Hamlet Unit;
The Morality of RevengeUnit Summary and Rationale: (Outlines the components of the unit and the reasoning for their inclusion): The morality of revenge in Hamlet is the core of the lesson as Hamlet serves as the anchor text for the unit plan. Complementary texts include examination of motifs, characterization, allusion, archetypes and mythology in literature. Edith Hamilton's Mythology will also be used as a supplement to learning.
Unit Connection College and Career Ready Descriptions: These are the descriptors that must be included to ensure the unit is fully aligned to the CCSS and relevant to the college and career ready student.
Reading
Literature _x
11-12RL
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.
Informational Text_
11-12 RI
Key Ideas and Details
1. Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Writing
11-12W
Text Types and Purposes
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
a. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
Production and Distribution of Writing
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
7.Conductshort as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding
of the subject under investigation.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).
Speaking and Listening
11-12SL
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
Language
11-12 L
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Usage and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Technology
HS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools to design products and information with others.
Big Ideas:
Learners will understand and recognize theme as enduring and universal as a broad message conveyed through a literary work. Universal ideas include human nature or society, as well.
Learners will explore the way in which Shakespeare presents the female characters in Hamlet.
Learners will master the concept of Shakespearean tragedy and be able to identify the characteristics that distinguish the genre from that of Aristotelian.
Learners will discover meaning through analysis of motif, theme, characterization, allusion, archetypes and literary devices.
Learners will develop an understanding of rich vocabulary through an examination of contextual meaning and a revised definition.
The learner will evaluate and identify the characteristics of the renaissance tragic hero and how, through the use of soliloquy, the audience experiences the psychological transformation of the character.
Essential Questions:
How does the Shakespearean tragedy differ from the Aristotelian tragedy?
In what manner does the use of specific devices, i.e., motif, theme, characterization, allusion, archetype and litery devices, contribute to the action of the drama.
How does the character of Hamlet transform psychologically over the sequence of the five acts? Identify one soliloquy per act and evaluate both meaning and how it parallels his mental state in terms of the plot.
What techniques does Shakespeare use to convey specific character relationships?
Knowledge:
The learner will evaluate and identify the characteristics of the renaissance tragic hero and how, through the use of soliloquy, the audience experiences the psychological transformation of the character.
Literary Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Students will be skilled at…
Reading Tasks:
Annotating Informational Texts
Study Guides
Hamlet
Hamlet Online Text
Writing Tasks:
Hamlet
Essay Choices:
From five free response essays
Study Guide for Five Acts
Soliloquy and Aside Activity:
Students synthesize one monologue
for iambic pentameter in a one page written response
Discussion Tasks:
Hamlet
Motif Dramatic Exercise
Small Group and Seminar
Aggregate Responses
Music/Voice Overs
Narrative Techniques and Devices
Motif
Literary Allusions,
Dramatic Irony,
Dramatic Foil,
Characterization,
Symbolism
Theme Chart:
Students locate a supporting
passage or event to tie
to five major themes
Language/Vocabulary Tasks:
Iambic Pentameter
Annotation
On Events, Characters, and Details.
Vocabulary Chart
Defining Words through context
Ongoing, student monitored:
Chapter/Word
Contextual Definition
Revised Definition
Diagnostic
Pre-Assess Knowledge of Time Period
Welcome to Denmark
Review of Othello and Macbeth
Review of Mythology
and the Role of the Archetype
of the Christ figure and the
outsider in literature
Video Clip Pre-Assessment of
literary archetypes
Hair on Broadway
Annotated Documents
Formative
Study Guide Ongoing Review
Mythology Project
Survey Responses
Aggregate Log Responses/Seminar Activities
Theme Chart
Point of View and Tone Activity
Crossword Puzzle
Seminars
Benchmark
Authentic NCFE Objective Exam
Item Analysis
Test Corrections
Personalization and Seminar
Plans Developed
Summative
Performance Assessment with Student-Generated Rubric and Reflection
Objective Exam
Essays
Hamlet in Pop Culture
Text Selections
Study Guide
Activities
Motif Chart
Personification Activity
Simile Activities
Mythology in Context
Notes ( include accommodations/grouping/modifications):
This unit is narrowed to senior year only and is cumulative from Shakespeare studies. Modifications should be made according to product and performance by student. This is not limited to honors and AP and is grading should be applied according to appropriate standards for the individual student.
Documents and Student Activities
student_study_guide.xps
Download File
motif_chart.xps
Download File
personification_activity.xps
Download File
simile_activity.xps
Download File
The Morality of RevengeUnit Summary and Rationale: (Outlines the components of the unit and the reasoning for their inclusion): The morality of revenge in Hamlet is the core of the lesson as Hamlet serves as the anchor text for the unit plan. Complementary texts include examination of motifs, characterization, allusion, archetypes and mythology in literature. Edith Hamilton's Mythology will also be used as a supplement to learning.
Unit Connection College and Career Ready Descriptions: These are the descriptors that must be included to ensure the unit is fully aligned to the CCSS and relevant to the college and career ready student.
- Students will demonstrate independence.
- Students will value evidence.
- Students will build strong content knowledge.
