The Tempest Teachit KS3 Interactive Pack updates 2008
5 Testpreparation


LESSON 15:Introducing PEE

Learning Objective
Learn how to annotate and plan a test answer using the PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) method.

This lesson has been adapted from Lesson 38 in your pack.

Starter

  • Show students the assessment criteria for Level 5 (Worksheet 19), Level 6 (Worksheet 20) and/or Level 7 (Worksheet 21), depending on the ability of the class. For each worksheet, use one copy as an OHT and give each student a copy of their own. Ask students to underline or highlight the key features (such as the different moods or effects) of the relevant level/s, then mark these on to the OHT copy, ensuring that all students’ copies are marked accordingly.
  • Make the difference between the levels explicit to students if focusing on raising attainment.

Introduction

  • Write the following question on the board, explaining that this is a play-in-performance question:

Imagine that you are going to direct the whole of Act 3 Scene 2 for a class performance. What advice would you give to the actor playing Caliban to help him convey the character’s different moods during the scene? Support your ideas by referring to the scene.

  • Now show students how to annotate a question to extract key information using OHT 8. Use the example on the OHT to explain how to write a PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) paragraph then create another example using students’ own ideas.

Development

  • Explain to students that the best way to plan an answer is to use a PEE table. Show them Worksheet 22 and model how to fill in one row. Students should then work in pairs using Act 3 Scene 2 to complete a PEE table.
  • Point out that students should not use a PEE table in the test itself – it is simply a way of preparing and revising ideas, and of showing how to construct content in the essay response.

Plenary

  • Students should turn one of their PEE table rows into a PEE paragraph. Remind them to use the correct punctuation for adding in quotations.

Worksheet 19: Level 5 assessment criteria

Level 5

A: Ideas, themes and issues / Discuss how these scenes show themes, perhaps mentioning alternative interpretations or pointing to differences or comparisons over two different scenes.
B: Character and motivation / Discuss how these scenes reveal character, perhaps mentioning different ways the audience could view characters and their motives.
C: Play in performance / Discuss the different moods and ideas in the scenes and how actors and/or director should show them.
D: Language / Show awareness of characters’ use of language and its effects; comment on the effects of particular phrases and images.
Structure and use of
evidence / Ideas are developed using relevant references to the text; quotations are used to explain ideas.

Worksheet 20: Level 6 assessment criteria

Level 6

A: Ideas, themes and issues / Discuss how set sections illustrate themes, perhaps mentioning alternative interpretations or pointing to contradictions or comparisons. Focus clearly on how these scenes illustrate themes.
B: Character and motivation / Focus clearly on how these scenes reveal characters.
C: Play in performance / Focus clearly on these scenes’ different moods and ideas, and how actors and/or director should convey them, including making comments about the effects of dramatic devices such as tone of voice, gesture, expression, movement, lighting, etc.
D: Language / Show an understanding of characters’ use of language; comment on the effects of figurative language and different verse forms.
Structure and use of
evidence / Explore ideas thoroughly, making well-chosen references to the text to justify comments as part of their overall argument.

Worksheet 21: Level 7 assessment criteria

Level 7

A: Ideas, themes and issues / Coherently analyse how these extracts explore themes, ideas and issues; analyse subtleties of ideas and how they are presented.
B: Character and motivation / Coherently analyse how these extracts explore and develop characters and the audience’s responses to them.
C: Play in performance / Coherently analyse how actors and/or director should convey these scenes’ moods and ideas.
D: Language / Appreciate the effects of language and take account of these in exploring ideas; comment on the effects of different verse forms, including the effect of metre.
Structure and use of
evidence / Make precisely selected references to the text, integrating these fluently into a well-developed argument.

OHT 8: Point, evidence, explanation

Imagine that you are going to direct the whole of Act 3 Scene 2 for a class performance.

What advice would you give to the actor playing Caliban, to help him convey the character’s different moods during the scene?

Support your ideas by referring to the scene.

Using PEE to plan and write your answer

P = make your POINT

E = give an EXAMPLE from the scene

E = EXPLAIN your example

At the beginning of Act 3 Scene 2, Caliban is uncertain of his status.

He is keen to prove himself to Stephano and earn his praise. Caliban says: ‘How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe.’

At this point, Caliban’s lines need to be spoken in a subservient, humble way to show his desperation to be accepted and liked.


Worksheet 22: PEE table

Point / Evidence / Explanation
Uncertain of his status / How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe. (Act 3 Scene 2, line 19) / Soft voice, falling at Stephano’s feet, trying to lick his shoe

LESSON 16:Character question

Learning Objective
Practise writing an answer to a test question on character and motivation.

This lesson has been adapted from Lesson 39 in your pack.

Starter

  • Write the following question on the board:

What do you learn about the character of Caliban from these extracts?

  • Ask students to say whether this is a question which is primarily about character/motivation, the text in performance, language, or themes/issues? (Students may mix up character with performance, so make sure they are aware that this is not a play-in-performance question).
  • Then get students to suggest which key words from the title they would need to focus on.

