Lesson+2+-+The+Life+of+Shakespeare


 * Lesson Objective:** Students will examine the life of Shakespeare and read about the controversies surrounding him in order to draw conclusions about the authorship of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.

Picture of William Shakespeare on overhead or LCD projector "Will the REAL Bill Shakespeare Please Stand Up" handout "Life and Times of William Shakespeare" handout "William Shakespeare's Lost Years" handout "Why is There a Shakespeare Authorship Controversy?" handout "What Is Your Opinion?" handout Map of the settings of William Shakespeare [|Map Link]
 * Lesson Materials:**

Distribute "Will the REAL Bill Shakespeare Please Stand Up" handout to each student as they enter. Display the picture of Shakespeare on the overhead or projector. Students should answer the four questions at the top based on their guesses or what they know about Shakespeare.
 * Mindjob/Drill:**

1. Have students share their responses to the drill. Introduce that this is a portrait of William Shakespeare. 2. Ask students to complete the second part of their handout where it says, "Here are some questions I'd like answered." Record students questions on the overhead. 3. Distribute "Life and Times of William Shakespeare" to each student. Instruct students to read the handout silently to themselves. 4. Students should discuss as a table what they have learned about Shakespeare, particularly details that answered theirs and the class's questions. Students should write their responses in the box labeled, "Oh, NOW I know that..." 5. Introduce the dual controversies of William Shakespeare's lost years and his authorship. 6. Give each table of four "William Shakespeare's Lost Years" handout and "Why is There a Shakespeare Authorship Controversy?" (with map). Students should read the selections as a table and study the map. 7. On a blank sheet of paper, groups should develop a timeline of Shakespeare's life. Students should indicate the intervals of the missing years and speculate what took place during those years on the timeline. Students should use the map to determine how and when Shakespeare gathered knowledge on the various settings of his plays. They should try to rationalize through discussion how the missing years and his broad knowledge of the world may correlate.
 * Lesson Procedure:**

The group timelines will serve as an assessment. Each individual student should also submit a written response to the following prompt:
 * Assessment:**
 * Based on your discussion and timeline, who do you believe wrote Shakespeare's plays? Why do you believe this?