From Shannon Whiteside
I remember the first time I guided students through a Shakespeare play. It was quite intimidating because I had never even read through a whole play. I somehow got through high school by watching Mel Gibson as Hamlet and reading the Cliff Notes of Romeo and Juliet! Here I was standing before a class of middle schoolers at our co-op ready to embark on this banquet that is Shakespeare. The great news was that I didn’t have to be an expert. I would read the scene introductions, briefly talk about the main characters, and then we would go for it. We would listen to sections from the Arkangel production and read some scenes aloud. I would have the students stand up so they could get into their roles and even use some props so we could distinguish the characters. (You could also have each student glue the characters on popsicle sticks which is suggested in the Alveary lesson plans.) I am sure many of us were lost at times during our readings but that didn’t matter.
In Parents and Children (Vol. 5), Mason provided some insight in regard to our reading of Shakespeare:
He, indeed, is not to be classed, and timed, and treated as one amongst others,—he, who might well be the daily bread of the intellectual life; Shakespeare is not to be studied in a year; he is to be read continuously throughout life, from ten years old and onwards. But a child of ten cannot understand Shakespeare. No; but can a man of fifty? Is not our great poet rather an ample feast of which every one takes according to his needs, and leaves what he has no stomach for? (p.224)
One of my students, Eva, was very discouraged when we began our first play and told her mom that she didn’t want to attend the Shakespeare class anymore because she did not enjoy it. Her mom did not allow her to give up. Slowly by slowly, Eva began to understand Shakespeare more and more and grew to love it. Now as a 15-year-old, she reads Shakespeare on her own. When I asked her about her experience at our co-op she said, “Once I started to understand the language more, I could look past that and understand that and notice a lot more hidden jokes and appreciate the sheer wittiness and brilliance of Shakespeare.”
How do we come to appreciate Shakespeare even when it initially seems like a foreign language? Keep listening, keep reading, keep positive. There are many treasures to uncover in the wisdom and wit of Shakespeare. What has been your experience with Shakespeare? Have you and your students come to appreciate Shakespeare? Or are you still intimidated? Head on over to the Hive and leave your comments.
Notes
1. Science (Grades 7-8): Wild Animals I Have Known is read over two years. We inadvertently provided the lesson plans for the 2nd half of the book, which were read last year. We have updated this set of lesson plans, providing information for the 1st half of the book.
2. This Week in the Hive: The Alveary team has enjoyed reading this post in which our members share how many grade levels of the Alveary curriculum they have used. We have some families who have used almost every grade!
3. World History (Grades 10-12 ): It has come to our attention that Napoleon by David Bell, formerly listed in the Program with a link only to Barnes & Noble, is now also available on Amazon.
Queries
1. Bible (Grades 2-6): Why do the lessons not follow the same order as the stories appear in the Bible?
Since the stories are told in the chronological order in which they happened, there is a fair bit of skipping around in the Bible. Having the Smyth books will help teachers make sense of the order of reading. Lesson plans include notes on which sections might be most insightful for understanding the Scripture passages.
2. Geography (Grades 9-12): I tried to purchase the book, Five Months on the Missouri River by Elpel, and it says it is temporarily out of stock.
“Out of stock” means the vendor has run out of copies. “Out of print” means the publisher is not printing any more copies. This book is out of stock, but we’ve spoken with the publisher and they have assured us that more copies will be available shortly. Please keep checking with your favorite bookseller.
3. Office Hours: Here are the videos from our time together July 6 with Kerri Forney and Kelli Christenberry on the topic of high school:
- Accountability
- Placement when coming from a different CM curriculum.
- Placing a struggling student in grammar
- College transcripts for the average student with learning issues
- Cutting curriculum without compromising composition lesson plans
- What work comprises a high school credit?
Our next session will be Wednesday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Rachel Miller will be with us to answer your questions about Modern Language study—French and Spanish. If you have questions you would like to have answered, please submit them at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive.
Have a great weekend!
The Alveary Team
