CarterKozar

ENG435
10Mar.2015

MacbethUnitLessonPlans

Goalsandobjectives:
~Studentswillbeabletoanalyzethemes,symbolsandcharactersinaShakespearian
tragedythroughwritingandoraldiscussions.
~StudentswillbeabletointerpretShakespeareanLanguage.
~Studentswillbeabletocollaborateinsmallgroupstoshareandexpressideas.
~Studentswillbeabletocompareandcontrastmajorcharactersandthemes.
~Studentswillbeabletosupportclaimswithevidencefromthetext.

Standards:

CCSS.ELALITERACYRL.910.1
Citestrongandthoroughtextualevidenceto

supportanalysisofwhatthetextsaysexplicitlyaswellasinferencesdrawnfrom
thetext.

CCSS.ELALITERACY
RL.910.2:Determineathemeorcentralideaofatextand
analyzeindetailitsdevelopmentoverthecourseofthetext,includinghowit
emergesandisshapedandrefinedbyspecificdetailsprovideanobjective
summaryofthetext.

CCSS.ELALITERACYRL.910.3:
Analyzehowcomplexcharacters(e.g.,those
withmultipleorconflictingmotivations)developoverthecourseofatext,interact
withothercharacters,andadvancetheplotordevelopthetheme.

CCSS.ELALITERACY
W.910.1A:Introducepreciseclaim(s),distinguishthe
claim(s)fromalternateoropposingclaims,andcreateanorganizationthat
establishesclearrelationshipsamongclaim(s),counterclaims,reasons,and
evidence.

CCSS.ELALITERACY
W.910.9:Drawevidencefromliteraryorinformational
textstosupportanalysis,reflection,andresearch.


CCSS.ELALITERACY
SL.910.1:Initiateandparticipateeffectivelyinarangeof

collaborativediscussions(oneonone,ingroups,andteacherled)withdiverse
partnersongrades910topics,texts,andissues,buildingonothers'ideasand
expressingtheirownclearlyandpersuasively.

Day1:
PreReading
Opener:
~ProjectFamousLinesandPhrasesfromMacbeth(FolgerShakespeareLibrary)onto
thescreenasstudentswalkin.Givestudentsafewminutestoreadthroughthelistand
thendiscussasaclasswhateachmeanstoday.Remindstudentstowatchforthe
sayingsaswereadthroughtheplay.
Middle:
~ExplainDramatisPersonea.Showanexampleofonefromtheoriginalpublicationon
theprojector.
~ProjectMacbethCharacterConnections(FolgerShakespeareLibrary).Passout
copiesashandoutsifpaperpermits.ExplainChartandDiscuss.
~DefineCharacterization.Discusstheimportanceofcharacterizationinplays.For
practice,askstudentstocharacterizecommoncharacterslike:Spongebob,Batman,
Sheldon(BigBangTheory),Dracula.
End:
~Usingtheskillstheylearnedregardingcharacterization,studentswillbeaskedto
completethefollowingactivity.
~PassoutPreDetectingKeyLinesfromMacbeth(thisismacbeth).Asaclass,dothe
firstthreequotestogether.Havestudentspredictwhatthelinesmeanandwhatkindof
characterwouldsaythem.Readeachquoteoutloudandhavethemcompletethelast
threepredictionsforhomework.
~AssignAct1Scenes1and2forhomework.

Day2:
Prereading

Opener:
~HavestudentspickupacopyofWeirdWordLog(thisismacbeth)fortheirbellwork.
Forthefirst10minutesofclass,havestudentswritetheirowndefinitionstothewords
theworksheet.
Middle:

~Projecttheworksheetontothescreen.Askvolunteerstosharetheirdefinitionsand
thenhelpstudentstousecontextcluestofigureoutameaning.
**Remindstudentsthattheywillcomeacrossmanydifficultwordswhilereading
Shakespeare,butnottopanic!Theydonotneedtoknoweverywordtounderstandthe
meaningoftheplay.ReviewContextCluesifneeded.
End:
~ForRemainderofClass,askstudentsthequestionsonMorePreReadingActivities
(linsdayturbett.files).

https://lindsayturbett.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/macbethprereadingactivities.pdf

Thesequestionswillsparklotsofdiscussionandstudentswillenjoyansweringthem.
Theissuesthequestionsaddressalignwithconflictsinthedrama.Theywillallow
studentstobeginthinkingabouttheconflictstocomeandallowthemtorelatethemto
theirownlives.

