Classroom Activities
Activity One: How to analyze characters by finding examples of indirect characterization within speeches - within the first three days of the unit
After students have reviewed background information about William Shakespeare and the methods of indirect characterization (on the first day), I will provide students with the plot of a Shakespearean play. Any play can be used, as long as the teacher can find three or four speeches from that play that can be used to show students how to identify the different types of characterization and use those observations to make a character analysis. I will provide plots derived from Marcia Williams' Tales from Shakespeare and More Tales from Shakespeare. The purpose of providing the students with the plot is so they can more accurately assess the character.
This activity will begin with me asking students how they think the methods of characterization would be seen differently in a play as opposed to a narrated story. Based on student responses, I will either confirm or guide them toward answering that plays do not contain all the narrative information that we are given in novels, and that therefore almost all character analysis must be interpreted based on characters' words. I will then provide students with a character - Suzie - and some very simplistic examples of the different methods of indirect characterization WITHIN speech that allow the reader to make an interpretation about the character (See Appendix C).
Once I'm sure that students understand the point I am trying to make about a character's speech clueing the reader into the other types of characterization and how we can interpret those characters (and this will be assessed based on the verbal and written responses students give to the question about the differences between a book and a play as well as their responses to the Suzie scenario), I will provide the students with a play's plot for background information. Any play can be used for this activity. Some teachers may choose to present a play with which the students are already familiar (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, etc.); others may choose to present a new play so as to broaden the students' experiences with Shakespeare. Based on the latter idea, I will present the students with Antony and Cleopatra.
After providing students with the plot, I will use three pre-selected speeches from the play (two by Cleopatra and one by Enobarbas about Cleopatra) to present to the students. These speeches will be presented as I stated before, with the left side showing the original language, and the right side showing the modern translation.
The first 'speech' will contain a few samples of Cleopatra's words throughout Act I (See Appendix D). For this, I will guide the students through the reading of the speech by reading both sides (original text and modern text), and then model (with student input allowed but not required) how to identify which types of characterization are evident in the speech and what those things reveal to the reader. My modeling will "create" the questions which will be included on the second speech provided to the students.
The second speech, taken from Enobarbus' descriptions of her in Act II, will be presented much like the Hal speech referenced earlier in this unit. The left hand side of the sheet will have the speech in the original text; the right hand side will have it in modern text; and the bottom of the sheet will have questions based on those we developed during the first speech (See Appendix E). For the reading of the second speech, I will read the side with the original language, then allow or choose a student to read the side with modern language. In order to answer the questions, students in the class will have to answer as a group, but without my help.
The third and final speech, several of Cleopatra's words once she decides to kill herself, will again be presented in the same style; however, after the speeches are read (I will again read the original while another student reads the modern), students will have to work independently to answer the questions. After all students have finished making their observations, we will discuss their answers as a class (Appendix F).
I will then review all three speeches and observations with the students and ask them, in about one paragraph, to make their own analyses of Cleopatra using the three speeches as evidence. I will encourage them to use strong adjectives by offering bonus points to students who come up with adjectives that are both accurate and original (no one else used the same word). Student responses must include at least three examples from the speeches that provide evidence for their analysis of Cleopatra's character.
I anticipate not being able to complete all three of these speeches in one class period, as grammar, vocabulary, and work on the North Carolina Graduation Project is necessary each day, as well. For whichever point there is a break, the next class period will begin with a warm up where the class is split into four groups - A will list characters; B will briefly explain the beginning of the play; C will briefly explain the middle of the play; and D will briefly explain the ending of the play. It is possible to assign this at the end of the prior day's class period so that each student has time to prepare. Once each group has presented, we will pick up where we left off the day before, after a quick review of the speech or speeches studied on that previous day.
Activity Two: Exercise Caution in your Interpretations - can be done at various points and in many different ways throughout the unit; this example should be done after Act I has been read.
Since this is a resource classroom, my class size will be no more than 8 - 12 students, which affects how I plan group work; I am limited by the number of students in a group, as well as the number of groups overall. This activity will be presented as I would divide my class, but obviously other teachers can modify their assignments based on class size. After splitting my students into three groups of four (or however many I need to divide as closely to evenly as possible), I will give each group a sheet of paper with a reason why they don't want to attend a family party. Group A will not want to go because last time there was a family party, their parents got into a huge fight and they had to leave early. Group B will not want to go because they feel like they have better things to do with their friends. Group C will not want to go because they feel uncomfortable being around large groups of people, even if it is family.
