Sonnet for Student Reading
In hallowed halls of learning's sacred shrine,
Where dusty texts and scrolls do hold their sway,
The scholars gather, with minds so fine,
To read and study, night and endless day.
Their eyes, aflame with zeal for knowledge true,
Do scan the pages, line by line, with care,
But oft, in haste, they skip the clue,
And miss the mark, with an error's snare.
For in their zeal, they forget to see,
The forest for the trees, as it were said,
They grasp at straws, in ignorance's glee,
And mock the truth, with foolish words unsaid.
But still we learn, though oft misled by pride,
And in our errors, wisdom's lessons hide.
461 years ago today, William Shakespeare was born (April 23, 1564). The Bard brought so much to our literary world, and we continue to learn more from him and his works. Why is Shakespeare still relevant today? His work transcends the human experience and allows us to gain empathy for characters we never thought we would. By applying SoR strategies to Shakespeare’s works, we create opportunities for all students—regardless of reading ability—to engage deeply with the text. His complex language challenges readers, while his themes—ranging from power and corruption to identity and justice—offer rich opportunities for analysis and empathy. Together, these elements make Shakespeare an ideal vehicle for improving comprehension through structured reading methods. In plays like Macbeth, we understand the anti-hero and how easily we can be corrupted. In Richard III, we see through the eyes of the villain and understand his thought process. Shakespeare did not shy away from social commentary, and his works often deal with sexism, racism, antisemitism, and classism, allowing the readers to see these concepts in a more detailed and personal manner.
Oh yes, the praises of the Bard could be sung for ages, but what makes Shakespeare special, and our focus today, is how we can leverage Shakespeare to support middle and high school students in reading and comprehending using strategies aligned with the SoR. When first approaching SoR, secondary educators may question its usage in the secondary classroom. After all, secondary teachers are not teaching phonics and reading basics, but maybe we should. If we secondary teachers made it the norm to review morphology, phonics, spelling basics, and more, think of how many students we could support. Every student needs help with reading and writing, not just English Learners and struggling readers, and SoR offers a research-based approach that is built upon over 50 years of study and practice. Shakespeare is an excellent entry point for secondary teachers, as his language feels unfamiliar to most students—creating a shared challenge that levels the playing field. Whether students are avid readers or avoidant readers, Shakespeare causes most students to slow down, pause, and question a word or two.
So, how can we easily incorporate SoR into our complicated Shakespearean curriculum? Here are some suggestions that can help you on your “unpathed waters, undreamed shores” (A Winter’s Tale IV. iv):
Read Aloud and Perform
Shakespeare’s work was never meant to be read silently but performed! To truly grasp Shakespeare’s language, students need to hear it spoken. Assigning roles and encouraging performance allows them to experience its full impact. As students read aloud in class, they are improving their fluency and intonation. As they read, do periodic fluency checks and give students feedback on how they can improve. As they improve, which they inevitably will as they become more comfortable with reading aloud and the language itself, celebrate it! Here is one of my favorite fluency rubrics for secondary students Duke University, but there are a lot out there.
Take this further. As students read, teach them to read the punctuation. This will help strengthen syntactic awareness and help them realize the rhythm of language. Teach students how punctuation can help with meaning. When students read Hamlet’s famous line, “To be, or not to be, that is the question:” (III, i), if they do not read with the punctuation, the gravity of the moment is lost. Incorporate dramatized recordings and discuss the subtle differences between performances. Then, ask students to act out the scene how they think it should go. As Hamlet tells the players in Act III, scene ii, “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action”; since Shakespeare did not regularly write stage directions, closely reading the full text, and comparing the performance interpretations, and having students incorporate kinesthetic movements with the text further increase comprehension.
