Petros Lee

Grade: 9

Subject: English Language Arts

Unit: Dramatist as Social Commentator

Topic/Text: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Part 1: Unit Plan Overview & Description

Students today are exposed to extensive social commentary through their interactions with
media. Modern technology even allows students to assume the role of commentator, with each
tweet and Facebook post functioning as a mini commentary.

In this unit, as students study social commentary as presented through the medium of drama,
they learn to analyze how social issues are represented in literature. They analyze the impact on
audiences in the historical period in which the work was written as well as the continuing impact
in our contemporary time. Students examine the reasons why directors continue to produce these
plays and discuss how audiences relate to their universal and timeless themes.

Unit Objectives:

Students will be able to

· perform a close reading of a portion of text with support.

(RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.)

· analyze how the social commentary develops through the interactions of complex characters,
setting, and events.

(RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and
refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.)

· identify social commentary within literary and non-literary texts and compose an. analysis
focusing on how these texts reflect contemporary social issues.
(RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of
literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.)

· analyze complex characters and their internal and external conflict that serve to
advance the plot.

(RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create
such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.)

· compare the representation of a subject or key scene in two different mediums.

(RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic
mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment)

Brief Overview of Activities/Assessments:

Student will have the opportunity to explore Shakespeare as a class, in small groups, as
well as individually. They will be compiling a portfolio in the hopes that it creates in them
a sense of ownership and pride for their work. The plot charting is useful for students to
sort out the myriad of events that occur throughout the play, as well as providing them
with an invaluable tool for studying. The unit test at the end of the unit will test for
comprehension and interpretation of the play.
Part 2: Unit Plan Calendar

Day Topics Learning Student Activities Standard(S) Assessment

Objectives
1 -INTRO: KWL •Think about what they Hook: -introduce
- SL.9-10.1
Shakespeare’
s already know about -put up a portrait of Shakespeare on students to the
Life and Times Shakespeare. overhead. Ask students who they think idea of a
•Compare and Contrast it is. portfolio. Tell
the Elizabethan period -Probe: What do students already know them that all of
to modern day. about Shakespeare? their work on
•Have fun with Shakespeare will
Shakespearean Activity: be compiled in
Language in the form of -Shakespeare Insult Walk-about + , their “portfolio”
the Insult walk about Debrief of activity. and handed in at
-Lecture about Life and Times of the end of the
Shakespeare. Highlight with video clips unit.
from “Shakespeare in Love.” -Anyone who can
Close: bring in an
-Talk about Shakespeare is alive and original example
well. Introduce the term: allusion. of an allusion to
-Students will be asked to pay attention Shakespeare in
to media (TV, Radio, Magazines etc.) to the next 4 weeks
see if they can spot allusions to gets a bonus
Shakespeare! mark!
-
Shakespeare’ RL.9-10.5
2 s •Understand the poetic Hook: Participation:
Language devices of meter and -Teacher reading of Dr.Seuss’ “Green -Sings fairy song.
-Poetic Rhyme rhyme. Eggs and Ham” how is this related to -creates a
and meter •Identify the poetic Shakespeare? limerick.
meter and rhyme of a -Sing the fairy song (Act II scene 2 lines
poem. 9-32) while standing in a circle.
•Practice using iambic Activity:
tetrameter to create a -Teacher-led discussion about poetic
poem. meter and rhyme.
-Students get to play with poetic
structure and create their own limericks
using the iambic tetrameter structure.
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Standard(s) Assessment
# Objectives

3 -Shakespeare’s •Learn how to use clues Hook: -Translating

Language. from the text around a -Give students an unknown word and RL.9-10.9 worksheet to be
-Translating and word to understand the ask them to guess what it means. Put handed in for
Understanding. meaning. (I.e. up the lines around the word. Guess marks, and then
- Intro to AMND appreciate the again. included with
importance of context.) Activity: portfolio.
•Translate Shakespeare -Translating Shakespeare Worksheet.
into modern English. -Talk about the evolution of the
•Think about how the language.
English language has -Intro to the Dramatis Personae of
evolved from AMND
Shakespeare’s time. -Talk about the story of Theseus and
•Understand the history Hippolyta.
behind A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, in
particular, the story of
Theseus and Hippolyta.
•Become familiar with
the Dramatis Personae.