Each student will be distributed copies of the same speech telling his or her parents that he or she does not want to go to the family party. Since each student receives the same speech, it will not include any of the "reasons" for not wanting to go. It is up to the students to perform that speech without giving away too much information. Students will listen to the speech from two others and will have to make guesses as to why the student does not want to attend the party. After all students have rotated and some of the guess reasons have been shared, I will put the three actual scenarios up on the board and have students make guesses as to which reason goes with which speaker. Students will have to provide reasons (or cite evidence based on words in the speech) for their choices. Student understanding will be assessed based on how strong their argument / evidence is.
The following "speech" can be used and/or adjusted: I don't want to go to the family party. I know you want me to go, but I really don't want to. I've done things for you in the past, because you're my parents and I love you, but I don't want to do this. If you really loved me, you wouldn't make me go. I wish you would just understand why I don't want to go. Sorry - I'm not changing my mind. I'm old enough to stay by myself and I'm not going.
Once that activity is completed, the discussion can then turn to how this information is applicable when attempting to interpret the characters in Macbeth. Students will be asked to brainstorm some ideas for how the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth could be described, based on Act I. I will explain to the students that they do not have to agree with all the ideas they list; the goal is to get out many possibilities. Examples: [They could be] evil, greedy, misguided, insecure, only doing what he/she thinks the other wants, doing what is best for the family, ambitious, selfish, innocent, naïve, manipulative, power hungry, blinded by power, gullible, etc. Once students have listed all they can, we will create a class list of characteristics. I will split students into pairs and either let them choose or assign (based on willingness to choose) characteristics for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Once pairs have been assigned a set of characteristics, they will be responsible for going through the text of Act I to find evidence to support that understanding of the character. Evidence should include either brief quotes or summaries of characters' speech and/or actions. Students should be able to explain, either verbally or in written form, how the evidence supports their interpretation.
Students will then receive a handout (or use their books) with the text from Act I, scene vii, where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discuss whether or not to go through with killing Duncan. The student pairs will use the following key points to help them develop a plan for how to perform the scene to convey the characterizations they were assigned before:
- Does Macbeth want to be convinced to kill Duncan or not? (This could be conveyed by how easily he gives in to Lacy Macbeth.)
- How far is Lady Macbeth willing to go to convince her husband to kill Duncan? What does she think will persuade her husband? (Is she sweet, seductive, angry, violent, etc?)
- How quickly does Macbeth agree to go with Lady Macbeth's plan, and how firm is he in his resolve?
- What words and/or phrases does either of the characters emphasize in order to make his or her points? (Underline those words to make sure they are emphasized in your performance)
Student pairs will then perform brief sections of the scene for the rest of the class. During the performances, students should fill out on a sheet of paper (teachers can provide handouts or have students construct their own) sections for each pair in which the characteristics assigned to that pair are listed. While each pair is performing, the students watching will have to list evidence from the performance (words, actions, etc.) that demonstrated the given characteristics. Student understanding will be assessed not only on how the performance is given and received by other students (if students were able to clearly see examples of the characteristics assigned for demonstration), but also on the responses they give to other performances. The activity will conclude with a discussion of how the same words can be presented or interpreted differently based on what the speaker and listener each bring to the words.
Activity Three: Demonstrate understanding of Shakespearean character from Macbeth - to be completed at end of unit
As part of my English 12 curriculum, I will incorporate instruction on how to use Windows Movie Maker by collaborating with the media specialists and technology teachers. Windows Movie Maker is a video editing program that allows the user to make home videos, presentations, and projects by incorporating still pictures, video clips, sounds, music, and/or narration. This serves a dual purpose for my students. During the semester in which students take English 12, they must do a presentation for the North Carolina Graduation Project, and a video is an accepted format for presentation. The Movie Maker instruction will provide knowledge for the Graduation Project as well as lead into the Macbeth culminating activity.
For this final project, students will be assigned a character from the play. Using the analyses that we have done over the course of the unit as well as individual interpretations, students will create a Windows Movie presentation about that character. There will be several options for how students can present their character (see Appendix G for assignment sheet and rubric). This final project will serve as an assessment of the students' understanding of who the various characters in the play are, as well as a demonstration of their ability to look at several pieces of information about a character and bring it all together in order to have a more holistic understanding of that character.
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