Day3:
Act.12
Beginning:
~BellringerQuestion:AmajorthemeinMacbethisFatevs.FreeWill.Doyoubelieve
thathumanshaveFreeWill?Orarewepredestinedtoacertainfate?Justifyyour
answer.
**WhileStudentswork,playWitchMusic/MacbethIncidentalMusic/act1scene1
(youtube)(creepymusic)tosetthemood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAGTIrB9oLE

~Asaclass,brieflydiscusstheopeningquestion.Haveafewstudentsreadtheir
justifications.
MiddleEndofclass:
~ReadAct1.1outloud.AllowVolunteerstoreadtherolesoftheWeirdSisters.
~ReadtheActagain(perhapsswitchingroles)withthemusicplaying.Askstudentsto
readintheircreepiestwitchvoices.
~Discussmood.Howdoesthemusicaddtotheeffect?
~ReadAct1.2outloud.
~Asthisscenehasdifficultlanguagestudentswillneedhelpteasingitoutandwewill
brieflydiscusstheevents.
**HowdoesthisscenecharacterizeMacbeth?

~ForHomeworkstudentswillreadscenes3and4.

Day4:
1.34
Beginning:
~Whatisatragicflaw?Whatwouldbeyourtragicflaw?
~Afterstudentscompletethisquestion,wewillbrieflydiscusstheirdefinitionsofthe
tragicflaw.

Middle:
Showvideoclipofwitchprophecy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYELGBK5Abc

~Providestudentswiththeactualdefinitionoftragicflaw.
~Basedonyouruseofcontextcluesandforeshadowing,whatwillbeMacbethstragic
flaw?Discussasaclass.
~Providestudentswiththedefinitionofsetting.
~Discusshowsettingplaceamajorroleinscene4.Howdoesitcontributetotheoverall
plot?(ItgivesMacbeththeperfectopportunitytokillDuncan.)

End:
~Iftimepermits,allowstudentssometimetogetstartedonscene5.Scene5,6,and7
assignedashomework.

Day5:
Act1.57
Beginning:
~ClasswillbeginwiththevideoclipbelowofLadyMacbethsUnsexMesoliloquy.
~Discussasaclasswhatunsexmeans,andthepossibilitiesofwhatthisspeech
means.

LadyMacbeth.mov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d_paIkhBrU

~Studentswillspendthenext20minutesorsousingthepromptbelow.Promptistaken
from

thisismacbeth.com
lessonplans.
It'saweekbeforeMacbeth'sletterarrivesMacbethisawayatwar,andLady
Macbethishomealone.Writeaonepagediaryentry.IsLadyMfrustratedthat,asa

woman,shecan'tfightinthewar?Isshebored?Isshedepressed?Isshewearyof
beingawoman?

Middle:
~DiscussDramaticIronyandSituationalIrony.
~WhatisironicaboutLadyMacbethandDuncansinteractioninsceneVII?Inthe
interactionbetweenLadyMacbethandherhusband?
~Remindstudentstobeawareofironyastheycontinue.Remembertoannotate!

End:

~Squareandcircleactivity.Studentsaretodrawapicturedepictingasceneormoment
inact1thattheybelieveisthemostimportant.Thecirclemustremaininthesamespot.
(Iwillprovidethemwithaworksheetthathastheimageabove.)Theywillthenprovidea
minimumof5sentencesasanalysisastowhytheydrewwhattheydrewandwhyitis
important.(Citationunavailableforactivity.)
~Thiswillbecountedasasummativeassessmentoveract1inplaceofatest.
~Theywillbeallowedtofinishforhomeworkiftimedoesnotpermit.
~StudentswillalsoberesponsibleforreadingAct2forhomework.

Day6:
Act2.14
Beginning:

~DiscussthesymbolismofthedaggerinMacbethseesinScene1.Whatisthe
significance?Givestudentstimetoformulateananswerandthenhaveafewstudents
respond.

