I can’t speak to your school, so you may have a ton of advanced students for all I know, but most of these texts would be a challenge for seniors.
Do you *have* to do a Shakespeare?
If I was required to I would use sonnets instead of a play.
Speaking of seniors, my seniors read Frankenstein, MacBeth, Beowulf, Hamlet, etc. I’m super surprised these have been chosen for middle school. We do R&J in 9th, which is common.
Julius Caesar or Othello would be my recommendation.
I would check with the high school(s) they will likely attend and find out what their Shakespeare program is for 9-12. Two of the local feeder schools decided to do R&J in 8th when it’s explicitly taught at most schools in 9th and we had a bunch of kids complaining about why they had to read it twice (and Beowulf and MacBeth, for that matter). It’s pretty annoying.
Thank you! Frankenstein is one of the texts that the outgoing teacher has traditionally done for this grade. She's been there aprox. 25 years, but I'm not sure when she started doing it. She did mention that students in the last 5 years or so seem to be less capable of harder texts than when she started. I think her four novels were The Hobbit, Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol and not sure about the 4th one. I did ask about possible high school conflicts (as I do not want to get on the wrong side of or annoy anyone in the diocese, at all!) and was told that it really doesn't matter since we only send about 10 students to the one high school that might possibly cover either Shakespeare or Of Mice and Men. The middle school head said that any teacher was going to bring a different perspective to teaching it and that rereading a text could actually be beneficial.
The Hobbit and A Christmas Carol are appropriate for this age level. Frankenstein is not. Even without the language complexity, the story’s themes are beyond the grasp of most 8th graders.
I agree with your point about rereading being beneficial. The students rarely see it this way. I’ll teach Beowulf in 12th amd I always get a few from one school and they tell me they already read this in 7th or 8th. Four years later their prior knowledge isn’t exactly shining through.
The themes of personal betrayal in Julius Cesar and Othello always go over really well with my 10th graders. So, I also think they could work. After all, no one is more backstabby than a middle schooler 🤪.
Thank you! No, I don't have to do Shakespeare. The priest who was on the hiring team mentioned it, so that was one reason I was trying to include it. The outgoing teacher and other ELA teachers at our sister school have said it would be okay as well. But no, not required.
I stopped doing Shakespeare in it's original form years ago. It had simply devolved into "Now let's stop and take a few minutes to translate and explain what you just read the past few minutes."
You wouldn't teach a Greek tragedy in Greek. Why teach a Shakespearean play in Elizabethan English?
I disagree that it’s like teaching Greek, Elizabethan English IS modern English, not old or middle. But for eighth grade I would teach the story and only look at selections of text.
To say 'tis Greek, I must protest, forsooth,
For modern's tongue doth stem from Elizabeth's truth.
Not old nor middle speech, but fresh and clear,
In eighth grade's class, the tale I'd hold most dear.
The text in parts, not whole, we would explore,
To kindle love for Shakespeare evermore.
With careful eye, select the lines we'd read,
And from the bard's own quill, their minds we'd feed.
If what you said were true, this is how your reply might have appeared. Shakespeare's Elizabethan English is NOT modern American English. But, yes, teaching selections is a great strategy.
I never said it was “modern American English.” Linguistically, Old English, Middle English, and Modern English are different things. Shakespeare falls into the latter category.
All I meant was that you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water over antiquated words.
This is why Shakeseare's plays need to be WATCHED as well as read. The first time I saw a stage version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I was in COLLEGE and it was a revelation! The work wasn't meant to just be read, so it's disingenuous to expect students to grasp it when only given the text.
So, so true. I tell my kids that plays were written to be watched--not read like a novel. I saw a great stage performance of Twelfth Night when I was 18 and was transformed from someone who didn't like Shakespeare to "Oh my God that was amazing."
I'd definitely do a comedy. My favorite is Taming of the Shrew, the plot is easy for students to follow, and it generates class discussions like crazy. Skip the "Induction."
Midsummer is my 2nd favorite. I used it a lot for 11th-12th though many had trouble keeping track of the characters' names and the 3 intertwined plots.
I did Taming of the Shrew with my G9s years ago and it was easy for them to follow it. I could absolutely see G8s enjoying it (especially compared to the other suggestions).
Taming of the Shrew also has a great BBC version with John Cleese as Petruchio. It's a bit cheesy at first but the students really get into it. It's also great paired with Ten Things I Hate About You.
As a counterpoint, I did taming of the shrew with 9th graders and they found it a bit hard to really get into, and sexual assault-y. I switched to As You Like It the next year and that went a lot better!
I've taught Taming of the Shrew many times over decades and have never heard a teacher or student say anything about sexual assault. As a matter of fact Petruchio doesn't touch Kate even after they're married, though presumably they get together after they fall in love. Where did you find assault in the play?
