Teacher: Melissa French

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Grade: 9

Subject: English

Synopsis of Unit:
In this unit, the students will be reading and analyzing A Midsummer Nights
Dream, as well as discussing William Shakespeares character manipulation

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throughout the play.

A. Lesson Title: Character Mapping!
B. Lesson Sequence: Introductory
Tennessee State Standards:
Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact
with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Teachers Instructional Objectives:
A. Students will be able to identify key characters in the play, and how they
relate to one another.
B. Students will create opinions about characters, and define how they evolve

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over the course of the play.

Assessment:
A. Pre: Before beginning the actual text of the play, the students were given
specific background information on William Shakespeare. They were also
given a list of characters with brief descriptions of their personalities.
B. Students will chose one particular character that they will become
during the play. They will begin with a journal entry of what they expect
to happen to their character along the way.
C. Post: After concluding each Act, the students will analyze their characters

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and how they are evolving, and indicate this with journal entries.
Procedures:
A. Set/Motivation: The students have been notified of the privilege of
reading Shakespeare. They have been given pep talks leading up to the
big day and realize they have been given an incredible opportunity that
only mature students are able to accomplish.
B. Instruction:

1. Teaching Strategies: Warm up- The students will be beginning each

day with a Shakespearean quote, otherwise known as a
Shakespearean Insult, then given a list of words from which to
choose and create their own insult. The best insult will be used
throughout the remainder of the day. Character Journal- The students
will then write their journal entry for the day, assuming the character
of their choice. Reading- We will do reading together as a group, with
occasional pauses to check for understanding and re-wording if
needed. Real Life Connections- We will point out real life connections
as needed as we read.
2. Checking for Understanding: As we read, we will pause for
discussions, and the students will answer questions in order to assess
how much is being comprehended.
3. Supervised Practice: The students will be given a graphic organizer
with character listing, where they can make notes of character
development.
4. Independent Practice: Character journals will be taken up and read to
assess whether the students have truly grasped how their key character
has changed from the beginning. They will tell me I used to
believe-----but now I believe-----.
5. Closure Summary: Before the ending of class, we will summarize
what has happened from the Act we have read in class, and review the
characters activities and actions.
6. Alternative Activities:

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Enrichment- For students who seem to really get their characters

and write in their journals quickly, I will assign flashcards for them

to practice the names of the other characters in the play.

b. Remediation- For the struggling students, I will provide a timeline
of events to help understand what the characters are doing at any
given time through the play.
c. Accommodations- All students will be reading, learning, and
discussing the play together in order to develop understanding of
Shakespeares writing style. I will have video clips of the movie A
Midsummer Nights Dream readily available for students who need
a visual and/or audio prompt.
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Materials:
The students will need their texts of A Midsummer Nights Dream for class
readings. They will also need their journals for character entries. A handout
for the graphic organizer and/or timeline will be provided. The video will be
ready to play in the classroom for the audio/video checks.