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Lesson 2

We will examine the Culminating Task and begin generating ideas for our response.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I generate ideas by integrating multiple pieces of evidence?

Texts

Core

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

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss – Write

We will examine the Culminating Task.

Read and annotate the Culminating Task Checklist.

Working with a partner, reread the Culminating Task Checklist and review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about what knowledge you have gained and skills you have practiced thus far in the unit. Use the Culminating Task Progress Tracker to do the following:

  • Add or refine any skills and content knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

  • Evaluate how well you have mastered the skills and knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

  • Note where you need additional practice or support.

Activity 2: Read

We will review our Note-Taking Tools for the various lenses and our previous Section Diagnostics to determine which lens we would like to further explore in the Culminating Task.

For the Culminating Task, you will select a piece of literary criticism that analyzes the play through one of the three following lenses: psychological, political, or feminist. Review your Note-Taking Tools for the lenses and your responses to the Section Diagnostics. Use the following questions to guide your review:

  1. Which lens do I think I have the strongest grasp of?

  2. Which lens do I have the most thorough textual evidence for?

  3. Which lens am I most intrigued by and would like to examine further?

Use these questions to begin to narrow down your focus for the Culminating Task.

Activity 3: Write

We will begin to generate ideas based on our focal lens using our previous readings and notes.

Use the following questions to generate initial ideas for your response to the Culminating Task:

Psychological: For the Section 2 Diagnostic, you examined Hamlet’s sanity and madness.

  1. Has your initial perspective on Hamlet’s sanity changed after reading the final scenes of the play?

  2. If so, why? If not, why not?

  3. What textual evidence supports your interpretation?

Feminist: For the Section 3 Diagnostic, you examined the character Ophelia through a feminist lens.

  1. Based on your reading of the entire play, how do you think Shakespeare intended audiences to view the female characters in the play?

  2. What textual evidence supports your interpretation?

Political: You have examined the ideas of power and control throughout the unit.

  1. Who is more skilled at maintaining control, Claudius or Hamlet? Why?

  2. What textual evidence supports your interpretation?

Choose one of the lenses and write a one-paragraph response to the associated questions. Complete the paragraph for homework if needed.