English II Agenda: Week of May 27 through May 30
Tuesday and Wednesday Study guide questions for Acts III and IV are overdue; Act V
questions are due on Friday.
IRLA: Your goal during independent reading this week is to preview the study questions for
Macbeth and answer as many as you are able before we resume reading the play each day. (We
are finishing today!) Label the questions clearly by act, scene and question number, as they
appear in the handout.
When we are done, you will be asked to speed write a list of themes. During a speed write, your
goal is to write as much as possible in a given amount of time; it’s not necessary to be 100%
correct, but to have the longest list. The “winners” will be awarded a specified number of bonus
points to be added to the lowest grade of the marking period. We will share these and determine
which are well supported by the play and which is probably closest to what Shakespeare
intended us to take away from the play.
Objectives—you will be able to:






Answer basic questions about Shakespeare, his life and the era in which he wrote.
Understand and recount the plot of the play.
Identify the characters by name and function in the play.
Identify major motifs and themes in the play.
Interpret the actions of the major characters to form partial characterizations of them.
Form a complete, fluent understanding of the pages assigned to you in the context of the
entire play.
Wrap-up Each Day: What questions do you have about the, especially as regards the plot and
characters? What difficulties are you encountering? Please use Post-Its to post your questions
on the parking lot. Read some of your classmates’ questions. Are there any you are able to
venture answers for?
As we finish the play, you will be asked to address the following questions:
1. The supernatural plays an important role in Macbeth. To what extent does it motivate
Macbeth's actions?
2. Discuss King Duncan and examine what contribution he makes to the play.
3. In constructing Macbeth, Shakespeare dramatically altered historical characters to enhance
certain themes. Examine Shakespeare's sources and discuss why he made these radical changes.
4. Is Lady Macbeth more responsible than Macbeth for the murder of King Duncan? Is Lady
Macbeth a more evil character than her husband and, if so, why?
5. The sleepwalking scene in Act V is one of the most memorable in all of drama. Relate this
scene to the overall play and examine what makes Lady Macbeth's revelation so provoking.
6. Choose two of the minor characters in Macbeth and examine how they contribute to the play's
action.
7. The witches tell Banquo that he will be the father of future kings. How does Banquo's reaction
reveal his true character?
8. Examine Macbeth's mental deterioration throughout the play.
9. Discuss the speech Macbeth gives upon hearing that his wife is dead in Act V, Scene V. How
do his words capture one of the major themes in the drama?
Thursday and Friday, 5/29 and 5/30
IRLA: Finish up your study guide questions for Act V of Hamlet.
Work Periods: During these two periods and on Monday of next week, we will complete an
overview of the Regents Exam, which most of you have opted to take next month. We will also
practice poetry analysis with several poems and a new mnemonic device to help you remember
some key elements of poetry that you may want to consider as you read a poem. These activities
will also help prepare you for the assessment you will be taking next week. Our objectives
include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
To familiarize ourselves with the structure, organization and demands of the test.
To review the guidelines for close reading.
To understand and practice strategies for multiple choice questions.
To review literary and poetic techniques, elements, and devices.
To review and practice the elements of a good critical/analytical paragraph.
To review and practice the elements of a good critical/analytical essay.
In addition to the sample passages and questions above, we will also use the following sections
in Writer’s Inc. as we review:
356: Academic Writing
501—513: Taking Tests
417—427: Literary and Poetry Terms