Mr. Silas A. Ramsbottom
McGraw-Hill Education
P.O. Box 182605
Columbus, OH 43218
Dear Mr. Ramsbottom,
Have you ever seen a
Shakespeare play marketed to middle school students? With all the editions of
Shakespeare plays on the market there is essentially a non-existent Shakespeare
market for middle school aged persons. Because of our love for the arts, and of
course Shakespeare, we believe that an edition to suit this particular audience
will be whole-heartedly embraced by teachers, students, and over ambitious
parents who want their children to be well cultured. It is not only our love
for the Bard that has inspired us to create an edition of As You Like It
suitable for a middle school audience, but because of the many benefits that
such an edition will bring to middle school students and their teachers.
Usually the first
experience that students have with Shakespeare is in high school; plays like Macbeth
and Romeo and Juliet are common choices of high school teachers. These
dramas lend themselves to the more serious and tragic side, with rather
depressing or gruesome endings. In a general sense, when high school students
hear the word “Shakespeare” their adolescent frames tremble with fear or their
developing minds dread the coming experience. They associate the wondrous name
of Shakespeare with words like: boring, difficult, not important, outdated. We
desire to ease this recurring problem by exposing students to Shakespeare at a
younger age through a more humorous and light-hearted play, with the hopes that
doing so will lay the ground for future enjoyment and involvement.
One very probable reason
why teachers do not introduce Shakespeare to middle school students could be
due to the noticeable lack of appropriate editions for that particular age
range. While there are a variety of choices for high school teachers to choose
from, no such selection exists for middle school teachers. Editions like the
Folger Library: General Shakespeare Readers As You Like It has
simplified text and even explanations of unfamiliar words annotated on each
page. A middle school teacher could use the front matter, but it would require
vast amounts of elaboration and selected paragraph readings for the students
seeing as the material is more aimed at upper-level high school students. Manga
offers a simple and creative edition of As You Like It in the form of a
graphic novel. However, while this text may be accessible to students, teachers
might find it challenging to teach from given that it has no other materials
for them but adapted text and drawings; some of which hinge on
inappropriateness. Despite the accessibility of these editions, they do not
adapt the gender/cross-dressing issue in a manner appropriate for a middle
school audience.
Our edition is both
accessible and appropriate for middle school students. The text of the play is
edited and adapted for their particular needs, while still maintaining the
integrity of the Shakespearean language. Unfamiliar or difficult words are
annotated at the bottom of each page, but not overwhelmingly so. Rather than
emphasizing the ambiguity of gender or homosexual undertones, our edition effectively
talks about the role of men and woman at that time and in the present, all the
while maintaining the humorous nature of the play. Also, between acts there are
short educational readings to help students to have a better understanding of
Shakespeare, the theater, and themes in As You Like It. Taking it a step
further there are also several critical thinking questions that will encourage
the students to develop and use analytical skills. The Common Core states that
students in grades 7 to 8 need to be able to “determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text” (RL.7.2). The critical critical
thinking questions after each act will help students and teachers be on this
path. Please, peruse through
the manuscript that we have included as it will speak for itself.
A lack of appropriate
editions might not be the only obstacle preventing middle school teachers for
teaching Shakespeare. The teachers themselves could be the obstacles. Perhaps
these teachers feel that their students would not be able to grasp the
complexities of a Shakespearean text or perhaps they are unsure on how to go
about teaching Shakespeare to twelve and thirteen year-olds at an appropriate
level. Our edition, too, addresses this possible problem by supplying a
teacher’s edition of the text. In essence, the teacher’s edition is identical
to the students so that there is no confusion when reading together as a class
or assigning homework. But in addition to that, the teacher’s edition has a
more in-depth look into historical content and references of sources where to
find more information if so desired. This allows the teacher to choose how much
and what to share with the students. More analytical and summative questions
are included that the teacher may use for more class discussion or test
questions. This allows teachers to feel comfortable and confident teaching As
You Like It in an appropriate and engaging manner for their middle school
classrooms.
We have great confidence
and faith that our edition will help middle school students (and teachers) feel
successful with Shakespeare. Our edition allows for earlier exposure to this
great Bard and will therefore lessen the anxiety and increase excitement for
future Shakespearean encounters. Please, look through the manuscript that we
have included. We hope you see the great potential and benefits that we do in
having a middle school edition of As You Like It. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Ashley Campbell
Jacob Matthews
Natalie McChesney
Bethanie Sonnefeld
