Unit 9: The World of William Shakespeare
A Six Part Research Lesson
Common Core Standards: RI. 7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums RI.10 Read and comprehend literary nonfiction. SL.2
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. W.6 Use technology,
including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other
information and to display information flexibly and dynamically SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically
SL.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. SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English
Essential Questions: Who was William Shakespeare? What was his world like? What is Shakespeare’s
influence on contemporary culture?
Introduction: William Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest writer in the English language and the greatest playwright of all time. His
plays have been produced more often and in more countries than those of any other author. In this lesson, you will research and learn about
William Shakespeare’s life and world. Finally, you will produce a Prezi or PowerPoint that demonstrates your new knowledge and understanding of
William Shakespeare.
Making the Connection: As you read above, Shakespeare’s reach around the world and through the centuries is enormous. What influence has
Shakespeare had on you and your culture? Jot down what you know about Shakespeare. Consider the quotes you are familiar with from his plays,
or movie adaptions of his plays that you have seen. In your own life, do you see evidence of Shakespeare’s influence in any way? Consider this
question as you conduct your research.
An Online Research Adventure
In this lesson, you will discover who William Shakespeare was and what his world was like by going on your own research journey. Through your
journey of websites and internet resources, you will discover that William Shakespeare led an extraordinary life, despite a very ordinary beginning.
Follow the research tips below, and record your information in the appropriate boxes. Be sure to carefully choose your sources of information and
to keep record of the sources you ultimately decide to use. Remember, that not all websites are credible!!! Copy and paste interesting pictures
from your online research adventure, as well. When you have collected information for required topic, turn your information into an informative
and interesting PowerPoint or Prezi presentation to share with your classmates. Once all the presentations have been viewed, you will analyze your
information and the information your classmates shared in their presentations to understand what facts you found in common, and what
information inconsistencies exist.
PART 1: Conduct Your Online Research
Research Tips:
-Find at least five different non-fiction resources. While you don’t necessarily have to take information from all five, it is smart practice to
cross-reference information. If you find that facts are significantly different from one site to another, you will want to continue your research to
find reliable information. The bottom line is this: You can’t believe everything you read on the Internet, so be diligent and thoughtful about the
information you decide is reliable. The more investigation you do, the more likely you are to end up with accurate information.
-Always look to see who published the website you are visiting. Websites created by educational institutions such as Emory University’s
Shakespeare Website (http://shakespeare.emory.edu/) or large organizations like Shmoop.com (http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/ )
or Shakespeare-Online.com (http://www.shakespeare-online.com/) or much more trustworthy than say, a random person’s website or a
website with no author. Wikipedia is one place to start, but should not be the only place your visit for information
-Keep notes on the information you find organized. Use a graphic organizer (like the one provided below) to keep track of your research.
-Some good sites to start your research include:
Shmoop.com (http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/ )
Shakespeare-Online.com (http://www.shakespeare-online.com/)
Emory University’s Shakespeare Website (http://shakespeare.emory.edu/)
Shakespeare High (http://www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom/)
Required Topics for your Shakespeare Research Journey & Graphic Organizer
In the boxes on the left, are topics you need to find information about on your Internet Research Journey. Type or write the information you find in
the box next to the topic, and cut and paste accompanying visuals in the last box. Visuals will help make your final presentation more appealing
and interesting to the audience.
About Shakespeare (TOPICS)
Shakespeare’s Basic Information
(where he was born, family
information, death, major highlights
of his life, etc.):
Shakespeare’s Childhood:
Shakespeare’s Early Adult and
Career:
End of Career/ Career Highlights:
Shakespeare’s Major Plays:
Queen Elizabeth and the
Elizabethan Time Period in which
Shakespeare Wrote
Information about the topic and Citations
(where did you find this information)
Visual and Citations
(where did you find this visual)
Theater in Shakespeare’s Day
The Globe Theater
Shakespeare’s Influence on
Language & other literary works
Controversies surrounding
Shakespeare and/or additional
information
Part 2: Choose the Most Relevant and Reliable Information about Each Topic
After you fill the graph with information about each topic, you are ready to analyze the information and decide which is best to use in your final
presentation. Evaluate which information about each topic is the most relevant and reliable. The two websites below offer great tips on how to
determine the credibility of a website and its information:
From the University of North Carolina: http://library.unca.edu/lr/evalweb.html
From the Lee College and the University of Texas:
http://www.edb.utexas.edu/petrosino/Legacy_Cycle/mf_jm/Challenge%201/website%20reliable.pdf
Part 3: Create Your Presentation
Next, create “Shakespeare’s World” presentation using PowerPoint or Prezi. If you are very comfortable with technology, and want a challenge, you
can create your presentation using YouTube. Be sure to include relevant and reliable information about each topic and visuals when possible to
help your audience better understand what you are presenting.
Use http://prezi.com/ to start your Prezi presentation OR YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/schools
Part 4: Present and/or Share your Presentation
Your teacher may have you conduct a presentation using a Web Cam, or include a voice over in your Prezi or PowerPoint presentation. In any case,
be sure to follow guidelines for presenting properly. Use the “Presentation Rubric” to evaluate your work.
Part 5: Listen to Classmates’ Presentations + Evaluate Discrepancies in Information
Using the graphic organizer or other similar organizer, evaluate any discrepancies observed between the information you presented as accurate and
the information you peers presented as accurate. What, if any, information was different? What might this indicate? What should you do to verify
the accuracy of information at this point?
My Information
Classmate’s information
Difference/ Discrepancy
What I should do to verify or
discover the “truth”
Example: I reported that
Shakespeare died at age 52 in the
year 1619. I found this
information at a trustworthy
website called ShakespeareOnline.com
My classmate reported that
Shakespeare’s age of death is not
known.
I have a year and age for his death;
my classmate says this information
about his death is not available.
I will go and research this
information on three more credible
sites such as BBC.com, The Folgers’s
Shakespeare Library website, and
Poets.org. Based on the information
provided at these websites, I will
make a determination about the
accuracy of my information by
cross-referencing what they say to
my original source, ShakespeareOnline.com
FINAL VERDICT – I’m correct!
Part 6: Answer the Essential Question – What is Shakespeare’s influence on contemporary culture?
Reread the essential questions. Now that you have conducted extensive research on Shakespeare and his world, as well as listened and evaluated
to your peers’ presentations, what do you think Shakespeare’s influence on contemporary culture is? Explain your answer using details from your
research.