Interpreting Shakespeare's Macbeth
Project URL: http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnet-lab/fklane/pmaslow/macbeth/teacher.htm
How it works:
This program's emphasis on Macbeth helps and motivates
students to understand William Shakespeare's language. Using the computer
and the Internet lets students post their work to a wide audience that
includes students in their class, school, and the world beyond. So it
isn't just the teacher who sees their work, but anyone and everyone who is
interested.
The first assignment, which the students do on their
own, is to choose a character from Macbeth and describe, in the
form of a journal or letter, what has happened to that character in a
specific scene. Their work is also shared when students read the completed
assignments aloud in class. The students work in groups to answer
questions about the scenes, and then put their answers on the blackboard
and explain them. Many of the questions require them to examine
Shakespeare's language closely.
In the computer lab, once or twice
a week, students can work on one of three projects. I start with an
Inquiry project and have them create a simple table using Microsoft
FrontPage Editor. They then choose a question they want to answer by going
to the Inquiry Web site and copying and pasting it into FrontPage. The
students learn to change the fonts and the background color. They can then
look for images in the background page or go to AltaVista or Google for a
more extensive search. During the first lesson or two, they also learn how
to do a hotlink. Students write on the bottom of their Web page
"Link For Students Work" and I show them how to link to the showcase page
where we will link the best Web pages.
As we come
close to finishing the reading of Macbeth in class and at home, the
students write essays in class answering the question that they choose.
The essay can be improved upon when they get to the computer room. I show
them how to copy and paste from the hypertext links so they don't have to
type the quotes. They are also responsible for explaining the quotes they
use in their essay and putting in the relevant act, scene, and lines. The
quotes really stand out when students use different colors for their
writing. Students learn to use an FTP program and upload their Web page
onto the Internet. I link the best work to the showcase page. Students are
also required to evaluate each other's work. They also get a chance to do
a second draft after looking at a checklist of how to improve their
Inquiry essay Web page.
Another project, called Background, has
students use the Internet to do a short research essay. In another
project, students draw their own pictures based on a quote they
choose. The last project has them divided into groups and creating a
newspaper page based on Macbeth. These can also be uploaded as an
online newspaper or printed as a conventional newspaper.
Standards addressed:
Students
navigate the Internet efficiently to locate relevant sites and employ the
computer and Internet as research tools and resources. They compile,
analyze, and evaluate the data collected while visiting a Web site;
develop word-processing skills to express, gather, organize, and
synthesize information; develop research skills appropriate to computer
usage (collecting, organizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating
data); and express information with accuracy, precision, and creativity.
They weave graphics and artistic expression appropriately into their
computer work; use critical thinking and research skills to evaluate the
credibility and appropriateness of Web sites, the time required on the
sites, and the validity of the available information. Finally, they design
a Web page and upload it to an Internet site.
Students
produce a report that includes appropriate facts and details; develop
several main points relating to a single thesis; analyze and revise
work to make it more effective in communicating the intended message or
thought; respond to drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative
processes; and produce a response to literature that advances a judgment
that is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective.
Materials
used:
In order to use
this program, you need an Internet connection and Microsoft
FrontPage Editor. A scanner is useful, as is a digital camera, but
they aren't necessary. They can be used to upload student photos or
artwork to their Inquiry Web site and to their newspaper on Macbeth if you are putting it online.
The students:
My students
happen to be 12th graders who passed the New York State Regents. They had
fairly good writing and reading skills and understood the concept of a
literary essay. However, I did have several foreign-born students
who struggled with the language of Shakespeare.
Overall
value:
When my classes started this unit, many of them had
difficulty with the language in Macbeth. It has been so rewarding
to see their improved ability to understand the language when they read
the play and see a videotape of it. Not only are they able to understand
the language of Macbeth, but they will also have increased
comprehension of Shakespeare's other works. This, of course,
was one of my main goals. Another was to introduce them to technology of
computers, the Internet, and web making. The use of technology also helps
with the first goal. Students post their literary essays on the Internet
and learn from each other's work. It is also rewarding to see
students who had no technological skills become comfortable with computers
and the Internet.
Tips for the
teacher:
I have all the directions and much of the material
available both on the Internet and in hard or printed copy. It makes it
easier for some students to follow a sheet in their hands rather than find
it on the Internet. Most of my students were rather slow when they began
making Web pages. The concept seemed very foreign to them, which
surprised me because most of them have been to many Web pages to look up
information. Also, many students who have never read Shakespeare before
struggle with the language and need to be encouraged that it will become
easier with practice.
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Peggy Maslow has been teaching for 25
years in New York City schools, 17 years of which have been in high
school. She started using computers with students in 1985 and continues to
take courses and run workshops in the use of technology with academic
subjects. She teaches English literature, journalism, and
reading.
E-mail:
pmaslows@gmail.com
Subject
Areas: English
Arts
Technology
Grade Level:
9-12
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