Hamlet: Complete Unit Plan

This extensive 240 page unit plan for Hamlet is completely designed around the philosophy of developing close reading skills and text based responses which require supporting evidence for nearly every aspect of each scene and act of the play. Our Hamlet unit is completely original and has been keenly tuned to address a wide range of learners with varying reading comprehension skills. In short, this unit will help all students to look closely at Shakespeare’s craft and encourage them to write thoughtful, in depth responses and support their ideas with evidence from the text.
This 240 page unit plan includes the following:
 A Table of Contents outlining the six parts of the entire unit

Overview:
90 pages of printable daily lesson plans and graphic organizers
35 pages of fill-in-the blank review activities and quizzes for each act
60 pages of homework activities
25 pages of formal assessments
15 pages of daily quiz questions

Every activity requires the students to engage in close reading and provide textual evidence for the all of their responses
• Every lesson can be taught using a myriad of teaching styles:
 Partner or neighbor cooperative pairs
 Small groups for cooperative learning
 Individual or independent practice
 Homework
• Each lesson is intently crafted to be used with smart board technology
• All lessons are able to be reproduced and photocopied
• There is a balance between the aesthetic appeal of each lesson and the practicality of black and white photocopying
• Each lesson is set up as a self-contained graphic organizer with explicit instructions on how to complete the day’s activity
• Each lesson has a “Closure” writing activity encouraging students to reflect on the key concepts learned during the day’s lesson
• Any daily lesson can be done as a homework assignment (many chapters have multiple activities, so one can be sent home as a way to review or reinforce the day’s lesson) **this is something I do all the time for quick grades
• Any daily lesson can be collected and graded
• Any daily lesson can be collected to assess individual and class comprehension

Part 1:…………….Worksheet and Graphic Organizers…….…………………………

Act I: ………………..Daily lesson plans and activity sheets………………………………..…
• Scene 1: Horatio’s Background Information
• Scene 1: The Presence of the Ghost
• Scene 1: Marcellus and Horatio (Close Reading Activity)
• Scene 2: First Impressions of Claudius
• Scene 2: Claudius’ Opening Speech (Close Reading Activity)
• Scene 2: Hamlet’s First Soliloquy (Close Reading Activity)
• Scene 3: Polonius’ Family: Ophelia
• Scene 5: The Ghost’s Effect on Hamlet
• Scene 5: The Ghost’s Speech (Close Reading Activity)

Act II: ……………..Daily lesson plans and activity sheets………………………………………..
• Scene 1: Laertes and Ophelia: A Comparison
• Scene 2: The Truth of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s Statements: A Comparison
• Scene 2: Polonius as the King’s Advisor
• Scenes 1 and 2: Review of Hamlet’s Mental State
• Scene 2: Hamlet’s Soliloquy (Close Reading Activity)

Act III ……………..Daily lesson plans and activity sheets……………………………………….
• Scene 1: Polonius and Claudius Spy on Hamlet
• Scene 2: Player King and Queen’s Speech
• Scene 2: Hamlet’s Suspicions
• Review: Hamlet’s Accusations
• Scenes 1-4 Review: Ophelia and Gertrude
• Scene 1: Hamlet’s Soliloquy (Close Reading Activity)
• Scene 3: Hamlet’s Soliloquy (Close Reading Activity)

Act IV: ……………….Daily lesson plans and activity sheets…………………………………….
• Scenes 1-3 Review: Claudius’ Handling of Hamlet
• Scene 4: The Norwegian Captain
• Scene 5: Ophelia’s Bouquet
• Scenes 5+7: Laertes and Hamlet: A Comparison
• Scenes 5+7: The Manipulation of Laertes

Act V: ……………......Daily lesson plans and activity sheets…………………………………….
• Scene 1: The three skulls
• Scene 2: Hamlet and Laertes Exchange Forgiveness
• Scene 2: Hamlet’s Thoughts about Death
• Scene 2: Laertes’ Honor
• Scenes 4 + 5: Laertes: Victim or Conspirator?

Part 2:……………………Homework…………………………….…………….………………...
• Act 1: Ghost’s Speech
• Act 1: Claudius’ Speech
• Acts 1-3 Review: Hamlet’s Transformation
• Acts 1-3: Ophelia’s Participation or Victim?
• Act 3: Hamlet’s Friends
• Act 3: Hamlet’s Murderous Actions
• Act 3: Hamlet’s View of Ophelia
• Act 3: Hamlet’s Mental State
• Acts 1-3 Review: A Tale of Two Soliloquies
• Acts 1-4 Review: A Tale of Two Brothers: The Ghost and Claudius
• Acts 3-4 Review: The Conscience of the King
• Act s 3-4: Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark
• Acts 1-5: Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras: A Comparison
• End of Play Review: Marriages and Funerals
• End of Play Review: Claudius’ Attempts to Control Hamlet
• End of Play Review: Claudius’ Morality
• End of Play Review: Hamlet’s Thoughts about Death
• End of Play Review: Hamlet’s Actions: Hero or Villain?
• End of Play Review: Judgment of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
• End of Play Review: Evaluation of Claudius
• End of Play Review: The Fall of Claudius
• End of Play Review: Hamlet’s Encounter with the Supernatural
• Letter Writing Exercise: Hamlet to Gertrude
• Letter Writing Exercise: Gertrude to Hamlet
• Letter Writing Exercise: Hamlet to Ophelia
• Letter Writing Exercise: Hamlet to Laertes
• Letter Writing Exercise: Ophelia to Hamlet
• Letter Writing Exercise: Ophelia to Laertes
• Letter Writing Exercise: Laertes to Ophelia
• Letter Writing Exercise: A Final Letter from Ophelia
• End of Play Review: Aristotle’s Blueprint of a play’s Anatomy

Part 3:………………….…Transitional Words and Phrases……………….…………….…..…
• Over 100 words and phrases designed to enhance student writing
• Appropriate for all grade levels
• Appropriate for all levels of writing ability

Part 4:…………..............Act Quizzes/Fill-in-the-Blank Review…………………………
• Fill-In-The-Blanks:
• Plot summary review sheets for each act
• Each review sheet follows the play’s plot in detail
• All five acts are included
• Word banks are included for each fill-in-the-blank activity
• Teacher answer key included for each act
• Reading Comprehension Quizzes:
• Five quizzes total: 1 per act
• Each quiz contains between eight and ten questions
• Questions are designed to elicit short, thoughtful writing responses
• Students may/may not use their notes or annotated text (teacher’s discretion; based on the depth of detail required by the teacher)

Part 5:…..…………………Unit Tests and Essay………………………………………….…….…..
• Two assessments:
• (1) 50 questions total: Matching, True/False, Identify the Speaker, Identify the Character, Multiple Choice
• (1) 46 multiple choice questions
• Designed to follow the play’s plot in sequential order
• Two separate answer keys
• Several possible essay questions

Part 6:……………..Daily Quiz Questions……………………………………………………………
• 3-7 questions for each section
• Over 240 questions total
• Designed to elicit a one word response or brief explanation
• Intended to assess reading comprehension
• Intended to assess reading retention