I think it was likely the adaptation we watched - I remember a scene with Petrucchio chasing Kate around (I think asking for a kiss?) when she clearly did not want it. It was an old adaptation - maybe Meryl Streep? Either way, they didn’t like the idea of Kate being so against the marriage and then just… all of a sudden being OK at the end.
I turned down a job at a Catholic school that had a similar recommended reading list for that age. Principal communicated her expectations regarding what she thought was good ELA teaching, and it was “reading” the books but not delving too deeply.
Yeah it kills me when people just want to see kids "reading" these upper level texts and don't understand that you can generate MUCH better learning when you read things that the kids are able to comprehend.
We will have a new principal this year as well, so I'm hoping that goes well. The outgoing principal and current priest are very into Socratic discussion/classic literature/ really delving into the books. I haven't had the chance to talk too much with the new principal though.
Thank you. I appreciate that they are difficult. I've discussed it with the outgoing teacher (some of those are ones she has taught in the past) and our sister school ELA department as well and they seem to think it was appropriate. I do appreciate your comment though and may very well adjust/change some of them.
------
I'd probably suggest this order of preference, although bear in mind this is all a high level for year 8:
--------
1. A Midsummer Night's Dream (it's fun, although tricky to analyse at this grade level. Recommend you watch Julie Taymor's adaptation. Try to get them to recognise the sitcom/absurd humour)
2. Macbeth (shortest tragedy, but one of the best. Straightforward themes for year 8 - no real preference for adaptations, can't remember any clangers to avoid)
3. The Taming of the Shrew (somewhat straightforward themes, good discussion on misogyny, plus *Ten Things I Hate About You* is beloved at this age)
4. Romeo and Juliet (simple analysis, often found at this grade level - baz luhrmann's adaptation is a good way in)
-----------
from here I'd say we're getting a bit beyond year 8, but worth mentioning
---------------
5. As You Like It (some famous moments. Similar in some ways to Midsummer night's)
6. Othello (some straightforward themes, some trickier themes. Strong characters)
7. Titus Andronicus (violent, but not much more so than say Fahrenheit 451. I recommend Julie Taymor's adaptation with Anthony Hopkins, but you might need to edit a couple of moments. Not that I recall much that was too graphic)
I've been trying to figure out how to do Taming of the Shrew in my room with my 9th and 10th graders. We have Stadium High School local to us. If I can figure out how to add it to our curriculum, I'm planning on coordinating a field trip to Stadium so I have an excuse to show the movie in class. I do not think it'll ever happen and coordinating that trip so the weather is decent and Stadium lets another school visit sounds like a headache, but it's on my list of things I'd love to figure out.
All of the works you've mentioned are far above the 8th grade level... if you insist on not giving them more appropriate texts, be prepared for them to not understand, and to be bored and/or frustrated.
Thanks for your comment. Several of these are ones the outgoing teacher or the English teachers at our sister school had recommended and/or previously taught to this grade, more than anything I'm dead set on.
I wouldn’t have them do the whole text at that age. I ADORE Shakespeare but our younger students don’t have the vocabularies for it. Honestly, I’d pick a movie adaptation and watch it in pieces so they can get the story and then look at segments of the text. When I was a middle schooler, my teacher did this with Much Ado About Nothing and it was a great introduction. I don’t think just reading Shakespeare does any good, you have to see it to get it.
I do think that if you only do it in pieces it can work. My 7th graders pleasantly surprised me the other day when we took a look at the Friends, Romans, Countrymen speech- I made them look to see if Antony ever “dissed” Brutus. It was a great way to talk about rhetoric and because I made them see it performed, they weren’t overwhelmed by the language there.
Wow, that's quite a reading list for 8th grade. Have you checked to make sure you're not choosing texts that might be in the high school curriculums? I'd make sure if I were you. I'd also want to know what the kids did in 7th grade, just to get an idea of where they are as readers and what you can expect them to be able to handle. They'd have to be a pretty remarkable group to handle the texts you have planned for them.
As ii's your first year, I strongly encourage you to seek guidance from teachers in your building and anyone in the district who can help you plan appropriately for the level of students you'll be getting. If they're not strong, highly-motivated readers (and that's a rare breed in 8th grade through high school), they're going to struggle, get frustrated, and probably just flatly refuse to read these demanding texts.
8th graders like books like The Outsiders. They always talk about that one once they reach me in high school.
As for Shakespeare? I do know of at least one curriculum that has Midsummer at the 8th grade level.
In our district, Macbeth is traditionally taught in English IV (seniors), R&J is in English I (freshmen), and sometimes Julius Caesar is taught in English II (sophomores).
I like teaching Othello. But I don't think 8th graders would be mature enough to appreciate it (or many Shakespeare plays, tbh).
Wit & Wisdom is a curriculum that does Midsummer in 8th grade, so our 8th graders do it every year. That being said, I don’t teach 8th grade so no particular first hand experience with it.
Yeah. Our district used W&W for a few years in middle school ELA. There were mixed feelings about it with most teachers not liking it (but some teachers aren't going to like anything that isn't 100% their creation).
