a little more sophisticated!
I have to agree with Rose however, and agree that Darcy carried a large portion of the presentation... the ladies didn't talk enough!
Darcy is one of the most experienced and one of the most resourceful persons to have in our class. I think all 3 members exhibited excellent team work. The ladies strengthened Darcy’s experience, knowledge, and resources and brought a neutrality and a fresh look that was needed in the lesson. -------------I just wanted to add those comments…
The Shakespeare Group brought back many wonderful memories of teaching Shakespeare in the High Schools. Thank you Darcy, Krista, and Jacqueline for bringing the High School touch to this class. I really enjoyed creating the Shakespearean insults and listening to Darcy’s Shakespeare voice. It was interesting that you brought up the point that Shakespeare is not in the IRP’s for High School and to decide to use Shakespeare in the classroom is up to the teacher. Why do you think that the vast majority of English teachers decide to incorporate Shakespeare as a main part of their English class? What is the draw of Shakespeare as opposed to teaching two modern novels or two novels from different time periods or cultures?
I really enjoyed the enthusiasm that this group had. It was refreshing to see and feel how much they enjoyed teaching Shakespeare, the light in their eyes and the light tone of their voices. I believe that the amount a student enjoys the content of the class is in part based on the teacher’s love of teaching it.
The Shakespeare package will be really helpful as it provides background and various activities for each learner in the class to choose from. I liked the fact that these activities ranged from easier to challenging – there would be one for each student in the class to feel comfortable with doing.
My son’s grade 9 English teacher did a very similar lesson this year and it was neat to see how a 15 year old could become interested in Shakespeare. Hopefully engaging high school students instead of boring them to death will become the trend! One of the parts of this lesson that I really liked (besides the insults) was the choice of three different assignments. I haven’t seen that done too much and I think it is a fabulous way to promote success! Students can choose an assignment style that matches their strengths so that they can hand in “their best work”. Well done. Sharon
You guys did a great job, it was fun to hear the round robin of insults. I especially liked the dialogue activity that you modeled for us. The activity is so beneficial because it really helps an individual write and speak Shakespearean language, so that they will then be more likely to internalize the language and create an appreciation for the writing style. The act of writing Shakespearean language and incorporating today’s language, like Macdonalds, makes the text becomes more relatable and less daunting for the student. Listening to your example, demonstrated that the listener can get a sense of meaning. Getting a sense of meaning is one of the first developing skills of learning and reading Shakespeare. I always enjoyed Shakespeare because of an activity I did like this in grade 9. The experience of writing Shakespearean dialogue made me familiar with simple words and developed my ability to infer meaning from the text. Thanks for the great presentation!
This was a great lesson and I could definitely see myself using parts of this for my grade 5/6 split. The language would be difficult but there are parts I could pull from this, especially the insults. The fact that you’ve provided three different assignments the students can work on is so important. I always like options for classes I’m involved in, so I can imagine students would appreciate this. I really liked how Darcy suggested getting the students to help create the rubric; this way the students will know exactly what is expected of them. Great job.
Shakespeare’s Language and a Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Shakespearean insult was a great hook for engaging students into the Shakespear’s lesson. Also, the Macdonald example was an interesting way for students to practice the Shakespearean language in a modern society. I could see how the group was trying to make the lesson connected to students’ real life. I love your enthusiasm in teaching Shakespearean language to secondary students.
Group 3: Shakespeare Thank you for making Shakespeare less intimidating. I do not remember doing Shakespeare in school although after talking to a girlfriend says we did. That goes to show how engaging it was then. I will keep this resource package in my TOC file. I have been nervous to get a call for an English class who is doing Shakespeare but now I feel like with that insults list I can at least generate some fun around the language if I needed to come up with an activity. Thank you for the package and exposure to the subject.
Group 3: Shakespeare…who does not love this man?? I love the 4 part lesson idea; it would be great for those who struggle with the language. The insulting was awesome! I will absolutely file the resource package for the hope that I get called in to a high school to TOC! The end of Unit project idea was great, and I love the idea of returning less than best work according to the rubric that the students create – talk about natural consequences and taking personal responsibility!! Fantastic lesson!
