Meeting Macbeth: Fears and Superstitions

Title of Unit: Year: Term: Duration:

Fears and Superstitions 8 Autumn (Unit 2) 6 Weeks (15
lessons)

Overview of Unit: This unit focuses on the reading and studying of the text Macbeth by William
Shakespeare. Pupils will be assessed for Writing AFs in on-going classwork (see Assessment
Objectives), and Reading AFs in end of Unit piece. The students will be working towards
undertaking a controlled assessment entitled:

In what ways does Shakespeare explore the concept of Fears and Superstitions in the play?

Though a Key Stage 3 scheme, this essay question compliments the KS4 Controlled Assessment
Tasks for GCSE English (4700) Unit 3 Part A: (Understanding Creative Texts): Explore the ways
writers present theme in a text you have studied.

Key Concepts

To develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly challenging material independently
through:
 Reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including […] plays with a wide coverage of genres,
historical periods, forms and authors. The range will include high-quality works from […]
Shakespeare

To understand increasingly challenging texts through:

 Learning new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary an understanding it with the
help of context and dictionaries
 Making inferences and referring to evidence in the text
 Knowing the purpose, audience for and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to
support comprehension
 Checking their understanding to make sure that what they have read makes sense.

Read critically through:

 Knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure
and organizational features, presents meaning
 Studying setting, plot, and characterization, and the effects of these
 Understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and
how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play
 Studying a range of authors, including at least two authors in depth each year.

To write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information through:
 Well-structured formal expository and narrative essays
 Stories, scripts, poetry and other imaginative writing

Key skills developed:

 Summarizing and organizing material, and supporting ideas and arguments with any necessary
factual detail
 Applying their growing knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and text structure to their writing and
selecting the appropriate form
 Plan, draft, edit and proofread through amending the vocabulary, grammar and structure of1their
writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness.
To speak confidently and effectively, including through:
 Using Standard English confidently in a range of formal and informal contexts, including classroom
discussion
 Participating in formal debates and structured discussions, summarising and/or building on what
has been said
 Improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and
discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and
action to add impact.

Assessment Objectives:

Reading AFs:
3 Deduce, infer and interpret information, events or ideas from texts
5 Explain and comment on the writer’s use of language
7 Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical traditions To be assessed in an end
of Unit assessment piece.
Writing AFs:
1 Write imaginative, interesting and thoughtful texts
2 Produce texts appropriate to task, reader and purpose
7 Select appropriate and effective vocabulary On-going assessment in
8 Use correct spelling class books.

(NB. AOs linked to KS4 curriculum to support challenge and extension.)

Studying written language
 Read and understand texts, selecting material appropriate to purpose, collating from different
sources and making comparisons and cross-references as appropriate.
 Develop and sustain interpretations of writers’ ideas and perspectives.
 Explain and evaluate how writers use linguistic, grammatical, structural and presentational
features to achieve effects and engage and influence the reader.
English Literature:
 Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to
illustrate and support interpretations.
 Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and
settings
 Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of
expressing meaning and achieving effects.
 Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts; explain how texts have been influential
and significant to self and other readers in different contexts and at different times

Teaching strategies/activities: Evaluation:

Lesson One Learning Objective: To understand how the supernatural was Pupils to
perceived in Shakespeare’s time. perform a role
play of the
Starter opening scene
Bell Work: Pupils to record their fears and superstitions. Class to Macbeth
discussion.

2
 Pupils mind map all their knowledge and ideas of Witches. Can
include words, descriptions, themes and pictures.
Feedback as a class.

Introduction / Development
Introduce Context of the Supernatural. Refer to the 16th Century.
Discuss how this compares to modern day attitudes.
Watch the clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clG8ha2D26g
first two examples only). Pupils list three things that appear
supernatural in the film. Share in pairs. Class discussion.

Pupils have a copy of Act 1 Scene 1. In threes, pupils are to have a go

a performing the Witches opening.

Plenary / Homework
On post-it-notes, pupils record their understanding of the
supernatural in less than 3 words.

Homework: Pupils to produce a newspaper article reporting on the

sight of these three witches. Due for Lesson 4.

Lessons Two Learning Objective: Relate texts to their social, cultural and Pupils will have
historical traditions a complete
table of key
Starter facts about the
Word search (see resources). Pupils to complete in less than 5 Witches
minutes.