4 - AMND •Practice the skill of Hook: -Participation

- Act 1, Scene 1 reading aloud by -Articulation activity. (tongue twisters). mark will be
- Shakespeare’s working on articulation Activity: RL.9-10.4 given. (Vocab
Vocabulary of tongue twisters. -Provide photocopies of the first scene. sheet must be
- Prediction •Become familiar with Read aloud as a class. During the filled out)
tricks that actors/singers reading, have students -Students are to
use to “warm-up.” underline/highlight the words that they add words to the
•Read Act I scene 1 did not understand. vocab list as we
aloud in class. -In groups of 3-4, have them make up a go along. This
•Predict what will master vocab list (each person) and will be compiled
happen next in the play. discuss what they think it means. Were into their own
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Materials Assessment
# Objectives
they able to understand what was going mini
on regardless of not knowing what the Shakespeare
word meant? Encourage students to dictionary.
discuss with each other when they don’t -Exit slips must
understand something. be handed in
Close: before leaving
-Discuss what happened in the first class.
scene.
-Start a “plot chart” as a class that will
eventually map out all 4 plots that occur
within the play.
-Exit Slip: have students predict what will
happen next.
5 - AMND •Students will read Hook: •Their blocking
- Act 1, Scene 2 aloud in small groups. -sample of a blocked scene. RL.9-10.9 activity will be
-Scene Blocking •Learn about blocking a Activity: handed in for
scene -Read aloud in small groups. marks.
•Block the scene in their -Discuss what is happening •Participation
groups -Block the scene in small groups. marks will also be
•Present their work to -With the help of the students, add to given for students
the class plot chart who practice
proper group
work etiquette
and who
participate in the
discussions.
6 -AMND • Listen to an audio Hook: -The “Setting”
- Act 2, scene 1 recorded version of the -Listen to audio recording of the scene. assignment is
-Setting scene. Note the way Activity: RL.9-10.7 due next class.
actors can portray -Create an image of the forest setting
emotion/action merely and write a one page rationale
via their voices. explaining the choice of scenery.
•Imagine what the forest
setting should look like
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Standards Assessment
# Objectives
and create an artistic
representation of their
imagined scene.
•Provide a rationale to
explain their created
setting using evidence
from the play.
7 -AMND •Read aloud in class Hook: -participation
-Act 2, scene 2 •Reflect on how men -show clip of “Shakespeare in Love” RL.9-10.6 marks for those
-Role Reversal used to play the female where Gwyneth Paltrow has to dress like who show
-Translation roles in Shakespeare’s a guy in order to be a part of the theatre enthusiasm and
Activity time because women company. good group work
were not allowed to act. Activity: etiquette.
•Summarize the main -Read the scene aloud in class (Act II -5 marks per
events of the scene and scene 2 line 89-162). Have the students group for the
translate the scene in a reverse roles in their reading to see how presentation and
creative way. (e.g. it felt for guys to have to play female translation
media or sports event, roles back in Shakespeare’s time. activity. See
cartoon, children’s story, -Translation Activity and Presentations assessment
silent mime, -Add to plot chart rubric.
modernization)
•Present their
translation to the class.
8 - AMND •Present their Hook: •Presentation
- Act 3, scene 1 translation to the class. -Bring in Shakespeare-related books W.9-10.2.d assessment as in
•Read aloud. -Let students re-group (those who have previous lesson.
•Predict what will yet to present) •Participation in
happen next. Activity: reading and
-Complete presentations discussion.
-Read aloud Act III scene 1

-Predict what will happen next.

9 - AMND •Read aloud. Hook: •Their advice
RL.9-10.6
- Act 3, scene 2 •Respond to Puck’s line -Bring in magazine article about foolish column will be
-Puck Advice “What fools these love drama. handed in next
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Standards Assessment
# Objectives
Column: “what mortals be” Activity: day for marks.
fools these •Write an advice column -Read the play aloud •Once it is
mortals be” that Puck might write for -Puck says “What fools these mortals marked and
us foolish mortals. be” What do you think he means? What returned, they
is he referring to in the play? should include it
-Write an advice column by Puck to in their portfolio.
humans, advising them on how to be not
so foolish.
10 - AMND •Read the scene in Hook: •Students will be
- Act 3, scene 2 small groups keeping in -Bring in a sample Prompt Copy that W.9-10.7 given a
cont’d mind expressions, actors/directors use. participation mark
-Prompt Copy gestures, movement, Activity: for proper group
stage directions. -Read the scene in small groups. work etiquette.
•Creating a prompt -In groups, create a prompt copy •Prompt Copies
copy -re-read with prompts. are to be handed
-Discuss the scene and the use of back to teacher
prompt copy. . at the end of
-Add to plot chart. class for
evaluation. They
will be given a
mark out of 5.
11 - AMND •Relate their own Hook: •Student’s free
- Act 4, scene 1 personal dream -Dream free-write. W.9-10.3.d write of their
&2 experience to the dream Activity: dream should be
experiences of the -Read play included in
characters in the play. -Discuss Dreams in the play. portfolio.
•Interpret dreams the -Interpret Dream scenarios •Dream
way they did during the -Interpret using Renaissance interpretations
Renaissance. Interpretations. (students’ and
•Explore the role Renaissance)
dreams play in AMND. also to be
included in
portfolio.
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Materials Assessment
# Objectives
12 - AMND •Read aloud. Hook: •The teacher
- Act 5, scene 1 •Listen to Activity: SL.9-10.4 should condense
Mendelssohn’s AMND -Read the Act aloud. the plot chart into
•Complete the plot -Discuss the role of Puck in the play. a hand-out
chart. -Complete the plot chart as a class. •Exit slips
•Reflect on the play. -Introduce Children’s Story/Comic Book •The major
Develop an opinion. Project. project will be
Ask any lingering due a week from
questions. today.

13 -AMND -Examine the characters Hook: -Students should

-Character Box. in the play. -Bring in a memory box (Teacher’s SL.9-10.4 hand in their
-Character -Examine the character/memory box) that includes character box
relationship relationship between the things that are important to the teacher next class.
charts characters. (that are symbols of teacher’s character,
beliefs, values). .
Activity:
-Have students (in groups of 3) choose a
character from the play, and create a
‘Character Box’ for that character. What
items would someone find in that box?
Sample Characters: Puck, Nick Bottom,
Helena.
-Students will also chart that character’s
relationship to other characters in the
play.

