This lesson plan is for a 5-day unit on Shakespeare's Macbeth in a 12th grade English class. Day 1 focuses on defining ambition and power, providing context on Shakespeare and the 16th century. Students research the time period and characters. Day 2 involves literature circles to discuss Acts I-III and creating character maps. Day 3 has students analyze characters through a writing prompt and vocabulary work. Day 4 teaches theme through comparing Macbeth to a Disney film. Students identify character traits and themes. Day 5 explains symbols and their importance in stories. Overall, the lessons aim to build skills in collaboration, critical thinking, and literary analysis through activities exploring the play's language, characters, themes and historical context.
Macbeth Lesson Plan Day 1 Cross Curricular Research
1. Jamie Delaney
ED 623
June 12, 2009
Macbeth Lesson Plan
Cross Curricular Day 1
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: The students will be learning how to collaborate
with one another and work together as a team to come up with ideas. This will help them
in college and their career in the working world. The students will also be learning about
past events (how life was) and will be thinking about how things have changed since
then. They will be learning from the past and throughout the course of this unit, learning
from the mistakes of Macbeth.
Specific Daily Objectives: The students will define ambition and power to determine
different and similar characteristics. The students will list facts and what they know
about the 16th
century and Macbeth. The students will research the time period of
Shakespeare and Macbeth to better understand the play.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Reading App. Lit. Text 1, 2, 5, 7, 8
Materials: The students will need paper and a writing utensil for this activity.
Methods:
Anticipation: (5 minutes) The students will first be asked to define power.
Then they will define ambition. The class will discuss what they have written and
the similarities and differences between their definitions.
Introduction/Overview: (10 minutes) Introduce the play, how ambition and
power play a part in the play, and introduce the background of Shakespeare and
the 16th
century time period.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (15 minutes) Group the students into pairs and
have them write down everything they know about the 16th
century (clothes,
buildings, way of life, etc.) and Shakespeare. Then, make a KWL chart on the
board of the student’s knowledge and what they want to learn about the time
period and Macbeth.
Application: (20 minutes) The students will get into groups and go to a
computer and find ten facts about Duncan, Macbeth, and Scotland at the time the
play was written. If time permits, we will share our findings as a class.
2. Adaptations: The students will be working in groups and should have no problems
coming up with ideas concerning the 16th
century or finding information about the time
period. Also, for each English 12 class, there are also several teachers in the classroom at
all times to help students with any questions they might have about the research or
Shakespeare.
Possible Problems & Solutions: One possible problem might be that some students do
not feel comfortable working in groups. These activities in this lesson can be completed
by an individual as easy as those in a group. So if students would rather work alone, they
can be permitted to do so. Another problem that might arise would be students not
researching on the computer. In order to reduce the number of students who are not
working, I only offer the student so much time to finish the assignment. Once everyone
begins talking, I assume everyone is finished and the assignment is to be turned in.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by their participation in
their group and by their findings in the research portion of the lesson. The students will
also be assessed by their previous knowledge of Shakespeare and both his time period
and that of Macbeth. After researching, the students will read Act I Scenes 1-3 for
homework for the next day.
3. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Day 2
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: The character maps will help students to dissect
characters in a story, thus helping them locate other literary devices and helping them to
predict the futures of the characters in the story. Dissecting these characters will also
help them to think critically when they read other Shakespeare plays or other novels.
Specific Daily Objectives: The students will identify key vocabulary in Act I and keep
it in a vocabulary journal. The students will form literature circles and discuss the
previous reading. The students will begin character maps for three people in the play of
Macbeth.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Acquisition of Voc. 1, Reading Process 1, 2 Reading
App. Lit. text 1, 8
Materials: The students will need character maps, a writing utensil, paper, and their
textbook for this activity.
Methods:
Anticipation: (5-8 minutes) The students will be introduced to literature circles.
When the students enter the room, the desks will be arranged into groups of four
or five.
