Page 61 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade7_Flipbook

Close Reading of shakespeare (continued)
ACTIvITy 4
Synthesis Questions
Your teacher may choose or ask you to choose one of the following assessments as a way of showing your understanding of the texts you have read.
Writing Prompt: Review the different problematic and potentially comic situations, full of romantic obsessions and misunderstandings, that both Viola and Proteus find themselves in. Revisit the work you have done with both texts, and consider how the painting helps to inform your understanding of Viola’s encounter with the countess. Which set of romantic problems do you think will be the most difficult to solve? Use evidence from both the passages and the painting to support your choice.
Debate/Discussion: Prepare to debate or discuss the different romantic entanglements that occur in these two plays. How might Viola’s and Proteus’s situations be resolved in ways that would leave all the characters happy? Make notes about your ideas. Use your notes to participate in a class discussion about the different ways to resolve these two problems.
Multimedia Presentation: You have been introduced to two written texts and one painting that show how Shakespeare’s comedies often deal with complicated and often silly romantic relationships. What other texts or media could be added to this collection? Locate a song, poem, photograph, work of art, or another written text that presents a comedically problematic romantic relationship (or relationships), such as the ones contained in the two passages you read. Prepare to share the original text (including a brief introduction to provide context) with your class.
Reflection
Think about what you have learned from your close reading and analysis of the text passages you have read in this workshop.
1. How do Viola and Proteus differ in their attitudes about falling in love with someone that they shouldn’t fall in love with? How do their different attitudes determine the manner in which they plan their future actions?
2. In this workshop, you have learned how to make meaning of three different texts. How can you use what you have learned to help you when you encounter challenging texts in the future? What strategies best helped you as a learner during this workshop? When and why would you use these strategies again?
60 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 7
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