The Literate Teacher's Manifesto

And we're off! (Slowly. Haltingly.  Some hitches.) Overall,  things went well today.  There were of course, a few technology glitches (fewer than last year), a few complaining kiddos (about the same as last year), and the usual problems about variations in completing the activities. I don't have a lot to write about, since by the time we talked through the directions and answered questions,  there was only enough time to get through two rotations. I will say that the pantomime scene was a resounding success, and that based on the station where the kids do a cold read of a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream , I feel like this may be a better year for acting. The part of the activity that I love best, though, is watching the kids connect with Shakespeare.  They have to see it as something that can be accessed by everyone.  Shakespeare never intended his plays to be the sole province of academia. They were written for the masses crammed into the pit in fr...

Tonight finds me feverishly preparing for the introduction to our Shakespeare unit.  It is both my favorite thing and the thing I dread most. You may wonder about this dichotomy.  I adore this unit, and the opening activities are fantastic and really set the tone. However,  it is such a high-stress organizational task! I'm trying to remember everything we learned last year when we did this for the first time, which was a lot. But I've slept since then, and I can't shake the nagging feeling that I'm forgetting really important things. I guess tomorrow will tell the tale! The study of Shakespeare in general is very stress-inducing for me. Most of my students have never read or had any experience with Shakespeare. This unit will be their first exposure to something which will continue as a major part of the English curriculum through both high school and college.  The impression they leave my classroom with about Shakespeare and his work may very well set the tone for ...