HOW
IT WORKS
While reading “Julius Caesar,”
students learn about Shakespeare, his time, Elizabethan culture, and
Shakespearean language. Students' learning is no longer limited by a teacher's
knowledge. They can visit a virtual Globe Theater and learn about Roman history
and related subjects. Students will also learn to critique others' work online
and absorb what they read in the Internet and create their original work.
Teacher
preparation steps include doing research online to several helpful Web sites
that inform students of the history of ancient Rome and about Shakespeare and
the Globe Theatre, and posting them on your Web site as resources for your
students' research. Prepare questions that tap into the different levels of
cognitive skills and ask the student to discuss online.
Student activities include visit Web
sites and getting familiar with the history of ancient Rome, and visiting a
virtual Globe Theater and reading background information about Shakespeare. They
also publish their reactions to the play online.
A project can be designed to
help assess the student's understanding, such as the analysis of a character or
theme, or they can debate over issues raised in the play. After reading articles
that critique “Julius Caesar” and allow them to see other people's
perspectives on the play, the students can write responses to one or two of the
articles and share them with the class online.
WHAT
YOU NEED
Computers with Internet access are needed for
students to do research and share their opinions with other students, Software materials used include Microsoft
FrontPage for web creation and any Internet browser (4.x or higher version). Required teacher technology skills include Web
creation and building a discussion forum, and students are required to have a
basic knowledge of computers and using the Internet.
THE
STUDENTS
This unit is tailored for high school English
students. The students need not be
Internet savvy but must be able to catch on to e-mail, and using web resources.
OVERALL VALUE
The use of
technology enables students to learn at their own pace, according to their needs
or interests, and allows the multidisciplinary approach to happen naturally
(this unit involves history, architecture, culture studies, and language arts).
It also provides more opportunities for individual instruction since lessons are
posted online, and it instills a sense of pride in students as writers when they
see their work published on the Web. It also enhances their communication with
pupils from other schools who are doing the same project.
For teachers,
this unit demonstrates how effective teaching can take place within a
heterogeneous classroom. Within the unit, there are lessons that incorporate
basic cognitive skills such as answering questions based on the text. There are
also projects that need more advanced cognitive skills such as analyzing the
characters and themes, and debating over certain ideas, issues etc. Students
have more opportunities to receive individual instructions and are able to work
at their own pace. Teachers are removed from the center of the classroom and
pass the role to the student. The four ELA Regents tasks based on the play help
the students to reexamine the issues discussed in the play from another
perspective, which also familiarizes them with the NY State Regents exam.
TIPS
This unit is designed for teachers who have had experiences in doing an Internet
project. As a beginner, you may like to pick a part of the unit and implement it
in your class. As you start
teaching the play, you can use an online gallery to help students understand and
keep track of the characters.
STANDARDS
Standards addressed by this unit include analyzing the author's point of view
toward an issue raised in one of the author's works; analyzing the literary,
cultural, and social context of a literary work: producing work in reflective
essays; making thematic connections among literary texts, public discourse, and
media; and evaluating the impact of the author's decisions regarding word
choice, style, content, and literary elements.