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With the mock season in full swing and the real thing just around the corner for Leaving Cert. English pupils, it's time to revise the Single Text. I always do my Single Text with pupils when they are in Fifth year so I often find it feels a little distant to them by the time mocks arrive in sixth year. I always revise the single text in detail before the actual Leaving Cert. exam but it can still leave them a little lost before their mocks with only fifth year work to rely on. This year I'm creating Nearpod revision activities for my pupils. Nearpod allows teachers to create interactive presentations for pupils to answer in their own time. Nearpod can be used as a live teaching session or for setting homework. I am creating a homework task for each of the five Acts in our single text, Macbeth.

The beauty of Nearpod is that it is available on the Web, Android or iOS (the iOS/iPad version is a particularly slick experience!). It is free for pupils to download as an app to their device or they can just complete their tasks on the Web. There is also no sign up necessary for the pupils which is a great plus (no 'I forgot the password sir'!) . Simply open Nearpod on whatever device you are using and enter the code given by the teacher. Pupils then enter their name and complete the homework task.

I would advise pupils to use these activities as an open book test. You have as long as you need to complete the activities so take your time and get them right! Once a homework task has been created by one teacher it can be e-mailed to another teacher to be used or edited as they wish. So if any teachers create a Nearpod account and would like me to e-mail them any of these lessons get in touch at: newenglishirl@gmail.com There is also a starter course on how to use the software that can be found on Nearpod using the code PIHGR .

Here are all five lesson codes. Go to click join session in the top right corner, or Android/iOS device and enter the code. I will only be able to give feedback to my own pupils so if you are a visitor to the site I hope you find the activities helpful. The activities for all five Acts will be added to and improved over time so be sure to check back here, for changes to individual codes.

Act 1 Code Act 4 Code
MFLAH KGVAN

Act 2 Code Act 5 Code
MYWBO QFRBY

Act 3 Code
ZTUQL

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With the mock season in full swing and the real thing just around the corner for Leaving Cert. English pupils, it's time to revise the Single Text. I always do my Single Text with pupils when they are in Fifth year so I often find it feels a little distant to them by the time mocks arrive in sixth year.

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We've been revising Kingship in class this week. We've got fancy infographics analysing the models of Kingship (or future Kingship!) represented by Duncan, Macbeth and Malcolm (see below) and I've been trying to get it to hit home that it doesn't really matter WHAT opinion you offer as long as you can back it up with relevant quotes and examples.

In order to illustrate why it is that teachers & examiners get so bloody upset when students learn off notes and vomit them up in the exam, I took two exam questions, both of which relate closely to the theme of Kingship.

The first was " Macbeth is about power - its use and abuse "

The second was " Kingship, with all its potential for good and evil, is a central theme in Shakespeare's Macbeth "

Then I typed my response - off the top of my head - to each question, in the form of a single paragraph looking at the character of Duncan. The result was far from polished (I'm not used to live typing in front of an audience) and I'm pretty sure my paragraphs would be longer in an exam, but the exercise was nonetheless a good one.

My aim was to show my students that:
(a) You can know the info, you can have an opinion, but you cannot know the exact words you'll use until you see the question. (b) The words from the question must be integrated throughout your response.
(c) You cannot possibly include everything you know about a character so you must simply select some of what you feel is relevant to the question. In English, you are not losing marks for the things you don't say, you are only gaining marks for the way you use SOME of what you do know to respond to the Q asked, all the while offering your opinion.

So what did we do next?

Well we underlined the important words/concepts in this question:

Then I live typed this (in about 5 minutes) as a sample (mini-)paragraph.

Duncan is the most powerful individual in the Kingdom as the play begins. He uses his power wisely - as Macduff later notes he is " a most sainted King". Even the man who is plotting to murder him, Macbeth, observes that he " hath been so clear in his great office that the angels will plead out trumpet tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off". Absolute power is not without its challenges however. Duncan's rule is challenged by Macdonwald & an invading Norwegian army who view his meekness as King as an opportunity to seize power. Ultimately, although Duncan does not 'abuse' the power he has as King, he is perceived as weak and this allows others to challenge his rule. In this end this is why he dies!

[Reading this over it is very short.I'd probably add a few more lines in an exam but I was conscious of my audience waiting patiently for me to finish!]

Afterwards, as you can see above, we highlighted in bold the places where I explicitly used the words from the question in my response.

Then we turned to the other question.

Again, we underlined the important words / concepts.

Then I live typed this (in about 5 minutes) as a sample (mini-)paragraph:

The first we meet in the play is the "sainted" Duncan, who has used his position in a noble, wise and fair manner . Even the man who is plotting his murder admits that Duncan has been " clear in his great office". He is not a perfect King, he certainly makes mistakes, rewarding Macbeth more effusively than Banquo, with a title and a royal visit as opposed to a hug. This favouritism may explain why he has made enemies in the past. Nonetheless, his murder is shocking and immoral and nature reacts with horror (we hear the " owls scream and the crickets cry") because the King was viewed as God's representative on earth. Ultimately, once a usurper, in the form of Macbeth, takes over, the potential of Kingship to become a force for evil in Scotland is unleased .

