Unit Plan:  Analyzing Shakespeare’s Hamlet

 

 

Tennessee State Curriculum Standards Addressed in This Unit (English IV / 12th grade)

¯      1.14 TSW apply effective research skills

¯      1.17 TSW develop personal, imaginative, and analytical responses to literature

¯      1.18 TSW develop an ongoing awareness of personal writing growth through comparison of drafts, 

                       paragraphs of analysis, and letters of reflection.

¯      2.02 TSW extend reading vocabulary

¯      2.07 TSW read independently for a variety of purposes

 

 

Rationale

By reading and writing about Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet, students will develop a better understanding and appreciation of not only drama, but also British literature, and through more current sources, the way literature from the past informs the present culture.  A variety of writing strategies and styles will be utilized, as well as the study of vocabulary and critical thinking, in order to improve reading comprehension and lessen the fear of reading literature written in an older style of English, such as Shakespeare’s writing.  Extensive resources for Shakespeare and his works can be easily found on the internet, making the study of Hamlet, which is arguably the most popular of Shakespeare’s dramas, a good fit for an online unit.

 

 

Goals of the Unit

-         TSW become more familiar with Shakespeare and his works

-         TSW research and document aspects of the culture from which Hamlet originates, and examine how these aspects of culture influence the play

-         TSW research current allusions to Hamlet in the present culture, examining the use of universal archetypes, and why Shakespeare’s works are timeless

-         TSW write creatively to analyze his or her personal reaction(s) to Hamlet, and to help establish a clear voice, or writing style      

 

 

Objectives

TSW become more familiar with Shakespeare and his works

-         TSW define “tragic hero,” and list another of this type of character from one other play by Shakespeare

-         TSW compose a character analysis of at least one double-spaced, typewritten page, for one major and two minor characters from Hamlet

TSW research and document aspects of the culture from which Hamlet originates, examining how these aspects of culture influence the play

-         TSW choose and analyze one scene or act from the play that is difficult to understand, or intrigues him or her because of a marked difference in culture

-         TSW choose a scene of approximately 20 lines from any play, movie, or episode of a television show that he or she enjoys, and change the language used in this scene from present day to the type of language used in Hamlet, thus “demystifying” the “difficult” form of speech

TSW research current allusions to Hamlet in the present culture, examining the use of universal archetypes, and why Shakespeare’s works are timeless

-         TSW find one example of a surprising allusion to Hamlet (either the play as a whole, or any part of it)

-         TSW define “archetype”

-         TSW find one example of an archetype in Hamlet

-         TSW write at least one double-spaced, typewritten page on the archetype found, and how it works to enhance the play’s effect and timelessness

TSW write creatively to analyze his or her personal reaction(s) to Hamlet, and to help establish a clear voice, or writing style

-         TSW write at least one-half of a typewritten, double-spaced “journal entry” following the reading of each scene of the play, noting themes of interest, parts that are unclear, or new vocabulary words

-         TSW, at the end of the unit, choose from one journal entry a theme, unclear aspect, or new vocabulary word, and create an original short poem, song lyrics, or “fan fiction” chapter of at least one double-spaced typewritten page in length

 

 

Instructional Procedures

-         TTW present the character type “tragic hero” and its defining characteristics in a PowerPoint presentation, along with a review of other character types

-         TSW submit a character analysis for one major and two minor characters from Hamlet for a grade via email

-         TTW present an overview of the defining features of the dialect of English language used in Hamlet, along with a couple of examples of cultural differences, using a PowerPoint Presentation with links to relevant online resources

-         TTW review “allusion” and provide examples of types of allusions, using Romeo and Juliet, in a PowerPoint presentation

-         TTW define and give examples of different kinds of archetypes commonly used in literature and film

-         TSW submit, via email, at least one double-spaced, typewritten page on an example of an archetype in Hamlet, and how it works to enhance the play’s effect and timelessness

-         TSW submit, via email, least one-half of a typewritten, double-spaced “journal entry” following the reading of each scene of the play, noting themes of interest, parts that are unclear, or new vocabulary words (TSW be allowed no longer than three days to read each scene)

-         TSW submit, via email, at the end of the unit, an original short poem, song lyrics, or “fan fiction” chapter of at least one double-spaced typewritten page in length using a theme, unclear aspect, or new vocabulary word from one of his or her journal entries (with graphics, if desired)

-         TTW post the students’ submissions on a student webpage

 

 

Sources

http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/

http://www.ipl.org/div/shakespeare/

http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/pop.cult.html

http://elizabethan.org/compendium/index.html

http://www.chatham-nj.org/coin/English9/Fanelli/elizabethan_dress.htm

http://www.renfaire.com/Language/index.html

http://renaissance-faire.com/speaking-elizabethan.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~jmarbysprint02/STT/Much%20Ado/primer.html

http://www.esldesk.com/index.htm

 

 

Materials Used

-         Both students and teacher must have ready access to:

-          a computer with internet capabilities

-          Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word

-          a personal email account

 

 

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan One- Introduction to Unit

 

 

How Plan Meets All Students’ Needs

Because this entire unit is conducted outside a classroom, using online resources, students who need more time may use it, and not feel rushed.  Additionally, the extensive list of links for this unit should address the varied learning styles of the students, and the last link is specifically for the ESL students in the class.  The last link not only contains a full online text of Hamlet with definitions to any difficult words, but it also contains other general English links for non-native speakers.  My links page, on the main website, also contains links to pages with extensive help for the writing process, which could also be very helpful to students who may struggle with the English language.   

 

 

How Plan Reflects My Philosophy of Teaching

Since this unit plan contains so many resources for students to use, it reflects the aspect of my philosophy of teaching that states that all students can learn, if given the appropriate resources to learn from.  Additionally, since my plan specifically assigns creative exercises for the students to complete, it reflects the aspect of my philosophy of teaching that states that I want the students to feel they have as much ownership of their learning as possible, and that I do not want the material to become boring to them.  Finally, the fact that I have incorporated multiple opportunities for assessment throughout the unit reflects my philosophy of continuous assessment, so that both I and the student know what has been, and what still needs to be, learned.