14 -AMND -Identify the theme of Hook: -essay on

-Theme: Love Love and Friendship in -Put up some images on screen of RL.9-10.2 love/friendship to
and Friendship the play. what we consider related to or symbols be handed in for
-relate to the of Love and Friendship. marks and
characters. Activity: handed in with
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Materials Assessment
# Objectives
- Discuss what Love and Friendship portfolio.
mean to the students.
-Ask each student to create a list of:
a) Different kinds of Love.
b) Characteristics of a good friend
c) Characteristics of a bad friend
-Compare their list to the play. What
kinds of Love are expressed in the play?
-Discuss these with the class
-Write a short essay: Choose a
character and explain why he/she would
be a good friend to have.

15 -AMND -Work on project Hook: -participation

-work on project -Read part of a children’s version of W.9-10.10 mark for being on
AMND task.
Activity:
-Work on Childen’s Story/Comic Book
Project. First draft due by end of class.
16 -AMND movie -Watch the movie Hook: -Exit slips
class -Compare movie to the -Bring Popcorn for the class demonstrate the
play. Does it Activity: RI.9-10.7 student’s
meet/exceed -Watch the movie engagement with
expectations? -Exit slip: How has the movie compared the film and
to the play thus far? Was it like what shows whether or
you expected? How does the setting not they are
compare to your “setting” assignment? following the
story.
17 -AMND movie -watch the movie Hook: -movie review
cont’d… -critique the movie -Overview: what happened in the movie RI.9-10.7 marked out of 5.
-Compare film to -write a movie review thus far? Due next day,
reading of play. Activity: and should be
-talk about how -Continue watching the movie. part of portfolio.
acting out the -Discussion: How did the movie differ
Lesson Topics Learning Student Activities Standard(s) Assessment
# Objectives
movie from the play?
-Write a movie review, due next class.

18 - AMND -review Hook: -Movie review

Review for unit -Have some students share some of RI.9-10.7 also due.
test their movie reviews.
Activity:
-Review for unit test.
19 Unit test -unit test Testing for students’ comprehension of -unit test
Shakespeare and AMND. L.9-10.5
 LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Course Name: ELA 9 Unit Plan Day: DAY ___1____

Level On Grade Lesson Duration: 55 minutes

(Grade/Honors/AP How many minutes
): will this lesson last?
(Lesson should last at
least 45 minutes)

Lesson Objective:

• Think about what they already know about Shakespeare.

• Compare and Contrast the Elizabethan period to modern day.

Standard Alignment (state and national):

Only list one or two
SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SUMMARY OF TEACHING TASKS/ACTIONS:

Include a description of the lesson activities, clarifying: 1) what the student will be doing, 2) what the teacher will be
doing. and 3) how long the specific activity should take.

Estimated Time: Teacher Does: Students Do:

[i.e. 5 minutes, 7 This section should describe what the What are the students doing during this time?
minutes] teacher is doing or saying to guide student What activities are they engaged with? Are they
understanding. Include at least three quotes working independently or in groups?
of what a teacher would say to guide the
mini-lesson or lesson plan.

5 minutes Hook: -Brainstorm and think about what they

-Put up a portrait of Shakespeare. know and what they would like to
-Ask Students:
“Who do you think this is?”
know about Shakespeare.
“What do you know about
Shakespeare?”
-Write a list on the board
“What would you like to know about
Shakespeare?”

15 minutes -Hand out Shakespeare Insult chart -Make up insults.

-Asks students:
“What is the difference between a
play and the short stories you’ve
been reading?”
-Talk about the difference between
a play and a story & importance of
-Practice on their peers.
-Write down their favorite insult.
-Discuss the difference between a play
and a story.
-For the “walk about” students will
memorize their insult, then walk
around the room. When they come
 visualizing how an actor might face to face with someone, they will
act/look throughout the play. have to stop and say their insult to the
-Explain rules of the “walk about” person. Start with a “Neutral” face,
-Demonstrate what “neutral” looks then do “Happy”, “Sad”, “Angry”,
like and the importance of stopping “Joking”, “In love”, etc.
as soon as you make eye contact -Reflect on activity
with someone.
30 minutes -Talk about the Elizabethan era. -Compare and contrast modern day
-Show images on the projector screen and the Elizabethan era.
& pass out books.
-Talk about Shakespeare’s life.
-Show clip from the movie,
“Shakespeare in Love” to show a
portrayal of Shakespeare.
-Show images of The Globe Theater

5 minutes -Show how Shakespeare is used -Brainstorm places where one might
even today find allusions to Shakespeare.
-Talk about ongoing bonus -Keeps eyes and ears peeled for
assignment. Students who can find, allusions to Shakespeare.
document, and bring in an example
of an allusion to Shakespeare will
receive a bonus mark
MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT:
What materials or equipment is needed to support this lesson?

-Handout: Shakespearean Insult Chart

-TV/Computer/Projector
-Video: Shakespeare in Love
-Images/book/portraits/etc. of Shakespeare’s life and Elizabethan era.

JUSTIFICATION:
In this section, specifically describe how you integrated contemporary instructional methods that we’ve discussed in
this class to support diverse groups of student learners. Please visit our course syllabus to ensure that you address
methods and concepts from each area of our class study. Cite your resources and include them in the “References”
section below.
This section should be no longer than 1/2-page, single-spaced.
 This lesson is a fun one to start off the unit because it gets students engaged right
away. While most lessons start off with teachers just presenting background
information about the unit, this one gets students involved by making them confront
one another in a silly way. The act of students trying to figure out the importance of
tone and presentation in acting to understand the nuance of stage plays results in
student centered learning in which “having students play the role of the teacher
expands what maker educators can do in the classroom” (Clapp et al., 2017). While
the students are walking around making meaning, the teacher is also able to moderate
and gauge the efficacy of the lesson and witness the meaning students are creating
on their own.

