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=YEAR 10 ENGLISH - Demonstrate your understanding of Shakespeare's play //Macbeth//.=



INTRODUCTION Welcome to the **//Macbeth// Pathfinder**. This Pathfinder is a collection of 15 resources designed to assist Year 10 students studying //Macbeth// in the Stage 5 English course in NSW. It is designed to help students discover information about one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. It is only a small sample of the resources out there.

To complete the task outlined in the '**Requirements**' section below, you will need to use a variety of resources. It is important you evaluate these resources for yourself. Does the resource have the information I'm after? Is the information reliable? Is the author reliable? Use the **website evaluation criteria** (**mclachalan_checklist.pdf**) below to evaluate your resources.

SYLLABUS OUTCOMES:

In this assignment you will be assessed on the following NSW Stage 5 English Outcomes:
 * * ** 1 - responds to and composes increasingly sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure.
 * * ** 2 - uses and critically assesses a range of processes for responding and composing.
 * * ** 5 - transfers understanding of language concepts into new and different contexts.
 * * ** 9 - demonstrates understanding of the ways texts reflect personal and public worlds.
 * * ** 11 - uses, reflects on, assesses and adapts their individual and collaborative skills for learning with increasing independence and effectiveness.

INFORMATION LITERACY OUTCOMES:

In this assignment you will also be assessed on the following School IL Outcomes:
 * * ** identifies the purpose of information and ideas being sought.
 * * **identifies relevant and authoritative sources (electronic, print, human) of information and ideas.
 * * **engages with the sources and evaluates them.
 * * ** produces curriculum related work (written, verbal or oral) in school and to extend their own learning of an issue using the information and ideas found in the sources.
 * * ** reflects on the research process.
 * * ** learns and adapts to new information skills required in many workplace settings.

REQUIREMENTS: * You are to research Shakespeare's //Macbeth// and create an authentic **Assessment Task** that **demonstrates your understanding of the play**//.// You are to either choose (or adapt) a Task (or Tasks) based on the Unit of Work (Multiple Intelligences and Bloom's Taxonomy) in the **macbeth.doc** file below. You are to then to present the idea to your teacher. Once your teacher has agreed to the task, you may begin researching your topic. * Your teacher will issue you with a **rubric** for the **Assessment Task** based on the Outcomes above. * Your teacher librarian will issue you with a **scaffold** to guide your research. * You must complete and submit a note taking grid ('**3-6NoteForm.pdf**) for writing information from your sources into your own words. This is to help you avoid plagiarising other people's work. (This has been discussed in the 'All Your Own Work' module from DET completed earlier in the year). * You must use a range of resources and record them in your bibliography. The **Bibliography.doc** is embedded below. * You will have 4 weeks to complete your task. You may work alone, in pairs or in small groups.

KEY TERMS AND INFORMATION

**Antagonist** - the hero's rival.


 * Aside **– when a character makes a speech to share their thoughts with the audience. The other characters can't hear it.


 * Blank Verse **– verse consisting of unrhymed lines, usually of iambic pentameter.

**Context** – the time and place that something happens.


 * Dramatic Irony **– something said in a speech or something present in a situation that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.

**Protagonist** - the main character or hero.


 * Soliloquy **– the thoughts of a character spoken aloud by them.


 * Symbol **– a thing that can represent something else, e.g. a crown could represent a king.


 * Thane **– a Lord (or ruler) of an area. The King gave the title Thane and the land as a reward for his loyal subject's service, usually on the battlefield. The king granted the thane a large area of land, the people on it and a castle; and in return, the thane would provide a portion of the land's produce, money from taxes and men for battle when needed.


 * Tragedy **– a story in which the hero dies at the end.


 * Tragic Flaw **– the character weakness that causes the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy.


 * Tragic Hero **– a character who appears to be a victim of fate.


 * Common words associated with Macbeth**: Shakespeare, play, Scotland, castle, witch, ambition, ghost, murder, madness, fate, prophecy, thane. If you are unsure of the meaning of any of these words use the dictionaries mentioned below.

REFERENCE SOURCES The Free Dictionary online This dictionary from the Internet has 'trusted content comes from 15 authoritative licensed and proprietary reference sources'. It is a good place to **look up unfamiliar words** and to **get simple definitions**.
 * Online Dictionary**

@http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth You may want to get information from Wikipedia because it’s a popular site; however, Wikipedia’s information is not always reliable and the authors are not always experts. Wikipedia can be helpful to give you an **overview of the topic** and may lead you on to other sources. Be sure to cross check if the facts from Wikipedia are confirmed by another source. Scroll down to the Contents box to see if there is more information about Macbeth.
 * Online Encyclopedia**

PRINT NON-FICTION Our library has many books on the topic of Macbeth in section **822.3**. Look at the Dewey numbers on the top of the bay ends to direct you. You can also search using the library catalogue in the library. To narrow your search type in the following: * ‘Macbeth’ * then ‘and’ * then your topic, i.e. ‘tragedy’. * Hit the search button

You will find that only 3 resources appear instead of the 15 resources we have on //Macbeth//. This doesn’t mean, however, that other books don’t have information about Macbeth.