Introduction/Overview: (5 minutes) Before the students start discussing the
text, have each student write down three to five questions they had about what
they read or what they would like to talk about with their group.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (15 minutes) The students will then begin
discussing the first three scenes of Act I. They will ask the questions they have
just written and fully discuss other group members’ questions or comments during
this time.
Application: (20 minutes) The students will be given instructions on how to
complete their character maps (due when the class has finished reading the entire
play). They will then, individually, spend the remainder of class time filling in
what they know about Macbeth and two other characters of their choosing. If the
students finish early they may read the remainder of Act I silently or with other
members of their group.
Adaptations: Shakespeare can be difficult for young students read and get into since
they usually do not understand everything that is occurring within the play. So, before
4. each discussion we can quickly summarize what happened in the acts read so they feel
more comfortable talking about what is occurring in their group. The students are also
working together to work out what is going on in the play and to figure out future events.
This also gives them an advantage to figuring out the inner workings of the play.
Possible Problems & Solutions: Since the previous reading was an assignment to be
done for homework, there may be a significant amount of students who did not do the
reading and will not be able to participate in the literature circle because they do not
know what is going on in the story. One possible solution, if there are many who did not
read, would be to give the students a warning and have them read the first Act together as
a group and create questions for homework. The students would then discuss the entire
Act the following day in their literature circle. For the student/s who finishes their work
early, there is always something else for them to do, like reading the next night’s reading
and creating discussion questions for the next literature circle. The questions made by
the students can also be turned in for points.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by their participation in
the literature circle and by their discussion questions/topics. They can also turn their
discussion questions in and receive a participation grade for both their input while in the
circle and their written work. The students will also be assessed throughout the entire
unit by their character maps. They will gather ideas from each of their group discussions
about their characters and formulate their own idea about Shakespeare’s characters.
5. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Day 3
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goals/Rational: The students will be learning how to read
Shakespeare and make their own judgments about his characters, a skill that will help
them with other novels and short stories they will read in college. This will also help
them to be a better judge of character in the outside world (not just believing what others
think of someone, but observing them and talking to them themselves). The students are
also practicing writing their opinions, another skill that will be useful in college.
Specific Daily Objectives: The students will read and learn how to get meaning out of
Shakespearean language so they are able to discuss the text among each other. The
students will learn how to assess Shakespeare’s characters based on the attributes they
see, what other characters in the story think, and how the character himself thinks and
acts. With this concrete information, the students can make better judgments about the
characters and the decisions they make in the story. The students will also gather
information from today’s reading to practice putting their interpretation of the story on
paper. The students will look up Act II vocabulary to prepare them for the next day’s
reading.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Acquisition of Voc. 1, Reading Process 1, 2, Reading
App. Lit. text 3, 5, 8, Writing App. 2b
Materials: The students will need their text book, character maps, paper, and pencil.
Methods:
Anticipation: (3-5 minutes) Ask the students if they have ever been influenced by
another to make a bad choice. What and who has the power to influence them? Is it
similar to the way Macbeth is being influenced by others to make his bad decisions?
Introduction/Overview: (5-10 minutes) After reading Act I scenes 4-7 of Macbeth,
discuss what happened in the scene we just read. The students will discuss Macbeth’s
current situation and offer some advice about how he should handle his situation.
Then, they will make predictions on what path Macbeth will end up choosing and
where his choices will lead him.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (20-25 minutes) Using the information they have
received about influence and the choices Macbeth is making, the students will choose
to write about one of the two prompts they are given. Prompt #1: Write a letter from
Macbeth to Lady Macbeth describing the Weird Sister’s prophecy. (At least 12
sentences) Prompt #2: Describe Macbeth’s character traits in Act I (At least 3 traits).
How have these traits changed throughout the course of the Act? Use references/key
6. quotations from the text to support your answer. The writing will be turned in at the
end of the period. The students will then work on Act II vocabulary, if time permits.