REFERENCES:
Please include the correct APA citations for each of the resources cited above.

Clapp, E. P.; Ross, J.; Ryan, J. O.; Tishman, S. (2017). Maker-centered learning: Empowering young
people to shape their worlds. Jossey-Bass.

ATTACHMENTS:
Please list any handouts that will be used as part of this lesson plan and before the next day’s lesson plan.
Include copies of handouts after the lesson plan.
Where is England?
YOU ARE
HERE
 The
Elizabethan
Era
was named
after
Queen
Elizabeth I.
 Queen Elizabeth FACTS
⬧ BORN→ September 7, 1533
⬧ Became Queen of England when she
was 25 years old.
⬧ GIVEN Name → Elizabeth Tudor
⬧ BIRTH LOCATION → Greenwich
Palace, England
⬧ Elizabeth was a strong supporter of
theater and the arts.
 Queen Elizabeth
England was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I. She was
a popular monarch (ruler; royalty) and the people
loved her.
During a speech, she told the people of England—

“I know I have the body of a weak and

feeble woman; but I have the heart of a
king, and of a king of England too; and if
Spain or Europe decide to invade… I myself
will take up arms.”
 FACTS about the People
• Life Expectancy: during this time was 42
years
• The RICHER lived longer.

• Sickness and disease were widespread

because of the low sanitary conditions.
Rather than have a trash company pick up
trash, they’d simply throw their trash outside
their homes.
• They would also throw away their human
waste in this manner. They would go to
the bathroom just about anywhere.
 Elizabethan Men & Women
⬧ POOR WOMEN did not go to school. They stayed
home to learn how to cook, clean, and take care of
their families.
⬧ WOMEN of NOBILITY were educated.
⬧ MEN made choices for the women in their lives.
Women didn’t have a choice when it came to whom
they’d marry.
⬧ MEN made a a living while WOMEN stayed and took
care of the home.
 Elizabethan Medicine

⬧ Healthy, clean vegetables weren’t readily

available so many people died from
malnutrition. Also, waste wasn’t properly
disposed. People were often sick and would
die of sickness that are easily treatable today.
⬧ IF YOU HAD MONEY, standard medicines
you’d receive were potions and herbs.
⬧ IF YOU WERE POOR, you were “bled” to
let the impurities drain from your blood,
or leeches were put on your body to
suck out the sickness.
 Elizabethan Superstitions

• It was believed that when you open your

mouth to sneeze, you give the devil a
chance to enter your body and bring about
spiritual harm. Saying "bless you" allegedly
stops the devil from entering since they
thought that no demon could stay in a place
that a Christian has blessed.
⬧ A superstition that was most influential
to them was that witches exist and they
can cast spells on anyone. The spells
were understood as so bad, they can
lead to death. They were also blamed
for mostly everything unexplainable --
the plague, famine, diseases and low
crop yields during harvest time.
⬧ Sailors wore golden hoop earrings all
the time. It is said that this was done so
they would have gold to pay their fare
in the underworld if ever they sink and
drown.
 Elizabethan Literature
and Drama
⬧ The most profound and prolific writer
of this time was William Shakespeare.
⬧ William Shakespeare was as much of a
celebrity as he would be if he were
living today where his name is
recognizable in almost every
household. His plays were primarily
drama which was a change from
previous plays in former eras of
England. Previous plays had a strong
religious influence. Shakespeare plays
did not.
 William Shakespeare
⬧ Shakespeare was born on April 23,
1564 and died on April 23, 1616.

⬧ Was an English poet, playwright, and

actor.

⬧ At the age of 18, he married Anne

Hathaway, with whom he had 3
children.

⬧ Part of a theater company called The

Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

⬧ 1594: Shakespeare starts writing,

performing, and managing the group.
 Shakespeare’s Style
⬧ Creativity over originality
⬧ He used already known
plots.
⬧ The plot for Romeo and
Juliet comes from Arthur
Brook’s The Tragicall
Historye of Romeus and
Iuliet
⬧ Generally wrote comedies,
tragedies and histories.
 Types of Plays
⬧ Comedies
⬧ The play ends happily for the protagonist(s).

⬧ Histories
⬧ Chronicles (a narrative of events in the order which they
appeared)
⬧ A political guide

⬧ Tragedies
⬧ Protagonist dies; tragic hero
⬧ This always occurs when the essential good is wasted
(through disaster or death) in the process of driving out
evil
 A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
⬧ Was written by William
Shakespeare in
approximately 1595.
⬧ A Midsummer Night's
Dream is a romantic
comedy about the
adventures of four young
Athenian lovers and a
group of amateur actors
in a moonlit forest, and
their interactions with the
fairies who inhabit it.
 Name: __________________________________________ Date: _____________ Pts: ________

The Elizabethan Era & Shakespeare Notes

Slide Title Notes
⬧ BORN→ September 7, 1533
Queen ⬧ Became ___________________________when she was
Elizabeth _______________________.
FACTS ⬧ GIVEN Name → Elizabeth Tudor
⬧ BIRTH LOCATION → Greenwich Palace, England
⬧ Elizabeth was a strong supporter of ________________________.

• Life Expectancy: during this time was _________________.