Introduction / Development
Pupils to be in groups of 4. Label each group North, South, East and
West. (NB. If a bigger class, max 5 pupils per group. Have additional
NSE&W groups if easier).
Each group will have information about Witches/context of the time
(see resources). They are to memorise and deliver it as a 5 minute
lesson to the rest of the class.
As pupils deliver learning, the rest of the class divide their page into
4 sections and record learning.

Plenary / Homework
Pop quiz. You position an answer, and pupils have to say what the
question would be. They record their question mini-whiteboards.
E.g. Answer = Death. Questions= What was the punishment for being
a witch? What is likely to happen to Duncan?

Lesson Three Learning Objective: To be able to explain the key plot of Macbeth Pupils can
explain plot in
Starter less than 10
Pupils look at photos of Macbeth (see resources). Pupils to make points.
predictions of his character and the plot for the story.

Introduction
Watch BBC bite size edit of the play and make bullet point notes in
books.http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literatur
e/dramamacbeth/macbethplotact.shtml. Respond to questions and
discussion prompts as they appear.

Development
Complete Macbeth “Whoosh”. Rearrange tables and have all pupils in
3
 a circle. Use the Whoosh outline (see resources) and go through the
plot. Nominate pupils to be characters and perform their
roles/actions.

Plenary
As a table, pupils create a sequence of bullet points telling the story
of Macbeth – maximum 10 points. Develop: Storyboard.

Lesson Four Learning Objective: To explain how Shakespeare creates tension Pupils can
in the play structure
answers in
Starter PEER
Collect homework from lesson 1. paragraphs
True or False – Statements about the Witches (see resources). Pupils
jot answers in their books (full sentences).

Introduction / Development
Introduce how to analyse language, Act 1 Scene 1. Question: How
does Shakespeare create atmosphere in the opening scene?
Pupils complete table of key features identified. This will allow them
to have a bank of evidence (see resources).
Follow the structure of PEE to answer the question. Develop PEE to
PEER (see resources).

Plenary / Homework
Peer Assess PEER paragraphs.

Homework: Pupils learning spellings for next lesson (5).

Evaluation Shakespeare Atmosphere

Idea Suggests Audience
Opinion Fact Macbeth

Lessons Five Learning Objective: To understand how structure supports Produce their
purpose own
spell/poem
Starter following
Spellings test. sonnet form

Introduction
Show “school poem” (see resources). Pupils to identify rhyme
scheme.
Pupils to list as many rhymes for the following: Spell; Witch; Frog;
Bat; Night; Blood; Alone; Fear; Lonely; Potion
Discuss why the rhyme scheme has been used in this poem. What
effect does it have?

Development
Link rhyme to Act 4 Scene 1: The Witches spell. Discuss why the
rhyme scheme would be important for spells.
Pupils attempt their own spell/poem using rhyming couplets.
Success Criteria: Sonnet form (14 lines, rhyme scheme
ABABCDCDEFEFGG); Each line to have a minimum of four words,
maximum of 8; Use ambitious vocabulary; Accuracy with all
spellings.

4
 Plenary
Pupils self assess their poem. Must identify how they have met the
success criteria stated and what they should do next time to improve.

Homework: Write up spells in best for display, due for lesson 8.

Lesson Six Learning Objective: To understand the conventions of a Transform the

Shakespearean tragedy. opening of Act 1
Scene 7 from a
Starter play to a piece
What is the difference between a play and a story? Pupils discuss and of prose.
explain.

Introduction
Introduce key features of a play: Soliloquy; Setting; Imagery and
Theme.
Pupils complete the table for each feature (see resources). Must
include a definition (less than 10 words); example of where it exists
in the play (Act 1 Scene 7) and direct quote to support.

Development
Introduce the “Tragedy” aspect. Pupils predict the key features of a
tragedy. Confirm through class discussion.
Pupils think of examples that follow the “tragedy” conventions from
either films or texts.
Transfer knowledge to Macbeth: When do the conventions appear in
the play?

Plenary
Transform the opening lines of Act 1 Scene 7 from a play to a story.

Lesson Seven Learning Objective: To understand and explain how Annotated

Shakespeare presents Macbeth through his soliloquy soliloquy.

