"Now is the summer of our happiness/Made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!" Luke Skywalker meets Hamlet in a 10-instructional activity unit based on Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope. Using Star Wars® as source material, Doescher has transformed Lucas's film into a Shakespearian drama and readers are challenged to consider two essential questions: How does an author's use of language add meaning? How does an author transform source material? What a way to build appreciation for The Bard!

Concepts

diction, syntax, literary analysis, iambic pentameter, william shakespeare

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• To generate interest the author suggests showing the book's YouTube trailer to begin the unit
• After examinning the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, have pupils craft a prologue to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope using the scrolling opening lines as a source

Classroom Considerations

• Requires copies of Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope
• Although the reading schedule for the 11-day unit begins on a Monday, the author notes that adjustments to the schedule can be made 
• The unit would be most effective if readers are well versed in Shakespeare and in Star Wars®

Pros

• Includes links for a unit calendar, directions for the double entry journal, a template for the journal, and the YouTube trailer

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.4 RL.9-10.7 RL.9-10.9