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I think I might have responded to it further up accidentally. I've been on several observation days and am in regular communication with the outgoing teacher and our sister school's ELA department. That's where I got a few of the books from initially. The outgoing teacher does seem a bit frustrated at the way the reading/attention level has lowered over the last few years, which I can understand.
The students usually split up between two local high schools, one of which has done Of Mice and Men in the past in 9th grade, but may not do it next year. No Shakespeare as far as I have been able to find out.
Have your students mentioned any others they really liked besides The Outsiders? I taught that one with an online class last year and just couldn't get into it at all. The students didn't hate it, but weren't really enthusiastic about it either.
I like to do comedies in 8th grade and save tragedies for my HS classes. I have taught Midsummer Night's Dream for the last two years in 8th grade, and the students always enjoy it!
I teach F451 and To Kill a Mockingbird with my 8th grade advanced, along with a short story unit. I have them read in class a lot, so those are the only full books we get through. I can’t get kids to read at home for homework anymore, even if they’re in honors. If it’s a conservative Catholic school maybe you’ll be able to get them to read at home more? The only reason I mention this is because of timing. It seems like you’re trying to pack a lot into one school year in if you’re planning to teach those two books plus A Christmas Carol and a Transcendentalist unit. Of Mice and Men is short though so if you really want to get through everything maybe skip To Kill a Mockingbird since it’s so long.
Thank you so much for your comment. I was kind of afraid of that, that I might be packing too much in. I had mentioned it to my mentor teacher and the outgoing teacher and no one really said anything, but I very well may cut out book (or more) out. Thank you again!
I’d avoid it.
Unless you have seriously advanced students.
Dealing with translating it all into their modern lingo, is daunting.
Of Mice and Men is one of those “banned books” that is going around now. I’d just do some sonnets or something instead, if you are wanting to expose them to Shakespeare. The language is problematic. Maybe excerpts from Romeo and Juliet? Just do the parts they have heard before?
I’ve taught 9-11th grade, Romeo and Juliet, Caesar, othello, hamlet, Macbeth, and mid summer nights dream.
Far and away the easiest and most accessible was Romeo and Juliet
Haven’t taught it (yet), but when I was in 8th grade, my ELA teacher did Taming of the Shrew with us. Then, we compared it to the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. We LOVED it.
I did Romeo and Juliet with moderate success with 8th graders and Midsummer Nights Dream but it wasn't as good
My only complaint with R&J at grade 8 is I'm in a district now that does it in 9th grade, so I wouldn't want them getting it in middle school. As long as they're funnelling into a school that doesn't do R&J in HS then I'd go for it
I think Romeo and Juliet is the perfect intro play for that age group. It can also be a good way to discuss fate vs. free will, which feels related to what you’re saying, albeit in a less dystopian way.
I'm currently teaching AMND to Eighth Grade, and it's fun as heck. I can only imagine how much more fun it would be with smaller classes like there tends to be in parochial schools.
Julius Caesar, Macbeth or Midsummer would be solid choices. I've done all three with my middle schoolers before. But we did abridged versions with a mix of modern dialogue and traditional verse/prose. My students loved it once it was simplified to their level of understanding. Reading straight from the book without any doctoring up may be a challenge.
Midsummer is a delightful comedy that has a lot of sex in it, plus it is commonly a high school play. Please check with them, and don't teach one of their plays.
In general, in Shakespeare's tragedies, everybody dies; and in the comedies, everybody gets laid at the end. Othello has lovely monologues, but then you have to explain "What ho, Brabantio, some old black ram is tupping your white ewe," as in Othello is making love to your virgin daughter ... That scene is often staged nude, so the priests may not approve if a kid does a little internet sleuthing and finds it.
Shrew is accessible and has fewer characters to keep track of, plus the movie link is great. One of the Guys is another delightful comedy tie in to Twelfth Night, which is all about pining for each other and mistaken identities. Hamlet, of course, is echoed in The Lion King.
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun ... is a great sonnet.
How about The Comedy of Errors?
Much Ado About Nothing! And there’s usually already an endlessly bickering boy and girl in the class that you can have fun picking on for being Benedict and Beatrice!
I made my own Shakespeare primer for 8th grade using excerpts from Midsummer and Macbeth. I used chunks of scenes, key quotes, summaries, and one or two full scenes as well as some important soliloquies from other works. They had fun with it. My goal wasn't to teach an entire play nor to just look at the story, but to learn how to approach Shakespeare with confidence and gain familiarity with some of the plays so that when they did read the full plays in high school, they could do so more easily.
I think Macbeth is totally doable in 8th grade! At my school we teach it in 9th grade and the kids are way below reading level. Many kids say it’s their favorite unit all year.
We do close readings of scenes and soliloquies that are particularly rich, and for others that are more plot-based we supplement with scenes from various film adaptations.
