Common Core Standards Of Shakespeare Essay
Yenli Chua
1A
Out damned poet!
Imagine a high school classroom where all the students are sitting silently at their desks reading and the teacher is nowhere to be found. Chances are these students are not engaged with the text and are bored. Now the question is, are these students not engaged because of the story or the fact that the teacher isn't there to help? Before proceeding, it is important to understand that today only 5 of Shakespeare's 37 plays are taught by 90% of all high schools. 85% of the instruction is the study of Shakespeare's tragedies which include: Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. 40% of English classes use a textbook and 99% feature a tragedy. (How many of William Shakespeare’s 38 plays have you …show more content…
Some may argue that Shakespeare is important as it helps with deeper thinking, and may help students further in life. On the other hand, some may argue that Shakespeare is no longer relevant for today's students. So, the question still stands, should we include Shakespeare in today's curriculum? Today's common core states that Shakespeare is required as it can help with “determine the meaning of words and phrases...including figurative and connotative meanings”. Common Core Standards. By reading Shakespeare students will be able to understand figurative language. Students will be able to have a better understanding of challenging text while gaining the ability to read deeper. Scientific studies have shown that reading Shakespeare improves brain activity. A study written about by Julie Henry of The Daily Telegraph article “Shakespeare and Wordsworth boost the brain, new research reveals”. Explains the process the brain goes through while reading difficult texts “brain activity… “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure… shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading”. This electrical spark indicated a deeper understanding and interest in the reading. Studies such as these allow us to understand the need to read challenging
1A
Out damned poet!
Imagine a high school classroom where all the students are sitting silently at their desks reading and the teacher is nowhere to be found. Chances are these students are not engaged with the text and are bored. Now the question is, are these students not engaged because of the story or the fact that the teacher isn't there to help? Before proceeding, it is important to understand that today only 5 of Shakespeare's 37 plays are taught by 90% of all high schools. 85% of the instruction is the study of Shakespeare's tragedies which include: Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. 40% of English classes use a textbook and 99% feature a tragedy. (How many of William Shakespeare’s 38 plays have you …show more content…
Some may argue that Shakespeare is important as it helps with deeper thinking, and may help students further in life. On the other hand, some may argue that Shakespeare is no longer relevant for today's students. So, the question still stands, should we include Shakespeare in today's curriculum? Today's common core states that Shakespeare is required as it can help with “determine the meaning of words and phrases...including figurative and connotative meanings”. Common Core Standards. By reading Shakespeare students will be able to understand figurative language. Students will be able to have a better understanding of challenging text while gaining the ability to read deeper. Scientific studies have shown that reading Shakespeare improves brain activity. A study written about by Julie Henry of The Daily Telegraph article “Shakespeare and Wordsworth boost the brain, new research reveals”. Explains the process the brain goes through while reading difficult texts “brain activity… “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure… shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading”. This electrical spark indicated a deeper understanding and interest in the reading. Studies such as these allow us to understand the need to read challenging