Genre Two -- Letter to Parents

Joanna Meyer

3^rd Period Language Arts

8^th Grade Language Arts

Shakalake Middle School

Dear Parent or Guardian,

            Hello, my name is Joanna Meyer and I am your son/daughter’s eighth grade Language Arts teacher and head of Shakalake’s Language Arts department.   I have been teaching for eight years, and have been in my current position for the past four.  I graduated in ’13 from LaGrange College with double bachelor’s degrees in English and theatre performance, before going on to receive my MAT in English from the University of Georgia.   I have been performing and directing plays for the last fourteen years.

            As an educator, I feel that each and every student I teach has the power to succeed, and that it is my job to give them the tools that unlock this power.  I believe that the best way to engage children in a lesson is to relate the material to something they already know and are comfortable with.  The text must matter to them.  They must be shown how even work from thousands of years ago can still be relevant to their lives here in the twenty first century.

            As you may know, we are beginning a drama unit on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in Language Arts class.  The students have begun reading the play in class, and we are currently on the second act.  In an effort to further engage students and to help them make sense  of the complex language involved, the Language Arts department has decided to have students perform an abridged version of the play.  Robert G. Young, author of “Dear Mr. Roberts: Please Teach Shakespeare in Middle School” explains that a performance-based approach to teaching the plays of Shakespeare has been shown to be a positive experience for students, and ultimately raising their test scores.

I have found that this fosters student understanding of character nuances and encourages confidence.  In addition, this activity will call for a close reading of the text, allowing the students to more easily dissect the heightened language found in Shakespearean dialogue.

            Auditions and rehearsals will take place during class time, with the final production occurring in four weeks, on February 13^th at 11:25 a.m.  We are currently looking for volunteers to aid in costume construction, program printing, and set building.  If you are interested in helping, please email me at jmeyer@shakalakemiddle.edu  and let me know in what areas you are comfortable working.

Thank you for your help,

Joanna Meyer

Language Arts Department Head

Shakalake Middle School