In this one (1) semester course students in this class will: Read, interpret, understand and respond to two Shakespeare plays, several sonnets, a unit on the history of Elizabethan England and a unit on the life of Shakespeare. According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, students learn the Bard best when they, “make their own seminal connection with Shakespeare—that is to say his words in their mouths before they take on any other connections…” (O’Brien, English Journal, 1993).Students will memorize at least one monologue or scene (in collaboration with other students) taken from any of the plays or sonnets, participate in two Socratic dialogues-with rubric grading provided by peers as well as teacher grading, write 5-7 short readers response essays, do two analytical projects and two literary analysis papers of between 3 and 5 pages each, quoting plays, outside research sources via Database (Student Resources in Context, GALE) and demonstrating high level critical thinking, close reading and analytical skills. This is a college preparatory level English course allowing students to participate in wide-ranging discussion, performance of scenes, writing, reading and thinking at the highest levels for an English class. Lecture, dramatic readings, improvisations, memorization, recitation, writing workshops, peer editing, teacher feedback/edits, whole group and small group instruction, discussion, Socratic seminars and other text-based discussion protocols. Short Essays (500-800 words). Writing to Learn opportunities that require the citation and explanation of textual evidence will be provided throughout the students’ read of each text within the Collection. Listening and Speaking opportunities will also abound as students analyze texts during and after reading. Discussion prompts follow each text and students are asked to identity the authors’ arguments, evaluate the texts’ themes and main ideas, and connect the texts to the Essential Question of each Collection. This study of language will then be applied in the common formative assessments that follow each text. Students will have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations – as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner to gain experiences that foster the skills of the Speaking and Listening Domain. Furthermore, to meet the demands of the Language Domain students will gain control over many conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics as well as learn other ways to use language to convey meaning effectively.