Introduction

  • Now show students OHT 9. They should use their knowledge of the marking criteria used in Lesson 12 to give the paragraph a level. They must be able to justify the level they give.
  • Discuss students’ ideas and let them know that the paragraph is actually typical of a Level 6 answer. Some reasons why are:
  • clear focus and individual response (I think…)
  • appropriate selection of quotation
  • reference to Caliban’s character for all points
  • Use these points to annotate the paragraph collectively.

Development

  • Now discuss the question with students and ask for their initial thoughts on how they would answer it. Record their ideas on the board then give students Worksheet23 and the relevant sections of the play. Students spend about 15 minutes completing the chart with points relating to Caliban’s feelings, and about 20 minutes writing up their ideas into PEE paragraphs.
  • Recap the criteria for the level the class is aiming for:
  • Level 5: Discuss how these scenes reveal character, perhaps mentioning different ways that characters and their motives can be viewed.
  • Level 6: Focus clearly on how these scenes reveal characters.
  • Level 7: Students coherently analyse how these extracts explore and develop characters and the audience’s responses to them.

Plenary

  • Students should exchange their work with another student and peer assess each other’s work using the assessment criteria from the beginning of the lesson. Put the annotated OHT 9back up for reference.
  • The essay could be completed in full for homework or set in a following lesson as a timed question.

OHT 9: Which level?

What level is this paragraph? Make sure you can justify the level you give it.

In Act 3 Scene 2 we see Caliban plotting against Prospero. He tells Stephano that to become king he must get hold of Prospero’s books, ‘for without them/ He’s but a sot’. I think this shows he is quite intelligent as he knows where Prospero’s power lies and he can plan ahead. We also see Caliban’s intelligence in Act 4 Scene 1. He says that the clothes Stephano and Trinculo find are ‘but trash’ and says that they will ‘lose our time’. I think Caliban is shown as cleverer than Trinculo and Stephano, because they get distracted by the clothes. On the other hand he is not clever enough to see that Prospero and Ariel have set a trap.

Worksheet 23: PEE chart

Point / Evidence / Explanation

LESSON 17:Themes, issues and ideas

Learning Objective
To practise writing an answer to a test question on themes, ideas and issues.

This lesson has been adapted from Lesson 40 in your pack.

Starter

  • Give students two or three minutes to list as many themes or key issues that are covered in The Tempestas possible. These might include: enslavement; power; government; love; nature versus nurture; betrayal; magic; learning; forgiveness; revenge,etc.
  • Take one of these ideas and briefly brainstorm as many connections to the theme as possible within the play. This is best done as a spider diagram. Open up the discussion and record students’ ideas on the board.
  • Explain to students that they may have to answer a question on themes, ideas and issues within key sections in the Shakespeare test.

Introduction

  • Now give students copies of Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 4 Scene 1 (pages 104 – 110, lines 151–279) and write the following question on the board:

How is the theme of plotting and conspiracy explored in these extracts?

  • In small groups of two or three, students should discuss and find examples to use in an answer to this question.

Development

  • Show students the top section of the sample response on OHT 10, without revealing what level it is. Ask students what level they think this response would get. Then reveal that it is a Level 5 response, making them aware of the reasons why and recapping the criteria:
  • Level 5: Discuss how the scene shows the theme of conspiracy, perhaps mentioning alternative interpretations, or pointing to differences or comparisons over different characters’ attitudes to responsibility.
  • Show students the bottom section of the OHT, giving the criteria for a Level 6 response.
  • Level 6: Discuss how the scene illustrates the theme of conspiracy, perhaps mentioning alternative interpretations, or pointing to contradictions or comparisons. Focus clearly on how the scene illustrates the theme.
  • Students should now individually rewrite the Level 5 response and include at least one more point so that it fulfils the criteria for Level 6.

Plenary

  • Select some students to read out their responses. Other members of the class should comment on whether the answer is now a Level 6. Use OHT 10to guide students’ comments.
  • The essay could be completed in full for homework or set in a following lesson as a timed question.

OHT 10: Improving the level

Sample response

In Act 3 Scene 2 Caliban persuades Stephanoand Trinculo to kill Prospero. Caliban tells Stephano his plan, when he says, ‘I’ll yield him thee asleep, Where thou mayst knock a nail into his head.’ Caliban really leads the plot against Prospero. He starts the conspiracy because he thinks Prospero stole his island and he wants revenge. Caliban tells Stephano he will take over from Prospero so hegoes along with it.
This is typical of a Level 5 response because:
  • it is focused on the idea of conspiracy
  • the quotation is carefully selected to show how Caliban conspires against one another
  • different reasons for the conspiracy are discussed
  • the answer is a little clumsy and stilted and could be more fluent.
To achieve a Level 6 this response needs to:
  • explore how language reveals attitudes to plotting or conspiracy
  • discuss more examples of plotting or conspiracy, preferably some less obvious ones
  • compare more attitudes to plotting or conspiracy within the same paragraph
  • develop explanations, with relevant quotations, in more detail, always relating back to the idea of plotting or conspiracy.

LESSON 18:Answering a question on language

Learning Objective
Practise writing an answer to a test question on the language of The Tempest.

This lesson has been adapted from Lesson 41 in your pack.

Starter

  • Write up the following question on the board, pointing out that this time the question refers to just some of the second set section:

How is language used in Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 4 Scene 1 (lines 51 – 211) to show Caliban’s and Prospero’s anger?

  • Ask students: Which of the four areas does this question focus on? Once students are aware that this is a language question, make it clear to them that the emphasis is going to be less on the two characters’ feelings and behaviour, important though these are, and more on the language used to express these things.

Introduction

  • Show students OHT 11. Explain the annotations at the beginning of the extract and how these relate to language.
  • Working in pairs, students should then use their own copies of the extracts to annotate further uses of language.
  • Make sure that students’ comments are relevant to the question.

Development

  • Students should now write up one of their annotations into a paragraph or two in answer to the question. Model how to do this using the sample PEE paragraph on OHT 12. Remind students to use PEE and to punctuation quotations properly.

Plenary

  • Students should now self-assess their single paragraph response. They should decide what level it is and why, but remembering that this is only part of a much longer answer.
  • The essay could be completed in full for homework or set in a following lesson as a timed question.

OHT 11: Language question

How is language used in Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 4 Scene 1 (lines 51 – 211) to show Caliban and Prospero’s anger?

PROSPERO (Aside) I had forgot that foul conspiracy

Of the beast Caliban and his confederates

Against my life! The minute of their plot

Is almost come. (To the Spirits) Well done! Avoid. No

more!

FERDINAND This is strange. Your father’s in some passion

That works him strongly.

MIRANDA Never till this day

Saw I him touched with anger, so distempered.

PROSPERO You do look, my son, in a movèd sort,

As if you were dismayed. Be cheerful, sir.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits – and

Are melted into air, into thin air.

And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on; and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I amvexed.

Bear with my weakness: my old brain is troubled.

Be not disturbed with my infirmity.

If you be pleased, retire into my cell,

And there repose. A turn or two I’ll walk,

To still my beating mind.

OHT 12: Sample paragraphs

Prospero’s speech when he stops the masque in Act 4 Scene 1 showsthe depths of his anger and frustration. He calls the plot against him ‘foul’ and refers to Caliban as a ‘beast’, suggesting that he is disgusted by him. When dismissing the spirits he uses short, sharp commands such as ‘Avoid!… No more.’ These sentences are short and abrupt so help add to the impression that Prospero is very angry.
Ferdinand and Miranda both pick up on Prospero’s troubled state of mind and use words such as ‘passion’, ‘anger’ and ‘distempered’ to emphasise his mood to the audience. Miranda’s comment draws our attention the fact that she has never before seen him in such a dark mood.

LESSON 19:The text in performance

Learning Objective
To be able to answer a question about the text in performance in the test.

This lesson has been adapted from Lesson 42 in your pack.

Starter

  • Remind students that there are a variety of areas that questions in the exam may cover.
  • Write the following essay question on the board:

How should the actor playing Caliban show his relationships withStephano and Trinculo in these extracts?

  • Ask students to copy down the question, highlighting or underlining the key words.
  • Share feedback, annotating the question to identify the key words – actor; Caliban,show,relationships, Stephano,Trinculo. Point out that this question is related to character (because students will need an understanding of how Caliban feels about Stephano and Trinculo) but is mostly about performance.

Introduction

  • Ask students for suggestions of how an actor can show his or her feelings on stage and collect ideas on the board. These should include:
  • facial expression
  • tone of voice
  • position on the stage in relation to other characters
  • props
  • gestures
  • body language.

Development

  • Ask students to get into pairs and to nominate an A partner and a B partner. Student As will focus on the first set section(Act 3 Scene 2); student Bs will focus on the second (Act 4 Scene 1, pages 104 – 110,lines 151–279). Remind students that this is not the only way to approach the question, but is the most straightforward.
  • Give both A and B students copies of their relevant scenes. Ask them to read them through and annotate them with suggestions for how Caliban should a) behave towards Stephano and Trinculo and b)deliver his lines. Time will dictate that not all of Caliban’s lines can be annotated. Give students ten minutes on this exercise.
  • Display OHT 13. Point out that this shows suggestions for Quotation/Evidence + Performance. Explain that students need to turn such annotations into a coherent point then ask the class for spoken suggestions. Suggest a suitable opening, such as: In Act 3 Scene 2 we see the relationship between Caliban and Trinculo when… Students can propose how to end this opening line.
  • Now hand out the PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) chart on Worksheet 24and display a copy. Students should complete the rest of the PEE chart with their own ideas. Stress that the explanation should justify the choices they have made and not just translate the quotation.

Plenary