Teaching Shakespeare

A new play? And open thread for 3/19 March 16, 2010

You’ve no doubt heard by now that Arden believes it has a “lost” Shakespeare play, Cardenio. I look forward to reading it with a sceptical eye.

Verb Tenses March 9, 2010

Hi all,

This is a shell post for comments on readings, but this week there is an EXTRA SPECIAL component on verb tenses.

Here is a brief primer on verb tenses in English.  There are three times: present, past, and future.  There are three aspects: simple, perfect, and progressive.  Together, these functions produce nine possible time frames expressible with simple verbs.

Present simple: I type.

Present perfect: I have typed.

Present progressive: I am typing.

Past simple: I typed. (Also called “preterite.”)

Past perfect: I had typed.  (Also called pluperfect or “more than perfect.”  This form is important when describing an event in past tense and one must refer to another event in the past of that past.)

Past progressive: I was typing.

Future simple: I will type.

Future perfect: I will have typed.

Future progressive: I will be typing.

I hope this helps isolate the tenses in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30.

Cheers,

B

New York Times Article March 5, 2010

Here is the link for the NY Times Magazine article on “Building a Better Teacher.”  Verb tenses to follow soon.

Enjoy your weekends.

Open Thread for March 1 through 5 March 1, 2010

Greetings,

Use this post as an open thread to comment on the Graham and Avery, Giroux, and Langley articles.  Aaron and Emily may post questions for you to consider.

Thread for February 22nd to 26th. February 22, 2010

Use this as an open thread to comment on this week’s readings.

Make comments about Frey and Thompkins Here February 12, 2010

Consider this an open thread for comments on the articles for the week of February 12.

Introduction to 785 January 22, 2010

This is a class about teaching Shakespeare to students from middle school through college.  The blog is a way for us to explore some options for engaging students outside the classroom.  What forms that engagement will take is up for discussion and exploration, and this forum is the place for such interactions.

It will also be the portal for accessing the articles I’ve assembled for our seminar work.  At certain points during the semester each of you will be asked to moderate a discussion thread on a topic to be mutually agreed upon.  I will create a shell blog post here, but you will then ask questions and respond to other students on the topic.

I welcome other suggestions and creative ways to use this form of communication, so please feel free to offer up ideas.