• The RICHER lived longer.
FACTS about • ____________________________ were widespread because of the low sanitary
the People conditions. Rather than have a trash company pick up trash, they’d simply throw their
trash outside their homes.
• They would also throw away their human waste in this manner. They would go to
the bathroom just about anywhere.
⬧ Healthy, clean vegetables weren’t readily available so many people died from
_______________________. Also, waste wasn’t properly disposed. People were often
Elizabethan sick and would die of sickness that are easily treatable today.
Medicine ⬧ IF YOU HAD MONEY, standard medicines you’d receive
were_______________________________.
⬧ IF YOU WERE POOR, you were “____________” to let the ____________________ drain
from your blood, or leeches were put on your body to suck out the sickness.

Elizabethan ⬧ A superstition that was most influential to them was that ____________________ and
Superstitions they can cast spells on anyone. The spells were understood as so bad, they can lead to
death. They were also blamed for mostly everything unexplainable -- the plague, famine,
diseases and low crop yields during harvest time.
Elizabethan ⬧ Sailors wore golden hoop earrings all the time. It is said that this was done so they would
Superstitions have gold to pay their fare in _____________________ if ever they sink and drown.
(continued)

Elizabethan ⬧ The most profound and prolific writer of this time was ___________________________.
Literature ⬧ William Shakespeare was as much of a celebrity as he would be if he were living today
and Drama where his name is recognizable in almost every household. His plays were primarily
drama which was a change from previous plays in former eras of England. Previous plays
had a ____________________________. Shakespeare plays did not.
⬧ Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616.
William ⬧ Was an English poet, playwright, and actor.
Shakespeare ⬧ At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had 3 children.
⬧ Part of a theater company called The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
⬧ 1594: Shakespeare starts writing, performing, and managing the group.
⬧ Comedies
⬧ The play ends happily for the protagonist(s).
⬧ Histories
⬧ Chronicles (a narrative of events in the order which they appeared)
Types of ⬧ A political guide
Plays ⬧ Tragedies
⬧ Protagonist dies; tragic hero
⬧ This always occurs when the essential good is wasted (through disaster or death)
in the process of driving out evil

A ⬧ Was written by William Shakespeare in ____________________________.

Midsummer ⬧ A Midsummer Night's Dream is a ______________________________ about the
Night’s adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors in a moonlit
Dream forest, and their interactions with the fairies who inhabit it.
 LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Course Name: ELA 9 Unit Plan Day: DAY ___2____
1, 3, 8, etc.

Level On Grade Lesson Duration: 55 minutes

(Grade/Honors/AP How many minutes
): will this lesson last?
(Lesson should last at
least 45 minutes)

Lesson Objective:

• Understand the poetic devices of meter and rhyme.

• Identify the poetic meter and rhyme of a poem.
• Practice using iambic tetrameter to create a poem.

Standard Alignment (state and national):

Only list one or two
RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it
(e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery,
tension, or surprise.
SUMMARY OF TEACHING TASKS/ACTIONS:
Include a description of the lesson activities, clarifying: 1) what the student will be doing, 2) what the teacher will be
doing. and 3) how long the specific activity should take.

Estimated Time: Teacher Does: Students Do:

[i.e. 5 minutes, 7 This section should describe what the What are the students doing during this time?
minutes] teacher is doing or saying to guide student What activities are they engaged with? Are they
understanding. Include at least three quotes working independently or in groups?
of what a teacher would say to guide the
mini-lesson or lesson plan.

15 minutes -Read Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and -Think about the relationship between
Ham” Dr. Seuss and Shakespeare.
-Ask:
“How is this relates to Shakespeare?”
-Sing or chant the fairy song
-Sing or chant the fairy song from Act
II, Scene 2

30 minutes -Hand out info sheet on poetic

meter and rhyme.
-Put up examples of different
meters and rhymes on the board.

15 minutes -Pair up students -In pairs, students create own poem

-Give each group time to create their using Iambic tetrameter
own poem using Iambic tetrameter
10 minutes -Invite students to share with the -Share with the class
class

5 minutes -Introduce the “Portfolio” -Start “Shakespeare Portfolio”

-Tell students it will be a collection -Put copy of the poem they wrote in
of their work for the coming weeks their portfolio
and should be handed in after the
unit test
-Hand out folders and have each
student label theirs.
MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT:
What materials or equipment is needed to support this lesson?

-Hand out of information on Poetic Meter and Rhyme.

-Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham”

JUSTIFICATION:
In this section, specifically describe how you integrated contemporary instructional methods that we’ve discussed in
this class to support diverse groups of student learners. Please visit our course syllabus to ensure that you address
methods and concepts from each area of our class study. Cite your resources and include them in the “References”
section below.
This section should be no longer than 1/2-page, single-spaced.

This lesson asks students to be creators in an engaging way. First, it takes two
seemingly unrelated topics, Dr. Seuss and Shakespeare, and challenges students to
see if they can make similar comparisons to unlike subjects. Then, it asks students to
create poems of their own, though with the constraint of them being in iambic
tetrameter. The freedom this assignment gives students, along with compiling a
personal portfolio of their works and achievements throughout the unit gives them
what is called maker empowerment—“a sense of agency with regard to making…a
sensitivity to the designed dimension of objects, and systems, along with the
inclination and capacity to shape one’s world through building, tinkering, re/designing,
or hacking” (Clapp et al., 2017). By letting students make their own poems, in
encourages them to be creative in other aspects of life and become makers not by title
but by action.

