A Midsummer Night’s Dream Unit written by Bill Boly and Amanda-Jane Nelson, 2010 Edited by Kelly J. Gomes Unit Introduction – Midsummer Night’s Dream Often when we plan to “do” Shakespeare with our students we gravitate to the blood and gore; Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar anyone? and often forget about the comedies. Maybe it is we think this lighter fare is more suited for the middle schoolers, but we are doing our students a disfavor if we don’t apply critical thinking and reading to a variety of the Bard’s work. This unit is based on the guiding thought that Shakespeare is meant to be acted, not read, and there are many lesson plans that we have borrowed heavily from Folgers’ Shakespeare Set Free. We have used the idea of the student Reading Journal as the unifying piece of work throughout. You will want to adapt how you use the Reading Journal for your individual needs; we have supplied a set of Reading Journal questions that address different levels of understanding and thoughts, from literal to more philosophical. The essential questions of the unit – What is Real? and What is Love? --can also be addressed through the Reading Journal. The prompts are for teacher use, and not expected to be used as a student handout. We have not included vocabulary quizzes, though you may want to. The Reading Journal can be a place to keep track of new and difficult vocabulary for your students. Word Walls could also be employed. We have also not included quizzes based on the events in each act, though you may want to. The students could keep bullet-point summaries in their Reading Journals, if you want to make sure they have a basic understanding of whom the characters are and what they do. There are two elements to the assessment piece; a performance and an on-demand timed piece of writing and these are both worked on throughout the unit. If you have more time, or want to rework the unit for your needs you might want to watch the whole of a film production with your students. We recommend the Michael Hallcroft version, and we have included reviews of some of the available versions. There is also a wonderful adaptation of the story in the brilliant BBC series Shakespeare Retold. They do not use Shakespearean language and take some liberties with the text, but students would be captivated if you wanted to offer it as an extra credit/honors opportunity. It is that idea that is at the heart of our differentiation strategy for the unit. We have provided differentiated questioning strategies throughout, so you can create a “pick and mix” menu that suits your needs. You will also see in the annotated resource list ideas for prose retellings, film versions, audio books and graphic novels of the text. There are many ways to make the story accessible and let the 2 students feel success. The two forms of final assessment allow for students of differing skills and learning styles to shine – there are two big bites at the final assessment. We have provided tiered final prompts so you can offer the ones that most suit your students. We feel the entire unit is tiered. It might also be the only unit with differentiated rubrics. The first is in student friendly language and asks them to score themselves, before you score it and this can act as the beginning of a conversation about where they are at this moment in time with these skills. The second rubric is a more specific, teacher-friendly version that really hones in on the skills and tasks they are being asked to perform. You will also see that we have provided student samples if you wanted to show students a high, medium and low attempt at writing on this subject. This could provide a base for several writing craft lessons. The different types of activities in this unit lend themselves to different styles of learning; writing, reading, acting out, drawing, the film version, graphic organizers, and we hope that this helps all the students in your classes grasp this wonderful tale. Part of the reason we are still reading Shakespeare four hundred years on is that he writes about what it is to be human; what teen won’t recognize the pain of being “in love” with someone who isn’t in love with you, or interfering parents, or just wanting to believe in the magic of the world? We hope this unit helps bring Midsummer Night’s Dream alive in your classroom. 