Living with baggage in Macbeth:

How Can our School Improve Poor Students’ Ability to Accept Their Past Poor Decisions?

Mrs. Huber                              Westinghouse High School                             Ihuber2@schools.nyc.gov

Introduction

In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents a horrific account of what happens when you do not forgive yourself for mistakes that you have made. He focuses on how Macbeth’s ambition led him to kill the king. He thought this was what he wanted and he could live with his choices. However, his guilt, paranoia, and feelings of regret lead to his downfall. Likewise, as students at Westinghouse High School, you no doubt encountered situations that you have not forgiven yourself for. It may not be something as extreme as murder, but it still may be something that is preventing you from living a fulfilling life and may even interfere with your schoolwork. This becomes a social problem because it leads to depression, increases dropout rates, and limits your chances of going to college. Using the Public Policy Analyst (PPA), you will analyze the social problem of living with regret and not forgiving yourself and develop new school policies through which our school could more effectively help students heal.

Task:

Each student will be responsible for completing the following product:

Position Paper:  4 page double-spaced paper stating the problem and offering several solutions and your recommendation for the best solution.  Annotated Research embedded into the paper. Bibliography in MLA format on a separate page.  (See resources for help with this). Your group will use the Public Policy Analyst as an outline for your products.

Process:

Along with the information from the text and the resources, follow the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) 6 step process. https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/select.html Complete the worksheets and allow them to guide you with your policy paper, power point, and public awareness project.

The 6 Steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA)

1. Define the Problem  (Worksheet#1)

2. Gather the Evidence  (Worksheet#2)

3. Identify the Causes  (Worksheet#3)

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy  (Worksheet#4)

5. Develop Solutions  (Worksheet#5)

6. Select the Best Solution  (Worksheet#6)

Work as a group to complete the worksheets first and then each student should begin writing their papers at home.

Resources

· On Macbeth

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/

· Full Text of Play

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/

· Enjoying MacBeth

http://www.pathguy.com/macbeth.htm

· enotes Macbeth Summary

http://www.enotes.com/topics/macbeth

Evaluation

CCSS Argumentative Writing Rubric – Grades 11-12: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

	Exemplary – 4	Proficient – 3	Developing – 2	Beginning - 1
Text Type & Purposes	Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that expertly establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.	Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.	Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.	Introduce basic claims, and fail to distinguish the claims from alternate or opposing claims, and exhibit a lack of organization that does not establish relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
	Develop sophisticated claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying ample evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.	Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.	Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.	Put for weak claims and may not include counterclaims, supplying very limited evidence for each in a manner that does not anticipate the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
	Use sophisticated words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.	Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.	Unevenly use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, attempt to create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims, and reasons and evidence, and between claims and counterclaims.	Do not use words, phrases, or clauses to link the major sections of the text, lack cohesion, and not clarify the relationships between claims, and reasons and evidence, and between claims and counter claims.
	Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.	Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.	Establish but fail to maintain a formal style and objective tone while unevenly attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline.	Fail to establish a formal style and/or objective tone and neglect to attend to the norms and conventions of the discipline.
	Provide a polished concluding statement or section that follows flawlessly from and supports the argument presented.	Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.	Provide a weak concluding statement or section that may not follow from or support the argument presented.	Fail to provide a concluding statement or section or provide one that is wholly unconnected to the argument presented.
	Produce exceedingly clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are perfect to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce writing in which the development, organization, and style are basically or unevenly appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce writing which lacks development, organization, and style which may be inappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Production & Distribution of Writing	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on skillfully addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.	Unevenly develop and strengthen writing by missing a step in the revision process, focusing on addressing what may not be significant for a specific purpose and audience.	Neglect to develop and strengthen writing by not partaking in the revision process.

CONCLUSION

By the end of this project, you will have an understanding of how our school can develop new policies to helping students cope with your part poor decisions, forgiving yourself, and moving forward with your life.  What do you feel you learned about yourself and Macbeth by doing this project?

STANDARDS

ELA

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

TECHNOLOGY

Standard 5: Technology Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs

SOCIAL STUDIES

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional
democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.