REFERENCES:
Please include the correct APA citations for each of the resources cited above.
 Clapp, E. P.; Ross, J.; Ryan, J. O.; Tishman, S. (2017). Maker-centered learning: Empowering young
people to shape their worlds. Jossey-Bass.

ATTACHMENTS:
Please list any handouts that will be used as part of this lesson plan and before the next day’s lesson
plan. Include copies of handouts after the lesson plan.
Green Eggs and Ham
By Dr. Seuss
I am Sam.
Sam I am.

That Sam-I-am!
That Sam-I-am!
I do not like
That Sam-I-am!

Do you like
Green eggs and ham?

I do not like them,

Sam-I-am.
I do not like
Green eggs and ham.

Would you like them

Here or there?

I would not like them

Here or there.
I would not like them
Anywhere.
I do not like
Green eggs and ham.
I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.

Would you like them

In a house?
Would you like them
With a mouse?
 I do not like them
In a house.
I do not like them
With a mouse.
I do not like them
Here or there.
I do not like them
Anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you eat them

In a box?
Would you eat them
With a fox?

Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I would not eat them here or there.
I would not eat them anywhere.
I would not eat green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you? Could you?

In a car?
Eat them! Eat them!
Here they are.

I would not, could not,

In a car.

You may like them.

You will see.
You may like them
In a tree!

I would not, could not in a tree.

Not in a car! You let me be.
I do not like them in a box. I
do not like them with a fox. I do
not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse. I
do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
DUE DATE:

Name: ________________________ Block: __________

The Portfolio – A Midsummer Night’s Dream Unit

The KEY to getting everything done easily is to do it along the way—and

NOT leave it to the last minute!

Check List
Hand-out: Shakespearean Insults
Poem you wrote using Iambic Tetrameter
Worksheet: Translating Shakespearean
Vocabulary Charts: staple together to create mini
Shakespeare Dictionary.
Exit Slip #1 (Lesson 4)
Hand-out: How to block a scene
“Setting” Activity + Rationale
The assessment sheet for your Translation Activity
Puck’s Advice Column
The assessment sheet for Prompt Activity
Free-write of your dream
Dream Interpretation (your own and the Renaissance Interpretation)
Exit Slip #2 (Lesson 12)
List of things in Character Box + Character Relationship Chart
List of different types of love and characteristics of a good/bad friend
Essay on friendship
Exit Slip #3 (Lesson 16)
Movie Review
Children’s Story / Comic Book Final Project (due same day as Portfolio)
Portfolio Check List –checked off
 LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Course Name: ELA 9 Unit Plan Day: DAY ___3____
1, 3, 8, etc.

Level On Grade Lesson Duration: 55 minutes

(Grade/Honors/AP How many minutes
): will this lesson last?
(Lesson should last at
least 45 minutes)

Lesson Objective:

• Learn how to use clues from the text around a word to understand the
meaning. (I.e. appreciate the importance of context.)
• Translate Shakespeare into modern English.
• Think about how the English language has evolved from Shakespeare’s
time.
• Understand the history behind A Midsummer Night’s Dream & the story of
Theseus and Hippolyta.
• Become familiar with the Dramatis Personae.

Standard Alignment (state and national):

Only list one or two
RL.9-10.9 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work

SUMMARY OF TEACHING TASKS/ACTIONS:

Include a description of the lesson activities, clarifying: 1) what the student will be doing, 2) what the teacher will be
doing. and 3) how long the specific activity should take.

Estimated Time: Teacher Does: Students Do:

[i.e. 5 minutes, 7 This section should describe what the What are the students doing during this time?
minutes] teacher is doing or saying to guide student What activities are they engaged with? Are they
understanding. Include at least three quotes working independently or in groups?
of what a teacher would say to guide the
mini-lesson or lesson plan.

5 minutes -Write and unfamiliar Shakespearean -Guess what that word is. Share with
word on the board. the class.
-Write students’ guesses on the board
as well.
-Guess again if the original guesses
-Re-write that word in its line. were wrong.
-Discuss the importance of looking at
the context of the word to get clues
about what it means

30 minutes Hand out Translating -Fill out vocabulary sheet as they

Shakespearean worksheet
-Do the first example for them.
-Encourage students to find the line
in the play text and translate into
modern day English.
-Hand-out Shakespearean vocabular
chart/encourage students to fill it
encounter new words. (Will be
compiled into their own personal
Shakespeare Dictionary. This will be
included in a portfolio.
-Share translations. The worksheet will
be included in the portfolio
 out as they read and encounter
words they are unfamiliar with.
-Encourage students to share their
translations.

15 minutes -Talk about how the language has -Brainstorm new words that are used
evolved from Shakespeare’s time. today that were not used in
-Talk about today’s slang.
Shakespeare’s time.

20 minutes -Introduce the players in the play

-Give a brief history of the
overview of Theseus and
Hippolyta.

5 minutes -Ask students: -Discuss, brainstorm, predict.

“What do you think the story will
be about based on the title (A
Midsummer Night’s Dream) and
what do you know about Dramatis
Personae?
(Add or delete rows as needed)

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT:
What materials or equipment is needed to support this lesson?

• Hand-out: Translating Shakespeare.

• Hand-out: Shakespearean Vocabulary Chart.
• The story of Theseus and Hippolyta and on Dramatis Personae.