I was one of the people (rare, apparently!) who loved Shakespeare in high school so I am very sad to have missed this presentation. I had great teachers who really made Shakespeare accessible and understandable in high school-we compared the warring families in Romeo and Juliet to gangs, and their language to that of fighting teenagers. We translated their insults as well, and got to see that the situations weren’t all that different from what we knew and this made understanding the plays all the easier. I think that high school students can be brought to understand the enjoyment you can get out of Shakespearean language and how accessible it can be if it is introduced and scaffolded the proper way. So much of the reason people fear Shakespeare is owed to teachers who used it to intimidate and put down students, instead of sharing a wonderful work of literature with them.
You guys actually made Shaskespeare fun! There was alot of enthusuasim about this lesson and that was great to see. I liked the multi leveled lesson you gave so that all students can feel success. The fact that your lesson was geared towards students having fun and being succesful will make them enjoy Shakepseare.
ReplyDeleteThis Shakespeare lesson was very interesting. I have always been afraid of Shakespeare and found it very intimidating. The Shakespearean insults made the language seem more fun and would definitely be a great hook for a lesson. I also appreciated the activity where students created a short dialogue about something they would normally discuss but using Shakespearean English. The McDonalds example was especially amusing. Overall I thought this was a great and informative lesson that made Shakespeare fun!
ReplyDeleteLeah Pells
ReplyDeleteJuly 14th-2009
Lesson # 3:
Shakespeare Lesson: high school
This was a great lesson for me to see, as I have no idea how I would ever teach Shakespeare. I did love that it is not in the IRP’s, so a teacher would be teaching something by choice out of passion, as all three of you did.
The lesson was very well organized and easy to follow along. I loved the handout that will be useful if I ever do teach HS English.
My favourite thing was “give me your best work.” The way Darcy was explaining that he would hand back work that was not their best. It’s a great way to empower a student to be in control of their grade and their work, as they are given the chance to re-do it until they feel it is their best. That was excellent.
Thank you, great lesson.
Cheers, Leah
I liked how you started the lesson with the insult game – it was silly and fun, but a great hook – the students would definitely be engaged! As you mentioned, all of the activities you did supported those readers who struggled with Shakespearean language. I also think that the lessons from A to D had a nice flow. They all built off the previous one and moved from the simple to the complex. Even in the simpler tasks however, you had challenges built in, which I think would benefit the students who grasped the concept quickly. Finally I think that you guys did a great job in choosing assessment activities that would appeal to every type of learner in your class, as well as all ability levels. You also let the students choose the assignment they felt comfortable with – this was great because if they feel comfortable with the task they are more likely to put in more effort and do their best work. As Sue mentioned, this is a great lesson to introduce a Shakespeare unit. Great job!
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to finally see a lesson that was intended for a higher level. I thought that the package that you put together was great, and if I ever had to go into an English classroom and do Shakespeare I would take it with me. When I was in high school, I never understood Shakespeare and was always frustrated. Your lesson was fun, and I feel that if I was back in high school and my teacher did this with my class, that I would have enjoyed it a lot more. The activity was also engaging, we got to swear at each other and we didn’t even know what we were saying. I can see students loving this activity. One good point that Darcy made was about assessment was that you would give the work/assignment back to the students if it didn’t meet expectations and allow them to do it again. Also, creating rubrics together with the class is great because it gives them ownership. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.
ReplyDeleteGroup 3 (To Be or Not To Be...)
ReplyDelete+ I enjoyed the activity of playing with Shakespearen language and using it to hook the students and draw them into the Unit. My brother is an actor and does a lot of Drama for youth groups. Thanks to him and his plays I have had the opportunity to see Shakespeare Live. My personal favorite is Romeo and Juliet. I agree it is important for students to learn about Shakespeare. But I also believe too much Shakespeare can be disengaging and can lead to disinterest of students. It’s like Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in the history of Basketball. Shakespeare is the Michael Jordan of Drama. However, Shakespeare and Michael Jordan are not bigger and grandeur than the game of Basketball and Drama itself. Sorry for my weak analogy. You guys delivered a very good presentation and if I TOC in English I feel more confident with making Shakespeare fun and educational. Thank you! :)
A film in India called Omkara (very well made) came out recently and is based around Othello. There was another film called Maqbool came out few years earlier based around Mcbeth.
