| Lesson start ideas | Give a creative idea how to begin a lesson |
| Which subject | English |
| What age group | Year or Grade 11 |
| What topic | Macbeth |
| Quantity | 1 |
| Any other preferences |
At the beginning of class, I'm going to write "Macbeth" on the board and ask each student to write down the first three words or phrases that come to mind when they see it. As they're writing, I'll walk around the room and ask a few of them to share what they wrote, and then write their responses on the board next to the word "Macbeth".
Once we've gathered a few responses, I'll ask the students what they think a tragedy is, in terms of literature. As a class, we'll discuss what defines a tragedy and some examples of famous tragic heroes. Then, I'll explain that Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a tragedy and that the title character, Macbeth, is a tragic hero.
For the main activity of the lesson, we'll do a character analysis of Macbeth. I'll divide the class into groups, and each group will be assigned a different scene from the play. They'll have to read the scene and answer questions about Macbeth's character, like:
After the groups have had time to work, we'll come back together as a class to discuss each scene and share our insights about Macbeth's character.
To wrap up the lesson, I'll have students write a brief reflection on what they learned about Macbeth's character and how he fits into the tragic hero archetype. They can also reflect on their initial associations with the word "Macbeth" and how their understanding of the play has changed over the course of the lesson.