Application: The students will use the writing prompts they are working on to
develop a better sense of the main character, Macbeth. This will help them to
develop their character chart which will track Macbeth’s character traits throughout
the play. Both prompts give the students a chance to explore how Macbeth has
already changed in only the first act of the play.
Adaptations: There are several adaptations that can be made to this lesson to aid a
variety of learners. There can be more time allotted to students who need it for the
writing portion of the assignment. The students already have several prompts to choose
from, both of them are based on the text read that day in class. Also, for each English 12
class, there are several teachers in the classroom at all times to help students with any
questions they may have. For those who are having trouble connecting with or
understanding the text, a copy of side-by-side Shakespeare can be copied off for them in
order to aid them with the assignment.
Possible Problems & Solutions: Most students are apprehensive when it comes to
reading and understanding Shakespeare. If the class is unresponsive when discussing
what they just read out loud in class, they can be split up into small groups and given a
small section of what they read to translate for the class into modern English. Or since
not everyone in the class has a part to read, those students can be given a part to translate
to everyone after the reading for the day has finished. This will keep those students
concentrated on the reading, instead of working on something else or distracting other
students from understanding the text.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by how well they can talk
about the day’s reading and what they predict for Macbeth. They will also be assessed
for their writing, which will be graded on a 20 point rubric. Based on how well they can
answer the prompts that they are given will depict how well they understand what is
happening in the play. Since writing usually takes up most of the class time for students,
they will be finishing their Act II vocabulary words for homework that will be due at the
beginning of the period the following day.
7. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Day 4
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: Learning the theme of a story teaches the reader a
life lesson. By learning how to find the central idea of a story by themselves, students
can learn from everything they read. This will help them with future readings in both
high school and in college, as well as in leisure readings.
Specific Daily Objectives: The students will practice and learn how to locate theme
within a story. The students will continue learning about the characters in Macbeth and
add what they have learned to their character maps. The students will learn to make
connections between Macbeth and other forms of literature.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Read App. 1, 6, 8, Writing App. 1b, Comm, oral,
visual 8a, b, c, e
Materials: The students will need their text book, character maps, paper, and a pencil.
Methods:
Anticipation: (5-8 minutes) Since most students complain that they don’t understand
what is happening in the play when we read it and sometimes even after we go over
it, moving on to discuss themes in the play can be difficult. So instead of having
them search for the point of a story with something they don’t completely get, they
will watch a clip (from The Emperor’s New Groove) that contains the same main
theme as Macbeth.
Introduction/Overview: (5-10 minutes) After the clip, introduce theme (the central
point or main idea of a story). Mention difference between theme and moral.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (15-20 minutes) Explain that since fairy tales and
Disney stories is something that most young people grew up on, it is something they
are familiar with, can discuss together, and is something simple where they can
practice finding theme. The students will then get into their groups of two and
generate a list of characteristics for the character poster given to their group, much
like their character maps, for Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Isma, and Kronk. Then,
together as a class, the students will share what they have come up with and we will
create thematic statements.
Application: (10 minutes) Then, the students will choose five characteristics on
their posters that they think best describe their character. Using those five
characteristics, they will create a thematic statement or idea of the play/movie. Then,
8. as a class, we will share what they have come up with and compare the two sets of
characters and central themes.
Adaptations: There are several adaptations that can be made to this lesson to aid a
variety of learners. There can be more time allotted to students who need it for adding
character traits to their list and can add on to their list as we discuss the characters as a
class. Also, for each English 12 class, there are several teachers in the classroom at all
times to help students with any questions they may have. For those who are having
trouble thinking of abstract ideas, more examples can be given in class. The students can
also be given a worksheet of sample themes from popular stories so the students can see
examples of ideas and themes.
