Nat Field: A Tour Guide to Shakespeare's London
The aforementioned Nat Field from the title of this lesson is the main character in the book, King of Shadows by Susan Cooper. The seventh grade Language Arts class is reading this book as a companion novel to a reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. King of Shadows follows Nat, an actor in a Shakespearian troupe in present day America, as he is mysteriously transported back in time to Shakespearian London. There he joins the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, befriends William Shakespeare and even plays Puck in a performance for Queen Elizabeth I. The novel depicts the daily life of a young actor in Shakespeare’s company, and through Nat, contemporary audiences experience the sights and sounds of Elizabethan London. The novel does much to make Shakespeare and his plays more relatable and understandable to its audience. Because students can relate to Nat Field, Elizabethan London comes alive.
The Language Arts students will use non-fiction resources to explore one facet of this historical novel that fascinates them. The purposes of this lesson are the following: 1) Allow students to explore some of the ways historical novels can teach us about history, 2) Give students the opportunity to research a topic that interests them, 3) Develop students’ research and organizational skills, and 4) Instill a love and curiosity in Shakespeare that will hopefully last them through their entire lives.
Students should be given at least two sessions in the Library Media Center to complete the research for the assignment.
Instructional Goals:
Students will:
- Gain a better understanding of the people, culture and history of the late-16th and early-17th century London at the time Shakespeare was writing his plays.
- Gain a better understanding of when and where historical novels can be useful.
- Learn more about the resources available on Shakespeare that could be used in the future.
- Identify and sythesize multiple sources of information to meet informational needs.
- Evaluate resources to determine if the source is credible.
Learning Objectives:
Students will:
- Identify at least three relevant resources and synthesize information from all of them in a paper.
- Demonstrate their understanding of at least one facet of Shakespeare’s London by completing the final project.
- Compare and contrast at least one element of a non-fiction source and a historical novel in the paper.
- Critically evaluate any Internet resources used in final project by completing an evaluation checklist for each source.
Motivational Goals
- Stimulate curiosity about Shakespeare and the London of his time.
- Stimulate an appreciation of the works of Shakespeare.
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Foster an appreciation for the historical novel genre.
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Generate interest in the research process by allowing students to choose their own topic and follow their own research interests.
Introduction:
This lesson can be done at almost any point while the class is reading King of Shadows. The lesson should be done in the Library Media Center where students have access to both computers and to print resources. The lesson should be taught collaboratively, with the classroom teacher focusing on content and the Library Media Specialist on the research process.
Discuss the following:
- What can we learn about a time period from historical fiction? Briefly discuss how historical fiction can spark curiosity about a time period, humanize historical events for us, and allow us to understand the feelings, emotions and motivations of people.
- Can we take everything we read in historical fiction as fact? Briefly discuss the limitations of historical fiction, but bring them back to how we can use historical fiction to understand history.
- Ask students to brainstorm aspects of Nat’s experiences in King of Shadows that has interested them. This is intended to get them thinking about potential topics.
- Introduce the assignment to the class. Inform them that they will research one topic that made them curious while reading King of Shadows. They will use non-fiction sources to research ideas generated from historical fiction. Ask them to keep in mind the following questions: How does this novel compare with the history? What did you learn from the historical novel that you didn’t from the non-fiction sources?
Introduce the Online BuILder
- Introduce the project task from the online buILder that the students will complete for this lesson. Each student must write a four-page research paper. The topic can be on almost anything related to King of Shadows, Shakespeare or Shakespeare's London. But the most important thing is that the students find something they are interested in learning more about. At some point in the final paper, the student must address the following question: How does the portrayal of your topic in King of Shadows compare with the information you found in non-fiction sources?
- Students must first complete and submit a Research Worksheet. The teacher will read the Research Worksheet and provide feedback to the student. Once the Research Worksheet is returned, the student will use it to write the four-page paper. Distribute the Research Worksheet to the class (see an example in the online buILder). Students will do the following on the Research Worksheet:
- Identify three subtopics of the topic they choose. Remind them to consider these subtopics carefully since they will determine the focus of the paper.
- List at least six resources they consulted. They will choose at least three of them to use in the final project.
- Write a complete citation for the three resources they plan to use.
Conclusion:
Finally, after the assignment is finished, ask the students to reflect on what they’ve learned about Shakespeare or Shakespeare's London. Has researching their topics or reading King of Shadows changed their views of Shakespeare? What did they learn from historical fiction that they didn’t from non-fiction sources?
Book used: Cooper, Susan. King of Shadows. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1999
