Broadway Hit, "Hamilton"

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If you’ve heard your students rapping about American history in the halls, then you’re already well aware that Broadway’s smash hit “Hamilton” has done something remarkable.

This lesson bundle takes full advantage of “Hamilton’s” popularity with students by prompting them to engage in close reading and rhetorical analysis with the rich lyrics that make the musical such a hit.  Materials include a guided rhetorical analysis of “Alexander Hamilton,” a concept-specific analysis of “My Shot,” a powerful exercise on the power of deliberate repetition, and an awesome synthesis writing task.

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Lesson Description

This lesson plan bundle promises to impress.  Here’s what you can expect with your materials for teaching English, argument, and rhetorical analysis through Hamilton:

  • A guided rhetorical analysis and close-reading exercise — designed to scaffold the thinking process for explicating complex texts by prompting students to think about specific lyrics.
  • An exercise that prompts students to explore various literary and rhetorical techniques (assonance and consonance, rhyme, connotation and denotation, rhythm and meter, figurative language) across selected lyrics.
  • An activity designed to promote deeper understandings about the power of deliberate repetition through rhetorical devices such as anaphora, epiphora, commoratio, and more.  (This particular section was designed with rigor in mind, and is well suited for AP Language and other “accelerated” English classes.)
  • A comparative rhetorical analysis (writing task) that prompts students to analyze and synthesize two opposing perspectives.

In short — you’ll be thrilled, and your students will thank you.

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Lesson Features

Grades Secondary; some elements designed specifically for AP Language
Focus Close reading; Rhetorical analysis; Synthesis

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