“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
Posted by Iman RastiThis is a quote from one of William Shakespeare’s plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As we are getting closer to the end of our global studies this year, the seventh grade Humanities class has set off to explore Shakespeare’s life and works through studying this beautiful play. Here is how we have structured this educational adventure:
Before Reading the Play:
- We explore the play’s major themes by discussing them in small groups and with the whole class;
- We research Elizabethan era, focusing on how Elizabethans viewed fairies and marriage;
- We research and study some of the main characters and their origin in Greek mythology.
While Reading the Play:
- We perform the speeches out loud by assigning one character to each student;
- We take open-book quizzes, assessing the students understanding of the play at the end of each act;
- We discuss the themes, plot, character progression, and Shakespeare’s language;
- We act out each scene, speaking in modern English;
- We complete each act by watching it being masterfully performed by professional actors in the Globe Theatre.
After Reading the Play:
- We further explore the themes and plot to ensure deeper understanding;
- We choose our favorite scenes, re-write them in modern English, and present them to the class.
To familiarize our students with Shakespeare’s other works and plant the seeds of curiosity and love of literature, we start each session by performing a speech from one of Shakespeare’s plays. I have never seen our seventh graders happier in Humanities this year!
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