What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read approximately one act per lesson on their own time. Each act contains 1-5 scenes. Students will have access to 2-5 new videos and a corresponding worksheet with vocabulary definitions, discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. I also assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions. There is an optional Kahoot and two supplemental activities in lessons two and four.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.Letter Grade
includedClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
The Taming of the Shrew is Shakespeare's comedy about marriage and relationships. Shakespeare's plays are 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 approximately one act a week on their own time. Each act contains 1-5 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. Once we have finished all of the scenes in the Act, students are assigned a one-two page writing assignment focused around that act. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each scene/act. I also post a link for an optional, 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. In Lessons Two and Four, students will also have access to a Shakespeare related joke, pun, or activity. Kahoot is a free resource. The student does not need an account.
Learning Goals
The prerecorded sessions emphasize characters' motivations, theme, and story plausibility. Students will examine their own thoughts through a worksheet, a writing assignment, vocabulary words, and an optional Kahoot! review quiz.
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Induction (Scenes 1-2) and Act 1 (Scenes 1-2)
worksheets, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 2:
Act 2 (Scene 1) and Act 3 (Scenes 1-2)
worksheets, writing assignment, supplemental activity, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 3:
Act 4 (Scenes 1-5)
worksheets, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 4:
Act 5 (Scenes 1-2)
worksheets, writing assignment, supplemental activity, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Other Details
Parental Guidance
According to squeakycleanreviews.com: "The Taming of the Shrew" is an extremely controversial play, and little wonder: the relationship of husband and wife that it presents runs completely counter to modern opinion. Petruchio sets out to tame Katherina of her ill temper and to make her submissive to him as her husband, and he does go about it in a tyrannical, if lighthearted, fashion. On the other hand, starting off with a mercenary bridegroom and a shrewish bride, it was extremely amusing to reach the end and find that, of the story's three couples, Petruchio and Katherina were best suited to each other.
The note on which the play ends, that of encouragement for wives to submit to their husbands, may grate on the ears of modern readers. Of course, the fact that Petruchio was in it for the money ought to make it clear that the characters are hardly role model material. All contentions regarding Shakespeare's final point aside, "The Taming of the Shrew" is really a boisterous, witty comedy of marriage and relationships and must be taken in that light in order to be enjoyed.
Supply List
The students will need their own copy of The Taming of the Shrew 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 The Folger 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:
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 also currently teach English Composition at a 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 learn something new every time I am exposed to Shakespeare's stories. The Taming of the Shrew is an excellent book to dissect and discuss love, honesty, choice, and gender roles in relationships. 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
$12
weekly or $45 for all content4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
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Ages: 13-18