We start watching Macbeth today. Throw aside your preconceptions about “Shakespeare.” Tell yourself that you are capable of understanding this play. You are.
You’ll start in your “expert groups” and discuss what you should be looking for to view the play from your literary lens.
We are diving headlong into Macbeth today.
For those of you who may have struggled with Shakespeare in the past, I want to recommend the following podcast: Chopbard. http://chopbard.libsyn.com/category/Macbeth
The episode posted above will give you some really good background into Macbeth. He approaches Shakespeare from the perspective of an actor, not an English scholar, so his explanation of the play is really accessible.
Please go to Google classroom for a copy of our background handout for the play.
Today is our last day to work on the essay in class. Your good copy is due Friday.
We’ll begin today by taking up the “What Makes Us Moral” article and the Tonya Harding articles. These are already marked and returned in Google Classroom.
Then you will be working on writing your rough draft. This is due on Monday for peer editing.
I’m away this afternoon. Here’s what you’re working on:
We will be discussing both articles when I come back tomorrow so the MUST BE DONE.
Don’t disappoint Santa.
You are working on your essay outlines today. They are due tomorrow!
I’m away at a subject council meeting today so here’s what you’re working on:
Your thesis statement. (See Google Classroom) This is due today and so is your final synthesis paper.
How to Generate a Good Thesis Statement
A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes.
It will:
Brainstorm your topic:
Write down everything you can think of that’s related to your topic. You have already done this, but you may wish to revisit your brainstorming and expand on initial ideas.
Narrow it down:
Review your brainstorming and look for ideas that come up more than once. Start making connections. Identify things that wouldn’t be obvious to most readers of the literary work upon first glance.
Can you take your topic and turn it into a question? (Please note: for the purposes of illustration only, Sherlock Holmes will be used in the next examples.)
For example, if you wanted to look at the role of Watson as a foil for Sherlock Holmes, you might ask “What function does Watson serve in the Sherlock Holmes novels?” Your next step is to answer the question. Your answer can become the basis for a thesis statement.
Take a position on the topic.
Watson’s primary role in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles is as a foil for Sherlock Holmes.
Be specific.
What are Watson’s characteristics?
What are Holmes’s?
How does the author depict Holmes’s more unpleasant characteristics?
What are the specific words, phrases, or examples of imagery used?
What is the significance of having Watson as a narrator?
This might lead you to…
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle positions John Watson as a loyal and sympathetic narrator, and foil, to contrast Sherlock Holmes’s more antisocial qualities, which both emphasizes Holmes’s quirky character traits, while giving the reader someone likable with whom they can identify.
This is much more complex than just saying “Watson’s role is as a foil.”
Make sure you completed the google form from yesterday. You will have time to work on your final synthesis paper if you choose to (it’s due Monday), but we’re going to gradually introduce Macbeth. We’ll start by discussing the learning goals and success criteria for the Macbeth unit which are going to mostly be focused on media expectations. Then I want you to begin your descent into the madness that is Macbeth by reading an article on morality. See “What Makes us Moral” in Google classroom.
We’re going to start today by reviewing the learning goals for this unit:
Then you’ll work on your final synthesis paper.
Since I was away yesterday, we will be doing our final literature circle meeting today. Please ensure I have your reader’s journal and discussion questions.
