Unit Plan Template s19

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Every Story Has Two Sides – Hamlet and R&G are Dead

Unit Author
First and Last Name / Kerstetter, Lindsay
School District / Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
School Name / Valencia High School
School City, State / Placentia, CA
Unit Overview
Unit Title
Every Story Has Two Sides – Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Unit Summary
In this unit students will closely read Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and analyze the two plays in conjunction with each other. Students will be quizzed on major literary devices such as theme, symbols, motifs, plot, etc. throughout the course of the readings. Students will work cooperatively to write two papers: the first paper on Hamlet and the second paper on both plays. The final paper will demonstrate extended knowledge of both plays.
Subject Area
Language Arts
Grade Level
AP 12th grade
Approximate Time Needed
6 weeks
Unit Foundation
Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks
Reading
Vocabulary and Concept Development: 1.1 Trace the etymology of significant terms used in political science and history. 1.3 Discern the meaning of analogies encountered, analyzing specific comparisons as well as relationships and inferences.
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.2 Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim. 3.3 Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author’s style, and the “sound” of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes or both. 3.4 Analyze ways in which poets use imagery, personification, figures of speech, and sounds to evoke readers’ emotions.
Writing
Organization and Focus 1.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of discourse (e.g., purpose, speaker, audience, form) when completing narrative, expository, persuasive, or descriptive writing assignments. 1.2 Use point of view, characterization, style (e.g., use of irony), and related elements for specific rhetorical and aesthetic purposes. 1.3 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive, and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples. 1.4 Enhance meaning by employing rhetorical devices, including the extended use of paral-lelism, repetition, and analogy; the incorporation of visual aids (e.g., graphs, tables, pictures); and the issuance of a call for action. 1.5 Use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.
Research and Technology 1.6 Develop presentations by using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies (e.g., field studies, oral histories, interviews, experiments, electronic sources). 1.7 Use systematic strategies to organize and record information (e.g., anecdotal scripting, annotated bibliographies). 1.8 Integrate databases, graphics, and spreadsheets into word-processed documents.
Evaluation and Revision 1.9 Revise text to highlight the individual voice, improve sentence variety and style, and enhance subtlety of meaning and tone in ways that are consistent with the purpose, audience, and genre.
2.2 Write responses to literature: a. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas in works or passages. b. Analyze the use of imagery, language, universal themes, and unique aspects of the text. c. Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text and to other works. d. Demonstrate an understanding of the author’s use of stylistic devices and an appreciation of the effects created. e. Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text.
Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes
· Students will be frequently assessed for understanding of plot and other literary devices.
· Students will be asked to select quotes, closely read and analyze them in small journals. Journals will be collected at the end of each play.
· Students will be writing a paper on a limited choice of topics for Hamlet.
· Using the paper they wrote on Hamlet, students will write a comprehensive paper that compares and contrasts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with Hamlet.
· The paper involving both plays will be revised by the students; they will trade papers and correct another student’s paper.
· Students will complete an activity where they list the themes in both plays from most important to least important by using the Visual Ranking Tool.
· Students will complete a web-based activity where they research language from both plays and post their findings on a class blog where students can review each other’s work.
· Students will be asked to explain why it is important to look at things from both sides.
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question / Why is it important to look at things from different perspectives?
Unit Questions / What do you think is different about Hamlet when told from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s perspective?
What are similarities you see in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Hamlet?
Content Questions / How does fate affect the main characters in both plays?
Why does Hamlet feign madness?
Pick two main characters from each play and describe their function in each play?
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
Before project work begins / Students work on projects and complete tasks / After project work is completed
· Discussion / · Gauging Student Needs / · Progress Checklists
· Weekly Plot quizzes
· Web activity
· Visual Ranking Tool activity / · Informal Observations
· Peer Review on papers
· Individual review / · Individual assessment / · Student assesses own strengths and weaknesses
Assessment Summary
