Making Shakespeare Relatable and Fun for Middle School Students
My students need a class set of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare in order to study and perform this wonderful play.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Davis's classroom raised $318
This project is fully funded
My Students
I teach in one of the most diverse schools in the United States. My students come from the expensive houses in the hills and from some of the poorest neighborhoods on the other side of the highway. 57% of my students are on free or reduced lunch. They are White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic. I teach 8th grade English to highly bright and enthusiastic students. They all bring with them a love of learning and an excitement about the topics we cover.
My students are creative and inquisitive.
They love creating projects and doing research on topics that interest them. They are readers and writers. They eat up new books but don't often have access to the latest titles for young adults. I do my best to get them what they need but also rely on donations from the community to get them the resources for their learning that they need and deserve.
My Project
Shakespeare has a bad rep in middle school and high school. Students can be fearful of the "funny" sounding language and believe that they couldn't possible to relate to the characters in Shakespeare's plays.
I want to show students that Shakespeare is so relatable and that the language is a much smaller challenge than they believe it to be.
This project will fund a class set of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream. It will allow use to read and study the play in its entirety in class. It will also be a jumping off point to learn a little bit about the Elizabethan Era.
Through this unit, students will learn that Shakespeare isn't scary and can actually be fun! After we have read the entire play, students will have the opportunity to work in groups to dig deeper into an act. They will re-read, condense it, and plan a performance around their assigned act.
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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