Lesson+1+-+Elizabethan+Culture


 * Lesson Objective:** Students will analyze and interpret information about the social and cultural environment of Elizabethan England in order to understand the world in which Shakespeare lived and wrote.

//The Shakespeare Stealer// by Gary Blackwood Dialectical journals Chart paper or poster board (one per table) Colored markers or crayons Copy of Focus Question (one per table; see table below) "Welcome to Elizabethan England" handout
 * Lesson Materials:**

- Place the controlling question on the overhead/LCD projector: "What was it like to live in and be a writer/actor in Elizabethan England?" Remind students to use their dialectical journals and their copy of the novel to list as many ideas as they can.
 * Mindjog/Drill:**

1) Introduce today's jigsaw discussion. Explain that students will be discussing the controlling question in order to gain a more detailed understanding of the world and culture in which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. 2) Students should be seated at tables of four. Each table should have a piece of chart paper or poster board that is large enough for all students to reach and write on and markers and/or crayons. 3) Inform students that each table has questions to discuss that refer back to the controlling question. Students should discuss their question for approximately 7-10 minutes and encouraged to record any ideas or questions on the posterboard using the markers and crayons in any way they wish - words, pictures, outlines, doodles, etc. 4) When time is up, students should decide who will remain the host of their table. This student will stay at the table. The other students should separate to different tables with different questions; they should NOT stay together. 5) At their new tables, the host/hostess will share with the new participants what the discussion question is and what some of the key ideas were from the previous group. The new members must again discuss the table question, again using markers and crayons to express their ideas. Students are encouraged to bring ideas from their first table with them. NOTE: A different colored marker may be given to the new group so that the evolution of each group's discussion may be visually traced. 6) If time allows, have students again choose another group to move to and repeat the above procedure. Remember - hosts should stay at their tables. 7) Have students return to their //home// group for a final discussion. Students will each bring their own unique experience with discussion and should share the ideas they came across and look at the ideas that have been left at their table in order to synthesize their ideas. 8) In a large group discussion, return to the controlling question:
 * Lesson Procedures:**
 * What have you learned about life in Elizabethan England?
 * What have you learned about the life of a playwright/actor in Elizabethan England?

Have students complete the "Welcome to Elizabethan England" handout.
 * Lesson Assessment:**
 * =Controlling Question: What was it like to live in and be a writer/actor in Elizabethan England?= ||
 * **Table 1:** What was it like to live in Elizabethan England? What was society like? How did people live? ||
 * **Table 2:** What issues, ideas, or themes might a writer or artist of that time choose to express? What is happening in the world at this time? ||
 * **Table 3:** What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a writer at this time? ||
 * **Table 4:** What is the world of theatre like at this time? The world of an actor? A playwright? ||
 * **For additional tables**: Repeat above questions. ||