Discussion: Students will discuss relevant topics so that student experiences and other background information can be related to the texts. Students will be encouraged to take notes on the class discussion and will receive participation points for this activity.
Gauging Student Needs: Students will fill out a chart asking them about their prior knowledge or conceptions they have about either play. They will also write about what they want to know. After reading these assessments, I can judge what I need to focus on throughout the unit.
Progress Checklists: Students will be provided with a checklist in order to monitor their own work and make sure they are keeping up with everything. During the individual reviews, I will use these checklists to see where the student is.
Weekly Plot Quizzes: Students will answer several multiple choice or short answer questions based on plot summary. This is simply to make sure students understand the plot of both plays.
Web Activity: Students will be assigned an Act from Hamlet and have to select 10 words they did not understand or thought were used incorrectly and research their old meanings or look them up. Students will also do this with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Afterwards, they will post their findings on a class blog where all students can review it and comment.
Visual Ranking Tool Activity: Students will be given a list of dominant themes in Hamlet and they will be asked to sort them on importance or dominance in the play. They will be asked to explain why they put them in the order they put them in.
Informal Observation: I will be observing students while working individually or in groups and taking notes. I will look for anything that multiple students are confused by or if the same question keeps popping up. This will help me modify my lesson to incorporate my current class.
Peer Review on Papers: Students will be writing two papers, both of which will be reviewed by their peers. They will fill out a generic form asking for feedback, which I will look at when grading their final drafts. This will help me see if I need to focus more on writing and revising skills.
Individual Review: As students are working on different stages of their papers, whey will have to come to me to review their progress. I will go over if I think they are on the right track and if not, what they should be doing to fix it. Students will be graded on their preparedness for the reviews.
Individual Assessment: Once the unit is completed, students will come to me for their individual assessment. I will go over what they did really well, what could have been stronger, and what (if anything) needs work. Their final assessment is basically their final drafts of the paper, however.
Student Assesses Own Strengths and Weaknesses: Students will be asked to reflect on their learning. They will revisit their “Gauging Student Needs” assessment. In a short response, students will be asked to write about what they learned, what their favorite part of the unit was, and what they didn’t like about it. This will help me improve upon the lesson for future classes
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
High school level reading and writing skills, analyzing skills, ability to compare two plays, etc.
Instructional Procedures
Students will be working on several assignments throughout this project that will strengthen their comprehension of a classic play as well as develop 21st century and high-order thinking skills. The first assignment will involve research about one of the plays and on vocabulary in both plays. Students will be encouraged to continue this word search while reading the play. Students will post their findings in a class blog, where students will provide feedback to one another. Students will also complete two papers in this unit and will cooperatively edit and revise them. Students will be directing their own learning by doing group research and providing feedback to each other.
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
Special Needs Students / This unit is for an AP class, so the only special needs that need to be accommodated for are physical ones. For example, if a student has trouble using his/her hands I could have another student assist him or her on the web activities and have an aid assist the student on the quizzes.
Nonnative Speakers / Students will be graded for grammar on everything they complete for this unit. I encourage all ELL to come to me to proofread their work and make sure they are making progress on their grammar. If a student does not seek my help but is doing poorly, I will request a student-teacher meeting to set the student in the right direction.
Gifted/Talented Students / This unit is designed for gifted/talented students.
Materials and Resources Required For Unit

Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Camera
Computer(s)
Digital Camera
DVD Player
Internet Connection / Laser Disk
Printer
Projection System
Scanner
Television / VCR
Video Camera
Video Conferencing Equip.
Other
Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.)
Database/Spreadsheet
Desktop Publishing
E-mail Software
Encyclopedia on CD-ROM / Image Processing
Internet Web Browser
Multimedia / Web Page Development
Word Processing
Other

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Printed Materials / Copies of Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, plot summary quizzes, paper assignments
Supplies / Both texts for all students and a copy of the DVD or VHS for both plays.
Internet Resources / www.21classes.com – student blog for web activity
Other Resources / N/A

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