Shakespearean Recitation

Each of you, individually or with one partner, will memorize and recite for the class one of William Shakespeare’s sonnets or monologues. You are allowed to choose from a small collection which piece to memorize. If you are working with a partner, you must agree on the piece and divide it equally, obviously. However you decide to do this is up to you--be it every other line, or the first half and last half.

Memorization and recitation are two skills which have many benefits. Memorization allows you to consider the words, intentions of the language, and humanity in each work. Recitation will allow you to appreciate the rhythm and meter, develop public speaking skills, and help you hear Shakespeare’s work aloud—as he meant it to be heard (taken from the National Endowment for the Arts).

These processes will also aide you later in understanding Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In preparing for your recitation, you will interpret Shakespeare’s words and translate your text into modern English, helping you understand what is being said and the meaning behind the words.

As a class, we will discuss effective and ineffective recitation practices as well as things which detract from a recitation. Practice is imperative!

Requirements:

Memorize and interpret the monologue or sonnet. To interpret something is to deliver it with meaning, emotion and gestures. To do a good job of this, you MUST understand what you are saying.
Explicate monologue or sonnet using the steps that were taught in class. You must show ALL YOUR WORK THOROUGHLY! Otherwise, we will think you are cheating.
Type the summary AND paraphrase for your monologue or sonnet. MAKE SURE IT IS YOUR OWN WORK AND NOT THAT OF SPARKNOTES. Any one caught cheating will get a ZERO for the assignment.
Be prepared to answer any basic comprehension questions about your piece.

Grading:

Daily work will be 10% of your grade in the homework category

Final recitation, explication and typed summary and paraphrase will be 50 points for 55% of your grade.

Schedule:

You should practice memorizing a little of your piece EACH night for homework

You will receive 5 points EVERY DAY you are IN class and WORKING. The only way to make this up is to see me on your own for your makeup work. I will not chase you down.

Tuesday, January 18Pick partner/preview and pick pieces

Wednesday, January 19Sonnet explication quiz

Thursday, January 20Work on explication in class; turn in at end of hour

Friday, January 21Finish explication; turn in at end of hour

Start summary; turn in end of hour or finish for homework

Monday, January 24Lab: Type up paraphrase/summary on Google Docs; must share with teacher to get full credit (You will use a table to create your paraphrase. I will show you how to do this)

Tuesday, January 25Lab: Finish any typing and practice memorization in class; final copy of summary and paraphrase due WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, January 26Begin recitations; all work due or it is late; I will randomly call people; if you aren’t ready, it is late.

You will turn in a hard copy of your typed summary and paraphrase AND your handwritten summary and explication with ALL the steps.

Thursday, January 27Finish recitation; begin Hamlet

Practice Checklist

These guidelines will be used to grade your recitation!

(Taken from the National Endowment for the Arts)

VolumeA performer should be loud enough to be heard by the entire audience.

SpeedMost of us speak too quickly when we are nervous, which can make a performance difficult to understand. Speak slowly, but not so slowly that he language sounds unnatural or awkward. Speak at a natural pace.

Voice InflectionAvoid monotone recitation. If a performer sounds bored, he or she will project that boredom onto the audience. One should also avoid using too much inflection, which can make the recitation sound insincere.

Posture &Stand up straight and attentively. Appropriate gestures and

Presencemovement on the stage are encouraged, as long as they are not overdone.

Evidence ofBe sure you know the meaning and correct pronunciation of

Understandingevery word and line in your excerpt. If you are unsure about

& Pronunciationsomething, it will be apparent to the audience. Don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for help.

Eye ContactEngage your audience. Look them in the eye. If you have trouble with that, look past them to the far wall, but try not to look down unless appropriate to the text.

Recitation Grade Sheet

50 points---Summative Assignment 55% of final Tri 2 grade

You will lose points for not turning in any required assignment!

All work and recitation is due Wednesday, January 26

Summary: You will turn in a handwritten rough draft and a TYPED FINAL copy together. You must also share this document with me on Google Docs.Your summary must include the following:

Author, title of play in italics or title of sonnet in “quotation marks” and name of character speaking.

5-7 well written and complete sentences, free of grammatical and spelling errors.

Highlights the main ideas of the ENTIRE monologue or sonnet (Start at the top and work to the bottom)

This is NOT an analysis.

Use the following as your example:

For a sonnet, the summary will probably be about this long.

In William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” the speaker asks his unidentified audience a question about comparing him/her to a day in summer. The speaker goes on to list the negative attributes of summer such as: it’s too windy, too hot, too short, and will fade away. However, the sonnet takes a turn for the better when the speaker says that even though summer is all of these things, he/she isn’t. His/her beauty will never fade or be taken by death. He/she will live forever through this poem.

For a monologue, the summary will probably be a little longer depending on the length of the piece.

In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth contemplates the murder of Duncan. She first asks the spirits to make her a man and to fill her body from head to toe with cruelty. She doesn’t want anything to make her feel guilty about what she is about to do. She wants night to cover up her evil deed. She wants her knife to be blind to what it is about to do. And she doesn’t want heaven to see the murder and try to stop her.

Paraphrase: You will turn in a handwritten rough draft and a TYPED FINAL copy together. For a duo, BOTH partners must turn in their handwritten work. You must also share this document with me on Google Docs. Must include the following:

Handwritten work will show the following work you did in class:

Notes about what you noticed as you read passage several times. What is this poem about? Questions you asked yourself; where is the volta?

Lines where you divided into phrases/complete sentences

Definitions written in of at least 15 words you don’t know.

Underlined verbs with arrows pointing to who is doing what?

Written in own words. Handwritten literal translation of what the line is saying. Will use the definitions of words and not the original words to show your understanding. May at times be longer than the original line

Please note: you will use the chart to type up your paraphrase. I will show you how to do this.

Recitation: You MUST read your summary BEFORE you begin your recitation. Your recitation will include the following:

Please refer to Practice Checklist on page 3 for what I will be looking for in your recitation.

You will turn this page in with your final work!

Each person is allowed ONE prompt from the teacher for no point deduction. If you are in a duo, the partner that takes more than one prompt will be deducted on their individual grade.

One point deduction for the following:

Taking more than one prompt

Omissions of words or lines (1 point per word or line)

Saying words or lines out of order (1 point per word or line)

Exceeds Expectations: Meets ALL of the requirements of Meets Expectations in addition to:

Correctly recites all lines from memory with proper inflection and emotion. Student does not just recite from rote memory and doesn’t just deliver it in a monotone voice.

Summary accurately and insightfully explains what piece is about.

Paraphrase stays as close to the original as possible and is in the words of the student not the piece.

Meets Expectations: This is a B

Student reads an accurate summary before their recitation.

Recites all 14 lines with appropriate inflection, rhythm, pronunciation, and emotion. May only one minor mistake

Performs entire recitation without being rushed or hurried.

Summary and Paraphrase are free from grammar, spelling and mechanical errors.

Summary and Paraphrase meets all requirements listed for assignment

Summary is basic idea of the piece

Paraphrase is mostly accurate, but might be off in a line or two.

Partially Meets Expectations: This is a C or D

Meets 3 to 6 of Meets Expectations.

Does NOT Meet Expectations: This is an F

Meets 1 or 2 of Meets Expectations.

50-45 A44-40 B39-35 C34-30 D29 F