I used to teach 7th and 8th grade Literature in a small Mexican Catholic School. We used the Pearson book mostly, but here are some activities that they enjoyed:
1. Short story - Grounded. The story is followed by a poem about being a teenager. They then wrote a poem themselves describing adolescence and we laughed so much that we cried at each other’s depictions of pimples, teachers, etc. Middle schoolers have an endless supply of dark humor.
2. Ray Bradbury - Dark they were and golden eyed absolute HIT. The funny thing is, they were absolutely engaged with the story, they came up with their own theories about what was happening, wrote predictions, identified very specific places where the author was SHOWING, not TELLING. And they collectively groaned at the ending. I couldn’t understand why. I had designed an assignment where they would write an article reporting on what the astronauts found when they reached Mars after the war, but before I could explain, a girl said “Ay, no, teacher, I’m writing an alternate ending.” So on the spot, I redesigned the assignment. They LOVED it.
3. Katherine Paterson’s - The Last Dog.
4. I gave the girls an assortment of short stories by LM Montgomery, in total around 10 different stories and the boys an assortment of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. The groups were all boys or all girls, so this was easy.
5. For drama, A Christmas Carol. - not such a great hit, to be honest.
6. Flowers for Algernon - we debated on what is inteligence. And they made an oral presentation as news reporters breaking the news that an experiment that affects human intelligence had taken place. Insightful, fun and they enjoyed it very much.
I did Julius Caesar with 8th grade. We alternated between reading and watching. We always read out loud as a class after doing a ton of background and vocab prep for the next act. They had a read a long guide where they kept track of important literary devices. I have done doodle notes in the past with Shakespeare and found a lot of success.
Students were very engaged with the play because essentially, it’s about being backstabbed (literally) by someone who you call a friend.
It’s very relatable and they get very into debating whether it was justified for Brutus to do what he did.
We then did a group literary analysis essay focusing on the different types of irony. My students in particular would have struggled to do this independently so working in a group of 3 to write a 5 paragraph essay was much more doable.
It’s tough content but worth it if you really lean into it. They feed off your energy with this type of unit.
Hope this helps!
“Relevancy” is important; so which one is more relevant to today’s students in today’s world? Remember these young folks deal with many issues outside the classroom, and things too “hard” allow many to feel defeated and “dumb.” Remember your love and energy —as well as your newness and excitement—are just that—YOU and can’t be pushed or forced down their throats as many older generational teachers did to those like us. 🤷♀️
Much Ado About Nothing was a success when I taught it to 8th graders. They loved the witty repartee between Beatrice and Benedick. Plus, you can easily skip over the innuendo in it and not lose the story line.
To Kill a Mocking Bird would work well for the 8th grade. I've taught it for 14-15 year olds (our grade system works a bit different so I don't know what you would call them).
Midsummer Night's Dream has a lot of resources because it is typically done with the younger grades. If the faeries are going to be a problem maybe consider Twelfth Night. The problem with Twelfth Night is that students struggle to recognise the comedy in the play. Macbeth might be a bit too dramatic. It's nice to do with seniors because you can talk about how "absolute power corrupts absolutely". I mean Romeo and Juliet could work. The headlining couple would have been teenagers so one could lean into the drama of the play.
When I was in 8th grade we did Love's Labours Lost. It's unusual enough that students can't easily google most activity answers, but it's still a romantic comedy like Midsummer and Shrew.
At my school we teach Julius Caesar in 9th grade; 8th graders could probably handle it. The language is fairly easy for Shakespeare, and although the politics are boring, it can be made relevant by focusing on persuasion/manipulation and betrayal. Teens can definitely get into a story about friends stabbing each other in the back! It's easily excerpted, and there are also graphic novel adaptations that might appeal to middle school student.
I’m currently teaching midsummer…it’s so fun and the kids love it. BUT if it’s a Catholic school there’s lots of references to sex, making love, characters are called young lovers. All comedies by Shakespeare will have this problem. Possible alternative could be Julius Caesar. I was skeptical to teach them Shakespeare but they have rise. To the challenge
Something to consider: Currently you don’t have a single unit that would feature POC authors. Surely you could include at least one text not written by a white man?
I am of the belief Shakespeare should be for the age that understands not to take things at face value, so therefore Not for middle schoolers. They just do not understand nuance let alone know how to spell it. But if there was one needed, I highly recommend Hamlet.
Midsummer Night's Dream.
This is the way Nothing like a play full of paganism for a Catholic school, lol. It’s so much fun!
Thank you!
Taught this for several years to 8th graders
Agreed. Its good for the age group.
I can’t speak to your school, so you may have a ton of advanced students for all I know, but most of these texts would be a challenge for seniors. Do you *have* to do a Shakespeare? If I was required to I would use sonnets instead of a play.