JUSTIFICATION:
In this section, specifically describe how you integrated contemporary instructional methods that we’ve discussed in
this class to support diverse groups of student learners. Please visit our course syllabus to ensure that you address
methods and concepts from each area of our class study. Cite your resources and include them in the “References”
section below.
This section should be no longer than 1/2-page, single-spaced.
This lesson focuses on translation of Shakespearean English to modern-day English,
which is difficult enough with those fluent in English. More challenging still, but not
impossible is this task for the emergent bilingual. The part of this lesson that is helpful
for EBs is one that is also present for fluent English speakers—the vocabulary chart.
Though the chart in the lesson is meant specifically to be used in conjunction with the
core text, EBs have the opportunity to use that chart with the assignment as well,
jotting down words they have trouble with and simplifying them into their primary
language so they can understand. This notion of using the tools available to them
rather than taking them away is reminiscent of translanguaging in the classroom,
when “bilingual students write or create something new, they can filter certain features
of their linguistic repertoires to create the products, but the process will always be
bilingual” (Fu. Et al., 2019).

REFERENCES:
Please include the correct APA citations for each of the resources cited above.

Fu, D., Hadjioannou, X., Zhou, X. (2019). Translanguaging for emergent bilinguals: Inclusive teaching in
the linguistically diverse classroom.
Block: _____________
TRANSLATING SHAKESPEAREAN
 Translate the following Shakespearean lines from A Midsummer
Night’s Dream into regular English. Make sure you put any new
words into the vocabulary chart.

1. “Full of vexation come I, with complaint.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 22)

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

2. “I do entreat your grace to pardon me.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 58)

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

3. “I would my father look’d but with my eyes.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 56)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

4. “Know of your youth, examine well your blood.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 67)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

5. “Look you arm yourself / To fit your fancies to your father’s will.” (Act 1,
Scene 1, Line 118)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

6. “With cunning hast thou filch’d my daughter’s heart.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 36)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

“In that same place thou hast appointed me / To-morrow truly will I meet
with thee.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 177-178)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

8. “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 234)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Name: __________________ Date: _____________________
Block: _________

SHAKESPEAREAN VOCABULARY SHEET

The Vocabulary The Definition: An Example:

Word:
Vexation Anger “Full of vexation come I,
with complaint” (Act 1, Scene
1, line 22)
Shakespeare Vocabulary Continued…

The Vocabulary The Definition: An Example:

Word:
Hippolyta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This woman of many names was one of the queens of the Amazons. The
Amazons were a warrior race of women who were descended of Ares, the
god of war. They would sometimes meet with men of other nations to create
future generations, but they would raise only the girls, killing the boys.
Hippolyta first appears in myth when she is kidnapped by Theseus, who was either accompanying
Heracles on his quest against the Amazons, or he was just bored and looking for something to do.
(It is generally accepted that Theseus acted on his own.) When Theseus first arrived at the land of
the Amazons they expected no malice, and so Hippolyta came to his ship bearing gifts. Once she
was aboard Theseus set sail for Athens, claiming the queen as his bride.

I think this is where A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place….

Theseus' brazen act sparked an Amazonomachy, a great battle between the Athenians and
Amazons. Most of the great heroes in ancient Greece fought in an Amazonomachy, and Theseus
could not be left out. The Amazons made camp in Attica on a hill that has been described as "bare
and rocky", the Areios Pagos 1. It would become the most famous court of law of ancient times. The
apostle Paul gave one of his best known speeches on the Areios Pagos.

Even though Hippolyta bore a son to Theseus, who was called Hippolytus, she
was cast off when Theseus had eyes for Phaedra. Scorned, Hippolyta went
back to the Amazons, while Hippolytus had problems of his own with his new
stepmother. (Some sources paint Theseus in a more favorable light, saying that
Hippolyta was dead before he and Phaedra were wed.)

Hippolyta also appears in the myth of Heracles. It was her girdle that Heracles
was sent to retrieve for Admeta, the daughter of king Eurystheus. The girdle
was a waist belt from Ares that signified her authority as queen of the
Amazons.
When Heracles landed the Amazons received him warmly and Hippolyta came to his ship to greet
him. Upon hearing his request, she agreed to let him take the girdle. Hera, however, was not
pleased, as was often the case with Heracles. To stop him, Hera came down to the Amazons
disguised as one of their own and ran through the land, crying that Heracles meant to kidnap their
queen. Probably remembering all too well what Theseus had done, the Amazons charged toward the
ship to save Hippolyta. Fearing that Hippolyta had betrayed him, Heracles hastily killed her, ripped
the girdle from her lifeless body, and set sail, narrowly escaping the raging warriors.

An alternate story of Hippolyta's death is a direct result of Theseus' marriage to

Phaedra. With an army of Amazons behind her, Hippolyta returned to Athens
and stormed into the wedding of Theseus and Phaedra. She declared that
anyone partaking in the festivities would perish, but in the melee that ensued
she was killed, either accidentally by her companion Penthesileia or by
Theseus' men.

Since Hippolyta obviously could not die twice (there are no stories of
divine intervention or resurrection) there exists a strange paradox in
Hippolyta. Some sources explain away this paradox by saying that Antiopê
and Hippolyta are not the same woman, but, rather, are two separate
queens of the Amazons, with different names and leading different lives.
Theseus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Theseus was a king of Athens famous for many exploits, and appearing in
works by many authors and on countless vases. There is some confusion about
Theseus' parentage, some say he is the son of Aegeus and Aethra, and others
the son of Poseidon and Aethra. Apollodoros and Hyginus say Aethra waded
out to Sphairia after sleeping with Aegeus, and lay there with Poseidon.

