Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Template
Grade/Content
Area
Lesson Title
State Standards:
GLEs/GSEs
National Content
Standards:
11th Grade English Literature
To Read or Not To Read, That is the Question
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or
more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text, including how
they interact and build on one another to produce a
complex account; provide an objective summary of the
text.
This standard will be explored in this introductory
lesson through the use of visual media and plot
elaboration on the “Shakespeare: Subject to Change”
website. The visual representations on the website will
allow readers who may have difficulty grasping the
concept of the novel or who may just have difficulty in
understanding the reading itself to better analyze the
main ideas and themes presented in Hamlet.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 Determine the
meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or
beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other
authors.)
This standard will directly be explored through the
website’s explanation of a multitude of Shakespearean
terms and phrases. Through utilizing the website
students will have a strong foundation in understanding
common terms and phrases used in Shakespeare’s
plays.
Context of the
Lesson
Where does this lesson
fit in the curriculum
and instructional
context? Is it the
opening of a unit or a
series of lessons?
Matthew Checrallah
This plan is constructed as a preliminary lesson to the
Shakespeare Unit and studying Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark. At the beginning of class I will allow students to
use laptops to look up the Shakespeare: Subject to Change
website. First I will take five minutes to hook the students
on Shakespearean language using common Shakespeare
phrases they may use in their own lives and introducing
them to the “Shakespeare: Subject to Change” website.
After allotting twenty five minutes for students to explore
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Lesson Plan
the website which educates students on both Hamlet the
play and Shakespearean language, I will give students
twenty minutes to get into groups and discuss what they
learned from the Shakespeare: Subject to Change website.
Students will be required to use the double entry method to
take notes on what they learn from “Shakespeare: Subject
to Change”. Once they have completed the double entry
diary for the “Shakespeare: Subject to Change” website and
discussed their findings in the book, they will write a short
reflection on what they learned from their group
discussions, and will hand the notes and reflection in for an
informal assessment.
Opportunities to
Learn
Definition: Materials,
Learners and
Environments
Matthew Checrallah
Materials & technology:
Offline Texts:
Shakespeare, William, G. Blakemore Evans, and J. J. M.
Tobin. The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Print.
Online Text:
"Shakespeare: Subject to Change Brought to You by
Cable in the Classroom." Shakespeare: Subject
to Change Brought to You by Cable in the
Classroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
<https://games.ciconline.org/shakespeare/defaul
t.aspx>.
Materials:
 25 Computers for students in the class
 White Board to complete class notes
 Projector for presentation
Learners:
 The class consists of 20-25 students
 The class is a college preparatory level class and has
many struggling learners
 There are several students in the class with ADHD as
well as some students who have trouble being
motivated to actively participate in the class
 In order to accommodate learners who have ADHD and
trouble being motivated to work I will utilize an
interactive website that will explain the language
behind Shakespeare’s play
 The interactive elements of the website play like a
video game and will allow students who normally have
difficulty staying focused to greater take part in the
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Lesson Plan
lesson and learning
Environment:
The students will be in a standard size classroom with the
desks broken into five groups of five. The desks are broken up
into groups to facilitate discussion between the students
regarding what they have learned from the Shakespeare:
Subject to Change website. Students will be required to sit in
groups because once they finish exploring the website, they
will discuss what they found adding notes from the discussion
to their double entry diaries that they have created from the
information they learned on the website.
Content: The student will apply the background knowledge
Objectives
Three parts: verb, they learn from this class to aid in their understanding of
criterion, conditions Hamlet.
Strategy: The student will be able to better understand Hamlet
and Shakespearean plays as a whole once they have
background on Shakespeare as an author as well as a better
understanding of Shakespearean vocabulary.
Instructional
Procedures
Opening (5 minutes):
Students will utilize the interactive website “Shakespeare:
Subject to Change” to enrich their background knowledge of
Hamlet and Shakespeare. As part of the introduction to both
the lesson plan and the Unit on Shakespeare’s Hamlet I will
hook the students by first giving them examples of
Shakespearean phrases they have encountered in their daily
lives, i.e. “For goodness sake”, “What’s done is done”, “into
thin air”, “too much of a good thing”. Using this introduction I
will further hook the students by introducing them to move
information they can learn about Shakespearean language
through the “Shakespeare: Subject to Change” website.
Engagement (25 Minutes):
Students will take notes on the website and what they learn
using the double entry diary. This will allow for not only the
creation of a strong foundation in understanding Shakespeare,
it will also aid in the student’s interest in Shakespeare and
Hamlet because of the connections made to their own lives.
Students will use the website to discover phrases that
Shakespeare coined in his writings and well as words he
invented. Students will be able to make connections from the
phrases they learn through the website to terms and phrases
Matthew Checrallah
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Lesson Plan
they use in their every day lives.
Closure (20 Minutes):
To close the class I will have the students get into study groups
to discuss what they have learned from the Shakespeare
website. This group task will involve them discussing the notes
they have taken through the Double Entry Diary method. In
order to ensure they are discussing in an open format they will
need to take notes on what their fellow students in the group
are saying and then hand the notes in at the end of class.
Students will not necessarily be graded on what they take notes
on, they will be evaluated on how involved they are in the note
taking process. In order to get credit for the lesson, students
will hand in both the notes they have taken through their
double entry diary as well as complete a short reflection on
what they have learned both from exploring the website as well
as discussing the website with fellow group mates. Through
discussing the website with their peers students may be able to
aid each other in creating personal connections between the
reader and the text. One of the biggest difficulties in teaching
Shakespeare to students is the student’s lack of interest because
they feel the terms are archaic and not relatable to their lives.
By fostering group discussions of Shakespeare text I am
hoping that students and their peers can create connections
with the Shakespearean language which will generate greater
interest towards reading Hamlet and other Shakespearean
works.
Assessment
Matthew Checrallah
Assess students’ reading comprehension by collecting graphic
organizer/notetaking. Plan a second assessment for content
objective if graphic organizer/notetaking does not cover your
content objective in its entirety.
Primarily my assessment of the students for the lesson will
be informal. I will assess the students on their work in class
by collecting the Double Entry notes they took while
exploring the Shakespeare: Subject to Change website. In
addition I will require students to take notes on what their
group thinks about what they discovered during their group
discussions. Once they have completed taking notes on
what others in their group discussed, they will complete a
reflection on the assignment, commenting both on what
they learned from the website as well as what they learned
from their peers. This will ensure that the group discussions
are fruitful. Finally as the students complete both their
exploration of the Shakespeare: Subject to Change website
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Lesson Plan
Reflections
and their group discussions, I will be walking around the
room listening in on the discussions and making sure all
students are taking part. This will factor into my informal
evaluation of the students in the class.
Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:
This section to be
completed only if lesson
Student Work Sample 2 – Proficient:
plan is implemented.
Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency:
Lesson Implementation:
Matthew Checrallah
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