ALEX Classroom Resource

  

Analyzing Character in Hamlet Through Epitaphs

  Classroom Resource Information  

Title:

 Analyzing Character in Hamlet Through Epitaphs

URL:

 http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/analyzing-character-hamlet-through-956.html

Content Source:

 ReadWriteThink
Type: Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

Students compose epitaphs for deceased characters in the play Hamlet, paying particular attention to how their words appeal to the senses, create imagery, suggest mood, and set tone. Using a three-paneled poster board, students design gravestones to display their epitaphs. Students must capture the essence of their characters in their epitaphs, and their poster boards must reflect the themes that support their character's personality and station in life. The resulting projects make compelling hallway displays and provide students with an audience for their writing.

This activity can be easily adapted to another tragedy by changing the characters students write epitaphs about. For instance, students can write epitaphs for Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet or write epitaphs for Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Duncan, and Banquo in Macbeth.

Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
R2. Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts to develop a literal and figurative understanding as appropriate to the type of text, purpose, and situation.

Examples: short and long prose texts, poetry, dramas
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R2.
  • Literary texts
  • Literal understanding
  • Figurative understanding
  • Text
  • Purpose
  • Situation
Knowledge:
R2. Students know:
  • Necessary skills to read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Strategies to analyze literary text to develop a literal and figurative understanding.
  • Literary texts have different intended meanings depending on the genre, purpose, and situation.
Skills:
R2. Students are able to:
  • Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Develop literal and figurative understanding of literary texts appropriate to the text, purpose, and situation.
Understanding:
R2. Students understand that:
  • Literary texts can be understood on both a literal and figurative level.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
R3. Utilize active listening skills in formal and informal conversations, following predetermined norms.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R3.
  • Active listening
  • Formal conversations
  • Informal conversations
  • Predetermined norms
Knowledge:
R3. Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • Strategies to identify formal and informal settings.
  • Engage in formal and informal conversations.
  • Predetermined norms for formal and informal discussions.
Skills:
R3. Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during formal and informal discussions.
  • Practice predetermined norms for formal and informal discussions.
Understanding:
R3. Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow predetermined norms which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
R4. Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R4.
  • Digital tools
  • Electronic tools
  • Appropriately
  • Safely
  • Ethically
Knowledge:
R4. Students know:
  • Digital and electronic tools must be used appropriately, safely, and ethically.
Skills:
R4. Students are able to:
  • Engage in safe and ethical behavior when using digital and electronic tools.
Understanding:
R4. Students understand that:
  • Safe behaviors, interactions that keep you out of harm's way, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
  • Ethical behavior, interactions that align to one's moral code, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
R5. Utilize a writing process which includes planning, revising, editing/peer-editing, and rewriting to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R5.
  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Peer-edit
  • Rewrite
  • Focused
  • Organized
  • Coherent
  • Purpose
  • Audience
Knowledge:
R5. Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, revise, edit, and rewrite.
  • Editing can be completed by the writer or by a peer.
  • Peer-editing skills.
  • Completed writing projects should be focused, organized, and coherent, and written for a specific purpose and intended audience.
Skills:
R5. Students are able to:
  • Plan, revise, edit, and rewrite to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
  • Compose a writing piece for a specific purpose and intended audience.
  • Engage in the peer-editing process.
Understanding:
R5. Students understand that:
  • Writing is a process that requires multiple drafts, edits, and versions.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
4. Analyze how an author uses characterization, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view to create and convey meaning.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
4.
  • Analyze
  • Characterization
  • Figurative language
  • Literary elements
  • Point of view
  • Create
  • Convey
Knowledge:
4. Students know:
  • Authors choose to write from a particular point of view and use specific literary elements and vocabulary words to convey their intended meaning.
  • Methods to analyze characterization, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view.
Skills:
4. Students are able to:
  • Identify characterization, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view in a variety of texts.
  • Analyze how characterization, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view creates and conveys meaning in a variety of texts.
Understanding:
4. Students understand that:
  • Authors select particular literary elements and devices to create and convey meaning within their written work.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
11. Compose and edit both short and extended products in which the development and organization are relevant and suitable to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

Examples: paragraphs, constructed responses, essays

a. Incorporate narrative techniques in other modes of writing as appropriate.

Examples: flashback, anecdote, foreshadowing, story-telling, sensory details, character development

b. Write explanations and expositions that examine and convey complex ideas or processes effectively, develop the topic utilizing and citing credible sources of information or data when relevant, use intentional transitions, choose precise vocabulary, and maintain an organized structure.

c. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence, making rhetorical choices that convey a specific tone or style, including intentional transitions, and providing a logical conclusion that captures the larger implications of the topic or text.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
11.
  • Compose
  • Edit
  • Short products
  • Extended products
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language
11a.
  • Narrative techniques
  • Modes of writing
11b.
  • Explanations
  • Expositions
  • Complex ideas
  • Complex processes
  • Citing
  • Credible sources
  • Intentional transitions
  • Precise vocabulary
  • Organized structure
11c.
  • Arguments
  • Claims
  • Substantive topics or texts
  • Valid
  • Relevant
  • Sufficient
  • Reasoning
  • Evidence
  • Rhetorical choices
  • Tone
  • Style
  • Transitions
  • Logical conclusion
  • Implications
Knowledge:
11. Students know:
  • Writing products can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • The skills required by the writing process.
  • The development and organization of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.
11a.
  • Narrative techniques include flashbacks, anecdotes, foreshadowing, story-telling, sensory details, and character development.
  • Narrative techniques can be used in multiple genres of writing.
11b.
  • Explanatory and expository text is writing that examines and explains complex ideas or processes, utilizing information from multiple credible research sources.
  • Explanatory and expository writing has an organized structure, and usually begins by clearly focusing on the topic, incorporating credible evidence, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Explanatory and expository writing should utilize techniques that objectively introduce and develop topics.
  • Explanatory and expository writing should include academic, content-specific technical word meanings.
  • Words that indicate transitions.
11c.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to defend an opinion or state a claim.
  • Argumentative writing includes introducing the topic by stating an argumentative claim, valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence to support the claim, and a logical conclusion that describes the larger implications of the topic or text.
  • Strategies to create stone and style in argumentative writing.
  • Words that indicate transitions.
Skills:
11. Students are able to:
  • Compose short and extended writing products.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development and organization of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.
11a.
  • Incorporate narrative techniques in modes other than narrative writing when appropriate.
11b.
  • Gather credible information and data from multiple sources.
  • Write an explanatory and expository text with an organized structure and formal style that develops the topic and utilizes appropriate transitions, credible information or data, and technical vocabulary words.
11c.
  • Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of topics or texts that utilizes intentional transitions.
  • Gather relevant and sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources to support the claim.
  • Use valid reasoning to support a claim.
  • Make rhetorical choices that convey a specific tone or style.
  • Include a logical conclusion that captures the larger implications of the topic or text.
Understanding:
11. Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development and organization of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
11a.
  • Narrative techniques can be used in multiple genres of writing to engage the audience and create interest.
11b.
  • Explanatory and expository writing should be free from opinions and supported with evidence.
  • Explanatory and expository writing follow a predictable, organized text structure that utilizes appropriate transition words and precise vocabulary.
  • Writers elaborate on details included in the text by using formal academic, content-specific technical words.
  • They must gather their information and data about the topic from multiple credible research sources.
11c.
  • To effectively defend a position or make a claim, they must present relevant, sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources.
  • An argument can be more effective if the writer includes a logical conclusion that indicates the larger implication of the topic or text.
  • They can make rhetorical choices in their writing to create a specific tone and style.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
17. Use images, sound, animation, and other modes of expression to create or enhance individual or collaborative digital and multimodal texts that are suitable in purpose and tone for their intended audience and occasion.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
17.
  • Images
  • Sound
  • Animation
  • Expression
  • Collaborative
  • Digital texts
  • Multimodal texts
  • Purpose
  • Tone
  • Intended audience
  • Intended occasion
Knowledge:
17. Students know:
  • Necessary skills to include images, sound, animations, and other modes of expression in digital and multimodal texts.
  • Collaboration skills.
  • The intended audience and occasion should be identified before selecting a purpose and tone for digital or multimodal texts.
Skills:
17. Students are able to:
  • Work independently or collaboratively to use images, sound, animation, and other modes of expression to create or enhance digital and multimodal texts.
  • Work independently or collaboratively to create digital or multimodal texts that are suitable in purpose and tone for their intended audience and occasion.
Understanding:
17. Students understand that:
  • Digital texts can be used to communicate with a variety of audiences and occasions.
  • They should modify the purpose and tone of their digital texts depending on the audience and occasion.
  • They will frequently collaborate with others to develop digital products in school and in the workplace.
  • Images, sounds, animation, and other modes of expression can enhance digital and multimodal texts.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
23. Deliver a speech suitable for an authentic audience for a specific purpose, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Examples: student-led conference, public meeting, community-based group
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
23.
  • Suitable
  • Authentic audience
  • Purpose
  • Command
  • Formal English
Knowledge:
23. Students know:
  • The conventions of standard, formal English.
  • Methods to modify speech to match the purpose and audience in a variety of contexts and tasks.
  • Situations with an authentic audience include student-led conferences, public meetings, or community-based groups.
Skills:
23. Students are able to:
  • Incorporate conventions of standard, formal English into academic and personal speech and oral presentations.
  • Adapt spoken language to the purpose and audience in a variety of situations.
Understanding:
23. Students understand that:
  • The conventions of standard, formal English are necessary for effective academic and workplace communication.
  • Spoken language should be adapted, depending on the audience, purpose, and occasion.
Tags: characters, Drama Map, epitaphs, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
License Type: Custom Permission Type
See Terms: http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html
For full descriptions of license types and a guide to usage, visit :
https://creativecommons.org/licenses
Accessibility
Comments

ReadWriteThink is a free resource with links to additional videos, interactives, and instructional materials.

  This resource provided by:  
Author: Cassie Raulston
This site may contain links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THIS SITE.
Copyright © 2017, Alabama Learning Exchange
Alabama State Department of Education
Alabama State Department of Education