Planning and writing the 'for' section of Macbeth's soliloquy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan and write the 'for' section of Macbeth’s soliloquy.
Key learning points
- A soliloquy occurs when a character voices their thoughts and feelings aloud.
- This soliloquy outlines Macbeth's dilemma.
- Soliloquies can feature a range of sentence types, rhetorical questions and modal verbs.
- A soliloquy is written from the first person perspective.
Keywords
Soliloquy - an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play
Rhetorical question - a question asked to the reader that does not expect an answer
Modal verb - a type of auxiliary verb that helps us to talk about how likely, possible, necessary or obligatory something is
Adverbial complex sentence - a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause
Common misconception
Pupils might include the part where Macbeth sees the dagger, which is what they will write in the closing in the subsequent lesson.
Make sure pupils understand that they are writing about the visualisation of the dagger in the next section of the soliloquy.
Teacher tip
If pupils need more support with modal verbs or adverbial complex sentences, refer to our Year 5 grammar units, which cover both these subject areas.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these words might you use if you were writing from the first person perspective?
Q2.What is true of each character at this point in the play?
has gone to stay at Macbeth's castle
is having an internal conflict about what to do
wants Macbeth to kill Duncan
Q3.What is true of a rhetorical question?
Q4.Match each word to the Shakespearean form.
will
my
where
are
Q5.Which of the following is an exclamatory sentence?
Q6.Which of the following are reasons not to kill Duncan?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In what order are we writing our soliloquy?
Q2.What are the reasons Macbeth should kill Duncan?
Q3.A 'modal verb' is a type of what?
Q4.Which of the following are modal verbs?
Q5.Match the modal verb to the correct definition.
shows that something is definitely going to happen
shows that something may happen
shows that something really should happen
Q6.What is true of an adverbial complex sentence?
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Planning and writing the 'for' section of Macbeth's soliloquy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Planning and writing the 'for' section of Macbeth's soliloquy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Shakespeare's 'Macbeth': narrative and soliloquy writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.