Shakespeare is often feared because his language is so different than the English we speak today. In this class, students were taught that Shakespeare can be fun. They learned that it’s not that hard to read and worth every effort. Shakespeare’s works span the spectrum of human interaction and emotion. And the bard is a crack-up! He can be so funny! Students learned to understand the writing, discussed the elements of the plays, interpreted the material, and contemplated the themes and messages in the work. Students also learned that they can be part of something great, that they can do hard things, and work with a group toward a common goal. They developed skills related to time management, teamwork, memorizing, writing, presenting, acting, and play production

This class covered so much of what goes into making Shakespeare great including:

• Who was Shakespeare and why is he still important
• Poetic Language devises and strategies
• The culture and history of Elizabethan England
• Beginning acting
• Reading difficult texts and being part of a book discussion
• Writing opinion papers
• Giving a presentation to peers
• Working with others

The first semester was devoted to studying a tragedy, during the second semester students produced and performed a comedy.