I try to never teach the same book, year-to-year, but I like to teach the same kind of book -- so students know what to expect in my class, and what they can look forward to enjoying.
This unit is excellent for the two weeks before the holiday break, when your students are having a hard time focusing, or the last two weeks of school, when they're ready to end the year.
Use the supporting lesson materials, including the Two-Line Start Cards, from my previous post: Using Star Wars to introduce iambic pentameter, to introduce this lesson.
Use the Reading Roles Sheets to keep track of readers and praise daily efforts at reading. Students LOVE reading these books and watching the corresponding George Lucas films.
The publisher, Quirk Books, also offers an awesome Educator's Guide for the book, so you can familiarize yourself with the specific Shakespeare references you want to point out along the way.
Please note that in this book, bounty hunter Boba Fett talks in prose (everyday language, considered common and base), and Jedi Master Yoda talks in haiku.
You should also be aware that Doescher uses the Chorus quite a bit less than in Verily, so there are many fewer all-class reading opportunities when you teach this text. However, I felt the characters do a better job of describing what's happening in each scene, which is helpful to students who struggle at this reading level, or whose first language is not English.
This unit helps students work toward this Common Core RL (Reading Literature) standard:
7.RL.10 and 8.RL.10 -- By the end of the year, students can proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas and poetry, in a text.
In-Class Lesson Procedures:
- Buy class copies of the book. This sounds like a no-brainer, but each student needs to have a book in their hands to follow along. You also need to have the movie to watch, either through iTunes or however you buy movies for your classroom.
- Start by printing the Two Line Start Cards and laminating them, one set for each pair.
- Cut them up and put them in baskets on pairs of desks.
- Allow students to pair up or assign partners.
- If your class has already done the Two Line Start Cards for my lesson using Ian Doescher's Verily a New Hope, they'll know what to do.
- If your class is digital, aka online via video, this is perfect for having students read outloud.
- Students watch Akala's TedX talk about the links between HipHop and the Bard. Have a copy of the Sonnet #18 ready for them to read and follow, as well as the lyrics to Akala's two other songs at the end. Then crank up the volume! The kids love them.
- Then students practice reading the Two Line Start Cards to each other.
- Students use a dry erase marker (or on screen pen) to write in the breaks between syllables and show the accent in the pairs. TW circulate in the room (check student responses on screen), checking to make sure students are placing the syllable breaks and accents in the correct places and that students "get" the poetry form.
- When they're familiar with the form, students begin reading the book and watching the movie.
- Keep track of which students read which parts using the Reading Role Sheets.