Ashok K. God Bless :)
The hook to your lesson was great. I could see how highschool students (or any student for that matter) would have a lot of fun coming up with insults to say to each other. It’s a good way to introduce the complex Shakespearean language to students. This is a successful way in getting students engaged in a unit on Shakespeare. I like how you provide students with many different activity options which are wonderful for students with different ability levels. Fantastic Lesson!
ReplyDeleteShakespeare’s language and A midsummer night’s dream
ReplyDeleteAwesome, lesson… I was one of those students that had difficulties with Shakespeare’s. I can see this lesson being interactive and engaging for secondary students. The package was very informative, great resources that I can use. Assessment was even included! I’m not only learning and seeing your lesson techniques but I’m also learning the Shakespeare language myself. I can see students really succeeding with the differentiated teaching strategies given. Students are ultimately trying to discover, investigate as much they can with Shakespeare. Great Lesson! One concern I have is for ESL learners. I think that it is very important to break it down so that it’s more manageable for ESL learners. However, as mentioned by Darcy, there are multiple visual resources we can provide as an alterative way for ESL learners to understand the material.
After my high school experience with Shakespeare I never thought I would be saying this but…. Shakespeare CAN be fun! Congratulations on a great lesson.
ReplyDeleteTo begin, I have never had so much fun insulting other people, and I didn’t even know what I was saying. I was completely engaged, it was humorous, and I think it really did work to set up the rest of your lesson nicely. I can only imagine how much fun high school students would have doing this- especially if you followed Darcy’s suggestion and took a few minutes to let the students insult you. I give you all a gold star!
Another thing I really liked was the resource package that you would provide to each student and the element of choice for assessment. I thought both your introduction and conclusion were clear and thoughtful and overall I really enjoyed learning a little bit more about Shakespearean language!
Thanks for giving us so many great ideas! As an elementary teacher having said I will TOC in high school classes as well as elementary, I appreciate any sort of help I might be able to get for that. I especially liked the idea of giving students the choice on how they are to show their learning. In high school, my favourite teachers were the ones who gave me choices, and I always appreciated being able to use my creativity and to feel like I had more control over my learning. I also really liked that you brought humour into an introduction to Shakespeare, because this is often a difficult aspect for students to catch on to when they are learning a new language. To many kids, Shakespearean English is definitely a new language! It makes a topic that they have probably heard is extremely tough a lot easier to tackle.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way this lesson was introduced. The Shakespearan insults was a great way to minimize the preconceived fears of Shakespeare and engage the students. I thought your whole package was really informational and helpful and will be a useful resource if I find myself teaching Shakespeare.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the bit on rubrics and that the teacher's only criteria is that the student's "do their best work". This addresses all levels of learners and it challenges students to do their best. I liked that the rest of the rubric was up to the class to create. This creates a balance of the teacher's expectations and the student's expectations.
Great lesson full of tons of ideas and resources....
Congratulations! In a sea of elementary examples you showed us how to make high school fun! I love Shakespeare, always have, but I know that I am a bit odd in that regard. It was wonderful to see how you made Shakespeare accessible to all students by making it an engaging and freeing experience. I would love a copy of the lesson plan… if you don’t mind bringing it again next week. Somehow I forgot to pick one up on Monday. It was also great to see how engaging an hour and a half lesson can be… when you are used to planning for 20 min attention spans 80 min can be a bit daunting, but you showed us how to keep their attention and make the time fly by. Thanks
ReplyDeleteKrista, Darcy & Jacqueline - Shakespearean language
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to hook students into Shakespeare! :)
I think this lesson was great because I think it was very engaging, getting an opportunity to learn Shakespeare by insulting each other. With the fun activity to pre load students to the type of language they will be exposed to was helpful and would definitely help students look at Shakepeare differently. Who knew Shakespeare could be fun? :)
I liked how the lesson was broken up and familiarized students with Shakespeare by having them translate Shakespeare into english and english into Shakespeare. I also liked how students were allowed to write their Shakespeare pieces based on today's world. I think this would help students because it is something that they can connect with and is relevant to them. Though they are using the Shakespearean language, the students are coming up with a dialogue they were have normally and translating it.
