Lesson Plans with 6 Incorporated Strategies

Theme: Drama: Julius Caesar

Setting: Arrange chairs in classroom like a circle when reading the play or have small clusters or chairs when students are doing other activities.

Overview: Students will develop an understanding of Shakespeare’s use of language and understand the play by reading it aloud.

Purpose: To assist students in overcoming prior intimidations that may have been formed in relation to Shakespeare.

Objectives:

1. Students will learn to understand the language of Shakespeare by discussing quotes.

2. Students will understand the play, and also commonly quoted lines from the play.

3. Students will understand the literary term Symbolism and be able to apply it to the various characters.

Text: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar-drama

Strategies and layout of lesson:

Day 1

K-W-L Strategy

Allow students to form groups of no more than 4 students and have them brainstorm various words they’ve seen in Shakespeare’s literature, and group them into the 3 categories of the K-W-L Strategy.  Students will be encouraged to ask questions of any terms they are not familiar with. 

Day 2

Shakespeare Friendship Cards

Have students make cards for one another correctly using various quotes from the play to make them more comfortable with the language, and help them to see it as a fun form of language to understand.

Day 3

Character Analysis Frame

Assign each student a character that they will be assigned to read during the oral reading of the play.  Take students to library and have them complete a character analysis on their character. 

Day 4

Begin Reading Play

Students will begin reading the play aloud with the class.  Reading will be stopped to discuss key concepts and symbolism contained within the play.  Also students will be required to keep a personal journal on a blog that the class will create with reflections and questions that they may have.  I will respond to their comments each day, and post comments of my own.

Think-Pair Share and Group Journal Strategy after reading each day.

Days 5-10

Daily Quizzes

Each day prior to the reading of the play there will be a brief daily quiz discussing the reading from the prior class period.  We will set a goal to finish reading the play aloud in 5 days. 

Assessment:

Wrap up the unit with a Character Hunt.  Group students in different groups than previously in the lesson, and assist them in developing a list of objects that symbolize each of the main characters.  Students must develop a list of objects that can be found around the school or outside.  Send the groups off around the school to retrieve various objects.  When class returns from hunt each group will explain how their objects display the symbolism of the various characters.

Graphic Organizer: