My students need copies of these classic plays for our Drama Literature Circles unit. Instead of a whole class approach to one play, I'm splitting my seven classes into groups that can self-select their plays.
Teenagers. 14. 15. 16. 17. Those years are full of growth and wonder. High School students come into my classroom with verve and insecurities that must be met with caring concern and educational expectations that maintain strict boundaries. There are many distractions and competition for focus, but these students respond very positively to student-led classroom arrangements that engage their desire to better themselves.
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Through a nurturing environment, my students find success.
My Project
Our district has been hit hard, financially. When I looked in the novel room, we had a few selections for the fiction unit, but nothing for the Drama unit. Even with hurricane recovery efforts and other outside efforts, I was told we do not have funding available for these four plays to be added to my class curriculum. With all the analytical reports of what strategies work best in English classrooms, I have been reworking the Drama unit to breathe life into our 10th grade study of classic plays. I want to give the students the option of 12 Angry Men, A Raisin in The Sun, A Doll's House, or an independently accessible version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
With these new books, my students will be able to choose, within their area of interest, a play that they will study in a "book club" setting.
In literature circles (~5 students each), my kids will read and interact with the text, in class and at home. I want to get as many classic pieces of literature in the hands of kids as possible, without killing their drive to learn and think with old-fashioned, boring, whole-class approaches to the works. Access to these books will not only foster a theoretical greater appreciation, but studies show that the best practical way to increase reading ability is to read more. When it comes to the bottom line of test scores and growth percentiles, these books will help my students grow stronger and be more successful in life. My students already have shown an astonishing interest in independent and collaborative reading, so this project will only help enrich their experiences with the printed word.
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