Vocabulary and Language Decoding
Though Shakespeare wrote in modern English, his language can still trip up readers. Between archaic references, inside jokes, omitted words and letters, metaphors, allusions, and complicated syntax structure, Shakespeare can be a challenge. But there’s the rub, if a class full of readers are struggling, let’s pause to discuss it. First, teach students about these Shakespearean language quarks that will confuse them. In Macbeth, our titular character questions his Lady if King Duncan is asking for him, to which she replies “Know you not he has?” (I.vii). Shakespeare could have written “yes”, but where’s the fun in that? It is precisely this phrasing and language usage that frustrates students. Students can take these sentences and re-work them, break them down and reconstruct in basic subject-verb-object structure to demonstrate true understanding.
When the class comes to a difficult word, help them discover its meaning. Remind them how to use their context clues and make predictions for its meaning. Break down the word can still trip up readers to its morphemic parts and teach their meanings. When you get to Act II, scene ii, of Antony and Cleopatra, pause on “enthroned”–en- (prefix meaning “in”), throne (root meaning “chair of dignity”), -ed (suffix designating the past tense of a verb). Show students how the noun “throne” is turned into a verb by verbing the noun. The more students learn about language (meaning, origin, part of speech, usage, and manipulation), the more command they will take of it. Myvocabulary.com has an extensive Shakespeare section to help with the Bard’s complicated language (reviewed here). The site’s interactive vocabulary tools and collection of printables make it a wonderful addition to your vocabulary work. Other tools can also assist with structure and meaning. The opening sonnet—one of Shakespeare’s favorite literary techniques—created for this post using Poem-Generator.io showcases how educators and students can harness modern tools to generate new works and reinterpretations that enhance reading comprehension in the classroom.
Close Reading and Paraphrasing
Reading comprehension can feel messy at times, but as Othello wisely notes: “T’is true: there’s magic in the web of it.” Every element of reading is interconnected. If we cannot read the words, we cannot understand the text. Hearing and understanding the words are of course key to comprehension, but the more times students get to read the text and are exposed to it in different forms, the better they understand it. We need to get secondary students to understand that reading a text multiple times is highly encouraged. Do close readings of Shakespeare’s soliloquies, the tete-a-tete dialogues, or the masterful sonnets. Focus on first impressions with the first read, analyze the meaning of the words and the structure of the text with the second read, and examine the themes and literary devices with the third read. Have students paraphrase the meaning of the excerpt after the close read. Paraphrasing is a skill that many students struggle with, but the ability to paraphrase shows a masterful level of comprehension. Model paraphrasing during read alouds to guide students through the process. Emphasize those key lines that highlight theme and motive. To scaffold this a bit, have students work in groups. They can support each other and gain the confidence needed to do the comprehension skills on their own.
Finally, don’t forget the wealth of Shakespearean resources available. Below are a few of my favorite general Shakespeare supports, but if you visit TeachersFirst, you can search for a specific play, focus, or skill. Additionally, this special topics collection will also return vetted lessons and valuable support for you and your students.
Other Resources:
- MyShakespeare (reviewed here) offers interactive content, videos, and study tools for six of Shakespeare’s most taught plays. The Notebook section has study tools and comprehension questions, and students can annotate the text with notes and highlighting.
- Shakespeare Uncovered (reviewed here) comes from PBS and is a collection of videos from the documentary series with the same name. PBS offers specific video excerpts that will give students insight on the historical and personal context surrounding the creation of these beloved plays.
- Theater and Drama (reviewed here) is a section of the Crash Course video series that will help students understand important background information on the genre as well as theater beliefs and traditions that shape Shakespeare’s art. There are also tons of Shakespeare specific videos from his life, influence, and specific play overviews.
- Shakespeare: Full Circle (reviewed here) delivers wonderful podcasts only as NPR can. Podcasts support students listening lexile development and is a nice change from the norm.
Shakespeare is merely our way in. If we want to improve reading comprehension and overall literacy rates, we need to focus on everything that goes into reading. The basics are often forgotten at the secondary level, but if we normalize foundational practices and build upon them, this will become the expectation in the classroom. We can help so many readers and strengthen their stretching abilities before we run. Remember, “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast” (Romeo and Juliet, II. iii). Happy Birthday, Shakespeare!