Macbeth 13 - All My Pretty Ones - Act IV, scene 3 Small Group Reading Aloud
"All my pretty ones...All? What, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?."
Macbeth 13 - All My Pretty Ones - Act IV Small Group Reading: This activity is like the other two alternate lessons in this unit - the students will read Act IV, scene 3 aloud - as we do in class, except in a small group of 5-7 students. They will have a group leader who will ask questions (provided) when they get to the appropriate lines - and everyone will take notes in their books. There is also an extra-credit question based on the Anne Sexton poem, "All My Pretty Ones". As we get more and more practice reading aloud in class - I want the students to take more and more on themselves. This makes especially good educational sense - given that in a short time they will be putting on scenes from Macbeth - on their own, memorizing lines, choosing a theme and being in charge of the complete production. I urge the students to work in groups based on the ones they will be performing with. If they only have 2-3 members in their performance group, they can combine with another for this activity (and the next lesson as well - which will use this scene again).
Lesson Overview - All My Pretty Ones? - Macbeth Act 4.3 Small Group Reading
No Quiz
They've already been quizzed on Act 4.
Group Leaders
This lesson has two parts (really three - but you'll see). The first part is a set of instructions for a Group Leader. Essentially, the Group Leader plays the part that the teacher usually does. Unlike the other two small group leader lessons - the groups will choose their leader once they are in their group (which should be based on their Macbeth Performance Groups). There is no better way to learn a subject than by teaching it - and it also gives students a chance to look at the "other side". What teachers do (and hopefully they will appreciate it a bit "differently").
Here are some of the instructions from the handout (which can be found below)
Why do so many of us miss or not understand what is going on in this scene? Why does Malcolm say he will be such a horrific king (and some of us miss that as well)? Why if we don’t understand what’s going on do we continue reading before we come to an understanding – remember the group work on Shakespeare’s Sonnets – groups overwhelmingly stated that the line by line (uncovering with a sheet of paper – method #3) examination of the sonnet was the most satisfying and understandable. How do we do that here?
For the rest of the instructions - see the Handout (below).
The Questions
It's important that during the Reading Aloud - which should be just like in class - only the Group Leader has the questions. When the students get to the appropriate spot in the script, the Group Leader will have everyone pause - and ask the question which is then open to everyone in the Group (except the Group Leader - here's where the teacher part really comes in. The questions have the the line # - and the Group Leaders should be the only one looking at the questions - the others in the group should put their handouts away or keep it up on the first side.
Students should continue until the bell rings. They should also takes notes in their own books as normal - except for the Group Leader as they will be far too busy to take notes, and they are encouraged to copy the notes from one of their Group Members when they finish. The Group Leaders also have enough copies of the Questions to give out AFTER they are done - if the Group Members have the questions while they are doing the reading - it is a terrible distraction and makes this process undoable. Remember - they will be reading the play aloud - just as you do in a full class.
Extra Credit Essay
There is a short extra credit essay based on Anne Sexton's beautiful poem - "All My Pretty Ones". If the group has enough time they can read the poem aloud and start throwing ideas off of each other as to what the poem means.
Tomorrow, Tommorow, and Tomorrow
This lesson is SO important for what will happen tomorrow (or the next day you meet): The students will cut this very same scene. How can they cut the scene (taking out almost 1/2 the lines) unless they understand it completely!
Small Group Read Aloud & Group Leader Questions
See the actual handout and the above Lesson Overview for more directions on the use of these Handouts. This is a bit different than the other Small Group Read Alouds in this unit - and there is an extra credit essay included as well. Remember, they will need to get started right away or they won't finish. Also - you may need to actively make sure that they are reading the play aloud and answering the questions at the appropriate time rather than just trying to answer the questions based on their out of class reading.
The Folger Script for today's reading.
Please note that the Folger Online Edition of Macbeth will have the same corresponding page & line numbers that I reference. Also, the script is available to download from them as a PDF, Microsoft Doc, and with or without line numbers. My students had their own copies (which I strongly recommend) that they could take notes directly in - and which have so many valuable footnotes on the left side of the page. See my handout on Reading Shakespeare in my opening Macbeth Lesson.
Remote Teaching
Of course this can be done in Small Groups Remotely if you've set your class up appropriately and students know how to get into Groups remotely. It is also a great way for students who have missed the class to get together and make it up.
The Folger Library has an online edition of the play without the annotations - Shakespeare words (what appears on the right hand page in the paperback edition. It also includes in this online edition the very useful synopses that appear before each scene.
Here is the description from Amazon: "This volume of the Shakespeare Set Free series is written by institute faculty and participants, and includes the latest developments in recent scholarship. It bristles with the energy created by teaching and learning Shakespeare from the text and through active performance, and reflects the experience, wisdom, and wit of real classroom teachers in schools and colleges throughout the United States. "
Macbeth 14 - Cutting the Scene - Act 4 Scene 3: So, this lesson had students coming to a deep understanding of this scene. And now - we are going to ask them to cut fully one third of the lines from the scene! So why cut lines? Well - first of all, actors (including Elizabethan) did it all the time. But perhaps more importantly - in order to cut lines - you must fully understand the importance, meaning and weight of every syllable that you cut. So of course I've given them the most difficult scene in the entire play. If they can cut this scene and still have it make sense and carry the information that it needs to for the rest of the play to "work" - well they have truly mastered it.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
It is hard to step back sometimes - I know when there are groups, I am so tempted to go among them and help them answer the questions. But - what would be the point? You are writing the questions - you don't want to answer them too.