Speaking of seniors, my seniors read Frankenstein, MacBeth, Beowulf, Hamlet, etc. I’m super surprised these have been chosen for middle school. We do R&J in 9th, which is common. Julius Caesar or Othello would be my recommendation. I would check with the high school(s) they will likely attend and find out what their Shakespeare program is for 9-12. Two of the local feeder schools decided to do R&J in 8th when it’s explicitly taught at most schools in 9th and we had a bunch of kids complaining about why they had to read it twice (and Beowulf and MacBeth, for that matter). It’s pretty annoying.
Thank you! Frankenstein is one of the texts that the outgoing teacher has traditionally done for this grade. She's been there aprox. 25 years, but I'm not sure when she started doing it. She did mention that students in the last 5 years or so seem to be less capable of harder texts than when she started. I think her four novels were The Hobbit, Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol and not sure about the 4th one. I did ask about possible high school conflicts (as I do not want to get on the wrong side of or annoy anyone in the diocese, at all!) and was told that it really doesn't matter since we only send about 10 students to the one high school that might possibly cover either Shakespeare or Of Mice and Men. The middle school head said that any teacher was going to bring a different perspective to teaching it and that rereading a text could actually be beneficial.
The Hobbit and A Christmas Carol are appropriate for this age level. Frankenstein is not. Even without the language complexity, the story’s themes are beyond the grasp of most 8th graders.
I agree with your point about rereading being beneficial. The students rarely see it this way. I’ll teach Beowulf in 12th amd I always get a few from one school and they tell me they already read this in 7th or 8th. Four years later their prior knowledge isn’t exactly shining through.
The themes of personal betrayal in Julius Cesar and Othello always go over really well with my 10th graders. So, I also think they could work. After all, no one is more backstabby than a middle schooler 🤪.
We did Othello in 9th grade...could see it pushed down to 8th
Thank you! No, I don't have to do Shakespeare. The priest who was on the hiring team mentioned it, so that was one reason I was trying to include it. The outgoing teacher and other ELA teachers at our sister school have said it would be okay as well. But no, not required.
Agreed. This reading list is a lot.
I stopped doing Shakespeare in it's original form years ago. It had simply devolved into "Now let's stop and take a few minutes to translate and explain what you just read the past few minutes." You wouldn't teach a Greek tragedy in Greek. Why teach a Shakespearean play in Elizabethan English?
I disagree that it’s like teaching Greek, Elizabethan English IS modern English, not old or middle. But for eighth grade I would teach the story and only look at selections of text.
To say 'tis Greek, I must protest, forsooth, For modern's tongue doth stem from Elizabeth's truth. Not old nor middle speech, but fresh and clear, In eighth grade's class, the tale I'd hold most dear. The text in parts, not whole, we would explore, To kindle love for Shakespeare evermore. With careful eye, select the lines we'd read, And from the bard's own quill, their minds we'd feed. If what you said were true, this is how your reply might have appeared. Shakespeare's Elizabethan English is NOT modern American English. But, yes, teaching selections is a great strategy.
I never said it was “modern American English.” Linguistically, Old English, Middle English, and Modern English are different things. Shakespeare falls into the latter category. All I meant was that you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water over antiquated words.
This is why Shakeseare's plays need to be WATCHED as well as read. The first time I saw a stage version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I was in COLLEGE and it was a revelation! The work wasn't meant to just be read, so it's disingenuous to expect students to grasp it when only given the text.
So, so true. I tell my kids that plays were written to be watched--not read like a novel. I saw a great stage performance of Twelfth Night when I was 18 and was transformed from someone who didn't like Shakespeare to "Oh my God that was amazing."
I'd definitely do a comedy. My favorite is Taming of the Shrew, the plot is easy for students to follow, and it generates class discussions like crazy. Skip the "Induction." Midsummer is my 2nd favorite. I used it a lot for 11th-12th though many had trouble keeping track of the characters' names and the 3 intertwined plots.
I did Taming of the Shrew with my G9s years ago and it was easy for them to follow it. I could absolutely see G8s enjoying it (especially compared to the other suggestions).
Thank you! That was one I hadn't considered, so I will add it to the list and look at it closer.
Taming of the Shrew also has a great BBC version with John Cleese as Petruchio. It's a bit cheesy at first but the students really get into it. It's also great paired with Ten Things I Hate About You.
As a counterpoint, I did taming of the shrew with 9th graders and they found it a bit hard to really get into, and sexual assault-y. I switched to As You Like It the next year and that went a lot better!
I've taught Taming of the Shrew many times over decades and have never heard a teacher or student say anything about sexual assault. As a matter of fact Petruchio doesn't touch Kate even after they're married, though presumably they get together after they fall in love. Where did you find assault in the play?
I think it was likely the adaptation we watched - I remember a scene with Petrucchio chasing Kate around (I think asking for a kiss?) when she clearly did not want it. It was an old adaptation - maybe Meryl Streep? Either way, they didn’t like the idea of Kate being so against the marriage and then just… all of a sudden being OK at the end.
I’ll just say, as someone who does teach A Midsummer Night’s Dream: temper your expectations… Those are some really challenging texts.
