Lesson 5

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Simon and Schuster, 2003

• • Hamlet: The Fully Dramatized Audio Edition, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2014

Materials

Tools

• Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool

• Hamlet: “To Be Or Not To Be” Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool

Reference Guides

• Academic Discussion Reference Guide

Editable Google Docs

• Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool

• Hamlet: “To Be Or Not To Be” Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool

Activity 1: Read

We will read Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy.

Read and annotate Lines 64-96 of Act 3, Scene 1. As you read, pay attention to Hamlet’s philosophical view of life and death.

Activity 2: Read

We will participate in a jigsaw to unpack the complex meaning of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy.

Step 1

In this jigsaw, you will first work with your expert group (e.g., Expert Group A, Expert Group B, Expert Group C, or Expert Group D). As you read and analyze your group’s assigned lines from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, you become an expert on those lines.

In the next activity, you will form home groups made up of experts from each expert group. In your home group, you will share your analysis of the assigned lines from your expert group.

Step 2

Form Expert Groups A, B, C, and D as assigned by your teacher. Using the “To Be Or Not To Be” Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool, independently read and annotate the selected lines.

Once you have done an independent close reading, work with your expert group to analyze the significance of your group’s selected lines.

• Paraphrase the selected lines into contemporary English prose. You might need to determine the meaning of certain words before you can paraphrase.

• Analyze the lines and explain their significance. Respond to the following questions:

  1. What ideas does Hamlet explore in the speech?

  2. What rhetorical questions does Hamlet use? How do they help the reader understand the workings of his mind?

  3. What figurative language, such as metaphors, similes, and personification, does Hamlet use?

  4. What is the tone of the speech? How do you know?

  5. What effect do the questions, figurative language, and tone have on the meaning of the scene?

Step 3

In the next activity, you will form home groups made up of experts from each expert group. You will synthesize what you learned in this lesson.

Activity 3: Present

We will get into home groups and share our analysis of each section.

If your teacher has assigned home groups, form them now. If you are to form your own home groups, find students from each other expert group. Ensure that each home group has at least one expert from each expert group.

In your home group, take turns presenting your expert group’s analysis of a section from the "To Be or Not to Be" soliloquy. As other experts present their analysis, be sure to take notes on your "To Be or Not to Be" Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool.

After each group has presented, jointly construct a response to the following question using the Forming Evidence Based Claims Tool:

1. What does the soliloquy reveal about Hamlet’s current mental state?

Activity 4: Discuss

We will participate in a whole-class discussion to share our analysis of Hamlet’s current mental state.

As a class, discuss your response to the following question:

1. What does the soliloquy reveal about Hamlet’s current mental state?

During the discussion, make sure to do the following:

• Listen attentively to the speaker’s main points and support points.

• Support your ideas with specific textual evidence from the play.

• Elaborate and clarify your ideas when asked.

• Select and commit to using one of the following norms for an academic discussion:

  • Ask your peers questions if something needs to be clarified or elaborated on.

  • Build on your peers’ ideas.

  • Respectfully challenge your peers’ ideas.