{"id":1299,"date":"2014-06-09T19:44:50","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T19:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2014-06-09T19:44:50","modified_gmt":"2014-06-09T19:44:50","slug":"activity-two-shakespeare-diary-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/activity-two-shakespeare-diary-for-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Activity Two – Shakespeare Diary for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shakespeare Diary Activity<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Theresa Wilson, Warren Hills Regional School District, Washington, New Jersey<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Lesson Focus:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The goal of this assignment is to get students to interact with and analyze the situations of Shakespearean characters.\u00a0 The student will select a character and follow that character\u2019s development and decision-making closely throughout the play.<\/p>\n

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Objective:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The students will create a diary for the character they select, describing the narrative of that character, filling in missing information and showing a thorough explanation of the character\u2019s thoughts and actions.\u00a0 Although Macbeth<\/em> is specifically mentioned in the excerpt of the interview, this activity may be used for any play; it may be especially useful as a transitional activity for the student to perform a scene as the character upon which the diary entries are based.<\/p>\n

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Alignment with Common Core Standards: <\/strong><\/p>\n

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English Language Arts 6-12: Reading Literature<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.<\/p>\n

RL.11-12.6. Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).<\/p>\n

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity<\/p>\n

10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.<\/p>\n

RL.11-12.10. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11\u2013CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.<\/p>\n

CommonCore: English Language Arts 6-12: Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.<\/p>\n

W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.<\/p>\n

W.11-12.3a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and\/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.<\/p>\n

W.11-12.3b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and\/or characters.<\/p>\n

W.11-12.3c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).<\/p>\n

W.11-12.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and\/or characters.<\/p>\n

Range of Writing<\/strong>
\n10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.<\/p>\n

W.11-12.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes.<\/p>\n

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Materials\/Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Copies of Student Handout, instructing students how to approach writing their diary assignment.<\/li>\n
  2. Excerpt from Arin Arbus\u2019s interview from Shakespeare Central.org (time signature: 00:01:57 \u2013 00:05:23)<\/li>\n
  3. Rubric for grading<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Grade Levels: 6-12<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    Proceedure:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    As Arin Arbus explains in her analysis (excerpted below), Shakespeare\u2019s power lies partially in the fact that he could make characters in extraordinary situations relatable to ordinary people.\u00a0 The student will select a character and follow that character\u2019s development and decision-making closely throughout the play.\u00a0 The students will then create a diary for that character which describes the narrative of that character, filling in missing information and demonstrating a thorough explanation of the character\u2019s thoughts and actions.\u00a0 Although Macbeth<\/em> is specifically mentioned in the interview excerpt, this activity may be used for any play; it may be especially useful as a transitional activity for the student to perform a scene as the character upon which the diary entries are based.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Either read or play the audio of the following segment of an interview with Arin Arbus, by way of introduction:<\/p>\n

