New
New
Year 5

Generating vocabulary for the opening of 'Macbeth'

I can generate vocabulary that precisely describes a setting, using most of the senses.

New
New
Year 5

Generating vocabulary for the opening of 'Macbeth'

I can generate vocabulary that precisely describes a setting, using most of the senses.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Writing is most successful when it is planned.
  2. Vocabulary can be generated to precisely set the atmosphere for a scene.
  3. Expanded noun phrases can be used to describe a noun vividly.
  4. Expanded noun phrases can be stretched with 'that' or 'with' to add further detail to a description.
  5. Describing what can be seen, heard, felt and smelt helps readers visualise the scene.

Keywords

  • Adjective - describes a noun

  • Noun - a naming word for people, places or things

  • Setting - where the narrative takes place

  • Senses - the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste

Common misconception

Pupils may describe the setting solely based on what can be seen.

Teach pupils to use more than just one of their senses to create a more detailed description. Provide additional support, for example playing eerie sounds of the wind howling for them to hear or bringing in a gnarled piece of wood for them to feel.

You could add additional images of a heath or of the setting for the opening of the play.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
How could you describe the opening scene of Macbeth?
calm
Correct answer: mysterious
romantic
Correct answer: ominous
uplifting
Q2.
Which of the following are features of a play script?
Correct answer: dialogue
captions
instructions for assembling the stage
Correct answer: stage directions
Correct answer: character descriptions
Q3.
Select the correct definition of a heath.
Correct answer: an area of land with hardly any bushes and trees
a lush area of land with a lot of bushes and trees
an area of land in a rainforest
Q4.
What are the witches doing as the play begins?
singing together
Correct answer: huddling together
standing as still as statues
hiding from one another
Correct answer: screaming with malignant laughter
Q5.
Where and when do the witches plan to meet again?
in the woods later that day
Correct answer: upon the heath when the hurly burly is done
at the king's castle in a year's time
Q6.
Match the 'Early Modern English' quotes from the play to the modern definitions.
Correct Answer:hurly burly,commotion on the battlefield

commotion on the battlefield

Correct Answer:fair is foul and foul is fair,good becoming evil and evil becoming good

good becoming evil and evil becoming good

Correct Answer:where the place,where shall we meet

where shall we meet

6 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword to its definition.
Correct Answer:adjective ,a word that describes a noun

a word that describes a noun

Correct Answer:noun,a naming word for people, places or things

a naming word for people, places or things

Correct Answer:setting,where the narrative takes place

where the narrative takes place

Correct Answer:senses,sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch

sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch

Q2.
Which of the following are senses?
Correct answer: touch
Correct answer: hearing
emotions
Correct answer: smell
weaknesses
Q3.
Put these descriptions of a heath in order from most positive to most negative.
1 - Vibrant, fragrant heather bloomed amidst rugged rocks.
2 - The heath stretched before us, its barren landscape devoid of life.
3 - The heath was enveloped in an eerie silence that haunted our souls.
Q4.
Match each adjective to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:eerie,weird, ghostly or creepy

weird, ghostly or creepy

Correct Answer:barren,empty or bare

empty or bare

Correct Answer:withered,old and drooping

old and drooping

Correct Answer:ominous,scary, threatening or menacing

scary, threatening or menacing

Q5.
Select the correct definition of putrid.
flavourful and sharp
Correct answer: rotten and decayed
unclear or hardly visible
Q6.
Fill the gap in the following sentence: 'Little wildlife could survive in the __________, weathered terrain.'
putrid
Correct answer: rugged
eerie
ominous