This is the **prescribed text** handed out by your teacher. It's the scholastic version of the play. Although it's written in Shakespeare's English it has a summary of what is happening along with translations of the more difficult words on the page opposite the original text. It is a good source of information for Verbal learners and for students who like reading the original text.
 * 1. Macbeth,** William Shakespeare **(822.3 SHA)**

This book provides a shortened, humorous, modern translation of the play. This is an excellent source if you learn well through looking at pictures or if you prefer an **easier version of the play**.
 * 2. Just Macbeth!** Andy Griffiths; illustrated by Terry Denton **(822.3 GRI)**

This book adapts Shakespeare's play into a **short story**. This is an great source if you would like to read the story as a narrative in modern English. It will give you an overview of the play's plot, character and themes but it does not explore Shakespeare's language nor the text as a play.
 * 3. The Orchard Book of Stories** retold by Andrew Matthews; illustrated by Angela Barrett **(822.3 MAT)**

This is a detailed **study guide** of the play. It has Act and Scene summaries, character analyses, information on themes, some background information about the play and some information about William Shakespeare and his times. It also has some activities and essay questions. This is an excellent source if you would like an expert's guided study of the play.
 * 4. Insight - William Shakespeare - Macbeth** **(822.3 BEA)**

This book gives an overview of Shakespeare's **tragic plays**. It's a good source of information about the tragic elements found in //Macbeth//.
 * 5. The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's Tragedies,** Janette Dillon **(822.3 DIL)**

AUDIO VISUAL The library has many DVDs that you can watch. When you look up a resource and it has 'AV' at the front of it, it means it is located in the library office in the Audio Visual section. Ask your school librarians for assistance to borrow these items.

This is a **film** adaption of Shakespeare's play. The film differs from the original play but it captures the essence of the play - its themes, characters, the setting, the era and the dialogue. It's an excellent resource if you're a visual or auditory learner. If you watch the movie with the subtitles on, it will also help you understand the dialogue. It's about 2 hours long.
 * Macbeth DVD,** Roman Polanski **(AV 822.3 POL)**

WEBSITES Note: remember to write into your note taking grid in your own words.

Globe Education Macbeth This site is an educational site produced by Globe Education. It has a range of **interactive activities** that explore the characters and their motivations in the play, Shakespeare's language (word meanings and language techniques used in the play), there are interviews with the characters too.
 * Globe Education - Playing Shakespeare -** **Macbeth**

Audio Book online This webpage has an **audio book** of the play. You can listen to it online. It is useful if you have difficulty reading the text of the play and would prefer to hear it read by actors.
 * Macbeth Audio Book online**

Macbeth Rap This YouTube clip is a **rap style video** that explores the plot and themes of Macbeth. It is a great audio and visual summary of the play. It also includes two of the most famous quotes from Macbeth. It is a great place to consolidate your understanding of the play. It is also an excellent example of a Rap task. It's about 5 minutes in length.
 * Macbeth Rap on YouTube**

Macbeth in Modern English //No Fear Shakespeare// is an online **etext**. Shakespeare's original text is placed alongside a **modern English** translation to help you to understand what is being said in the play. It has a table of contents on the webpage to help you easily navigate to the Act and Scene that you want to translate.
 * SparkNotes - No Fear Shakespeare - etext**

WEB SEARCH ENGINES Did you know that if you search on the internet using Boolean logic you can increase your chances of finding better information for your assignments? For example, try searching for 'Macbeth AND tragedy' by adding a **+ sign** if you want to search only for sites with both terms (e.g. macbeth +tragedy); or, try searching for 'Macbeth but NOT band' by adding a **- sign** if you want to search only for sites about macbeth but not macbeth the band (e.g. macbeth -band).

@http://www.askkids.com/ Use this search engine to **start exploring and researching** your topic. You can search by keyword, then select the best-match question for answers and links. There's a good side bar with suggestions to help you narrow or expand your search. An excellent site to start your research.
 * Askkids**

@http://www.iseek.com/iseek/home.page Use this search engine to **focus on key words** of your topic. You can ask a question or search a topic in this database of "trusted resources". To refine your search, you might type in 'macbeth ambition' or 'macbeth tragedy'.
 * iSeek Education**

Yahoo Kids Use this search engine to **narrow** your topic. You can search by keyword and then select the best-match question for answers and links. The site provides you with subheadings for the resources on the net.
 * Yahoo Kids**

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Bibliography Framework grid courtesy of Bibliography Framework Template

Macbeth images courtesy of Free Macbeth Images

Macbeth assessment grid courtesy of Ralph Pirozzo's Bloom's Taxonomy grid of Macbeth Pirozzo Grid of Macbeth

Note Taking grid courtesy of www.big6.com [|Note Taking grid]

Web Site Evaluation Criteria ©Karen McLachlan, East Knox High School, Howard, Ohio mclachlan_k@treca.org