The next day, Aegeus, who had been visiting Aethra at Troizen, left for his
home city of Athens. As he left, he left sandals and a sword under a large rock;
should Aethra bear a male child, she was to send him to Athens to claim his
birthright as soon as he was old enough to lift the rock and retrieve the items.

According to Plutarch and Philochoros, on the way to Marathon to kill the bull,
Theseus encounters a fierce storm and seeks shelter in the hut of an old
woman named Hecale. She promises to make a sacrifice to Zeus if Theseus
comes back successful. He comes back, finds her dead, and builds a deme in
her name. Some time after Theseus return to Athens, trouble stirs and blood
flows between the houses of Aegeus in Athens and Minos, his brother in Crete.

War and drought ensues and an oracle demands that recompense be made to
Minos. Minos demands that seven maidens and seven youths are to be
sacrificed to the Minotaur every nine years. Theseus is among the chosen
victims and sails off to Crete, promising to Aegeus that his ship's black flag
would be replaced with a white flag if Theseus is victorious. In Crete, Minos
molests one of the maidens and Theseus becomes angry and challenges him,
boasting of his parentage by Poseidon. Minos, son of Zeus is amused and asks
Theseus to prove his heritage by retrieving a ring from the depths of the ocean.
Theseus being a son of Poseidon succeeds.

Ariadne, a young woman in Crete already betrothed to Dionysus, falls in love

with Theseus and helps him defeat the Minotaur. Ariadne then leaves Crete
with Theseus, who abandons her on Dia (at Athena's behest, according to
Pherekydes).

In returning to Athens Theseus forgets to switch the black sail with the white
one. Aegeus, consequently, watching from afar believes his son is dead and
hurls himself into the sea, named the 'Aegean' after him. After Aegeus' death,
Theseus must contend against Pallas for the throne. Theseus gets wind of a
planned assassination against him and spoils the ambush, killing Pallas and
gaining the throne.

Theseus and a good friend of his by the name of Pirithous wanted to marry
daughters of Zeus, and begin their quest by abducting Helen. Theseus wins a
bet and gets Helen, but must accompany Pirithous to Hades to recover
Persephone for him. There is much disagreement here about what happens in
Hades, but many traditions say only Theseus makes it back out.

Theseus does two noteworthy patriotic acts to Thebes, accepting Oedipus at

Kolonus, and helping Adrastus bury the Seven, fallen in the struggle for the
throne of Thebes. Late in his life Theseus loses popularity in Athens and is
exiled. He wanders to Scyrus where he is hurled off a cliff by Lycodemes
MYTHOLOGY GUIDE: THESEUS

One of the most celebrated of the adventures of Theseus is his expedition

against the Amazons. He assailed them before they had recovered from the
attack of Hercules, and carried off their queen, Antiope. The Amazons in their
turn invaded the country of Athens and penetrated into the city itself; and the
final battle in which Theseus overcame them was fought in the very midst of
the city. This battle was one of the favorite subjects of the ancient sculptors,
and is commemorated in several works of art that are still extant.

The friendship between Theseus and Pirithous was of a most intimate nature,
yet it originated in the midst of arms. Pirithous had made an irruption into the
plain of Marathon, and
carried off the herds of the king of Athens. Theseus went to repel the
plunderers. The moment Pirithous beheld him, he was seized with admiration;
he stretched out his hand as a token of peace, and cried, "Be judge thyself,
what satisfaction dost thou require?" "Thy friendship," replied the Athenian, and
they swore inviolable fidelity. Their deeds corresponded to their professions,
and they ever continued true brothers in arms. Each of them aspired to
espouse a daughter of Jupiter. Theseus fixed his choice on Helen, then but a
child, afterwards so celebrated as the cause of the Trojan war, and with the aid
of his friend he carried her off. Pirithous aspired to the wife of the monarch of
Erebus; and Theseus, though aware of the danger, accompanied the ambitious
lover in his descent to the underworld. But Pluto seized and set them on an
enchanted rock at his palace gate, where they remained till Hercules arrived
and liberated Theseus, leaving Pirithous to his fate.

After the death of Antiope, Theseus married Phaedra, daughter of Minos, king
of Crete. Phaedra saw in Hippolytus, the son of Theseus, a youth endowed
with all the graces and virtues of his father, and of an age corresponding to her
own. She loved him, but he repulsed her advances, and her love was changed
to hate. She used her influence over her infatuated husband to cause him to
be jealous of his son, and he imprecated the vengeance of Neptune upon him.
As Hippolytus was one day driving his chariot along the shore, a sea-monster
raised himself above the waters, and frightened the horses so that they ran
away and dashed the chariot to pieces. Hippolytus was killed, but by Diana's
assistance Aesculapius restored him to life. Diana removed Hippolytus from
the power of his deluded father and false stepmother and placed him in Italy
under the protection of the nymph Egeria.

Theseus at length lost the favor of his people, and retired to the court of
Lycomedes, king of Scyros, who at first received him kindly, but afterwards
treacherously slew him. In a later age the Athenian general Cimon discovered
the place where his remains were laid, and caused them to be removed to
Athens, where they were deposited in a temple called the Theseum, erected in
honor of the hero.

The queen of the Amazons whom Theseus espoused is by some called

Hippolyta. That is the name she bears in Shakespeare's Midsummer
Night's Dream, the subject of which is the festivities attending the nuptials
of Theseus and Hippolyta.