1. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Think~Pair~Share… Describe a particular text or data that is difficult to teach. ~what makes this text challenging to teach and for students to comprehend?

2. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Shakespeare What???? “Mere mention of his name is likely to make a class of freshmen panic, so it’s important that a student’s first encounter with Shakespeare’s plays be dynamic and engaging” (Biondo-Hench, 1993).

3. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Language and Comprehension Problems with Shakespeare Language is distant from the student - Late Middle-English. Syntax~ reversed word order. “I must upfill this osier cage of ours” (Romeo and Juliet, 2.3.7). Word phrases are long (wordy).

4. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project The Challenge Continues… Classical allusion “Titan’s fiery wheels” (Romeo and Juliet, 2.3.4) Reversed sentence construction “Within the infant rind of this small flower/ Poison hath residence and medicine power” (Romeo and Juliet, 2.3.23-24). The “Yuck-Factor”

5. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Principles of Engagement… Situated Cognition: ~ “most learning occurs naturally through activities, contexts, cultures” (Lave, 1988). *Evoking prior knowledge in students Pop Culture: ~ “[…] that popular culture is an element of their own lives and can be ‘fertile ground’ [for engagement]” (Newkirk, 2009). *Close to home

6. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Principles of Engagement… In order to engage reluctant learners, his or her learning must have a purpose- “Without purpose, significant learning is difficult if not impossible to achieve” (Wilhelm, 2007).

7. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Principles of Engagement… what I’ve discovered  Learning needs to take place in a safe environment  Learning is social  Learning should be fun  Learning needs to occur within the student’s zone of proximal development  Learning needs to be purposeful

8. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Autobiographical Writing Journal write: Write about a healthy, dating relationship you have had in the past or that you’ve observed.What made this relationship fun and exciting? What is something you questioned about this relationship? Think~Pair~Share The Process

9. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project What’s the BIG Question? Reframing Shakespeare with inquiry: Romeo and Juliet “What makes a great relationship?” “What is maturity?” “What makes a good decision?” Othello “Who do we trust?” “How does one reveal his/her essential character?”

10. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Schema Building Theme Prompts Think~ Small Group Discussion ~Whole Group Discussion  Define “feud” as you understand it.  Under what circumstances is it permissible to kill another person?  Is it possible to be in love at the age of 14? Explain your answer.

11. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Visualize Bulletin board: Functions as an Anchor Chart  Students stake their claims  Opinions  Characterization  Discoveries-- through journal writes, etc. (This is something that the students continually build upon throughout our exploration of relationships)

12. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Working with the Language Choral reading--Prologue, Romeo and Juliet 1. Read the Prologue in unison~ Discuss and define confusing words or phrases 2. Read one word at a time Read as one voice (one word at a time) 3. Read half-line as Montagues vs. Capulets; Boys vs. Girls 4. Read with style Southern drawl, rapper, redneck… 5.Read to punctuation stops--semicolons, colons, and periods,but NOT COMMAS 6.Wrap-up: Have one student read the prologue in its entirety for closure.

13. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Working with the Language  Moving beyond choral reading: Othello Exploring words and motifs  Word search activity: Working in groups of two--students were given the challenge of exploring various words/motifs that occurred in Othello. They picked one word and then created a log quote and cited each time the word occurred in the play, who said it, and lastly, the word’s connotation and denotation. They then had to present their word in a creative way to the class.  Possible presentations: poster, choral reading, rap etc.

14. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Working with the Language List of words for word search activity: Soul Hate Heaven Devil Damn(ed), damnation Monster Moor Hell Honesty Love Jealous, jealousy ** Othello Rap example Handkerchief Faith

15. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Inferring Helping students connect to the BIG PICTURE 1.Subtext activity* 2. Graffiti journals ( Monologue about Queen Mab )* 3. Journaling in character or from the Dear Abby perspective* 4. Insult hurling activity 5. Guided think aloud activities

16. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Determining Importance supporting comprehension Romeo and Juliet The letter Othello The handkerchief

17. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Handkerchief Activity Passing the handkerchief : The Script oThe handkerchief originally comes to Othello before the action of the play begins, from his mother--who had it either as a gift from an Egyptian or as a gift from Othello’s father, depending on which account of Othello’s you believe oOthello gives it to Desdemona, his first gift to her. oDesdemona tries to bind Othello’s head with it, and accidentally drops it. oEmilia picks it up. oIago snatches it from Emilia… oThen leaves it in the lodging of Cassio’s oCassio finds it and gives it to Bianca… (adapted from Shakespeare Set Free,1995). Option: Have the students write and perform a sports play for the letter scene or the scene that leads up to Juliet taking the poison in Romeo and Juliet

18. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Synthesizing Putting it all together Students overcoming difficult texts and making connections ~ ‘Cowboy’ Othello written and performed by 10th grade students ~Prologue II, Romeo and Juliet performed by 9th grade students

19. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Breaking it down… The Process Conceptual frontloading: 1.Framing Shakespeare with inquiry 2.Schema building/starting with what students know (pop culture)

20. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Breaking it down… The Process Procedural: 1. Breaking down the language~ short to long (Choral reading) 2. Finding patterns in the language (Choral reading) 3. Inferring (subtext activity)

21. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Principles of Engagement What I’ve discovered… Social Play Simple task gradually moving toward difficult task –Apprentice students with difficult texts Limited time frame Choice Creativity Less is more

22. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Other Ideas for Engagement PSA announcements (advocating healthy dating relationships) Visual Tableaux with math concepts/vocabulary words Act out a difficult text, i.e., Declaration of Independence Role Play a scientific concept (metamorphosis, mitosis, etc.) Use music~ ‘rap’ a concept (historical event, mathematical formula, grammar rule, etc.) Graffiti journals Board games and/or video games Video diaries Music videos or soundtracks about event in history or mathematical formula

23. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project The Engagement Continuum (Saxton & Morgan, 1994)  Interest: being curious about a problem or a topic  Engagement: wanting and striving to be involved in the tasks associated with the problem  Commitment:[…] wanting to adhere to community and disciplinary norms  Interpretation/Internalization: explaining, interpreting, and merging objectives. [In other words] the content and processes to be learned to complete important tasks […] with the subjective experiences --what is already known, felt, and believed--resulting in deepened understanding and new insights and abilities  Application: finding new situations where the new understandings can be used  Generation: generating new data and interpretations that build on established sets of information  Communication: wanting to represent and communicate new understandings and questions to others  Evaluation: willingness to critique and refine understandings of one’s own learning process (as cited in Wilhelm, 2007, p. 153)

24. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Application Reflecting: Think back to your opening journal write about a difficult text that is hard to get students engaged… 1. Identify the challenge 2. Consider how you can reframe this lesson with inquiry Examples: Is war necessary? What is maturity? Who do we trust? What makes a good home? What’s worth fighting for? How does music reflect society and culture? ( some questions were adapted from Wilhelm,2007)

25. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Application 3. Schema building- How can you activate students’ prior knowledge about this lesson? Examples: Journal writes Theme prompts Concept maps Opinionnaire Ranking scenarios

26. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Application 4. Breakdown the task a. What is the purpose of this lesson…state it________________. Example: The purpose is to get students comfortable and comprehend the complexity of Shakespearian language. b. Reconsider how this text can be taught in smaller parts Example: Choral reading--playing with Shakespeare’s language from Romeo and Juliet, Prologue 1

27. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Think~Pair~Share Get into groups of two or three, and discuss your ideas.

28. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Bibliography Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in practice: Mind, mathematics, and culture in everyday life. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. retrieved June 20, 2010: http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/models/ powerpoint/cog.pdf http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/models/ powerpoint/cog.pdf Newkirk, T. (2009). Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For. Portsmouth,NH: Heinemann.

29. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Bibliography O ’ Brien, Peggy and Jeanne Addison Roberts et al. Shakespeare Set Free: Teaching A Midsummer Night ’ s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Washington, D.C: Washington Square Press. Watterson, B. (1996). Free Clip Art/cksinfo.com. retrieved June 24, 2010: http://www.cksinfo.com/cartoons/calvinandhobbes /index.html. Wilhelm, J. (2007). Engaging Readers & Writers with Inquiry. New York, NY: Scholastic.

30. Denise A. Braswell, Teacher Consultant, Boise State Writing Project Additional Resources Netflix: The Reduced Shakespeare Company