Planning part one of the opening of 'Macbeth'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical features to plan a narrative opening of 'Macbeth'.
Key learning points
- Writing is most successful when it is planned.
- A narrative opening should engage the reader and describe the setting and any characters who are present.
- This narrative outcome will be written in the third person.
- Using a wide range of precise, ambitious vocabulary enhances text cohesion.
Keywords
Senses - the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste
Past tense - shows action has happened before now
Fronted adverbial - a sentence starter followed by a comma
Figurative language - the use of simile, metaphor and personification to create vivid imagery
Common misconception
Pupils may find it difficult to recall, define and use different figurative language structures.
Provide plenty of additional examples of effective figurative language. A display board or working wall of the different types of figurative language with examples that match the text type will be helpful.
Teacher tip
Pupils may have limited experience of being on a heath. It is important to remind them what it is they are describing. Ask them to close their eyes and imagine being on an eerie, stormy heath. What can they hear? What can they see? What can they smell?
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each description to the correct sense.
smell
sight
hearing
touch
Q2.Where is the opening of Macbeth set?
Q3.What features might you find on a heath?
Q4.Match each adjective to the correct definition.
empty or bare
old and drooping
scary, threatening or menacing
Q5.Match each adjective to the most appropriate noun to form a word pair.
carcass
rocks
silence
Q6.True or false? The following sentence includes two adjectives in the noun phrase used: 'Everywhere, a suffocating, musty scent permeated the air.'
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What order will we write our opening in?
Q2.When we describe the setting, we will describe it from a bird's eye view and work our way down. What order would we describe these setting details in?
Q3.Which of these sentences is written in the past tense?
Q4.Which of the following are fronted adverbials of place?
Q5.Match the figurative language types to their definitions.
compares two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’
compares two things by saying that one thing is another
assigns human characteristics to non-human things
Q6.What linguistic features and figurative language are used in the following sentence? 'In all directions, the wailing wind whined like a desperate hound wanting to be freed.'
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Planning part one of the opening of 'Macbeth', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Planning part one of the opening of 'Macbeth', 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.