Possible Problems & Solutions: A possible problem students may have with this
exercise is creating one word adjectives that match the characters they are assessing. The
students can be permitted to use a thesaurus to help them or they can be allowed to use a
short two or three word statement to get their point across if they cannot think of a
specific adjective. The students may also encounter difficulties when going through the
example with the tortoise and the hare. This is to be expected and the students will be
guided and lead to abstract ideas and thematic statements.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by their participation with
their group members (making the list of traits for characters) and their class participation.
If the students have problems making the transition from key character traits to theme
ideas (abstract ideas) or from ideas to thematic sentences, the students can be given a well
known fictional story to dissect for homework. For example, The Lion King contains
several themes similar to the themes in Macbeth. The students can compare several
characters from each story together and try to come up with similar abstract ideas and a
possible theme.
9. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Day 5
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: Symbols are everywhere. They are in literature,
the media, and many places in a student’s everyday life. This lesson will help them
recognize symbols in future readings and in other objects they see in everyday life.
Writing App. 1a, b, c, d, 2a, b
Materials: The students will need paper and a writing utensil for this activity.
Methods:
Anticipation: (5 minutes) Show the students visuals of symbols that they see
almost every day and ask them there meaning.
Introduction/Overview: (5 minutes) Inform the students of what a symbol is
and it’s importance in a story.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (10 minutes) The students will make a chart
listing all the things that depict Macbeth’s lust for power, ambition, and lack of
morality.
Application: (10-15 minutes) The students will create a poem based on the
symbolism chart that they have created about Macbeth. The poem will have
seven lines and instructions for each line will be written on the board. The idea
for this poem was found at www.readwritethink.org.
Adaptations: If students are having trouble coming up with ideas or writing the poem,
they can easily be put into groups to prevent them spending the remainder of the class
period on a seven line poem. Also, if needed, there are also several teachers circulating
the classroom to assist the students with any troubles they may have with the writing or
coming up with symbols.
Possible Problems & Solutions: If the students have problems coming up with symbols
from the story, we can make a list of symbols on the front board as a class. Then I can
pair the students up into groups and give each of them a symbol from the board to
prevent multiple groups from doing the same symbol.
Specific Daily Objectives: Students will compare a real life experience of guilt with that
of Macbeth’s. Students will examine language and identify examples of symbolism.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Reading App. Lit 8, Writing Process 1, 3, 5, 6, 9
10. Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by the poem they produce
in class and the ideas for symbols they created. If put into groups, the students will be
assessed by the teachers circulating the room who will be giving out participation points.
If a student finishes early, they may be permitted to work on their homework, reading Act
III scenes 1-3.
11. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Day 6
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: Students will learn to write clearly and concisely,
which will help them later in college. The students will also learn how to recognize the
most important piece of information in a text.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Acquisition of Vocab. 1, 5 Writing App. 3
Materials: The students will need paper, a writing utensil, and textbooks for this
activity.
Methods:
Anticipation: (5 minutes) Show students newspaper headlines and opening
segments of articles. Focus on figurative language.
Introduction/Overview: (10 minutes) Inform students about the break down of
newspaper articles (Title, date, lead, introduction, body, closing). Show examples
of these and/or write a lead as a class.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (5-10 minutes) The students will write the who,
what, where, when, and why concerning Duncan’s death on a blank sheet of
paper.
Application: (10-20 minutes) The students will, under the answers to the five
questions, write a newspaper article using that information about Duncan’s death.
While writing the article, the students should keep the theme of ambition in mind
and include key passages/quotes. The students also need to create a name for their
newspaper and a title for their article.
Adaptations: There are several adaptations that can be made to this lesson to aid a
variety of learners. There can be more time allotted to students who need it to complete
their writing. If the students are having trouble coming up with the answers to the five
questions, they can be permitted to consult their literature circle members for help. There
are also several teachers in the classroom at all times to help students with any problems
or questions they might have.
Possible Problems & Solutions: One problem that may arise during this assignment is
that students do not fully understand what happened in the acts where Duncan was killed.