Afterwards, as you can see above, we highlighted in bold the places where I explicitly used the words from the question in my response.

I could have prepared the examples in advance, but I think they might have missed the point, which is that your brain needs to be ON - needs to be on FIRE - thinking thinking thinking even as you write (not remembering, remembering, remembering stuff you've learnt off!). I also reassured them that my total recall of the play & all the quotes is just a function of having taught and studied the play about 9 times!!! And obviously I'll find this easier than they will cause I practiced this skill for six years of college! And ever since...

I didn't want the whole thing to become me showing off. It was a demonstration not a telling off (why aren't ye doing this? blah blah blah blah blah, rant rant rant rant rant - I don't know any student who responds to that tactic!). Still I do think I scared them a bit. Oops! Ah well, if it helps them to do better in the exams perhaps they'll forgive me! Having taught in a boys school previously, dare I risk being accused of sexism and suggest that girls - especially girls in an all girls school - can sometimes get obsessed with the idea of having the RIGHT answer, as opposed to just coming up with the answer that makes the most sense to them personally...

Right, I'll shut up now before I start offending people!!!

Here are the other infographics. They now have to take these, pick one of the two questions above, and write a full essay, ensuring that they engage fully with the question throughout their answer! Hopefully it'll help them improve!

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We've been revising Kingship in class this week. We've got fancy infographics analysing the models of Kingship (or future Kingship!) represented by Duncan, Macbeth and Malcolm (see below) and I've been trying to get it to hit home that it doesn't really matter WHAT opinion you offer as long as you can back it up with relevant quotes and examples.

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Listen attentively to the lyrics and see how you can relate them to Macbeth

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SCC English: Macbeth quotation auto-test

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SCC English: Macbeth quotation auto-test

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'Macbeth' quotation auto-test

For pupils preparing For lots more Macbeth for their exams, here is a quotation auto-test (below, or direct link here). There are 20 quotations, and as each slide comes up you can think who said the words, in what context, and what wider importance they might have, before an 'answer' appears on the next slide. The idea here is primarily to make you think. Give yourself marks... Macbeth revision resources, click here.

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For pupils preparing For lots more Macbeth for their exams, here is a quotation auto-test (below, or direct link here). There are 20 quotations, and as each slide comes up you can think who said the words, in what context, and what wider importance they might have, before an 'answer' appears on the next slide.

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SCC English: 20 video analyses of key moments

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SCC English: 20 video analyses of key moments

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The English Department of St Columba's College, Whitechurch, Dublin 16, Ireland. Pupils' writing, news, poems, drama, essays, podcasts, book recommendations, language, edtech ... and more. Since 2006.

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Dusthouse produced trailer created for the Royal Shakespeare Company for the first new production in the newly regenerated Royal Shakespeare Theatre. 'MACBETH' is directed by RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd. It's going to be freakin' great. 

BOOK NOW!!!
rsc.org.uk

Director. Chris McGill for Dusthouse
Original Score. Craig Armstrong
DP. Maxwell White
Camera. Edit Tim Baxter
Sound Design. Spesh for Lophonics. 

With thanks to Playbox Theatre, Tony Manthe, Juliet Mary McGill and all @ The Book, Zoe Osbourne, Michael Boyd, Jon Slinger and all @ RSC. 

For further details on D U S T H O U S E then please visit 
dusthouse.org

Like us on facebook
facebook.com/​dusthouse

Follow us on Twitter
twitter.com/​dusthouse

Enquire to chris@dusthouse.org

Dusty loves ya.
Switch to Flash player

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On Macbeth.

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Kent Lehnhof: Insight to a Tragedy - "Macbeth"

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Prof. Kent Lehnhof discusses Shakespeare's "Macbeth," providing background information and a context for the tragedy. Dr. Lehnhof is an associate professor in the Department of English at Chapman University. The production he discusses was produced by the Department of Theatre at Chapman in Orange, California.

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BBC Breakfast Interview with Kenneth Branagh about the play Macbeth

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Download on iBooks for iPad: http://bit.ly/IKSlRx Purchase the Videos on Udemy: http://bit.ly/1cdaK0R For more info visit http://www.providenceelearning.org

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Patrick Stewart as Macbeth ("Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow")

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'Tomorrow' speec.

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Besties Ian McKellen & Patrick Stewart on Envy

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Tomorrow, and tomorrow -- Ian McKellen analyzes Macbeth speech (1979)

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This is a chunk of archival gold from British television, circa 1979.

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SkyDrive Activity below.

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Macbeth (Shakespeare) - Thug Notes Summary and Analysis

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SkyDrive Activity below.

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Video SparkNotes: Shakespeare's Macbeth summary