Exemplary Lessons
Activation of Prior Knowledge and Experience
As students are introduced to a new unit, it is helpful to find out what students already know about the topic, and what sort of experience students have had with the topic. This activity provides a great starting point for discussion, especially with high school students. The students for which this unit is designed are seventeen and eighteen years old. They are beginning to come into their own as young adults as they discover and form their own identities. Great literature, which is what we read and study in this course, gives students the opportunity to deeply investigate what it means to be human and to live in our complex world.
Macbeth affords this opportunity in a variety of ways. This activity is one way to engage students in discussion of the themes and issues explored in the play. It is a type of anticipation guide, designed in the form of a survey. A series of questions are posed to students on a handout, and they respond to each in a brief written piece on the handout. This sheet may be given for homework or done in class, which will take about twenty minutes. The questions are designed to guide students toward inward reflection about their own beliefs and stances on moral or ethical issues -which are raised in profusion in Macbeth. After students answer questions individually, they form groups of three to four. Then they share their answers with each other while explicating the reasoning behind each response. I find that, many times, students will disagree with each others' responses. This is a perfect opportunity to teach the art of argument and discussion, in which students must listen carefully and respond with articulacy. Examples of statements on the anticipation guide are "What is the difference between greed and ambition?," and "Do you listen to your conscience?"
These mini-discussions within groups will eventually lead into a whole-class discussion. Another useful aspect of this anticipation guide is that it promotes student enthusiasm for the play, and provides a personal connection to the literature. These statements and questions will be continually revisited throughout the unit, as students make judgments on how their own responses may have changed, or how certain characters might respond to the statements on the anticipation guide. Additionally, these discussions lend themselves well to the overarching examination of the performance paradigm. For example, Macbeth may have an inner concept of his own conscience, but may present a different, outward concept of conscience to the other characters in the play.
Staged Reading
This lesson is designed to help students move through the reading of the play. It offers an engaging activity in which students must look critically at the text, and then make unique choices in interpretation. Students are first divided into small groups, or in this particular example, partners. Students are then instructed to reread a passage from their copies of Macbeth. I say 'reread' because, for the staged reading activity, it is best to choose a passage students are already somewhat familiar with. It is important that they know how the passage fits into the story, for their staged readings are performances that interpret the characters' dialogue in context.
A good early passage to use during the reading of the play is Act I, scene 7, lines 29-83. This is the scene wherein Lady Macbeth first questions why her husband is not at King Duncan's party, and then persuades Macbeth to murder the king. The objective for students is to have each partner assume the role of either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth, then read the lines aloud. They should endeavor to create a strong dramatic affect. This activity involves a three-step process. First, they will read the passage critically, deciding how each character might speak their lines, keeping in mind the motivation and conflicts each character faces. Secondly, they will annotate their passages. I will make copies of each passage so that students can annotate, or take detailed notes on their passages. In their annotation, they may make such marginal notes as "sigh heavily here," or "whisper this line." This way, students will create a script for staged performance out of Shakespeare's text. Body language is another aspect of their performance to keep in mind.
After each partnership has made notes, they will lastly perform the passages aloud at their desks. This is intended to test the students' success in interpreting the dialogue. The students themselves are the assessors of this success. They are pushed to try several readings aloud, discovering the ways in which their thought processes align with the performance triangle aspect of the actor. After all students have had the chance to read their parts aloud, volunteers are chosen to perform their staged readings in front of the class. Following the staged reading, I will lead a whole-class discussion on how the students came to interpret and perform this passage, and what the audience might have learned about the characters from the performance. Time will only allow for a few performances in front of the class, so, after the first one, I will ask for volunteers who may have a different or contrasting reading than the first. This activity will be revisited throughout the reading of the play so that students will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the play and the actor's role, but also so that more students have the opportunity to perform in front of the class.
The Critical Essay
Students are expected to draw upon the entire unit's worth of studying Macbeth in producing a formal essay that will be assessed on the following points: 1) a clear and well-developed thesis; 2) examples and quotes that are relevant and support the thesis; 3) logical organization; 4) punctuation, grammar, and spelling; 5) closing of essay. These points will also have been used to assess previous essays in the course. The essay's format is to be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman twelve point font. This format, of course, may be adjusted to fit the requirements of other teachers.
I will explain to students that I am interested in their own unique analyses of the play. In a way, I want them to show me what they have learned about the themes, characters, and stylistic elements of the play as these factors apply to the concept of performance in Macbeth. In the first draft, students must demonstrate their grasp of a workable thesis, and whether their draft has the potential to continue as a full-length essay. I will make comments in the paper's margins, with a general overview at the end of the essay, noting ideas for progress. I also hold a twenty-five minute 'writer's workshop' on the first draft due date during class. During this time, students are encouraged to work with a partner or small group, giving each other feedback. I hand out a peer feedback sheet, and walk around the classroom fielding questions they may have on the comments I made on their papers.
The essay prompt will read: "Choose characters, themes, or literary elements in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Form a thesis about how these aspects of the play contribute to the overall performance aspect of the play, and how they play an important role in the overall meaning of the play. Write a logically-structured essay in which you support your thesis, remembering to use textual quotes. You are also encouraged to use notes from class handouts and discussions." For the final draft, I also will write comments and notes on their paper, but this time the focus will be reading their essay as a college professor whose initial expectations will exceed mine. After the final draft has been returned, students place their essays in a writing portfolio, which is a collection of all their major written pieces over the course of the school year. This will provide students with an excellent source of material to look back on as they enter their postsecondary education.
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