Middle:
~Haveaclasswidediscussionwiththefollowingquestions.Remindstudentstoreferto
thetextandusingrhetoricaldevicesintheirresponses.Wewillhaveseveral
discussionslikethisovertherestoftheunitaspractice.Attheendoftheunitwewill
holdasocraticseminarandIwillexpectthestudentstodiscusswithoutmyhelp.Itwill
bepartoftheirfinalgrade.

~WhydoesntLadyMacbethkillDuncanherself?Doyouthinkshesbecomingastatic
ordynamiccharacter?Why?
~InwhatwaysisMacbethtroubledafterthemurder?Howmightthisaffecthisfuture?
~MacbethisunabletosayAmenafterthemurderandhearsavoicesay,Macbeth
dothmurdersleep.HowdoesLadyMacbethrespondtoMacbethsproblems?How
doesMacbethhandlehissenseofguilt?
~WhodiscoversDuncansbody?Describetheirreactiontothediscovery?
~MacduffsaystoLadyMacbethOhgentlelady,TisnotforyoutohearwhatIspeak!/
Therepetitioninawomansear/Wouldmurderasitfell,Whyisthisstatementironic?
~Macbethsspeechbeginswith,HadIbutdiesbefore(lines103108)canmean
differentthingstodifferentcharacters.Inwhatwayscanacharacterunderstandthis
speech?
~ExplainMacbethsreasonsforkillingDuncanandthereactionsofhissons.
End:
~StudentswillcompleteaVennDiagramforLadyMacbethandherHusband.The
diagrammusthaveatleast4directquotesfromthetext.
~ReadAct3.13forhomework.

Day7
Act3.13
Begining:

~WouldMacbethhavebeenagoodkingifhehadcomebythecrownhonestly?
Explain.Shareafewanswersasaclass.
Middle:
~
AskstudentsiftheyarehavingtroubleinterpretingShakespeareswork.Askifthey
haveanyparticularpassagestheywouldliketogooveruptothispoint.
~ReadMacbethsSoliloquyinact3outloud.
~Havestudentsbreakoffintogroupsof2or3andrewritethespeechinmodern
English.
~Haveeachgroupsharetheirinterpretation.
~Afterthestudentshaveachancetocompletetheactivity,discussasaclassthe
purposeofthesoliloquy.
End:
~EndclasswithabriefdiscussionofhowMacbethhaschangedsincethebeginningof
theplay.Arenewflawsemerging?

Day8
Act3.46
Beginning/Middle:
~Studentswillbebrokenupintogroupsandgivenoneofthe6scenesfromact3.
~Theywillberesponsibleforstagingaperformanceoftheirscene.
~StudentsareallowedtoslightlyalterShakespeareslanguagetomakeitmoremodern,
butitisencouragedthattheykeepthelanguageascloseaspossible.Theyalsodonot
havetoreadstraightfromthescript,butarefreetocutoutpartstheyfeelareless
importanttheywillneedtojustifytotheclasswhytheycutoutcertainpartsadnwhy
theykeptothers.
End:
~Groupswillbegintheirperformances.Attheendofeachperformancetheywillexplain
thesignificanceofthesceneandwhytheyalteredit.Thegoalofthislessonistoallow
thestudentstoexperiencetheplayandtohelptheydecipherShakespeareslanguage.
~Thismaytakemorethanoneclassperiod.

Day9
Act4.13
Beginning:
~Whatarethewitchesreferringtowhentheysay,somethingwickedthiswaycomes?
~Whatarethe2importantpropheciesgiventoMacbeththatwilldeterminehisfate?
Middle:
LessononAlliteration.
~ShowstudentstheclipExtremeAlliteration.Askstudentshowalliterationaddedto
theliteraryeffectoftheclip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U97lbv0_A2I
~Providestudentswithafewexamplesfrom
Macbeth.
End:
~Havestudentsfind3passagesthatincludestrongalliteration.
~Foreachpassagetheychose,theyneedtoprovideasummarysentenceaswellasa
briefstatementofthelinessignificancetoAct4ortheplayasawhole.
~Allowstudentstogetintogroupsof3andsharetheirexamples,summariesand
analysis.Bytheendofclass,eachstudentshouldhave9strongexamplesof
alliteration.
~ReadAct5.16forhomework.

Day10
5.16
Beginning:
~WouldMacbethhavebeenagoodkingifhehadcomebythecrownhonestly?
Explain.Shareafewanswersasaclass.
Middle:
~Reintroducestudentstothethemeoffateversusfreewill.
~Givestudentstheworksheetonpage42ofthePrestwickpacket.ProphecyandFate

~Providestudentsmostoftheclassperiodtimetofilloutthechart.