- Students will respond to the varying demands of audience, task, and discipline.
- Students will critique as well as comprehend.
- Students will use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
- Students will develop an understanding of other perspectives and cultures.
Reading
Literature _x
11-12RL
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.
Informational Text_
11-12 RI
Key Ideas and Details
1. Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Writing
11-12W
Text Types and Purposes
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
a. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
Production and Distribution of Writing
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
7.Conductshort as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding
of the subject under investigation.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).
Speaking and Listening
11-12SL
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
Language
11-12 L
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Usage and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Technology
HS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools to design products and information with others.
Big Ideas:
Learners will understand and recognize theme as enduring and universal as a broad message conveyed through a literary work. Universal ideas include human nature or society, as well.
Learners will explore the way in which Shakespeare presents the female characters in Hamlet.
Learners will master the concept of Shakespearean tragedy and be able to identify the characteristics that distinguish the genre from that of Aristotelian.
Learners will discover meaning through analysis of motif, theme, characterization, allusion, archetypes and literary devices.
Learners will develop an understanding of rich vocabulary through an examination of contextual meaning and a revised definition.
The learner will evaluate and identify the characteristics of the renaissance tragic hero and how, through the use of soliloquy, the audience experiences the psychological transformation of the character.
Essential Questions:
How does the Shakespearean tragedy differ from the Aristotelian tragedy?
In what manner does the use of specific devices, i.e., motif, theme, characterization, allusion, archetype and litery devices, contribute to the action of the drama.
How does the character of Hamlet transform psychologically over the sequence of the five acts? Identify one soliloquy per act and evaluate both meaning and how it parallels his mental state in terms of the plot.
What techniques does Shakespeare use to convey specific character relationships?
Knowledge:
The learner will evaluate and identify the characteristics of the renaissance tragic hero and how, through the use of soliloquy, the audience experiences the psychological transformation of the character.
Literary Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- define by example the terms tragedy and tragic hero
- compare the two models of tragedy
- show Hamlet to be an example of a Renaissance hero
- identify the characteristics of the play that mark it as a Shakespearean tragedy
- trace Hamlet's psychological and emotional condition and how it is reflected in his soliloquy's
- analyze the characters of Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Polonius, and Ophelia and their relationship to each other
- discuss the techniques Shakespeare uses to convey character and character relationships to his audience
- identify the use of comic relief
Students will be skilled at…
- annotating historical information and synthesizing the information to draw meaning to literary text
- understanding the nuances in secular differences in English culture
- applying the historical information to infer discreet meaning of Shakespeare's life characterization in literary text
- synthesizing theme across multiple literary works and evaluating how Greek literature impacts the work as a whole
- adapting understanding to the framework of the play and the integration of dramatic irony in the engagement of the audience
- analyzing the use of the dramatic foil how it develops the play through contrast
- applying literary devices and thematic concepts to mixed genres to enhance understanding and appreciation
Reading Tasks:
Annotating Informational Texts
Study Guides
Hamlet
Hamlet Online Text
Writing Tasks:
Hamlet
Essay Choices:
From five free response essays
Study Guide for Five Acts
Soliloquy and Aside Activity:
Students synthesize one monologue
for iambic pentameter in a one page written response
Discussion Tasks:
Hamlet
Motif Dramatic Exercise
Small Group and Seminar
Aggregate Responses
Music/Voice Overs
Narrative Techniques and Devices
Motif
Literary Allusions,
Dramatic Irony,
Dramatic Foil,
Characterization,
Symbolism
Theme Chart:
Students locate a supporting
passage or event to tie
to five major themes
Language/Vocabulary Tasks:
Iambic Pentameter
Annotation
On Events, Characters, and Details.
Vocabulary Chart
Defining Words through context
Ongoing, student monitored:
Chapter/Word
Contextual Definition
Revised Definition
Diagnostic
Pre-Assess Knowledge of Time Period
Welcome to Denmark
Review of Othello and Macbeth
Review of Mythology
and the Role of the Archetype
of the Christ figure and the
outsider in literature
Video Clip Pre-Assessment of
literary archetypes
Hair on Broadway
Annotated Documents
Formative
Study Guide Ongoing Review
Mythology Project
Survey Responses
Aggregate Log Responses/Seminar Activities
Theme Chart
Point of View and Tone Activity
Crossword Puzzle
Seminars
Benchmark
Authentic NCFE Objective Exam
Item Analysis
Test Corrections
Personalization and Seminar
Plans Developed
Summative
Performance Assessment with Student-Generated Rubric and Reflection
Objective Exam
Essays
Hamlet in Pop Culture
Text Selections
Study Guide
Activities
Motif Chart
Personification Activity
Simile Activities
Mythology in Context
Notes ( include accommodations/grouping/modifications):
This unit is narrowed to senior year only and is cumulative from Shakespeare studies. Modifications should be made according to product and performance by student. This is not limited to honors and AP and is grading should be applied according to appropriate standards for the individual student.
Documents and Student Activities
student_study_guide.xps
Download File
motif_chart.xps
Download File
personification_activity.xps
Download File
simile_activity.xps
Download File