3 Midsummer Night’s Dream Stage 1 – Desired Results Priority Standards (4-5 only): Number and brief summary 10.01 Analyze figurative language 10.09 Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.10 Identify character traits and their effects 10.11 Describe function and effect on literary work of common literary devices 10.13 Evaluate subtleties, ambiguities, contradictions and ironies in a text 10.14 Evaluate how conflict and setting are used to establish, mood, place, time, culture and contribute to theme 10.18.1 Develop a thesis 10.18.2 Support a position with precise and relevant examples and evidence 10.18.8 Compare and contrast themes, characters, ideas and stylistic devices 10.20 Interpret a speaker’s verbal messages and non-verbal messages to determine a speaker’s purpose, perspective, and/or attitude. Understandings Essential Questions Students will understand … What is Real? The classic definition of Comedy. What is Love? Authors choose language precisely to create an How do we communicate meaning through effect on the reader. drama? An acting troupe’s interpretation shapes the meaning of a particular version of a play. Shakespeare’s plays are primal and connect directly with their own concerns and human experiences. Students will know ….(facts and knowledge) Students will be able to ….(apply skills) Facts about Shakespearean Theatre and the Appreciate and understand Shakespearean Elizabethan World View. language. Events and characters in MSND. Perform a scene with attention to blocking, The difference between prose and blank verse and, movement and meaning. and to what effect, each is used. Identify famous lines form the play both in context Some common differences between Elizabethan and meaning. and modern English in pronoun and verb forms. Paraphrase Shakespearean language into contemporary restatements of the same ideas Identify the subtext of speeches. Memorize and render a short line speech from the original text. Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Culminating Assessment (authentic): Other Evidence (variety of forms and modes) Performance Recitation On-demand literary analysis and short answer Comparing two versions of a scene exam Reading NoteBook Designing sets/costumes Vocab and literal level quizzes, as needed Tableau Vivants What widely-available district resources will your unit address? Midsummer Night’s Dream and Write Source can be used to help with writing skills, as and when needed. 4 Stage 3 -- Learning Plan: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Activity Title Priority Standards Page Lesson #1: Essential 10.09 Identify and analyze the development of themes 10 Questions: Escher and Perception Lesson#2 Reading 10.01 Analyze figurative expressions, comparisons, and analogies 12 Journal Set Up and 10.10 Identify the qualities of character, and analyze the effect of Differentiated Options these qualities 10.09 Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.13 Evaluate subtleties, ambiguities, contradictions, and ironies in the text. Lesson #3: 10.01 Analyze figurative expressions, comparisons, and analogies 20 Pre-Assessment 10.10 Identify the qualities of character, and analyze the effect of these qualities 10.11 Describe the function and effect upon a literary work of common literary devices 10.15 Evaluate how literary elements are used to establish mood, place, time period, and cultures, and contribute to the development of its theme 10.18.1 Develop a thesis 10.18.2 Support a position with precise and relevant examples and evidence Lesson #4: 10.01 Analyze figurative expressions, comparisons, and analogies 25 Reader’s Theatre 10.10 Identify the qualities of character, and analyze the effect of these qualities 10.15 Evaluate how literary elements are used to establish mood, place, time period, and cultures, and contribute to the development of its theme 10.20 Interpret a speaker’s verbal messages and nonverbal messages to determine the speaker’s purpose, perspective, and/or attitude of the subject 10.10.15 (PPS) Identify, describe, and evaluate the function of dialogue, soliloquies, asides, character foils, and stage directions in dramatic literature. Lesson #5: 30 Upstairs, Downstairs: Elizabethan World View Lesson #6: Language is 10.10 Identify the qualities of character, and analyze the effect of 32 Character these qualities 10.11 Describe the function and effect upon a literary work of common literary devices 10.18.2 Support a position with precise and relevant examples and evidence Lesson #7: Two Views 10.09 Identify and analyze the development of themes 33 of Love 10.10 Identify the qualities of character, and analyze the effect of 5 Activity Title Priority Standards Page these qualities 10.13 Evaluate subtleties, ambiguities, contradictions, and ironies in the text. 10.18.9 Develop characters of appropriate complexity Lesson #8: Act I 10.19 Employ Group decision making techniques 34 Tableau Lesson #9: In the Dark 10.01 Analyze figurative expressions, comparisons, and analogies 36 and Scary Forest - 10.02 Distinguish between the detonative and connotative Setting meanings of words 10.09 Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.11 Describe the function and effect upon a literary work of common literary devices