~ThechartonthefollowingpagecontainsalistofMacbethsvictims.Writeina
sentenceortwohoweachonediesandtheActandSceneinwhichitoccurs.Inthe
AlternateFate
column,explainhowtheprophecycouldstillcometrueifthecharacter
doesnotdie.Ifsavingavictim
would
changefate,describeanalternatefutureforthat
character.
End:
~Havestudentssharetheiranswers.
~Takeavoteonwhobelieves,sofar,iftheeventsoftheplayarebasedonfateor
freewill.
~ReadAct5.711forHomework.

Day11
Act5.711
Beginning
~Howcanweanalyzetheresolutionintheplaytodrawconclusionsabout
ShakespearespurposeinMacbeth?
~ThinkofafictionalorreallifecharacterwhoselifeparallelsMacbeths.
Middle:
~Lookbackatthesymbolsoftheplay.Choose5symbols/motifs.Foreachsymbol
choseprovideaninterpretationandevidence(directpassagesfromtheplay).
End:
~Afterstudentsfinish,thelasthalfofclasswillbespentinasocraticseminarthat
focusesonthesymbolsandmotifsoftheplayandtheoverallimpacttheyhaveonthe
playsthemesandpurpose.Studentsarefreetousetheirbookandnotes.Thiswill
countasasummativeassessmentgrade.Thegradewillbedeterminedbasedon
studentsabilitiestosupporttheirclaimswithevidence.

Day1214

PostReadingActivities
1. StudentswillcreateaBodyBiography.Eachstudentwillpickacharacterfrom
theplay.Usingthetemplatebelowtheywillfillinthesectionsofthebodywith
importantquotesorsymbolsthatareimportanttothecharacter.(Forexample,
onthechestofLadyMacbeth,nearherheart,astudentmaywritetheword
powerbecauseshelovesanddesirespower.)Thepointofthisexerciseisfor
thestudenttodoanintenseanalysisusingaspectsofcharacterization.Themore
indepthanddetailedthebetter.Theywillusethisasanaidinthefinalactivity
below.Theywillhavetimetoworkonthisforanentireclassperiod.
2. Studentswillbeallowedtochoseapartner.Onepartnerwillbethe
Shakespeareancharacterandtheotherwillbeaninterviewer.Theinterviewer
andcharacterwillthenpartakeinaquestionandanswersituation.Thisproject
maybedoneliveinfrontoftheclass,oritcanbefilmedandshownasavideo.
Studentswillhave710minutestoasktheirpartners5interviewquestions.They
questionsandresponsesmustincludeatleast5directquotations.Eachquestion
mustberelevantandshouldhelptheaudiencegetabetterunderstandingofthe
character'spersonalityandmotives.Studentsshouldbecreative!Shakespeareis
alwaysuptointerpretationandtheinterviewsshouldreflectit.(Forexample,the
interviewercouldpretendtobeEllenDegeneresandinterviewMacbethonher
talkshow.)Theywillhave2daystoworkinclass.Thenwewillspendthenext
fewdayspresenting.Eachcharactermayonlybeusedonce.Ifmultiplegroups
wantthesamecharacter,theywilldrawstrawstodeterminewhowillbethesaid
character.

WorksCited
Anthot121.LadyMacbeth.mov.OnlineVideoClip.
YouTube
.YouTube,5September
2011.Web.2015.
PrestwickHouse.PrestwickHouseActivityPack:MacbethbyWilliamShakespeare.
Inc.2003.Web.20March2015.
Rostek,Phillip.
WitchMusic/MacbethIncidentalMusic/act1scene1.OnlineVideo
Clip.
YouTube
.YouTube,19July2014.Web.20March2015.
ShakespeareatPlay.MacbethAct1Scene3.OnlineVideoClip.
YouTube
.Youtube,
17September2013.Web.20March2015.

SNAGilbert.ExtremeAlliteration.OnlineVideoClip.
YouTube
.YouTube,5April2009.
Web.23March2015

Turbett,Lindsay.LindsayTurbettFiles:MacbethPreWritingActivities.nd.Web.21
March2015.