Students have previously engaged with close reading and citing evidence when reading To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) in the previous unit. The summative assessment asked students to interpret who is ultimately responsible for the death of Tom. Students were given passages from TKAM and were asked to close read and annotate the passages before collecting evidence that was compiled in a document for later reference. Students were asked to then use this evidence to look at complex character motivation in order to discern who is most at fault for Tom’s death. In addition to their previous work with TKAM, students were given an introduction on how to read and understand the language of Shakespeare. Another tool they are learning to utilize appropriately is the “modern translation” of Shakespeare that is included in each of their texts. In general, they still have not mastered the process of understanding Shakespearean language, which is why my learning segment focuses on interpreting and supporting character analysis. …show more content…
This commentary will be the focus point of using evidence in my lessons, encouraging students to make explicit connections to their claim. Students have also shown an ability to develop claims around character motivation, but have not had extensive practice identifying the way an author chooses to characterize central and secondary characters. This lesson segment plans to focus on developing the vocabulary to interpret how Shakespeare chooses to characterize Friar Lawrence and the Nurse or Mercutio, and support that interpretation with evidence and commentary from the