A New Experiment

Last year when I taught Julius Caesar I decided for the first time to try having students listen to and read the whole text in class. Shakespeare is meant to be heard, not just read silently to ones self. Plays are meant to be performed, read aloud. Students have difficulty hearing the iambic pentameter when they are reading it to themselves. Students stumble over words that cause their classmates to lose the text when we are reading as a class. Students lose track and get distracted when their classmates are reading a text aloud unless they have a specific text. When students can't hear the individual voices they have a more difficult time understanding the text. When students see Shakespeare performed and can hear the language the way it is supposed to be spoken it suddenly isn't "old" English. It is their English. They can understand it. It makes sense to them.

So I have decided to try the same thing when I start teaching The Crucible tomorrow. I have taught this play nearly 10 times, but this will be the first time I try it with having students listen to the play while reading at the same time. I have no idea how this will go. I have no idea if this will significantly improve student learning. I have no idea if this will change enjoyment and appreciation for the play. But I am optimistic. I believe that it has the potential to help my students better understand the text. And combined with the new activities I have devised, I am more than a little optimistic that this will be my best experience with The Crucible yet. But it is early. I will let you know.