Starter quiz
- Starting with the first section, order the structure which could be useful to follow when writing an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
- 1⇔introduction
- 2⇔main body paragraph 1
- 3⇔main body paragraph 2
- 4⇔main body paragraph 3
- 5⇔conclusion
- Shakespeare has two settings in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. What are they?
- the magical forest ✓
- the magical city Athens
- the city of Athens ✓
- Elizabethan England
- the theatre
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- Shakespeare sets 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in Athens and in a magical forest. What are some of the differences between the two places?
- Athens is supernatural; the forest is not.
- Athens has a hierarchy; the forest does not.
- Athens is very structured and ordered; there is chaos in the forest. ✓
- Athens is ruled by humans; the forest is ruled by fairies. ✓
- There is no conflict in Athens; there is a lot of conflict in the forest.
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what are some of the supernatural things that occur?
- the use of the magical potion ✓
- the conflict between Oberon and Titania
- Puck transforming Bottom ✓
- Puck making a mistake
- Lysander falling in love with Helena ✓
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- Shakespeare wrote 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' for an Elizabethan audience. What were some of their views on the supernatural?
- That the supernatural could be evil and connected to the devil. ✓
- That the supernatural only existed in plays and songs.
- That fairies could be sometimes be kind and helpful. ✓
- That their monarch was supernatural.
- That Shakespeare invented the supernatural.
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- Why might we describe the presentation of the supernatural in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' as ambiguous?
- Puck is clearly meant to be evil.
- Elizabethans would have connected all the supernatural events to the devil.
- Sometimes Puck seems mischievous, and sometimes more malevolent. ✓
- It is unclear if we should trust Puck during his epilogue. ✓
- The supernatural creates chaos, but it also restores order. ✓
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Exit quiz
- Starting with the first part, order the three part structure for an introduction which you could follow when writing an introduction in answer to a question on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
- 1⇔General statment about the text
- 2⇔General statement about the character or theme given in the question
- 3⇔Specific thesis in response to the question
- A pupil wrote: "Despite being mischievous, Puck restores order at the end of Act 3." as the first line of an introduction to an essay on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. What feedback might you give them?
- An introduction should start with 'I' so we know you'll present your own ideas.
- This would be a better topic sentence.
- This statement is too general.
- You must start an introduction with a quotation.
- An introduction should start with a general statement about the text. ✓
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- A pupil wrote: "'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a play." as the first line of their introduction to an essay. What feedback might you give them?
- Your introduction should start with a thesis.
- This statement is too general to be useful or helpful. ✓
- You should include a quotation in your first line so you can analyse it.
- This would be a better topic sentence rather than an introduction.
- The next line needs to be a quotation.
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- An introduction to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' should include a specific ______ which explains your main idea in relation to the question.
- 'thesis' ✓
- A pupil said: "The first sentence of your introduction should be your thesis." How would you correct them?
- Your first sentence should explain who Shakespeare was.
- Your first sentence should be a quotation.
- Your first sentence should summarise the plot.
- Your first sentence should be a general statement about the text. ✓
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why might we describe the character of Puck as capricious?
- He is a loyal servant to Oberon.
- He accidently puts the magical potion on Lysander.
- He decides to transform Bottom's head into that of a donkey. ✓
- He gives an epilogue at the end of the play.
- He is known to play cruel and malicious tricks on people. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Introductions can follow a three part structure moving from the general to the specific.
- The first sentence of an introduction could be a general statement about the text.
- The second sentence of the introduction could be a general statement about the given character or theme.
- The final sentence of your introduction could be your thesis.
Common misconception
Introductions are the same as thesis statements.
An introduction includes a thesis statement. However, an introduction should include a more general statement about the text, as well as a more general statement about the given character or theme as well as the thesis.
Keywords
Capricious - impulsive, reckless, changeable
Thesis - an idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay
General idea - an idea that is not tied to a particular detail
Specific idea - an idea that is tied to a particular detail
Supernatural - things that can’t be explained by the laws of nature
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