In September of 2013, Quirk Books recieved an email from Adam Watson, a teacher in Crestwood, Kentucky. Like a lot of the teachers who have emailed us about Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars series, he was wondering if he could grab a few posters for his classroom.
As the emails continued, he asked if he could host Ian as a Skype guest. Then he decided to use the book in his class. Fast forward a few months and Adam had developed an entire lesson plan circulated around William Shakespeare's Star Wars.
And it was amazing.
"I have been an English high school teacher since 2005. In my classroom, it seemed natural to include Star Wars references whenever possible. Thanks to the prequels, a new generation had been introduced to Lucas's vision, and Star Wars often became short-hand for characterizations or analogous comparisons," said Adam.
"Still, except for some scattered lessons in my Myths and Legends class (Joseph Campbell, the Hero's Journey, Jungian archetypes — using Star Wars as a teaching tool in such a class is easy!), I struggled to find an academically sound reason to anchor an entire English unit around my beloved universe. Until Ian Doescher."
Interested in using William Shakespeare's Star Wars series in your classroom? Well, you're in luck. The lesson plan is available for download, completely free. Because Adam is awesome.
Enjoy, and a huge thank you to Adam.
Educator's Guides
William Shakespeare's Star Wars
The Empire Striketh Back
The Jedi Doth Return
The Phantom of Menace
The Clone Army Attacketh
The Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge