Lesson Plan Title: Epitaphs for Hamlet – IB Language Arts
Concept/Topic to Teach: Students will compose an epitaph for a character that
died in the play Hamlet. Students need to make sure that the epitaph they
create capture the character and it must reflect the themes in the play that the
character is tied to and supports the personality of the character.
Standards Addressed: Compare organizational structure, figurative language and
literary devices, including the use of paradox, among predominantly British short
stories, drama, poetry, essays and other nonfiction literature.
Specific Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the
play Hamlet and the characters within the play.
Required Materials:
1. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
2. Computers
3. Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard by Thomas Gray
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Students will be given a copy of Thomas Gray’s Elegy
Written in a Country Church Yard. Students will listen to a reading of the
poem on Youtube.
Step-By-Step Procedures for Teaching the Lesson:
1. Students should have completed reading Hamlet before participating in this
activity. Students should be familiar with the plot, the major themes of the
play, and the characters.
2. Students will create an Epitaphs (wordle) for one of the deceased
characters from Hamlet.
3. Epitaphs (wordle) should use descriptive words, phrases and figurative
language to capture the essence of the characters. The tone of the epitaph
should match your attitude as a reader toward the character.
Guided Practice/Monitoring: Students will be working on the epitaphs and
tombstones. Asking questions concerning the characters and situations.
Students may ask other students or Coach Corbett.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Students will present their epitaphs. Students
will review their peers.
Assessment Based on Objectives:  Students will be able to demonstrate
understanding of the play Hamlet and the characters within the play with 80%
accuracy; using the peer reviews of the tombstones/epitaphs and the teacher
reviews.
Adaptations (For Students With Special Needs):
1. Raymone (Aspergers): A disorder on the autistic spectrum, that is
characterized by difficulties in social interaction and repetitive/restricted
patterns of behavior and interests.
a. Include many pictures and videos in the powerpoint as conceivably
possible. Place Raymone in a pod so that he can have help with social
situations and his note-taking.
2. Tia (Generalized anxiety disorder) – A disorder where students experience
an overwhelming worry that is not caused by any recent experiences.
a. Give student a detailed schedule of what we are going to be doing
for the day and for the week. Allow student to extra time to work on
notes using a computer.
3. Dakota (ADHD) : : A neurobehavioral developmental disorder
a. Give student a copy of my notes, record lecture for student, allow
student to move around in a specific area of the classroom to help
with concentration.
Extensions (For Advanced Students): Students that are more advanced will be
able to express more understanding of the characters through the
speeches and events that are helping them to create the
epitaphs/tombstones. Student’s work should be more thoughtful,
expressive and invasive of the character’s personality.
Possible Connections to Other Subjects:
History – work in with European/World History.
Reflection: Students really enjoyed this activity. It was especially good for my
more creative students and my students that struggle with testing. This allowed
my students with disabilities to show that they grasped/understood the play
without having to take a standard test.