Approachable Shakespeare - Semester Study
In this 18-week, semester-long course, students will explore all genres of Shakespearian drama and poetry.
Mark Snyder Jr MEd, EdS
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(82)
What's included
18 live meetings
18 in-class hoursHomework
Students will be reading material prior to each class in order to participate in the classroom discussions.Assessment
No formal assessments. Students will read and discuss the material with teacher prompting and guiding questions.Class Experience
US Grade 7 - 10
Get $40 off my class "Approachable Shakespeare - Semester Study" with coupon code SNYDERSEMESTERCLASS40 until Oct 31, 2023. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/approachable-shakespeare-semester-study-OvcRSHbn and enter the coupon code at checkout. In this 18-week, full-semester course, students will learn about Shakespeare's life, work and influence. Each class will be a "deep dive" into the author's biographical information as well as a close-reading of three of his greatest dramatic works! The class will end with a light and positive review of his famous sonnets and poetry. My teaching style is to present the material, pose my own interpretations of the literature, and ask students to develop the self-confidence to speak up about their own impressions of the plays. I will help students understand the content by presenting the plays in order of complexity, starting with the comedies, and ending with the more dense histories. Course Schedule: Week 1 - Classroom introductions and conversations regarding prior Shakespeare experiences. Biographical information of our author will also be discussed as well as interesting facts on his life, his work and the time in which he lived. Homework: Read "Much Ado About Nothing" Act I Topics: Plot overview for fiction as it relates to Shakespeare comedy. Week 2 - Comedy: Much Ado About Nothing - Introduction to the play as well as discussion on reading homework. Homework: Read "Much Ado About Nothing" Act II Topic: Exposition Week 3 - Comedy: Much Ado About Nothing - Continuing discussion on comedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Much Ado About Nothing" Act III Topic: Rising Action Week 4 - Comedy: Much Ado About Nothing - Continuing discussion on comedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Much Ado About Nothing" Act IV Topic: Climax Week 5 - Comedy: Much Ado About Nothing - Continuing discussion on comedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Much Ado About Nothing" Act V Topic: Falling Action Week 6 - Comedy: Much Ado About Nothing - Final discussion on comedy and reading homework. Homework: No Homework! Topic: Resolution Week 7 - Tragedy: Hamlet - Introduction to the play as well as discussion on reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act I Topic: Plot overview for fiction as it relates to a Shakespeare tragedy. Week 8 - Tragedy: Hamlet - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act II Topics: Exposition Week 9 - Tragedy: Hamlet - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act III Topics: Rising Action Week 10 - Tragedy: Hamlet - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act IV Topics: Climax Week 11 - Tragedy: Hamlet - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act V Topics: Falling Action Week 12 - Tragedy: Hamlet - Final discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: No Homework! Topics: Resolution Week 13 - Tragedy: Macbeth - Introduction to the play as well as discussion on reading homework. Homework: Read "Macbeth" Act I Topic: Plot overview for fiction as it relates to Macbeth specifically (action-packed plot). Week 14 - Tragedy: Macbeth - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act II Topics: Exposition Week 15 - Tragedy: Macbeth - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act III Topics: Rising Action Week 16 - Tragedy: Macbeth - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act IV Topics: Climax Week 17 - Tragedy: Macbeth - Continuing discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: Read "Hamlet" Act V Topics: Falling Action Week 12 - Tragedy: Macbeth - Final discussion on tragedy and reading homework. Homework: No Homework! Topics: Resolution Week 18 - Sonnets/Poetry - Introduction to Sonnets/Poetry - Final discussion on Shakespeare - Last Class Topics: Poetic Devices Used in Sonnets
Learning Goals
Students will improve their understanding of Shakespearian Drama and Poetry, but also become more comfortable with the material for future literary study.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Shakespeare's drama, especially tragedy, can include topics of a mature nature (murder, adult relationships). As a middle and high school English/Language Arts teacher, I have navigated this exact material with the age group specified in the course description. We will approach these more mature themes from the perspective of what influence they have on the plays as well as the characters within the plays.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
All plays and poetry will be read using the following website: https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org
Mark Snyder Jr MEd, EdS
5.0
82reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Non-US Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
3 Degrees
Doctoral Degree in Education from Northcentral University
Master's Degree in Education from Millersville University
Bachelor's Degree in English from Millersville University
I have been a middle, high school and college English teacher and professor since 2008. I have been teaching this material, to this age group, for many years as prescribed by several states' public education curricula. I approach more problematic themes of murder and deceit using their literary thematic roles, rather than dwelling on the sensationalism of the acts, themselves. Shakespeare never sensationalized through writing about murder, he used these events as key elements of the plot.Reviews
Live Group Class
$360
for 18 classes1x per week, 18 weeks
60 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
4-6 learners per class
