In literature, interpretation is the thing
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=818
A lesson plan for grades 11–12 English Language Arts
In this lesson, which focuses on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, students not only read, but also think about how they are reading a text and the reasons behind divergent interpretations of critics and readers of the same character. Students examine the contexts, social factors, and personal biases involved in the shaping of interpretations. This lesson provides several links to comprehensive web sites which focus on Shakespeare, Hamlet, and characteristics and practices of Elizabethan England. The final project culminates in an interpretive essay where students must explain their perspective of Ophelia based on the evidence of their research.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 11
- Goal 1: The learner will demonstrate increasing insight and reflection to print and non-print text through personal expression.
- Objective 1.02: Reflect and respond expressively to texts so that the audience will:
- discover multiple perspectives.
- investigate connections between life and literature.
- explore how the student's life experiences influence his or her response to the selection.
- recognize how the responses of others may be different.
- articulate insightful connections between life and literature.
-consider cultural or historical significance.
- Objective 1.02: Reflect and respond expressively to texts so that the audience will:
Grade 12
- Goal 4: The learner will analyze and critique texts from various perspectives and approaches.
- Objective 4.02: Develop critiques that give an audience:
- an appreciation of how themes relate among texts.
-an understanding of how authors' assumptions, cultural backgrounds, and social values affect texts.
-an understanding of how more than one critical approach affects interpretation.
- Objective 4.02: Develop critiques that give an audience:
