Conclusions to essays: Puck and the supernatural in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can write a well-structured conclusion about how Shakespeare uses the character of Puck to explore the supernatural in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
Key learning points
- Conclusions can follow a three part structure moving from the specific to the general.
- The first sentence of a conclusion could be a specific response to the thesis you have argued throughout your essay.
- The second sentence of a conclusion could be an evaluative comment about the writer's intentions.
- The final sentence of your conclusion could consider why the text remains popular and relevant.
- You don't need to include quotations in a conclusion.
Keywords
Thesis - an idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay
Evaluation - making a judgement or comment about something
General idea - an idea that is not tied to a particular detail
Specific idea - an idea that is tied to a particular detail
Writer's intentions - what a writer wants to achieve or explore in their work
Common misconception
Conclusions should include quotations.
Conclusions are about summing up your overall argument (your thesis) rather than continuing to develop it via analysis of new quotations.
Teacher tip
Consider if the weaker model in the Practice Task of learning cycle 1 is reflective of some of the areas of target for your pupils. If not, consider re-writing it so you can have more specific discussions about appropriate misconceptions.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When writing an analytical essay on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what might your final paragraph do?
Q2.'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a comedy. How might Shakespeare expect his audiences to respond to the plot and characters?
Q3.'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a comedy. What are some common features of Shakespearean comedies?
Q4.In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why might some argue that the supernatural is presented as ambiguous?
Q5.Match these evaluative sentences about the supernatural, an important idea in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', to their endings.
it has the power to alter who you love, and who you are.
you could also interpret it as harmless and fun.
Shakespeare might be asking us to consider darker ideas in his comedy.
Q6.When writing an analytical essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', you will include a in your introduction which states the main idea you want to develop and maintain throughout your essay.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Starting with the first sentence, order the possible structure for a concluding paragraph in an analytical essay on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
Q2.When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there are some terms which can help you understand what you should include. Match the key terms to their definitions.
an idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay
making a judgement or comment about something
an idea that is not tied to a particular detail
an idea that is tied to a particular detail
what a writer wants to achieve or explore in their work
Q3.When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what should you include?
Q4.When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what could the final sentence of your conclusion do?
Q5.A pupil said of writing conclusions to essays about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': "You should always include quotations." How would you correct them?
Q6.When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', your first sentence could be a specific response to your...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Conclusions to essays: Puck and the supernatural in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Conclusions to essays: Puck and the supernatural in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, 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 3 English lessons from the 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.