Overall, I thought this lesson was great and the Shakespearean insults are a great hook to get students wanting to participate in Shakespeare. I can hear the insults being hurled at teachers now :)
I would like to reiterate what I had said in class. Congratulations on talking a subject that so many have chosen to drop from their syllabuses. You have created a great way to help students not only engage with the subject of Shakespeare in a fun and interesting way but also created a way to deal with “Shakespeare anxiety” as was described by one of you so well. We have all learned that front loading vocabulary is essential for success in reading, yet at the high school level, especially with Shakespeare is not as widely utilized. The Shakespearean insults not only engage the students in the vocabulary in an effective way, but as Darcy said, it gives them a chance to ‘get you’. What student doesn’t want to speak their mind in a way that doesn’t get them in trouble?
ReplyDeleteI remember using the “Coles Notes” (do these still exist?) when I was still in high school. Coles Notes were looked down upon but the students all knew their very survival through the play was dependent upon the Coles Notes. It was refreshing to see that parallel book and how accessible the whole curriculum was around this subject.
Overall, this was very interesting and very usable. My only comment is that it was obvious that this material was Darcy’s and he carried a large part of the presentation.
______________________________________________________________________________
Although I felt like I was instantly beamed back to English 12 and began to feel the sensation of sweaty palms at the beginning of your presentation, I actually really enjoyed what you presented!
ReplyDeleteThinking back, my English teacher in high school made NO attempt to make Shakespeare fun. NONE.
This was totally different!
I really had a great time with the Shakespearean insults -- a great way to start a unit on Shakespeare; showing students a lighter side of the subject students generally DREAD is an excellent hook. Bringing humour in like this was a great idea. Additionally, your idea that the unit be "front loaded" with vocab and translation (and giving them the resources to look back to) is also a great idea- once students get past the language (which many students again, dread) they can learn that Shakespeare is actually really quite interesting and amazing.
The various activities you demonstrated (especially the Shakespearean conversation about Wendy's vs. McDonalds, and the translation of Shakespearean text into modern day English) gives students practical experience -- increasing their knowledge and ability may allow them to overcome the fear. It's similar to helping younger children with decoding so they can focus less of their attention and energy on the words they are reading and more on understanding the text...
The exercises that you showcased in your presentation were fun and practical - they might actually reel HS students in enough to enjoy what they are reading. I also liked that your presentation included project choices suited for different levels of confidence/ ability, and catered to students different learning styles. Also - thank you for the package you handed out... I know this WILL come in handy at some point! :)
Darcy - I really like the idea you had asking your students for their "best work" - knowing a teacher will return sub-par assignments and ask for it to be redone definitely solidifies teacher and student expectations.
Your presentation flowed well, was interesting, practical and well organized... I think you did a great job teaching a huge topic in very little time-- as well as introducing something a little more sophisticated!
I have to agree with Rose however, and agree that Darcy carried a large portion of the presentation... the ladies didn't talk enough!
Darcy is one of the most experienced and one of the most resourceful persons to have in our class. I think all 3 members exhibited excellent team work. The ladies strengthened Darcy’s experience, knowledge, and resources and brought a neutrality and a fresh look that was needed in the lesson.
ReplyDelete-------------I just wanted to add those comments…
Ashok K.
The Shakespeare Group brought back many wonderful memories of teaching Shakespeare in the High Schools. Thank you Darcy, Krista, and Jacqueline for bringing the High School touch to this class. I really enjoyed creating the Shakespearean insults and listening to Darcy’s Shakespeare voice. It was interesting that you brought up the point that Shakespeare is not in the IRP’s for High School and to decide to use Shakespeare in the classroom is up to the teacher. Why do you think that the vast majority of English teachers decide to incorporate Shakespeare as a main part of their English class? What is the draw of Shakespeare as opposed to teaching two modern novels or two novels from different time periods or cultures?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the enthusiasm that this group had. It was refreshing to see and feel how much they enjoyed teaching Shakespeare, the light in their eyes and the light tone of their voices. I believe that the amount a student enjoys the content of the class is in part based on the teacher’s love of teaching it.
