In this first unit, students will begin by studying the universal appeal of Shakespeare’s works along with the intriguing question of the authorship of Shakespeare. Students will read informational texts and analyze them for the author’s craft of forming and supporting an argument, as well as how the author structured the text. For the mid-unit assessment, students will read and analyze a complex informational text about the authorship controversy. Students will then begin reading the central text of the module, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As they dive into the text, they will begin to build background knowledge about Shakespeare’s craft and unique use of language. As they read Acts 1, 2, and some of 3 of the play, students will begin to address this module’s overarching thematic concept of “control” by exploring various characters’ motives for trying to manipulate others. In addition, students will support and enhance their reading of the play by analyzing several film clips of the play. For the end of unit assessment, students will analyze differences between a film version of the play and the play itself.
In this second unit, students will read and finish the play while they continue to follow the theme of control in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They continue to trace which characters wish to control or manipulate others, how they attempt to exercise this control, and whether or not they are successful. Students will study how Shakespeare drew upon Greek mythology for the play within the play as they study “Pyramus and Thisbe.” They will study how Shakespeare rendered the story new, and how the texts relate to the theme of control. In the two-part mid-unit assessment, students will first read another myth similar to “Pyramus and Thisbe”; they will then summarize the myth and analyze the narrative structure. In the second part of the assessment, students will read a passage from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and analyze Shakespeare’s craft as an author in terms of word choice and structure. They will then compare this excerpt from the play with the story “Pyramus and Thisbe” as they engage in a deeper analysis of how the structure of each contributes to the meaning. For the end of unit assessment, students will write an argument essay in which they use the strongest evidence from the play to make a claim about whether Shakespeare makes the case that it is possible to control another person’s actions or not.
In this third unit, and after studying the thematic concept of control throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, students will write a narrative that will act as a “confessional,” where a character from the play explains his or her attempts to control or manipulate someone else in the play. This writing piece will meet the criteria for an effective narrative, including a logical introduction, event sequence, and reflective conclusion; narrative techniques; transitions; description; and correct grammar. Students’ character confessionals will answer three guiding questions: “Why did you want to control someone else’s actions?”, “How did you try to control someone else’s actions?”, and “What were the results of your trying to control someone else’s actions?” For the mid-unit assessment, students will write a short justification that explains why they chose the character and scenes from the play that they did, and how the confessional develops the theme of control. For the end of unit assessment, students will write a commentary on how their narrative is a response to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and how it connects to and diverges from the play. Finally, students will share their narratives with a small group of peers. This performance task centers on standards ELA RL.8.2, RL.8.3, W.8.3, W.8.4, W.8.9a, and W.11b.