This document outlines ways that a teacher can use technology to engage students in learning Shakespeare's play Macbeth. It provides examples of using internet resources, podcasts, software, social media, and apps. The goal is to help students understand the complex language, plot and themes of the play by making lessons more fun and interactive with technology.

1. Teaching
Shakespeare’s
Macbeth
10th/11th Grade English
Alyssa Dunn
Spring 2014

2. Rationale for Technology
Integration
We all know that Shakespeare can be a little difficult to get
through. Due to complex language, plot, and character
development, high school students may have some difficulty
grasping the main concepts and themes of his works. In
teaching Macbeth on the high school level, teachers can use
technology to conduct fun and engaging lessons to help
maintain student interest and help cultivate student
understanding.
This presentation provides examples of how teachers can use
technology in the form of internet resources, podcasts,
software, and social media to bring Shakespeare’s Macbeth
into the 21st century.

3. Internet Content
The websites gathered and used in this presentation are
reliable sources of educational or government organizations.
Sites were included only if they contained relevant and
educational information and material.
Hyperlinks are placed in the notes section under the slides in
the presentation. By clicking on these links, you will be
directed to the referred sites.

4. Podcast
 This podcast is taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library
website and is referred to as the Insider’s Guide to Macbeth.
 In this podcast, the director and cast discuss themes and
meanings of the play as well as insights into the characters.
 The teacher can play this podcast during class to initiate a
discussion, or assign it for homework by providing the link in
an email or on the teacher’s page of the school website (if
possible).
Click on the speak to listen!

5. Macbeth Rap Music Video
The link below is for a music video on Youtube by Flocabulary.
The song is an overview of the plot of Macbeth through rap.
The teacher can play the song during class to provide a
modern depiction of the play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4cMHnWIR9k

6. Blog
The website No Sweat Shakespeare has blog page that is
modern and humorous, but serves to bring Shakespeare and
his works into the 21st century.
There are posts about words that Shakespeare is documented
for inventing, the meaning of “thee” and “thou,” what
Shakespeare might look like today,
and so on.
This blog is useful for the teacher’s
own background knowledge of
Shakespeare as well as ideas for
class activities.

7. Internet Resources
The Folger Shakespeare Library
 Folger Shakespeare Library lists numerous resources like lesson
plans and teaching modules. The archives contain plans for
reading, acting, and analyzing the text.
PBS
 PBS has a page called Shakespeare Uncovered, which provides
videos of interviews with actors of many of his plays as well as
lesson plans for different topics regarding Shakespeare.
No Fear Shakespeare
 Regardless of Sparknotes’ bad reputation, No Fear Shakespeare is
a great resource where students can parallel original text to
modern text to get a better understanding. The teacher can
conduct a class annotation if the text is placed on the board via
an overhead projector.

8. Inspiration
 Above is a graphic organizer that maps out Macbeth’s
character changes throughout the play.
 Each act has two boxes:
 The left is for students to write the events of that act
 The right is for students to write Macbeth’s
characteristics
 This will help students analyze the connection between the
plot and Macbeth’s character

9. Teaching Materials: Facebook
Based on the reading of Macbeth, students will make a fake
Facebook timeline for the characters, through a wiki page.
Each profile must have pictures, status updates, and friends.
This lesson requires students to analyze the characters and
their motivations in the play.

10. Teaching Materials: Text Translation
Students take a single
monologue or a short
scene of dialogue and
translate the text to
modern text.
The practice of
translating the original
text into modern day
language portrays a full
understanding of what
the students have read
and analyzed.

11. Teaching Materials: Project Explorer
With Project Explorer, students can go back in time to
Shakespeare’s England. Clicking on the location will bring
students to a site with tabs that lead to information, pictures,
and videos about Shakespeare’s home, childhood, and career.
 This exploration can be
done in class in groups
or individually at
home, with the
assignment of the
students documenting
at least 10 facts they
learned about
Shakespeare’s life and
England at that time.

12. Teaching Materials: 6 Word Stories
Shakespeare once said: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Of course
that’s Hamlet and not Macbeth, but assigning students to
write a six word story version of Macbeth would allow for
their creativity to shine and for them to show their
understanding of the themes and plot.
They could then post the stories to the website shown below.

13. Shakespeare has an app!
Shakespeare at Play is an app for both
the iPhone and iPad. It’s categorized under
books, but this app plays a video for the
length of the play while providing the text
underneath. This makes in class reading
very easy because the teacher can rent out
iPads for the class and have individual
reading with headphones, or a group
reading with the projector.

14. Subject-Specific Resource
• ReadWriteThink Mission Statement:
• To provide educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with
access to the highest quality practices in reading and language
arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials.
• They provide resources and lesson plans for several topics
within the English and Language Arts discipline.
• All’s Well that Sells Well: a Creative introduction to
Shakespeare
• Outlines a three class lesson that aims to have students research
the Globe theater and learn about the differences of theater in
Shakespeare’s time period in comparison to modern day
• Students research, discuss, then perform

15. Uses of Internet
Websites such as Dictionary.com are an important resource
for students when reading Shakespeare.
If a student does not know the meaning of a word in the text,
such as besmirch, the student can look it up on an online
dictionary.
Dictionary.com has other tabs that are helpful to students:
 Thesaurus
 Reference
 Quotes

16. Uses of Internet
Bartleby.com is a great
resource for teachers who
need access to texts online.
Macbeth is split up by act on
this site
Teachers would be able to
use Bartleby.com to project a
specific scene onto the board
for class reading, annotation,
or discussion.

17. Web 2.0
Prezi is a great tool for students to make innovative and
engaging presentations.
At this site, students can collaborate or work individually to
create non-linear presentations with fun and creative
backgrounds, themes, and patterns.
Once the Prezi is made, it is made public on the student’s
profile and can be accessed by others in the classroom and
the teacher.

18. Web 2.0
DoInk is a fun resource for students that can be used on an
iPad or iPhone!
Students can draw and animate their own works or they can
collaborate with other classmates by sharing props.
Teachers can use this tool for a fun assignment in which
students must draw or animate a character or scene from the
play.
 This requires students to analyze the text and character
development as well as to take risks and be creative.