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    Excerpt from Shakespeare Central Interview: Arin Arbus (Artistic Director, Theater for a New Audience)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    The Power of Shakespeare\/Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    00:01:57\u00a0\u00a0 AA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well, for me, you start \u2013 or I start with the \u2013 with the words. And \u2013 and you \u2013 I guess I feel like you \u2013 I have to feel a deep connection to something in the play. And I have to feel like I understand it, or understand something about it. I mean, it’s not possible to understand everything about the play \u2013 ever, probably \u2013 but you know, part of the process is \u2013 is making discoveries.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    00:02:54\u00a0\u00a0 But one needs to come in with a \u2013 with a strong feeling, or a strong affinity for the material, which for me, I guess there are sort of two things in the play that \u2013 that I am very interested in, or that I connect to \u2013 connected to immediately, when I \u2013 you know, looking through different Shakespeare plays a year ago trying to figure out what to do next \u2013 or which one to do next.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    00:03:42\u00a0\u00a0 And I think \u2013 I think what is so complex about Macbeth<\/em> is \u2013 is that Shakespeare has made this character who is a deeply moral man. He has an incredible ethical sense and is \u2013 and is remarkably articulate and poetic about that \u2013 that ethical sense. And yet he does horrendous things and he’s capable of frightening brutality. And that’s an interesting \u2013 that’s an interesting combination to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    00:04:46\u00a0\u00a0 And it’s a combination \u2013 you know, a man capable of terrifying brutality who is also deeply moral, I feel like that’s a \u2013 there is something very truthful in that contradiction \u2013 that seeming contradiction. And there is something that I recognize there in my experience of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    00:05:20\u00a0\u00a0 SR:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [Not recorded.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    00:05:23\u00a0\u00a0 AA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well, I guess I’ve \u2013 I’ve seen that in people and that’s something that’s confusing. I mean, it’s \u2013 I don’t know if I want to go too far down this road, but you know, it’s certainly something \u2013 it’s something that Shakespeare observed in the world and it’s something that I’ve certainly observed and, you know, and I \u2013 even in the work in prison I find that contradiction in those men who are there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    After the students have listened to the interview excerpt, transition into a discussion of the universality of Shakespearian characters.\u00a0 Consider integrating the following questions into a class discussion:<\/p>\n

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    1. How can we understand a character that was created four hundred year ago?<\/strong><\/li>\n
    2. What has changed about the human experience over time?\u00a0 What has remained the same?<\/strong><\/li>\n
    3. How might Shakespeare give the audience insight into the feelings and inner thoughts of characters, both minor and major?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Using the responses to these questions, guide students to an understanding of how the problems, fears, and situations of many of Shakespeare\u2019s characters are still relatable to us today.\u00a0 The setting may have changed but the basic human condition has not.\u00a0 Encourage students to put themselves in the shoes of one of the characters.\u00a0 Proceed into an introduction to the assignment.\u00a0 Grade diaries using the rubric provided.\u00a0 Point totals and grade ranges were intentionally left vague to accommodate different grading scales<\/p>\n

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      STUDENT HANDOUT<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      Shakespearian Diary Project<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      Goal:<\/strong> You will be creating a diary for one of Shakespeare\u2019s characters, following that character\u2019s emotional responses and decision making throughout the play.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Step One:<\/strong>\u00a0 After listening to the Arin Arbus interview, think about how one might sympathize with or try to understand a person who comes from a different time or place.\u00a0 Shakespeare is considered timeless in part because people from different times and cultures can understand his characters.\u00a0 Select a character that you will follow closely throughout the play.\u00a0 It may be a minor or major character; you will still be doing the same number of journal entries.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Step Two:<\/strong>\u00a0 Make note when reading the play when meaningful or interesting happen to or in the presence of the character you have selected.<\/p>\n

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      Step Three:<\/strong>\u00a0 Think about what you know about the personality and situation of the character.\u00a0 How would he or she react to a situation what decision does he or she make?\u00a0 How might the character have arrived at that decision?\u00a0 Consult the rubric before beginning the assignment to make sure you are fulfilling all of the requirements at the exemplary level.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Step Four:<\/strong>\u00a0 Create a diary from the perspective of the character you selected.\u00a0 The diary should have at least five detailed entries with each entry being a page to a page and half in length.\u00a0 The entries should create a narrative in which you examine your character in depth and create a point of view in which that character is able to express his or her side of events.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Shakespeare Diary Activity By Theresa Wilson, Warren Hills Regional School District, Washington, New Jersey \u00a0 \u00a0 Lesson Focus:   The goal of this assignment is to get students to interact with and analyze the situations of Shakespearean characters.\u00a0 The student will select a character and follow that character\u2019s development and decision-making closely throughout the play. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[121],"tags":[129,128,126,125,168,127],"class_list":["post-1299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lesson-plans","tag-character-development","tag-characters","tag-diaries","tag-diary","tag-lesson-plans","tag-theresa-wilson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1300,"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions\/1300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakespearecentral.org\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}