Jamie's+Rationale

I added a few sentences on the first paragraph to address administrator and parent concerns when it comes to teaching this text. Hamlet has a lot of blood and killing that I suppose I take for granted, and I thought it would be important to address this to parents. For my lesson plan I am assuming a 'normal' 12th grade class of students with diverse backgrounds, so for the fourth comment I tried to articulate how I am meeting general learners needs. I think my idea of approaching Hamlet as a 'teen drama' can help alleviate some of the concerns of Shakespeare being an irrelevant dead white guy. I also tried to better articulate my confidence of teaching students Shakespeare. I personally had to go through a "brute force" approach when I was a senior in high school with Hamlet and Macbeth, and it truly stifled my appreciation of the text. I would want my students to truly grasp and appreciate the work, so I explained how I'd let them use translations. When it comes to the standards of Hamlet, I will use my big list as a general guideline with which I can pick and choose. Clearly I will not be at a loss for standards when it comes to teaching this text. I made sure that each standard had an idea that could be applied with my lesson. I doubt I'd end up using all of the standards, but I know many will be met. I also got rid of a few standards that I couldn't think of specific examples for.
 * Additions are noted in bold.**

Hamlet’s place as one of Shakespeare’s classic works makes it a proper and almost required fit in our curriculum. It’s important to realize, however, that we should not just teach it for the sake of teaching it. Hamlet is a text that is not only relevant to English Language Arts, but also our students. The character Hamlet is a young man who goes through several changes in his life; upon returning home from college to mourn his father, he is conflicted by the sudden remarriage of his mother to his uncle. He has struggles with identity, rivalries with peers, and trouble with his girlfriend. Shakespeare was ahead of himself in creating a character who goes through drama that we would expect a teenager to experience. S**hakespearean texts offer a rich and diverse culture of the English language and storytelling in general. Hamlet has earned a place in the literary "canon" for good reasons. This text contains many challenging aspects (Elizabethan diction and poetic elements, for example) that can be taught to our students to help them develop and grow as writers. Its mature themes and serious nature make it a logical step up from Shakespearean texts such as Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Though there is occasional violence, I believe my students are mature enough at this stage of their academic careers to handle the subject matter. I hope that parents respect their students and my decision to teach such a work of art**.   Hamlet is a timeless tale which is constantly referenced in popular culture, and is modern manifestations can be shown to the class to show the popularity and appeal of it. This is included, but not limited to film adaptations, television skits, and internet videos. Webquests will also be utilized in order to assimilate modern methods of study to the classic work. **Shakespeare may seem foreign and hard to grasp for students, but I will do my best to accommodate  for my learner's needs. Some of my students may have never experienced Shakespeare at all. I plan on using electronic overheads in order to accommodate for visual learners; it's clear that reading assignments and lectures are not adequate for all students. **** I will also offer dramatic read- throughs of key scenes to my students who tend to be more hands-on. This can help students with comprehending the story with repetition and collaborative efforts. **Another engaging method to bring this play to life with students is to have them act it out, perhaps by having them film a modern rendition of a scene and using editing techniques to present a video to the class. The Elizabethan text may present itself as a hurdle for students, but it is a challenge that is more than manageable. **I understand that a 'brute force' approach to making students read Shakespeare is not the most optimal way to go; I plan on** ** utilizing close reading strategies and class discussions in order to help students understand the content **. **I am also open to using textbooks or websites that offer modern English translations in order to better help them understand the content.**  <range type="comment" id="454867454_3">Students will be required to read sections of the play on a nightly basis in order to get students ready for discussion, and key scenes that are integral (to both the plot and Shakespearean rhetoric) will be analyzed in-depth during class periods.
 * <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;"><range type="comment" id="454867454_5">RATIONALE</range id="454867454_5">: **

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students will establish a definition of stoicism in order to understand and apply it to Hamlet and class discussions. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students will objectively analyze characters in order to determine the results of stoicism and action. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students will subjectively reflect on their own personalities and lives in order to determine their own philosophies on stoicism and action.
 * <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">BIG QUESTION: What is better: stoicism or action? **

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1] Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
 * <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"><range type="comment" id="454867454_4">A laundry lis</range id="454867454_4">t of Common Core standards for grades 11-12 that can be applied to Hamlet: **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">An example of an activity that meets this standard could be as followed: “Students will write a one-page “close reading” of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech in order to discover the explicit, implicit, and ambiguous aspects of his words and overall nature.

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2] Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This standard is easily applicable to Hamlet and could be met with discussion and papers. Stoicism and action, for example, interact and build upon each other through the text.

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3] Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
 * This is applicable to Hamlet in a few ways (the first scene taking place outside a castle on a cold winter night, Hamlet's development and excessive self reflection though the story)**

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4] Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.) <span style="color: #8a2003; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">
 * <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This standard, which even drops Shakespeare by name, is especially applicable; there are many words and phrases in the text that may seem foreign and may even be archaic that students can be asked to define and speculate about. **

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.6] Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hamlet often speaks in sarcasm, and irony often occurs in the story.

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.7] Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)


 * <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Having students do certain formal writing projects, such as an arguementative essay, can help meet these following standards: **

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1d] Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1e] Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b] Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d] Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2f] Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic). <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.5] Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 [|here] .)

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6] Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9] Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">**This standard is easily met by having students analyze and reflect,either verbally (in discussions) or written (on assignments).** <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.10] Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">This could be addressed by keeping a class blog. **
 * This standard can be met by having students keep a writing journal or portfolio.**

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1] Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">**I plan on having lessons with many discussions including small-group, large-group, and whole class.**

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1a] Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. <span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">**This is another example of discussion's place in my unit.**

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1c] Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

<span style="color: #3b3b3a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5] Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
 * This standard can be addressed with showing movie clips, having students do webquests, and perhaps even having students film their own scenes.**