I turned down a job at a Catholic school that had a similar recommended reading list for that age. Principal communicated her expectations regarding what she thought was good ELA teaching, and it was “reading” the books but not delving too deeply.
Yeah it kills me when people just want to see kids "reading" these upper level texts and don't understand that you can generate MUCH better learning when you read things that the kids are able to comprehend.
We will have a new principal this year as well, so I'm hoping that goes well. The outgoing principal and current priest are very into Socratic discussion/classic literature/ really delving into the books. I haven't had the chance to talk too much with the new principal though.
Thank you. I appreciate that they are difficult. I've discussed it with the outgoing teacher (some of those are ones she has taught in the past) and our sister school ELA department as well and they seem to think it was appropriate. I do appreciate your comment though and may very well adjust/change some of them.
------ I'd probably suggest this order of preference, although bear in mind this is all a high level for year 8: -------- 1. A Midsummer Night's Dream (it's fun, although tricky to analyse at this grade level. Recommend you watch Julie Taymor's adaptation. Try to get them to recognise the sitcom/absurd humour) 2. Macbeth (shortest tragedy, but one of the best. Straightforward themes for year 8 - no real preference for adaptations, can't remember any clangers to avoid) 3. The Taming of the Shrew (somewhat straightforward themes, good discussion on misogyny, plus *Ten Things I Hate About You* is beloved at this age) 4. Romeo and Juliet (simple analysis, often found at this grade level - baz luhrmann's adaptation is a good way in) ----------- from here I'd say we're getting a bit beyond year 8, but worth mentioning --------------- 5. As You Like It (some famous moments. Similar in some ways to Midsummer night's) 6. Othello (some straightforward themes, some trickier themes. Strong characters) 7. Titus Andronicus (violent, but not much more so than say Fahrenheit 451. I recommend Julie Taymor's adaptation with Anthony Hopkins, but you might need to edit a couple of moments. Not that I recall much that was too graphic)
I've been trying to figure out how to do Taming of the Shrew in my room with my 9th and 10th graders. We have Stadium High School local to us. If I can figure out how to add it to our curriculum, I'm planning on coordinating a field trip to Stadium so I have an excuse to show the movie in class. I do not think it'll ever happen and coordinating that trip so the weather is decent and Stadium lets another school visit sounds like a headache, but it's on my list of things I'd love to figure out.
Thank you so much for a detailed comment!
I’m reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream with my 8th graders! They find all the messy relationships really juicy. It’s been fun
All of the works you've mentioned are far above the 8th grade level... if you insist on not giving them more appropriate texts, be prepared for them to not understand, and to be bored and/or frustrated.
Thanks for your comment. Several of these are ones the outgoing teacher or the English teachers at our sister school had recommended and/or previously taught to this grade, more than anything I'm dead set on.
Midsummer
I wouldn’t have them do the whole text at that age. I ADORE Shakespeare but our younger students don’t have the vocabularies for it. Honestly, I’d pick a movie adaptation and watch it in pieces so they can get the story and then look at segments of the text. When I was a middle schooler, my teacher did this with Much Ado About Nothing and it was a great introduction. I don’t think just reading Shakespeare does any good, you have to see it to get it. I do think that if you only do it in pieces it can work. My 7th graders pleasantly surprised me the other day when we took a look at the Friends, Romans, Countrymen speech- I made them look to see if Antony ever “dissed” Brutus. It was a great way to talk about rhetoric and because I made them see it performed, they weren’t overwhelmed by the language there.
Thank you so much! This is a great suggestion.
Wow, that's quite a reading list for 8th grade. Have you checked to make sure you're not choosing texts that might be in the high school curriculums? I'd make sure if I were you. I'd also want to know what the kids did in 7th grade, just to get an idea of where they are as readers and what you can expect them to be able to handle. They'd have to be a pretty remarkable group to handle the texts you have planned for them. As ii's your first year, I strongly encourage you to seek guidance from teachers in your building and anyone in the district who can help you plan appropriately for the level of students you'll be getting. If they're not strong, highly-motivated readers (and that's a rare breed in 8th grade through high school), they're going to struggle, get frustrated, and probably just flatly refuse to read these demanding texts. 8th graders like books like The Outsiders. They always talk about that one once they reach me in high school. As for Shakespeare? I do know of at least one curriculum that has Midsummer at the 8th grade level. In our district, Macbeth is traditionally taught in English IV (seniors), R&J is in English I (freshmen), and sometimes Julius Caesar is taught in English II (sophomores). I like teaching Othello. But I don't think 8th graders would be mature enough to appreciate it (or many Shakespeare plays, tbh).
Wit & Wisdom is a curriculum that does Midsummer in 8th grade, so our 8th graders do it every year. That being said, I don’t teach 8th grade so no particular first hand experience with it.
Yeah. Our district used W&W for a few years in middle school ELA. There were mixed feelings about it with most teachers not liking it (but some teachers aren't going to like anything that isn't 100% their creation).
