UNDERSTANDINGS: the Student Will Understand That

ELA IV Hamlet

05/18/07

1

Grade Level/Course: English IV

Unit Title: Hamlet and Literary Analysis

/

Duration: 3 weeks

CONTENT (TEKS)
Northside Independent School District curriculum incorporates big ideas, enduring understandings and skills of a discipline. The curriculum units provide clarity and are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.
Universal Concept(s):
Content Specific Concept(s): The themes in Hamlet are universal, transcending time and cultures to be applicable to our lives today.
UNDERSTANDINGS: The student will understand that. . .
Unit Specific Understandings
·  Proficient readers make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections as they read.
·  Proficient readers visualize and create mental images as they read.
·  Proficient readers ask questions as they read.
·  Proficient readers determine what is important as they read.
·  Proficient readers use background knowledge to make inferences as they read.
·  Proficient readers synthesize ideas to reach conclusions.
·  Proficient readers know when they don’t understand text and use strategies to fix comprehension.
On-going Understandings
·  Literacy expertise fostersparticipation as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical citizens in a democratic society.
·  Reading and writing processes enable learners to build understandings of texts, the self, the human experience, and global cultures.
·  Reading and writing leads to knowledge acquisition and investigation through effective questioning and a variety of technological and information resources.
·  Reading and writing empowers individuals to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace.
·  Reading and writing leads to personal fulfillment.
·  Communicating effectively involves adjusting the use of spoken, written, and visual language patterns for a variety of audiences and purposes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: The student will be able to answer these questions…
·  In what ways does the philosophical atmosphere of Shakespeare’s day influence the themes of his play?
·  In what ways has Shakespeare’s works helped to shape our contemporary values and literature?
PROCESS SKILLS:
Reading and writing process skills are incorporated throughout each unit of study and cannot be taught in isolation.
DO: The student will be able to… / KNOW: The student will know…
While most seniors will have already passed TAKS, bold print indicates student expectations that are tested on the exit level.
PREREADING
Read to be entertained, to appreciate a writer’s craft, to be informed, to take action, and to discover models to use in his/her own writing.
TEKS 9A / PREREADING
Self-directed and teacher-directed purposes consciously chosen and articulated by either the teacher or student.
Draw upon his/her own background to provide connection to texts.
TEKS 8B / ·  Predictions of outcomes and actions in fiction selections and narrative poems, based on content clues and on his or her own experiences.
·  Use of his or her own experience to understand texts.
DURING AND POSTREADING
Expand vocabulary through wide reading, listening, and discussing.
TEKS 7A / DURING AND POSTREADING
Rely on context to determine meanings of words and phrases such as figurative language, idioms, multiple meaning words, and technical vocabulary.
TEKS 7B / ·  Connotative meaning of words/phrases/sentences is the emotional content, significance or implied meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence.
·  Denotative meaning of words/phrases/sentences is the actual, literal, explicit meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence.
·  Analogies are a claimed one-to-one comparison; the basic test for the validity of an analogy is to determine if there are more significant similarities than there are differences
Apply meanings of prefixes, roots, and suffixes in order to comprehend.
TEKS 7C / Note:
Latin prefixes, suffixes, and roots taught at ninth grade level. Greek roots taught at the tenth grade level.
Research word origins as an aid to understanding meanings, derivations, and spellings as well as influences on the English language.
TEKS 7D
Use reference materials such as glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, and available technology to determine precise meanings and usage.
TEKS 7E / Accurate use of reference information such as pronunciation, part of speech, multiple meanings, etc.
Discriminate between connotative and denotative meanings and interpret the connotative power of words.
TEKS 7F / ·  Connotative meaning of a word/phrase/sentence is the emotional content, significance or implied meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence.
·  Denotative meaning of a word/phrase/sentence is the actual, literal, explicit meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence.
Read and understand analogies.
TEKS 7G / Basic test of the validity of an analogy: determination of whether or not there are more similarities or differences between the two persons, places, things or events that are analogized
Monitor his/her own reading strategies and modify when necessary.
TEKS 8C / Use of contextual, syntactic, and structural strategies to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words
Construct images such as graphic organizers based on text descriptions and text structures.
TEKS 8D / ·  Venn Diagram: comparison/contrast of traits/characteristics of two characters
·  Chart: classification of events
·  Chart: chronology of events
·  Chart: cause/effect
·  Outline: classifying ideas (Roman numeral, capital letter plus numbers 1-2)
·  Web: chronology of events
·  Web: characteristics of a character
·  Web: causes of a character’s actions
Analyze text structures such as compare/ contrast, cause/effect, and chronological order for how they influence understanding.
TEKS 8E / ·  Recognition of text structure used by an author for the entire text (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect, and chronological ordering).
·  Recognition of how an author organizes a portion of the text, e.g., a single significant event in the plot and then asking, “Why did that happen?”
Produce summaries of texts by identifying main ideas and their supporting details.
TEKS 8F / ·  Main idea of entire expository passage, i.e., “What is the passage mainly about?”
·  Main idea of a single narrative or expository paragraph or set of paragraphs
·  Text support for a given main idea question, with an emphasis on cause/effect questions/reasoning
·  Identification of best summary that includes the following:
·  the main idea of the passage,
·  multiple, accurate details that support that main idea; and
·  details come from the beginning, middle, and end of the passage.
Draw inferences support them with textual evidence and experience.
TEKS 8G / ·  Inference: taking specific information (from text and/or prior experience/learning) in order to draw a conclusion or form a generalization; an inductive process; “reading between the lines.” (The writer implies; the reader infers.)
·  Drawing and supporting conclusions with and without text evidence: statement about an individual person, place, thing, or event that is supported by accurate information TAKS Note:
On TAKS, that information must come from
the text.) Conclusions should be qualified
(“some” or “sometimes” statements). There
are many different kinds of conclusions:
o  a statement about an individual person, place, thing, or event;
o  a statement/conclusion about the future = prediction; and
o  a statement/conclusion about why something happened = cause/effect
·  Generalizations: statement about a group/class of persons, places, things, or events supported by accurate information. (Note: On TAKS, that information must come from the text.) There are many different kinds of generalizations:
o  a straightforward statement about a group/class of persons, places, things, or events; and
o  a statement/generalizations about the future = prediction happened = cause/effect
·  Inductive process: drawing conclusions and then validate/support it with text evidence. Deductive process: accumulate text evidence (primarily direct quotations) that will lead to valid conclusions
Read silently with comprehension for a sustained period of time.
TEKS 8I
Read British and other world literature, including classic and contemporary works.
TEKS 9C
Interpret the possible influences of the historical context on a literary work.
TEKS 9D / ·  Historical contexts
·  Current events
·  Cultural diversity
Recognize distinctive and shared characteristics of cultures through reading.
TEKS 10A / ·  Stated and inferred characteristics of various cultures from a wide variety of cultures and authors.
·  Analyzes narrative and expository text to identify distinctive and shared characteristics and experiences of characters from other cultures.
Compare text events with his/her own and other readers' experiences.
TEKS 10B / ·  Text events related to customs, language, and culture
·  Text events with his/her and other readers’ customs and culture
Respond to informational and aesthetic elements in texts such as discussions, journal entries, oral interpretations, enactments, and graphic displays.
TEKS 11A / ·  Recognition and use of titles, subheadings, and other features or informational text
·  Aesthetic elements of text that refer to elements that evoke a sensory response (e.g., sight, smell, hearing, and touch).
Use elements of text to defend, clarify, and negotiate responses and interpretations.
TEKS 11B / ·  Analysis of character
o  motivationA
o  traits
o  conflict
o  changes they undergo
o  point of view (omniscient, first person, third person limited, objective, stream of consciousness)
·  Setting
·  Literary language
·  Cause/effect relationships
·  Symbols
Note:
·  Multiple choice answers begin with a conclusion provided by the teacher/question and then validate/support that conclusion with text evidence. (e.g., "Which of the following sentences/statements from the passage supports the conclusion?” (that was given in the question)
·  Open-ended/constructed responses draw a conclusion and support that conclusion with text evidence, primarily direct quotations from the text.
Analyze written reviews of literature, film, and performance to compare with his/her own responses.
TEKS 11C / Including answering questions to:
·  Connect ideas
·  Compare and contrast characters
·  Compare ideas
·  Compare themes
·  Compare aesthetic responses
·  Compare critiques
Compare and contrast elements of texts such as themes, conflicts, and allusions both within and across texts.
TEKS 12A / ·  Theme: the central or dominating idea—the message implicit in a work. The theme is seldom stated directly. It is an abstract concept indirectly expressed through recurrent images, actions, characters, and symbols and must be inferred by the reader or spectator. Theme differs from subject in that theme is a comment, observation, or insight about the subject.
·  Conflict: Types
o  Man vs. Man (external)
o  Man vs. Society
o  Man vs. Environment
o  Man vs. Fate (such as mythology or drama)
o  Man vs. Self (internal)
·  Resolution of conflicts
o  Everybody wins
o  Flight/run away/avoid
o  Fight /resist
o  Death
o  Compromise
o  Someone wins; someone loses
o  Acceptance
o  Unresolved
·  Traits of characters
o  Physical Traits
o  Personal Traits (e.g., moral, ethical, evil, compassionate, loving, wealthy/poor)
o  Emotional Traits
·  Feelings/emotions of characters
·  Motivation of characters (for decisions, actions, and changes)
o  Intellectual Motivation
o  Emotional Motivation
o  Physical Motivation
o  Status-seeking
·  Relationships
o  Between/among other characters
o  With self
o  With society
o  With nature/ environment
o  With fate/destiny
o  With a higher power
·  Character change
o  Intellectual
o  Emotional
o  Physical
o  Change from beginning to end
o  Change before an event and after an event in the plot
o  Spiritual
·  Types of characters
o  Round
o  Flat
o  Dynamic
o  Static
o  Protagonist
o  Antagonist
o  Foil
o  Confidant
o  Archetypes
Analyze relevance of setting and time frame to text's meaning.
TEKS 12C / ·  Time
o  Historical time
o  Clock time
·  Place
o  Real
o  Imaginary
·  Purpose/significance of setting
o  To establish or develop a unique plot line
o  To establish or develop unique traits/characteristics/belief of characters
o  To establish or develop unique conflicts and/or resolution of conflicts
o  To influence the reader’s perceptions/reactions of events/characters
o  To establish symbols or evoke an emotional response from reader.
o  To establish the mood, tone, or atmosphere of a work
Describe the development of plot and identify conflicts and how they are addressed and resolved.
TEKS 12D / ·  Plot: the “careful arrangement by an author of incidents in a narrative to achieve a desired effect. Plot is more than simply the arrangement of happenings…. It is the result of the writer’s deliberate selection of interrelated actions… and the choice of arrangement in presenting and resolving a conflict. … Most plots involve conflict, a struggle between two opposing forces.”
·  Plot elements (when they are used and for what purpose)
o  Exposition (introduction of characters, setting, background information, etc., includes narrator and point of view)
o  Narrative hook (inciting incident; introduction of the conflict or the story problem)
o  Complication and the Rising Action (events leading up to climax)
o  Climax (highest point of interest or the turning point)
o  Falling Action (leading down to the resolution of the story problem/line)
o  Resolution/Denouement (conclusion or end)
·  Text analysis in order to determine:
o  How does author build suspense
o  The story problem?
o  When the story problem begins
o  How the author develops (the plot) of the passage
o  How the point of view influences the reader’s understanding of a character
o  The cause of the conflict(s)
Note:
Plot elements typically occur in time order. Occasionally, authors may use flashback a way of presenting scenes or incidents that took place before the opening scene or foreshadowing as a way of giving hints or clues that suggest or prepare for events that occur later in the work. The flashback can be introduced in a number of ways. A character may tell another character about past events, have a dream about them, or simply think back to the events. The advantage of using a flashback is that the story can start in the middle or near the end, get the reader involved, and then fill in what led up to that point. Foreshadowing creates suspense, prepares the reader for what happens next, and makes final outcomes seem inevitable.
·  Conflict: Types
o  Man vs. Man (external)
o  Man vs. Society
o  Man vs. Environment
o  Man vs. Fate (such as mythology or drama)
o  Man vs. Self (internal)
·  Resolution of conflicts
o  Everybody wins
o  Flight/run away/avoid
o  Fight /resist
o  Death
o  Compromise
o  Someone wins; someone loses
o  Acceptance
o  Unresolved
Analyze the melodies of literary language, including its use of evocative words and rhythms.
TEKS 12E / ·  the author’s purpose in using a specific simile,
·  the author’s purpose in alluding to a specific parable,
·  the purpose of the author’s use of rhythms/repetition in a narrative passage,
·  the author's purpose in using a specific metaphor
·  the author’s use of “figurative/vividly descriptive language” such as specific images and vivid adjectives/adverbs
And other literary language such as
·  apostrophe
Connect literature to historical contexts, current events, and his/her own experiences.
TEKS 12F

