This teacher's guide for William Shakespeare's play "Henry V" is designed to accompany the Kenneth Branagh Masterpiece Theater film production of the play, and to help teachers use the film in a variety of ways. The guide includes pre-viewing background information, five teaching units, and a pullout poster for classroom display. The…

The discussion questions and essay prompts in this collection were compiled from contributions made by participants in the 1991 Arizona Shakespeare-Milton Institute. After an introduction which presents some general guidelines for teachers and students, the collection addresses the following works: "As You Like It"; "The…

An introductory unit on Shakespeare suitable for grades 8-10 is described. (The unit is intended for use with "A Visual Guide to Shakespeare's Life and Times" (Washington Square Press) and "Kings, Lovers, and Fools" (Scholastic). Activities include a 3-page study guide on Shakespeare's life and times; a chart for recording the…

This lesson explores the vision of childhood created by Lewis Carroll in "Alice in Wonderland." Students begin by looking at Carroll's photographs of the real Alice for whom Carroll imagined his story and compare the image of childhood that he captured on film with images of children in our culture. Then students read "Alice in…

Making connections for teachers between Shakespeare and his historical context on the one hand and secondary students on the other, this book presents background information, commentary, resources, and classroom ideas to enliven students' encounters with Shakespeare. The book concentrates on "Romeo and Juliet,""Julius…

Controversy often arises over the teaching of English literature in courses and programs in English as a foreign language (EFL). However, language and literature cannot be separated. Each has something important to offer in the development of a well-rounded student. Literature teaches idiomatic language and cultural context; it can also improve…

Examines some considerations that Shakespeare's plays raise for students and teachers of political science. Using the plays "Richard II and III" and "Henry IV, V, and VI," Gleicher discusses the genre of the history play, describes the historical and political position from which Shakespeare wrote, and identifies themes in…

Monsters have haunted the literary imagination from earliest times (e.g., the Cyclops, Grendel, etc.), but a particular interest in horror and the Gothic form dates back to the 18th and early 19th centuries. Taking their name from the Gothic architecture that often served as a backdrop to the action, these novels present supernatural events in…

Contributors offer suggestions for teaching "David Copperfield," a vocabulary unit built around the theme of love, and a vocabulary guessing game. (HOD)

This lesson introduces students to one of the most admired characterizations in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," the Wife of Bath. Students read Chaucer's description of the Wife in the "General Prologue" to consider how he represents her, both as the poet of "The Canterbury Tales" and as a character in his own poem,…

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" is usually taught as being about love's redeeming power. Usual interpretations of this story, however, ignore its title. It is also about a woman who discovers and uses her sexual power. To begin discussion, students are asked how many have ridden a horse and whether they have ever bought or sold a horse at…

This lesson plan, featuring the epic, "Beowulf," employs the introduction-quotation exchange to monitor student comprehension while reading the epic. A second exercise, also dealing with reading comprehension, requires students to keep an historical evidence journal and fill out an historical evidence chart. The lesson plan features a…

Shakespeare's plays are the apex of western achievement in the humanities and as such afford a highly fertile mechanism for teaching gifted elementary and secondary students. Studying Shakespeare facilitates the understanding of an earlier form of the English language and illustrates the evolutionary nature of language. Aside from a sense of…

Based on the idea that a wide range of individualization in the classroom is necessary to both stimulate the students and to meet their needs, this paper presents a complete course in English Literature based on the learning contract system. Included in the paper are a course outline with the objectives and the rules for the class; a title page…

Designed to make the study of Dickens'"Great Expectations" an appealing and worthwhile experience, this paper presents a unit of study intended to help students gain (1) an appreciation of Dickens' skill at creating realistic human characters; (2) an insight into the problems of a young man confused by false values and unreal ambitions…