Starter
Each pupil given a number between 1 and 5. Each number will go
outside to the poster (see resources) and have 10 seconds to
remember the image/ideas associated to their number. They then
return to class and quickly sketch.
Pupils share responses re. Images. What predictions can they make
about the soliloquy with reference to images/language?

Introduction / Development
Each pair will have a different line from the text. They need to: 1)
discuss how Macbeth is feeling and 2) what words suggest this
feeling.
Pupils to practise performing the line. How should it be said, based
on the feeling they have identified.
Develop: Just by looking at the language, pupils to “freeze frame” and
action that shows this emotion. Teacher selects another pupil to
explain why this freeze frame is accurate.
Read the whole soliloquy as a class and discuss/annotate. Refer to
questions:
 How does Shakespeare use language in this scene to present
the character of Macbeth?
 What do we learn of Macbeth in this scene?

Plenary
5
 Pupils list 5 adjectives to describe Macbeth in this scene.

Lesson Eight Learning Objective: To evaluate language from the play with Pupils will have
reference to character made clear
links between
Starter Lady M and
NB. Collect Homework from Lesson 5. context.
Show an image of Lady M. Pupils to infer what they can about her as a Detailed notes
character. Explain inference with evidence from the image. in their books
with examples.
Introduction / Development
Read extract from the play.
Position conflicting statements on the board with pupils to respond
as dis/agree. Pupils have to explain why, with evidence from the text.
(Challenge: G&T pupils have to argue both views with selected
statements).
Information about women on the era. Pupils to identify whether Lady
M demonstrates such qualities in her soliloquy. What does this
suggest about her as a character?

Plenary
Pupils to relate Lady M’s soliloquy to Queen Elizabeth of today. How
would we react if the Queen declared this in her Christmas speech?
Do we react differently to a Shakespearean audience?

Lesson Nine Learning Objective: To understand how emotions are presented Discuss the
within the text, through role-play. impact of Lady
M’s language
Starter upon Macbeth.
NB. Classroom will need open/large spaces.
a. Pairs stand opposite one another. Lady Macbeth says Group PEE
‘please’, Macbeth ‘sorry’. These are the sole words in a paragraph.
conversation that must last 30 seconds.
b. Repeat the activity, this time instructing the pair to move
around.
c. Repeat again, this time Macbeth denying eye contact to Lady
Macbeth.
d. Repeat with Lady Macbeth denying eye contact.
e. Discuss implications of where the power lies, different ways
of directing the actors.
f. Repeat with Lady Macbeth saying the lines “Art thou afeard?”
and Macbeth responding “I dare do all that may become a
man”. If possible, ask for volunteers to model this.

Introduction
a. Introduce pairs to an abridged section of the text from which
the activity is drawn (Act 1, Scene 7, see resources).
b. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pairs move as far apart in the
room as possible. They must scream the words at one
another. When finished they must race to the centre of the
room. First pair to the centre wins.
c. Pairs now read the extract standing close together. For each
first person pronoun they read, they point at themselves; for
each second person pronoun they point at their partner.

6
 Discuss what the use of pronouns suggests about power relations.

Development
One pupil volunteers to be Macbeth, the others are all Lady M and sit
in a circle around him. Each Lady M reads a part of the lines (28-82)
from the text and chooses how to deliver it. Class discuss which lines
has the most impact upon Macbeth and which caused him to agree
with the murder.

Plenary
Groups of three. Each group are given a line from the extract to
justify as having impact upon Macbeth. They are to write PEE
paragraph to deliver to the rest of the class as a group.

Homework: Pupils complete the 20 questions of Macbeth as a

revision task (see resources).

Lesson Ten Learning Objective: To discuss how Lady Macbeth’s character Table
changes through the play. analysing, and
comparing,
Starter Lady M and
Respond to the statement: Lady Macbeth’s responsible for both her Macbeth’s
and Macbeth’s actions. Pupils share answers with discussion about language.
gender and power.

Introduction
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/macbeth-out-
damned-spot/12526.html
Discuss the performance of Lady M in this Act 5 Scene 1. How do the
Dr and Gentlewoman respond? What emotion is being presented
through Lady M’s language?
On board, write the word ”Guilt”. Pupils are to find different quotes
from the text and record on post it notes to stick on board.

