Discussion doesn't always need to be spoken. Before you begin The Tempest by William Shakespeare, have kids connect their ideas and experiences to central questions of the play with a silent discussion activity. Once they have collaborated on the board with comments and statements about the written question, they reflect in a worksheet.

Concepts

the tempest, william shakespeare, literary themes

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the strategy to address literary themes, character traits, plot points, or historical context
• If you have access to a SMART Board or document projector, have kids use the different programs to collaborate electronically
• If you have a class set of iPads, have kids add their comments through an app

Classroom Considerations

• Doesn't provide enough example questions for a complete activity, so you'll need to add some more
• The lesson has a few misspelled words and grammar mistakes that do not affect understanding
• Assessment protocol is vague; consider augmenting the lesson for your own assessment needs

Pros

• Provides the worksheet that prompts kids to reflect on their own contributions to the activity, as well as their peers' comments and responses
• Versatile for any short story or novel, as well as topics in social studies, science, math, or art

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 RL.11-12.2 SL.9-10.1.a SL.11-12.1.a