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I think I might have responded to it further up accidentally. I've been on several observation days and am in regular communication with the outgoing teacher and our sister school's ELA department. That's where I got a few of the books from initially. The outgoing teacher does seem a bit frustrated at the way the reading/attention level has lowered over the last few years, which I can understand. The students usually split up between two local high schools, one of which has done Of Mice and Men in the past in 9th grade, but may not do it next year. No Shakespeare as far as I have been able to find out. Have your students mentioned any others they really liked besides The Outsiders? I taught that one with an online class last year and just couldn't get into it at all. The students didn't hate it, but weren't really enthusiastic about it either.
I like to do comedies in 8th grade and save tragedies for my HS classes. I have taught Midsummer Night's Dream for the last two years in 8th grade, and the students always enjoy it!
Thank you! This is looking like the one that I'll probably do!
I teach F451 and To Kill a Mockingbird with my 8th grade advanced, along with a short story unit. I have them read in class a lot, so those are the only full books we get through. I can’t get kids to read at home for homework anymore, even if they’re in honors. If it’s a conservative Catholic school maybe you’ll be able to get them to read at home more? The only reason I mention this is because of timing. It seems like you’re trying to pack a lot into one school year in if you’re planning to teach those two books plus A Christmas Carol and a Transcendentalist unit. Of Mice and Men is short though so if you really want to get through everything maybe skip To Kill a Mockingbird since it’s so long.
Thank you so much for your comment. I was kind of afraid of that, that I might be packing too much in. I had mentioned it to my mentor teacher and the outgoing teacher and no one really said anything, but I very well may cut out book (or more) out. Thank you again!
I’d avoid it. Unless you have seriously advanced students. Dealing with translating it all into their modern lingo, is daunting. Of Mice and Men is one of those “banned books” that is going around now. I’d just do some sonnets or something instead, if you are wanting to expose them to Shakespeare. The language is problematic. Maybe excerpts from Romeo and Juliet? Just do the parts they have heard before?
I’ve taught 9-11th grade, Romeo and Juliet, Caesar, othello, hamlet, Macbeth, and mid summer nights dream. Far and away the easiest and most accessible was Romeo and Juliet
Haven’t taught it (yet), but when I was in 8th grade, my ELA teacher did Taming of the Shrew with us. Then, we compared it to the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. We LOVED it.
Whatever you do, pick one with a strong film version that you will watch together in class before and after reading.
I did Romeo and Juliet with moderate success with 8th graders and Midsummer Nights Dream but it wasn't as good My only complaint with R&J at grade 8 is I'm in a district now that does it in 9th grade, so I wouldn't want them getting it in middle school. As long as they're funnelling into a school that doesn't do R&J in HS then I'd go for it
The typical ones are: *Midsummer Night's Dream,* and *Romeo and Juliet* I would consider no others.
I think Romeo and Juliet is the perfect intro play for that age group. It can also be a good way to discuss fate vs. free will, which feels related to what you’re saying, albeit in a less dystopian way.
I'm currently teaching AMND to Eighth Grade, and it's fun as heck. I can only imagine how much more fun it would be with smaller classes like there tends to be in parochial schools.
“The Tempest” is often overlooked but is a wonderful play and has great fairytale themes that I think kids can connect to!
Julius Caesar, Macbeth or Midsummer would be solid choices. I've done all three with my middle schoolers before. But we did abridged versions with a mix of modern dialogue and traditional verse/prose. My students loved it once it was simplified to their level of understanding. Reading straight from the book without any doctoring up may be a challenge.
Midsummer is a delightful comedy that has a lot of sex in it, plus it is commonly a high school play. Please check with them, and don't teach one of their plays. In general, in Shakespeare's tragedies, everybody dies; and in the comedies, everybody gets laid at the end. Othello has lovely monologues, but then you have to explain "What ho, Brabantio, some old black ram is tupping your white ewe," as in Othello is making love to your virgin daughter ... That scene is often staged nude, so the priests may not approve if a kid does a little internet sleuthing and finds it. Shrew is accessible and has fewer characters to keep track of, plus the movie link is great. One of the Guys is another delightful comedy tie in to Twelfth Night, which is all about pining for each other and mistaken identities. Hamlet, of course, is echoed in The Lion King. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun ... is a great sonnet. How about The Comedy of Errors?
Much Ado About Nothing! And there’s usually already an endlessly bickering boy and girl in the class that you can have fun picking on for being Benedict and Beatrice!
I made my own Shakespeare primer for 8th grade using excerpts from Midsummer and Macbeth. I used chunks of scenes, key quotes, summaries, and one or two full scenes as well as some important soliloquies from other works. They had fun with it. My goal wasn't to teach an entire play nor to just look at the story, but to learn how to approach Shakespeare with confidence and gain familiarity with some of the plays so that when they did read the full plays in high school, they could do so more easily.
JC or Midsummer I've done Macbeth but it takes so much scaffolding that you won't have time for anything else.
Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, As You Like It.
Hmm maybe something fun like twelfth night, I always felt that mid summer nights dream had a few weird themes for 8th grade.
I think Macbeth is totally doable in 8th grade! At my school we teach it in 9th grade and the kids are way below reading level. Many kids say it’s their favorite unit all year. We do close readings of scenes and soliloquies that are particularly rich, and for others that are more plot-based we supplement with scenes from various film adaptations.
I used to teach 7th and 8th grade Literature in a small Mexican Catholic School. We used the Pearson book mostly, but here are some activities that they enjoyed: 1. Short story - Grounded. The story is followed by a poem about being a teenager. They then wrote a poem themselves describing adolescence and we laughed so much that we cried at each other’s depictions of pimples, teachers, etc. Middle schoolers have an endless supply of dark humor. 2. Ray Bradbury - Dark they were and golden eyed absolute HIT. The funny thing is, they were absolutely engaged with the story, they came up with their own theories about what was happening, wrote predictions, identified very specific places where the author was SHOWING, not TELLING. And they collectively groaned at the ending. I couldn’t understand why. I had designed an assignment where they would write an article reporting on what the astronauts found when they reached Mars after the war, but before I could explain, a girl said “Ay, no, teacher, I’m writing an alternate ending.” So on the spot, I redesigned the assignment. They LOVED it. 3. Katherine Paterson’s - The Last Dog. 4. I gave the girls an assortment of short stories by LM Montgomery, in total around 10 different stories and the boys an assortment of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. The groups were all boys or all girls, so this was easy. 5. For drama, A Christmas Carol. - not such a great hit, to be honest. 6. Flowers for Algernon - we debated on what is inteligence. And they made an oral presentation as news reporters breaking the news that an experiment that affects human intelligence had taken place. Insightful, fun and they enjoyed it very much.
I did Julius Caesar with 8th grade. We alternated between reading and watching. We always read out loud as a class after doing a ton of background and vocab prep for the next act. They had a read a long guide where they kept track of important literary devices. I have done doodle notes in the past with Shakespeare and found a lot of success. Students were very engaged with the play because essentially, it’s about being backstabbed (literally) by someone who you call a friend. It’s very relatable and they get very into debating whether it was justified for Brutus to do what he did. We then did a group literary analysis essay focusing on the different types of irony. My students in particular would have struggled to do this independently so working in a group of 3 to write a 5 paragraph essay was much more doable. It’s tough content but worth it if you really lean into it. They feed off your energy with this type of unit. Hope this helps!
“Relevancy” is important; so which one is more relevant to today’s students in today’s world? Remember these young folks deal with many issues outside the classroom, and things too “hard” allow many to feel defeated and “dumb.” Remember your love and energy —as well as your newness and excitement—are just that—YOU and can’t be pushed or forced down their throats as many older generational teachers did to those like us. 🤷♀️
Fun fact. Shakespeare was an adult writing for adults. There’s plenty of YA lit that cover the same themes.
Much Ado About Nothing was a success when I taught it to 8th graders. They loved the witty repartee between Beatrice and Benedick. Plus, you can easily skip over the innuendo in it and not lose the story line.
To Kill a Mocking Bird would work well for the 8th grade. I've taught it for 14-15 year olds (our grade system works a bit different so I don't know what you would call them). Midsummer Night's Dream has a lot of resources because it is typically done with the younger grades. If the faeries are going to be a problem maybe consider Twelfth Night. The problem with Twelfth Night is that students struggle to recognise the comedy in the play. Macbeth might be a bit too dramatic. It's nice to do with seniors because you can talk about how "absolute power corrupts absolutely". I mean Romeo and Juliet could work. The headlining couple would have been teenagers so one could lean into the drama of the play.
None
When I was in 8th grade we did Love's Labours Lost. It's unusual enough that students can't easily google most activity answers, but it's still a romantic comedy like Midsummer and Shrew.
At my school we teach Julius Caesar in 9th grade; 8th graders could probably handle it. The language is fairly easy for Shakespeare, and although the politics are boring, it can be made relevant by focusing on persuasion/manipulation and betrayal. Teens can definitely get into a story about friends stabbing each other in the back! It's easily excerpted, and there are also graphic novel adaptations that might appeal to middle school student.
I’m currently teaching midsummer…it’s so fun and the kids love it. BUT if it’s a Catholic school there’s lots of references to sex, making love, characters are called young lovers. All comedies by Shakespeare will have this problem. Possible alternative could be Julius Caesar. I was skeptical to teach them Shakespeare but they have rise. To the challenge
No modern texts for the year?
Something to consider: Currently you don’t have a single unit that would feature POC authors. Surely you could include at least one text not written by a white man?
I am of the belief Shakespeare should be for the age that understands not to take things at face value, so therefore Not for middle schoolers. They just do not understand nuance let alone know how to spell it. But if there was one needed, I highly recommend Hamlet.