Development
Compare this scene with Act 2 Scene 1 (lines 33- 64). Pupils to
explore how Shakespeare presents the two “visions” with reference
to language. Record ideas in a table (A3 sheet):

Language for Macbeth Language for Lady M

Emotions presented Audience response

Once completed, all pupils to travel around the room and read one
another’s (3 minutes). Pupils to evaluate who have presented the
most detailed table and stand by work. Teacher selects pupils to
explain the strengths of ideas presented.

Plenary
Self-evaluation: two stars and wish for previous task.

Lesson Learning Objective: To comment on language selected by Detailed notes

Eleven Shakespeare in relation to plot and character in relation to
NB. Pupils to also record “wish” from previous lesson as a target. key quotes of
the play and
Starter how they link
NB. Collect homework from Lesson 9. to theme and
Show images on the board (see resources). Pupils explain how they character.
may link to the text.
7
 Introduction
The plot in 11 Quotes: Present the 11 quotes on the board and pupils
are to justify why they are important (see resources). Class
discussion.

Development
In groups of three (roles: Scribe, Ambassador and Manager), each
group have one of the 11 quotes to analyse further. With the quote
they must explain a) Its significance to the plot b) Its significance to
either/both Macbeth and Lady M c) Its significance and impact to
Shakespeare’s audience, and d) Its significance to the theme of fears
and superstitions.
Ambassador to deliver information to other groups in relation to the
three areas.

Plenary
Pupils to select 2 of the 11 quotes they consider to be the most
important, with the four focus areas in mind.

Lesson Learning Objective: To argue for or against a specific viewpoint SWOT analysis
Twelve of key debating
Starter techniques.
Vote: Who has the most impact upon Macbeth: Lady M or Witches?
Pupils vote and justify answers – class discussion.

Introduction
In groups of four, one pair focus is Lady M and another the Witches.
Pupils must explain why the audience would have feared their
character the most. They must identify 4 quotes to support. Each
quotes needs to link to reader response.
Narrow down for quotes to two, each no longer that 4 words/quote.

Development
Socratic debate: create an inner circle and an outer circle. In the
inner have half the groups in the class, outer have the other half (mix
of Lady M and Witches).
The inner circle engages in discussion about the text. The outer circle
observes the inner circle, while taking notes. The outer circle shares
their observations, and question the inner circle (with guidance if
needed). Students use constructive criticism as opposed to making
judgements. The students on the outside keep track of topics they
would like to discuss as part of the debrief. NB. Pupils in the outer
circle can use an observation checklist to monitor the pupils in the
inner circle. This can help provide structure for listening and give the
outside members specific details to discuss later in the feedback.

Plenary
SWOT analysis of the task – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats.

Lesson Learning Objective: To develop my range of vocabulary. Each group to

Thirteen have one
perfect PEE
Starter paragraph
Synonym task. Pupils find other words for the following: between them.
 Fear; superstition; suggest; effect; good; bad

8
 Introduction
Question and quote on the board: Explain how the quote “Is this a
dagger which I see before me” links to the theme of Fears and
Superstitions.
Independently, each pupil to record answer on a post it note.

Development
Create groups of 4 (roles: Scribe, Dictionary, Thesaurus and
Evaluator).
Each pupil to put post-it note on to A3 piece and share their response
as a group.
Working together they must combine one element of each response
to create a perfect paragraph in the middle. Scribe to write,
dictionary to ensure accuracy in all spellings, thesaurus to challenge
vocabulary choices and evaluator to check sentence
structure/grammar.

Plenary
Groups move to a new table and Peer-assess the paragraph
produced. They must highlight the best sentence and (in red pen)
explain why they selected this example.

Lesson Learning Objective: To understand how to plan for an Plan for

Fourteen assessment. Assessment.

Starter
NB. Teacher to pin up the A3 pieces from last lesson as resources for
all pupils this lesson.
Break down the structure of the assessment: Introduction; body of
the text; conclusion. Pupils use existing knowledge to explain each
element and why they are needed.

Introduction
Pupils complete planning sheet (resources) to structure response.
Teacher model.

Development
Pupils PEER assess planning – is it detailed enough? Could you write
from the plan?

Plenary
Each pupil identifies one key word on their plan to share with the
rest of the class.

Lesson Pupils to complete their end of Unit assessment in answer to the following
Fifteen question:

In what ways does Shakespeare explore the concept of Fears and Superstitions in the
play?