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Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 5: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

For Teachers 5th Standards
Fifth graders analyze William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, paying close attention to character development, plot, and dialogue. With daily reading and thoughtful discussion, scholars take pen to paper to respond to journal...
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Study Guide
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Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
A night in the forest, a fairy king and queen, adolescent rebellion, magic potions, love triangles, a funny play about a tragedy, a plot that, rather than running smooth, runs amok? Of course, 'Twould be a guide for teaching...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 2: Revise Essay Drafts

For Teachers 8th Standards
Time to revise! Scholars revise their argument essays based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream using feedback from their teacher and peers. They begin their revisions after reviewing a mini-instructional activity on proper...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Launching the Performance Task: Prompt, Characters, Groups

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars unpack the word confession as they prepare to write confessionals based on characters from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, they read their narratives to a small group of peers as part of a final performance task.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Author’s Craft: Analyzing Shakespeare’s Craft: Part 2

For Teachers 8th Standards
Annoyed or bewitched—how does an author's word choice affect a text? Scholars begin the instructional activity by analyzing word choice in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, learners take a closer look at the narrative...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Planning the First Draft of the Character Confessional Narrative

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars read and analyze a model character confessional narrative to help guide their writing. Then, they plan the first draft of a character confessional based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1:Drafting the Argument Essay

For Teachers 8th Standards
An informative resource instructs pupils on how to write their essay drafts about the theme of control in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, scholars complete an Exit Ticket, listing their three favorite characters from the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing an Argument Essay: Planning the Essay

For Teachers 8th Standards
Pupils use a helpful resource to begin a Writing Improvement Tracker, developing awareness of their writing strengths and challenges. Additionally, they continue planning their argument essays about Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing an Argument Essay: Planning the Essay

For Teachers 8th Standards
It's time for a quote sandwich! Using the resource, pupils learn about the three parts of an effective quotation: introduction, quote, and analysis. Scholars use the model to peer critique each others' writing to show what they learned.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing an Argument Essay: Evaluating the Model and Crafting a Claim

For Teachers 8th Standards
Pupils prepare to write argumentative essays based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They begin weighing evidence and crafting claims for their writing about control.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing the Model Essay: Studying Argument

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars begin writing an argument essay based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They read and analyze a model essay, considering the author's thinking before writing it.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Analyzing Narrative Structure and Author’s Craft: Part 1

For Teachers 8th Standards
Using the resource, scholars complete a mid-unit assessment to gauge their learning at the halfway point of the unit. Pupils read the myth "The Harvest That Never Came" and plot its narrative structure.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Leaving the Play: All’s Well That Ends Well

For Teachers 8th Standards
How does Shakespeare develop the theme of control in A Midsummer Night's Dream? Using the resource, scholars analyze the theme of parental control in the play and the Greek myth "Pyramus and Thisbe." Next, they talk to partners to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing How Shakespeare’s Play Draws upon Greek Mythology: Part 3

For Teachers 8th Standards
How do the narrative and play versions of the myth "Pyramus and Thisbe" affect meaning? Scholars reread Act 5, Scene 1 from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and compare its structure to "Pyramus and Thisbe." Next, they use a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing How Shakespeare’s Play Draws upon Greek Mythology: Part 2

For Teachers 8th Standards
Pupils explore the narrative structure of a piece of literary text, mapping out the plot structure of the Greek myth "Pyramus and Thisbe." Next, they use their completed graphic organizers to write story summaries.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing How Shakespeare’s Play Draws upon Greek Mythology: Part 1

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars read the story "Pyramus and Thisbe," analyzing word choice, tone, and meaning. They then try to find the gist of the story and discuss how Shakespeare used the myth in his play A Midsummer Night's Dream.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing the Resolution of the Play: World Café Discussion

For Teachers 8th Standards
It's time to get active! Scholars participate in a World Café protocol to promote discussion and leadership. They leave their seats and move from group to group to discuss critical questions related to their read-aloud of Shakespeare's A...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading Shakespeare: The Play within the Play

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars continue reading the Greek myth "Pyramus and Thisbe," analyzing why it was written into Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, they complete a Venn diagram to compare the two texts.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Character and Theme: Tracking Control in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars examine how characters try to control one another in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They engage in a read-aloud and class discussion to iron out ideas. They also work in small groups to complete a note-catcher...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Characters and Consequences

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars consider how dialogue reveals aspects of a play's characters as they read Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and complete a written conversation note-catcher. Additionally, pupils participate in an I Have/Who Has jigsaw...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Character and Theme: Tracking Control in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

For Teachers 8th Standards
Pupils first participate in a drama circle as they continue reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream aloud with classmates. Next, scholars move around and discuss text-dependent questions about the play with a Three Threes in a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Author’s Craft: The Poetry of the Play

For Teachers 8th Standards
Feel the rhythm! Pupils begin reading Act 2, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as they continue participating in a drama circle. With discussion, they examine Shakespeare's use of rhyme, rhythm, and meter, analyzing how...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Text to Film Comparison: Bottom the Fool

For Teachers 8th Standards
Pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp. Oxymorons are awfully good! Scholars reread Act I, scene 2 from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream while participating in a drama circle. Next, they begin working on anchor charts to dissect Shakespeare's...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading Shakespeare: Analyzing a Theme of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

For Teachers 8th Standards
After finishing Act I, scene 1 from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, class members study the theme of control as it relates to the play and start an Evidence of Control note-catcher worksheet.