Compare & Contrast: Using Multiple Interpretations of a Text [S4 E88]

multiple-interpreations-of-a-text

Listen to the full episode below:

It’s no secret that Shakespeare is something we talk about often, and we’re about to do it again. Are you thinking, “Oh my gosh, not another Shakespeare episode”? 

Before you do that, just you wait. We have some incredible strategies to share with you that will help you make teaching literary analysis engaging, rigorous, and dare we say…fun.

A lot of the feedback we get about Shakespeare-related content is that you feel like it’s just too much. It feels hard, and you don’t want to do it. We totally get that, and we’ve been there. But that’s why we get so excited about the things we talk about because we really have found ways to make it a part of the day that you and your students will look forward to.

The practice of analysis can get painfully routine. Students read something and then analyze it. But there’s a better way. There’s a way to add a layer to the analysis by visually looking at multiple interpretations of a text. 

One of our favorite ways to do this is through film. We’ll share how we’ve used film as a tool, rather than a reward, to solve a problem that many of us face. The problem being, kids often cannot understand Shakespeare. The solution is to allow them to see it in a few different ways, and in ways that feel more engaging and relevant.

What we're bringing you today is going to be the ways in which we tackle multiple interpretations of the Bard, his plays and individual scenes. If you’re in the middle of a Shakespeare unit now, these are strategies that you could begin using as soon as tomorrow. If you don’t teach Shakespeare, this still applies to you! You can put these ideas towards any type of text that’s been adapted multiple times.

Topics Covered:

  • Various ways to create access points to challenging texts through film

  • Three great character-driven analysis questions that you can ask your students

  • How Shakespeare is a great way to hit the common core standard of analyzing multiple interpretations

  • Specific examples of how we have used film as a tool to introduce students to a text such as Othello

  • What kinds of things to pay attention to when putting these types of lesson plans together

  • Advice on what to do when you’re overwhelmed with too many teaching ideas

Resources

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Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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Amanda Cardenas