Specific Daily Objectives: Students will write newspaper articles portraying the theme
ambition without moral constraints. Students will identify vocabulary in context.
12. These students may consult with the members of their literature circle to discuss what
happened.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed on their writing with a
rubric. Based on how well they can answer the prompt that they are given will depict
how well they understand what is happening in the play. Since writing usually takes up
most of the class time for students, they will be finishing their Act IV vocabulary words
and reading Act IV scenes 1-3 if they have time at the end of class or for homework that
will be due at the beginning of the period the following day.
13. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Day 7
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: The students will be examining how people act in
desperate situations. Examining these situations and finding rational solutions will help
them in their own lives with these types of situations. They will learn to think before
they make rash choices in their lives.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Writing App. 1a, d, Reading Process 1
Materials: The students will need a large sheet of Butcher Block paper, colored
markers, and their textbook for this activity.
Methods:
Anticipation: (5-10 minutes) After discussing the play up to this point, ask the
students what they think motivates a person to act desperately. If the class
struggles with this task, ask them to think of a time when they performed a
desperate act.
Introduction/Overview: (10 minutes) Have students volunteer examples to put
on the board. Describe/give examples of the events and ask other students how
they would have acted in the situation.
Guided Practice or Modeling: (10-15 minutes) Each group will be given an act,
up to Act IV, and will find specific examples of Macbeth’s reckless
ambitiousness. The groups will be required to find at least three examples within
their act.
Application: (10-15 minutes) Each group will write their significant events on
their portion of the timeline poster board.
Adaptations: The students will be in groups in order to help them with the content
material in the act they have been given. Together, they should be able to locate at least
three examples of Macbeth’s lust for power/over ambition. If there are any questions,
there will several teachers circulating the classroom checking in and helping groups stay
on task.
Specific Daily Objectives: Students will develop a timeline of events for Acts 1-4
emphasizing the events that depict character’s ambition to gain power. Students
will respond to literature.
14. Possible Problems & Solutions: Some students may not have read a particular section
or their entire given act for the timeline. These students will be permitted to use their
textbook for help and will have the assistance of their group members to help them look
for information. To prevent one student from doing all of the work for the group, the
circulating teachers in the room will take participation grades for the activity to ensure
that everyone who wants points participates.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by their participation with
their group members and by their understanding of the text, which will be apparent by the
information they have included on their portion of the poster board timeline. If students
have extra time at the end of the period, they can begin reading their homework, the next
act of the play either silently or with their group members.
15. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Media Literacy Day 8-9
Context: This lesson is written for grade 12 general English classrooms. The lesson
plan is for a rural school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: Why is this topic, strategy, or skill important?
This lesson continues to follow the theme of the Macbeth unit: Ambition without
morality leads to self-destruction. The students will see how to compile their own media
literacy project while learning that Macbeth’s situation can not only be found in fictional
stories, but in history as well. Tragic flaws are present in other literary works and exist
in people in the real world (history).
Specific Daily Objectives: The students will learn that what happened to Macbeth is not
something that only happens in fictional stories. Situations like his appear in other
literary works and also in the real world. In an example presentation, the students will
learn about President Nixon’s situation and Scar from The Lion King and how they
compare to Macbeth’s situation. They will also learn how to complete their media
literacy presentation.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Reading Process: Concepts of Print, Comprehension
Strategies and Self-Monitoring Strategies-1, Reading Applications: Literary Text-1, 2, 5,
7, Communication: Oral and Visual- 8 a, c, d, e, 9
Materials: For this lesson, the plan requires that the students be in a computer lab.
Methods:
Anticipation: (2-3 minutes) Open lesson with a posing question "What do
Richard Nixon, Scar from the Lion King, and Macbeth have in common?" Allow
time for students to think and respond to this question. Lead students to draw
inferences that bring out the central theme being studied "Blind ambition without
morality leads to demise or self destruction." Ask students to brainstorm other
historic or fictional characters that they think display the same characteristics as
Macbeth and ultimately destroyed themselves.
