Bees and Shakespeare Essay
School: Bowman School
City/State: Lexington, MA
Grade(s): 4
Format(s): Essay
Subject(s): English Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s): Argument/Opinion
Writing Assignment Description
During a parallel study of the American Revolution in social studies and the life of bees in science, students read Shakespeare's Henry V. In Act 1, Scene 2, Canterbury compares the functioning of the English kingdom to that of the honey-bees. Students were asked to analyze Canterbury’s speech and to assess the accuracy of each component of his metaphor. This opinion essay asked students to apply their content knowledge about democracy and bees, as well as their skills in organization, paragraph structure, and citing evidence from text to analyze author's craft.
How This Writing Can Be Useful
- Synthesizes learning from multiple disciplines through writing
- Draws evidence from literary and informational text to support original thinking by the student
- Models higher-order literacy skills through analysis of the accuracy of Shakespeare's use of simile and metaphor
- Displays clear organizational structure for argument writing (e.g. introduction, reasons, linking words and phrases, conclusion)
Common Core State Standards
| Standard | Long Term Learning Target |
|---|---|
| W.4.9 |
|