The Shakespeare package will be really helpful as it provides background and various activities for each learner in the class to choose from. I liked the fact that these activities ranged from easier to challenging – there would be one for each student in the class to feel comfortable with doing.
My son’s grade 9 English teacher did a very similar lesson this year and it was neat to see how a 15 year old could become interested in Shakespeare. Hopefully engaging high school students instead of boring them to death will become the trend! One of the parts of this lesson that I really liked (besides the insults) was the choice of three different assignments. I haven’t seen that done too much and I think it is a fabulous way to promote success! Students can choose an assignment style that matches their strengths so that they can hand in “their best work”.
ReplyDeleteWell done.
Sharon
To the quailing, tickle-brained pumpions,
ReplyDeleteYou guys did a great job, it was fun to hear the round robin of insults. I especially liked the dialogue activity that you modeled for us. The activity is so beneficial because it really helps an individual write and speak Shakespearean language, so that they will then be more likely to internalize the language and create an appreciation for the writing style. The act of writing Shakespearean language and incorporating today’s language, like Macdonalds, makes the text becomes more relatable and less daunting for the student. Listening to your example, demonstrated that the listener can get a sense of meaning. Getting a sense of meaning is one of the first developing skills of learning and reading Shakespeare. I always enjoyed Shakespeare because of an activity I did like this in grade 9. The experience of writing Shakespearean dialogue made me familiar with simple words and developed my ability to infer meaning from the text. Thanks for the great presentation!
This was a great lesson and I could definitely see myself using parts of this for my grade 5/6 split. The language would be difficult but there are parts I could pull from this, especially the insults. The fact that you’ve provided three different assignments the students can work on is so important. I always like options for classes I’m involved in, so I can imagine students would appreciate this. I really liked how Darcy suggested getting the students to help create the rubric; this way the students will know exactly what is expected of them. Great job.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare’s Language and a Midsummer Night’s Dream
ReplyDeleteThe Shakespearean insult was a great hook for engaging students into the Shakespear’s lesson. Also, the Macdonald example was an interesting way for students to practice the Shakespearean language in a modern society. I could see how the group was trying to make the lesson connected to students’ real life. I love your enthusiasm in teaching Shakespearean language to secondary students.
Group 3: Shakespeare
ReplyDeleteThank you for making Shakespeare less intimidating. I do not remember doing Shakespeare in school although after talking to a girlfriend says we did. That goes to show how engaging it was then. I will keep this resource package in my TOC file. I have been nervous to get a call for an English class who is doing Shakespeare but now I feel like with that insults list I can at least generate some fun around the language if I needed to come up with an activity. Thank you for the package and exposure to the subject.
Group 3: Shakespeare…who does not love this man?? I love the 4 part lesson idea; it would be great for those who struggle with the language. The insulting was awesome! I will absolutely file the resource package for the hope that I get called in to a high school to TOC! The end of Unit project idea was great, and I love the idea of returning less than best work according to the rubric that the students create – talk about natural consequences and taking personal responsibility!! Fantastic lesson!
ReplyDeleteI was one of the people (rare, apparently!) who loved Shakespeare in high school so I am very sad to have missed this presentation. I had great teachers who really made Shakespeare accessible and understandable in high school-we compared the warring families in Romeo and Juliet to gangs, and their language to that of fighting teenagers. We translated their insults as well, and got to see that the situations weren’t all that different from what we knew and this made understanding the plays all the easier. I think that high school students can be brought to understand the enjoyment you can get out of Shakespearean language and how accessible it can be if it is introduced and scaffolded the proper way. So much of the reason people fear Shakespeare is owed to teachers who used it to intimidate and put down students, instead of sharing a wonderful work of literature with them.
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