Introduction Overview: (5-7 minutes) Present to the class a power point that
models what their assignment will be. The model power point presentation will
show video clips of Richard Nixon and Scar and show comparisons to Macbeth.
The power point presentation assignment will encompass two class periods in the
school’s computer lab. The students work will demonstrate the use of research and
brainstorming to create a visual media presentation that communicates a
comparison of Macbeth with a historical figure or fictional character from
literature or film. The visual media presentation will clearly demonstrate in a
creative format comparison between Macbeth and the chosen character as well as
demonstrate the central theme of Macbeth being studied. The expectations
16. include: work with a partner and brainstorm and research in the computer lab to
create a visual media presentation using your research, technology, and creativity.
The presentation is expected to be no less than one minute in length and no longer
than four minutes long.
Guided Practice or Modeling: The objectives for this lesson are to apply
knowledge learned in the unit and use information from the unit along with
previous knowledge to analyze and compare characters, create and compose a
media presentation and support their position with evidence communicated in the
presentation. The students will be paired with another student making sure that
each group has adequate skills in technology to perform the given task. The
students will be given two class periods to work in the computer lab. The students
will brainstorm ideas and perform research via the internet. As a group they will
work together to create a media presentation displaying a comparison between
Macbeth and another character. The teacher will be available to guide students
with technology and research as well as keep students on task while working
together. The students’ final project will be shared with the class.
Application: This project can be applied in a variety of aspects of the student’s
learning. The lesson gives students the opportunity to take a central theme from
literature and apply it to real life experiences and other stories that are familiar
to them. Even though the students may not remember much about Nixon from
history class, the video and comparison to The Lion King (something they are
familiar with) should help them gain an understanding of the project. They gain
from this lesson that human nature has remained the same for all time. Students
will also gain knowledge in researching information and locating sources of
information, a skill can that be used in every academic area as well as future
careers. They will gain experience in using technology to compose a creative
presentation. Also they will gain experience supporting their work with evidence.
The presentation to the class will give students experience in public speaking and
presentation skills. All of these applications are beneficial in all areas of academic
and will carry over in their future work and life skills.
Adaptations: There are few adaptations to be made since the PowerPoint the students
are required to make will be done in groups and ESL, special needs, and gifted students
will have their classmates around them to help. However, if more adaptation is needed,
there are multiple teachers in the room for all English 12 classes that can assist the
students one-on-one. The project can also be shortened for students by having them find
a fewer number of quotations and comparisons, which will be checked and approved by a
teacher before presenting.
Possible Problems & Solutions: Since the students will be in the computer lab, there
will be lots of off task behavior going on. To keep the students on task, their time in the
lab will be limited. Another reoccurring problem with group work is the amount of work
each student puts into the project. To keep one student from doing all of the work
themselves, the students will fill out evaluation forms for each one of their peers. This
17. will ensure that each student is doing an equal amount of the work. If not, it will reflect
in their classmates evaluations. Students will also have to take turns talking during the
presentation. It will not be acceptable for students to say nothing about the work they
have done.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: How will you know if your objectives were met—if
(or to what degree) the students learned what you wanted them to learn? The
students will be assessed by the presentation they present to the class and by their own
group members. Their presentation grade will be based on how well they relate an
outside source to Macbeth and if they met the other criteria (5 similar quotes from each
source, 5 comparisons between the source, listing sources used, and the quality of the
video(s) they use). Each student will receive an individual grade. The grade from their
peers and the presentation grade will be combined into one total score. The work they
do in and outside of the lab will also be noted.
