Shakespeare Unlocked: A Midsummer Night's Dream
This six-week course explores Shakespeare's whimsical comedy, delving into its themes of love, magic, and illusion, along with character analysis, historical context, and the play's enduring influence on literature.
Dana Lorelle, Writing, Vocabulary, Essays
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(1,293)
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What's included
6 live meetings
5 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. 3-6 throughout the classAssessment
3-6 throughout the classClass Experience
US Grade 6 - 9
This six-week course on William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will combine reading comprehension and literary appreciation with optional writing assignments due after every class. These assignments will be 1-3 paragraphs in length and designed to evaluate students’ comprehension and written expression of complex ideas related to the play. Students will also be supplied with comprehension questions for each act. In week 1, we will introduce the play and explain the historical context along with major themes and what to look for while reading. Students do not need to read the play before class. Subsequent weeks will focus on themes, character analysis, plot structure, and other important elements of the play. Each class begins with an engaging warm-up. The weekly class will be a mixture of discussion, presentation, activities, and student work, such as finding quotes to illustrate themes. For a complete breakdown of each week, please see the syllabus.
Learning Goals
Understand the themes, structure, and characters of the play.
Syllabus
6 Lessons
over 6 WeeksLesson 1:
Week 1: Introduction to "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Overview of Shakespeare's life and the Elizabethan era
Historical context and the role of theater in Shakespeare's time
Introduction to the play's characters and major themes
Understanding the initial setup
Homework: discussion questions. 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Week 2: Love and Conflict
Analyzing the themes of love, desire, and conflict in the play
In-depth character analysis: Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena
Discussing the love potion as a catalyst for chaos
Exploring the complications of the love quadrangle 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Week 3: The World of the Fairies
Examining the magical world of the fairies led by Oberon and Titania
Shakespeare's use of supernatural elements
Interpreting Puck's role and the consequences of his actions
The fairy realm 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Week 4: The Rude Mechanicals
Understanding the subplot involving the amateur actors
Character analysis of Bottom, Quince, and the other "rude mechanicals"
Exploring the humor and satire in their scenes
Dissecting the play-within-a-play 55 mins online live lesson
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined February, 2019
5.0
1293reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
My passions are writing and poetry, and it's my great joy that my five kids can quote Shakespeare and Longfellow. So many students claim to "hate" poetry, but that's often because poetry is difficult to understand. My goal is to give students the tools they need to unlock poems and also Shakespeare. Like John Keats suddenly understanding Homer once he read the English translation, I want my students to look "...at each other with a wild surmise/ Silent, upon a peak in Darien." Reviews
Live Group Course
$17
weekly or $100 for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
55 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
2-12 learners per class
