EDCT 2030: Lesson Plan

Topic: Hamlet by William Shakespeare Instructor: Lauren Nieder Lesson Date: May 1, 2013 Lesson Duration: 50 minutes

Objective:
This lesson will help the students in their understanding of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This lesson will begin with the basics of Shakespeare as a person and then flow into some of the background information of the writing of Hamlet. A main objective is to read some of the play aloud and teach students how to understand the language better. Over time with this play an objective is for the students to learn how to understand Shakespeare without the help of an instructor. A short quiz will follow the lesson to see how well the students understand Hamlet thus far.

Learning Goals:
Learners will be able to o read Hamlet aloud o comprehend the dialogue that occurs and the language used o summarize the plot of Act I o create thoughts on what they think Shakespeare means through some of his wording

Overview:
We will begin by learning about Shakespeare himself and then about the background information of England in the time period Hamlet set and written. We will read all of Act 1 of Hamlet scene by scene and at the end of each scene we will discuss it and clarify things. At the end of the act we will discuss and bring all of the scenes together and decide what each individual thinks Shakespeare means. We will also go in depth into the language and what it could have meant. At the end of the act, I will give out a short quiz to test if the students are understanding things.

Materials:
The students will have their textbooks and Hamlet will be in that. I will also use the chalkboard to write key points and answer questions. I will also have quiz prepared on paper that I will pass out at the end.

Procedures:
It is the first day of studying the play, so to introduce it we will go into some details about Shakespeare himself. We will read the introduction on the play and give some background information on what things were occurring in England at the time that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. After the introduction, we will then begin to read Hamlet aloud. I will allow any student to read who wishes to, but I will not make anyone read who does not want to. The students will read all of Act 1 Scene 1 and after that is finished I will ask a student to summarize the plot. Act 1 Scene 1 is quite short, so there will not be much to summarize; we will then move on and read Act 1 Scene 2. I will ask another student to summarize Act 1 Scene 2 and then we will shortly discuss the action so far. We will also go into greater detail in looking at the language that is used and what it means. The language is quite difficult and different from what students are used to, so we will really go into that in detail. This same process will occur for Act 1 Scene 3, Act 1 Scene 4, and Act 1

Scene 5 also. After each new act I will expect even more from the students as we are building on the plot and on our understanding. At the end of Act 1, I will ask for a greater summary and we will piece each scene together. At the end of the lesson, I will administer a short quiz to test the students' understanding of the act.

Evaluation:
The students will be given a short quiz to see how well they understand the play so far. I will ask questions that are easier: what characters there are, who people are, what people are doing, etc. But I will also ask more in depth questions, such as what specific words mean and what interpretations can mean. The quiz will all be short answer. I want to see if most students understand the play and if I need to come up with different techniques for teaching Hamlet.