Julius Caesar: Shakespeare Book Club
In this 5-week book club, students will read and discuss Shakespeare's historical play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
Janelle Fila
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4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
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What's included
5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will read one act a week on their own time in. Each act contains 3-5 scenes. Each lesson, students will have access to 3-5 new videos and a corresponding worksheet with vocabulary definitions, discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each lesson, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions. There is an optional Kahoot! review quiz and supplemental activities like riddles and interactive questions to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Grading
Please let me know if a grade is required.Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Julius Caesar is a Shakespeare tragedy about the assassination of the military general, would-be dictator, and historical figure Julius Caesar. This tragedy is required reading for a lot of high school students. It is the perfect story for group discussion and analysis because Shakespeare's language and word choices can be hard to appreciate and understand when reading alone. Students will read one act a week on their own time. Each act contains 3-5 scenes. A separate video will discuss each scene the student reads. I will also post a summary of each scene and a worksheet with vocabulary definitions to important words and phrases within the scene. I use the worksheets to address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each scene. The worksheets may also have space for short discussion questions and fill-in-the blank answers. Lesson Schedule Breakdown: Students will receive access to one new video that discusses a different assigned scene. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, social issues, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. Students will receive a scene summary paragraph and a corresponding worksheet with vocabulary definitions, discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers for each day. For weeks that have less than six scenes to read, students will have access to a Shakespeare related joke, pun, activity, or question that keeps students immersed in the act all week. Finally, students are assigned a one page writing assignment focused around that week's act. I ask the students to share their responses in the classroom and submit any vocabulary words the students still struggle with or passages the students still do not understand. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each scene/act. I also post a link an online Kahoot! trivia game for the students to further immerse themselves in this week's reading before we move onto a new act the following week. For each lesson, students will have access to: 3-5 videos, scene summaries, vocabulary and supplemental worksheets 1 one page weekly writing assignment to gauge the reader's understanding of their previous reading 1 Kahoot trivia game as needed: supplemental interactive activities, riddles, puns, etc.
Learning Goals
Week One: Act 1 (Scenes 1-3)
Week Two: Act 2 (Scenes 1-4)
Week Three: Act 3 (Scenes 1-3)
Week Four: Act 4 (Scenes 1-3)
Week Five: Act 5 (Scenes 1-5)
Syllabus
5 Lessons
over 5 WeeksLesson 1:
Act 1
Video lessons over each scene with vocabulary worksheets, a writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz, and supplemental activities Lesson 2:
Act 2
Video lessons over each scene with vocabulary worksheets, a writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz, and supplemental activities Lesson 3:
Act 3
Video lessons over each scene with vocabulary worksheets, a writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz, and supplemental activities Lesson 4:
Act 4
Video lessons over each scene with vocabulary worksheets, a writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz, and supplemental activities Other Details
Parental Guidance
From commonsensemedia.org: Like most Shakespeare plays, there is light profanity (like "damn" and "God") and violence as the characters are motivated by revenge, power, and murder. The dialogue is often hard to follow for those unfamiliar with Shakespearean plays. The Acts either contain many scenes or long scenes, which can be challenging for some readers.
Supply List
The students will need their own copy of Julius Caesar to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have when completing the writing assignments. I use a well-annotated edition that explains difficult words and constructions in class, but students may want an annotated edition for their own reading as well.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have a Master's degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years before teaching full-time on Outschool for multiple years. I currently teach English Composition at my local nursing college. I have been blessed to discuss Shakespeare in the classroom multiple times, including my own high school reading experience! My high school English teacher was obsessed with Shakespeare and taught me the importance of understanding these often tragic plays. I learned a lot from her enthusiasm and hope to pass that passion on to my own students. I have read this play multiple times, but I learn something new every time I am exposed to this story. It is an excellent book to discuss because of the historical content and references. There is also so much language and subtext to analyze. I am excited to read it alongside your student to see what emotions and feelings Shakespeare's writings stir up for them.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$14
weekly or $70 for all content5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 7 learners
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Ages: 14-18