COMPOSITION

Write in a voice and style appropriate to audience and purpose.
TEKS 1C / COMPOSITION
Multiple modes of writing such as:
·  reflexive essay
·  persuasive essay
·  research essay
·  literary analysis essay
·  poem, parody, or satire
·  college/employment letters
Note to teachers: NISD papers taken through the process:
·  legend or alternative ending/changed perspective/point of view
·  dramatic scene
·  book review

Organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical progression, and support for ideas.

TEKS 1F / Required organizational patterns and strategies:
·  paragraph bloc
·  Nestorian, strawman, concession
·  paragraphing for time, event, place, and speaker
·  paragraphing for transition, function, emphasis
·  TRIPSQA/SEE: topic, restriction, illustration; problem/solution; question/answer; statement, extension, elaboration
·  cause and effect
·  definition
·  comparison/contrast
·  transitional words, phrases, and ideas

Use prewriting strategies to generate ideas, develop voice, and plan.

TEKS 2A / PREWRITING
·  blueprinting
·  brainstorming
·  dialogue
·  freewriting
·  journal writing
·  listing
·  looping
·  reading/writing connection
·  reporter’s formula
·  sentence stubs
·  timeline
·  Venn diagram
·  webbing/mapping/clustering
·  wet-ink writing
DRAFTING

Develop drafts both independently and collaboratively by organizing content such as paragraphing and outlining and by refining style to suit occasion, audience, and purpose.

TEKS 2B / DRAFTING

Use vocabulary, organization, and rhetorical devices appropriate to audience and purpose.

TEKS 2C

Use varied sentence structure to express meanings and achieve desire effect.

TEKS 2D
REVISING AND EDITING

Revise drafts by rethinking content organization and style to better accomplish the task.