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Page 1: The Merchant of Venice - Novelinksnovelinks.org/uploads/Novels/MerchantOfVenice/MofV Anticipatory... · The Merchant of Venice Anticipation Guide ... These are questions to ask while

The Merchant of Venice Anticipation Guide

Before you begin reading The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, take a moment to look over these statements. Decide whether you agree or disagree and put an “A” or a “D” in the space provided under the column “Your Thoughts.” Write two to three sentences after the statement describing why you agree or disagree. You will have 10 minutes to finish this part of the assignment before we move on to the next column. If you finish before the 10 minutes are up, please begin reading the play while you wait.

Your Thoughts

Your Predictions

Shakespeare’s Thoughts

_____

_____

_____

Don’t rely on outward appearances when making judgments. Why?____________________________________________ _________________________________________________

_____

_____

_____

Justice is always blind. Why?_________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____

_____

_____

A brotherly love between two friends can be just as strong as an intimate love between a man and a woman. Why?______ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____

_____

_____

You can break a promise as long as you have a good excuse. Why? ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________

_____

_____

_____

Love is blind. Why? ________________________________ _________________________________________________

_____

_____

_____

Stereotypes are often right. Why? _____________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____

_____

_____

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a good motto to live by. Why? ___________________________________ _________________________________________________

In the next column, we will work together as a class to decide whether we think Shakespeare will agree or disagree with these statements in his play. What might Shakespeare say through his characters? What might the characters do in the play? These are questions to ask while making predictions. Not everyone in the class needs to agree on an answer. We will go through them together and discuss our reasons, but everyone is free to write whether they think Shakespeare would agree or disagree with this statement according to the events and dialogue in his play. The last column will be saved for the end. We will look at it again after we have finished reading the play and we will decide whether Shakespeare gave evidence either for or against these statements.

Please hang on to these sheets and do not lose them! You will want to refer to them while you read and especially after you have read the whole play.

Jennifer Merrill, BYU Eng 378 Sec 1; June 1, 2005

Page 2: The Merchant of Venice - Novelinksnovelinks.org/uploads/Novels/MerchantOfVenice/MofV Anticipatory... · The Merchant of Venice Anticipation Guide ... These are questions to ask while

Anticipation Guide for “The Merchant of Venice”

Purpose: This reading strategy allows students to make predictions about the play before they read it. It requires them to make judgments about themes that will be found throughout the play and decide how they believe Shakespeare will treat these themes in the play. Rationale: This strategy must be done before reading the play to prepare students for a higher level of thinking about the concepts that will be presented. This activity will prepare students to be more engaged in the play because they have already considered the themes that will be presented and will initiate a type of conversation between them and Shakespeare as they read. They will refer to this exercise throughout the reading and especially at the end to see if Shakespeare treats these themes as they believed he would. Time: 30 minutes First Step: Distribute a copy of the handout provided to everyone in the class. Read the instructions together (whether you read them to the class or have a student read them is up to you). Tell the students they have 10 minutes to write whether they agree or disagree with the statement (putting an “A” or a “D” respectively in the space provided) and to provide a brief two to three sentence explanation of why they agree or disagree. Second Step: Allow the students to work quietly. You may want to play some appropriate instrumental music, like the soundtrack to the motion picture The Merchant of Venice. This music is very renaissance in theme with some modern undertones and will set the mood for the play they are about to read. Third Step: Warn the students when they have 5 minutes left so they can pace themselves. Warn them again when they have a minute so they can finish their thoughts. After the ten minutes are up, take another ten minutes to go through each statement and ask for volunteers to share what they wrote. This will stimulate a good discussion, but beware of heated arguments. Help the students learn the value of articulating their feelings well, being able to back up what they said with good reasons and examples. Fourth Step: After discussing differences in responses, take 8 – 10 minutes going through the statements and deciding whether Shakespeare would agree or disagree in his play, The Merchant of Venice. Explain that we will go through these together, but not everyone has to write the same answer. The class will go through them together, but everyone writes what they think. Explain that they need to hang on to these handouts and refer to them as they read the play to see whether their predictions were right or not. These sheets will be turned in after the play is read. Assessment: Assess the students according to their participation in the discussion and whether they are following along as the class writes down their thoughts and predictions. You may want to ask the students who are not participating to share their thoughts to make sure they understand the concepts. When this unit is done and the play has been read, assessment can be done further by looking at their handouts and evaluating their responses. Jennifer Merrill, BYU Eng 378 Sec 1; June 1, 2005