18. Macbeth Lesson Plan
Service Learning Day 10
Context: This lesson was written for a twelfth grade general integrated language arts
class in a suburban school district with 20 to 30 students per class.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: The students are applying their knowledge of
Macbeth showing that they learned the affects of negative ambition. They will not only
connect this to the play, but to real world events as well. By doing this, the students learn
that stories are not the only places where people can have tragic flaws.
Specific Daily Objectives: The students will work together in large groups to create a
public mural displaying the theme of negative ambition in Macbeth. The mural they
create must also connect with the outside world they live in and show that negative
ambition is real and has/does still exist in the world.
ODE and/or NCTE Standards: Reading app.: Informational, technical and persuasive
text 3, Reading app. Literary Text 1, 5 Communication: Oral and visual 8. a, e,
Materials: The students will need paper, pencils, and the art supplies/other supplies they
need to create their mural.
Methods:
Anticipation: Read aloud one of the inspirational stories from It’s Our World Too!
by Philip Hoose. The stories recount how young people have a voice and can make a
difference in their schools and communities. Play “Hands” by Jewell while
displaying the words on an overhead. Then discuss the meaning of the words she
uses in her song. Students will connect these works with giving service.
Introduction/Overview: Providing service to your school and community is a
rewarding experience for yourself as well as those you are giving service to. This
service builds pride and character. Introduce the service project of creating a mural to
display in the halls of their school. The mural will depict scenes that of ill-effects of
negative ambition. The students will create illustrations that teach morals learned
from the themes of Macbeth but in present day situations. Students will be working
in small groups as well as whole group to develop ideas and create the large mural to
display in a central location of the school.
Guided Practice or Modeling: Work in small groups of 3-4 students to create a
blueprint for what the mural should look like. They can also work together to
brainstorm ideas for real world illustrations that can be used in the mural. Then have
each group share their ideas with the class while I (the teacher) make a large list of
ideas on chart paper. Develop as a group a title or slogan that can be used on the
mural that represents to message they are trying to convey to their peers in the student
body. Create a mock-up design for the mural.
19. Application: Using large sheet of butcher block paper the students will pencil in
scenes that depict the themes leaned from Macbeth. Students will be using their
creativity to apply knowledge learned from literature to present day situations that
they face in their everyday lives, and then sharing it with their school community as a
service learning project. When the mural has been completed in pencil then students
can use Tempra paints to complete the mural.
Adaptations: This is an interactive activity. The students will be working together and
interacting to display the theme in Macbeth. No exceptions will be given on the amount
of time the project is to be completed in since there are enough students involved to
complete it in time. Multiple teachers for these classes are present each period to help
students with their ideas and approve their mural ideas.
Possible Problems & Solutions: Unfortunately, this is high school and I have a handful
of students who do not elect to participate in group activities and do not participate well
with select others. Depending on how many groups there are per class, I can separate
students from each other.
Assessment and/or Outcomes: The students will be assessed by their participation with
their group members and their class participation creating the mural. Each student will
document their ideas for the mural and what they did to help create it.
20. References
Blum, H., Lipsett, L., & Yocom, D. (2002, March). Literature circles. Remedial &
Special Education, 23(2), 99. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from Academic Search
Complete database.
Boardman Moen, C. (2005, May). Literature circles revisited. Book Links, 14(5), 52-53.
Retrieved May 6, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Brabham, E., & Villaume, S. (2000, November). Continuing conversations about
literature circles. Reading Teacher, 54(3), 278-280. Retrieved May 6, 2009,
from Education Research Complete database.
Clarke, L., & Holwadel, J. (2007, September). Help! What is wrong with these literature
circles and how can we fix them?. Reading Teacher, 61(1), 20-29. Retrieved
May 6, 2009, doi:10.1598/RT.61.1.3
Lin, C. (2004, February). Literature circles. Teacher Librarian, 31(3), 23-25. Retrieved
May 6, 2009, from Education Research Complete database.
Swope, John W. (2005). Ready-to-use activities for teaching macbeth. New York: Center
for Applied Research in Education.