Powerful Writing Unit Plan 5 days

Powerful Writing
12th
Grade English Unit Plan
EPPL 612
April 22, 2016
Kyle Guzik

Section I: Introduction
Unit Overview:
This unit will focus on the concepts of power and authority through comparative readings of
Shakespeare’s tragedies Macbeth and Titus Andronicus, Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Lau
Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. The goal is to improve student ability to construct an effective writing
argument by practicing subcomponents of this skill, which will all be used to complete the
culminating activity of the unit, an extended argumentative essay that will also be used as a post-
assessment. Macbeth is a fictionalized account of the life of King Mac Bethad mac Findlaích,
who ruled Scotland during the mid-eleventh century CE. Titus Andronics, Shakespeare’s first
known tragedy is a dramatization of conflict between the Goths and the Roman Empire set in an
indeterminate late-Imperial Christian Rome. Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince, published in
1532 is a guide for kings and lesser rulers on the maintenance of control over a state, based upon
the doctrine that noble end goals justify immoral actions. The Tao Te Ching, attributed to Lao
Tzu is a product of the Warring States Period (403-221 BCE) in Ancient China. It functions as a
critique of and an alternative to Confucianism and is a foundational text in religious and
philosophical Taoism. Taoism is based upon non-coercive action in accordance with nature,
knowledge without resort to rules or principles, and desire without intent to possess or control
the desired “object.” In both Shakespearian tragedies covered in this unit, an act of ruthless
violence committed for the purpose of obtaining or maintaining power and control over a state
leads to political upheaval with grave consequences for the original bad actor. Readings of these
texts will be informed by critiques of leadership and the nature of power offered in The Prince
and the Tao Te Ching. The central goal of the unit is for students to gain a better understanding
of power and authority by comparing two of Shakespeare’s classic contributions to British
literature with important works from two other cultures and time periods (Medieval Italy and
Ancient China). Machiavellian and Taoist readings of Shakespeare offer two vastly different
perspectives from which to examine the themes of power and authority in Titus Andronicus and
Macbeth.
Description of Intended Student Population:
This unit is designed for a hypothetical 12th
grade English class composed of gifted-identified
students. The classroom is located in a public high school in the Commonwealth of Virginia;
therefore the unit is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) and the National
Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) programming standards. While all of the students in
the class are identified as gifted there is still a considerable range between the students in a
variety of factors including motivation, reading and writing ability, disposition towards social
interaction, capacity for public speaking, and leadership capability. Some students are twice
exceptional. Among the students in this hypothetical class of 20, 2 have Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD), 1 has dyslexia, and 1 is hearing impaired and uses a cochlear implant.
Nevertheless all students demonstrate innate curiosity, high enthusiasm for learning, some
degree of intrinsic motivation, and are capable of consuming and contemplating large quantities
of text relatively quickly. Each class is 75 minutes long.

Nature of Differentiation for Gifted Students:
The students will read most of the unit text as homework outside of class. This will give
students the opportunity to choose whether they want to read the text in print, as digital books, or
listen to audio recordings of the text. If students have difficulty completing the readings the
teacher will help them find audio recordings, companion books, and commentaries that will
enable them to engage with the content at a high level.
The assignments contained in this unit are intended to accommodate individual differences. In
Lesson One the RAFT assignment allows each student to choose from a variety of roles,
audiences, formats, and topics for writing in relationship to the text. The students can select the
criteria that they find most individually meaningful or interesting. There will be enough variance
within the prompt to allow for a gradient of complexity. In small group work, the teacher will
assign groups with the intention of matching students with complementary strengths and
weaknesses. Each group will contain students of higher and lower ability levels in tasks
particular to the group work assignment. Higher-level students will have the opportunity to help
lower level students, who will benefit by receiving additional support and feedback from their
peers. This unit plan also includes art integration. Given that the students possess a range of
creative abilities the plan does not require all students to make a work of visual art. The students
have the option to create a written or dramatic creative product as well, and to work individually
or in groups, according to their individual preferences. Art integration may increase the
engagement of twice-exceptional or high ability students who may become bored or frustrated if
given too many traditional paper and pencil tasks. This unit is designed to provide variation in
social interaction by including individual, paired, small group, and class wide activities.
Assignments will be completed in a variety of formats including visual, theatrical, spoken,
written, and digital media. Differentiation is accomplished by giving the students freedom and
flexibility when choosing how to complete their assignments.
Unit Concepts:
• Leadership
• Morality
• Authority
• Power
Standards:
Board of Education, Commonwealth of Virginia: English Standards of Learning:
Curriculum Framework, Grade 12
12.1 The student will make a formal oral presentation in a group or individually.
a) Choose the purpose of the presentation.
b) Choose vocabulary, language, and tone appropriate to the audience, topic, and
purpose.
c) Use details, illustrations, statistics, comparisons, and analogies to support the
presentation.

d) Use media, visual literacy, and technology skills to create and support the
presentation.
e) Use grammatically correct language, including vocabulary appropriate to the
topic, audience, and purpose.
f) Collaborate and report on small group learning activities.
g) Evaluate formal presentations including personal, digital, visual, textual, and
technological.
h) Use a variety of listening strategies to analyze relationships among purpose,
audience, and content of presentations.
i) Critique effectiveness of presentations.
12.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze the development of British literature
and literature of other cultures.
a) Compare and contrast the development of British literature in its historical
context.
d) Relate literary works and authors to major themes and issues of their eras.
e) Analyze the social and cultural function of British literature.
h) Analyze how dramatic conventions including character, scene, dialogue, and
staging contribute to the theme and effect.
i) Compare and contrast dramatic elements of plays from American, British, and
other cultures.
12.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts.
a) Generate and respond logically to literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing, and
critical thinking questions before, during, and after reading texts.
b) Analyze and synthesize information in order to solve problems, answer questions,
and generate new knowledge.
c) Analyze two or more texts addressing the same topic to identify authors’ purpose
and determine how authors reach similar or different conclusions.
d) Recognize and analyze use of ambiguity, contradiction, paradox, irony,
overstatement, and understatement in text.
e) Identify false premises in persuasive writing.
f) Draw conclusions and make inferences on explicit and implied information using
textual support.
12.6 The student will develop expository and informational, analyses, and
persuasive/argumentative writings.
a) Generate, gather, and organize ideas for writing to address a specific audience and
purpose.
b) Produce arguments in writing that develop a thesis to demonstrate knowledgeable
judgments, address counterclaims, and provide effective conclusions.
c) Clarify and defend a position with precise and relevant evidence.
d) Adapt content, vocabulary, voice, and tone to audience, purpose, and situation.
e) Use a variety of rhetorical strategies to accomplish a specific purpose.
f) Create arguments free of errors in logic and externally supported.

g) Revise writing for clarity of content, depth of information and technique of
presentation.
h) Use computer technology to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writing.
National Association for Gifted Children: 2010 Pre-K-Grade-12 Gifted programming
Standards
2.4. Learning Progress and Outcomes. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate advanced
and complex learning as a result of using multiple, appropriate, and ongoing assessments.
2.4.1. Educators use differentiated pre- and post- performance-based assessments to
measure the progress of students with gifts and talents.
2.4.2. Educators use differentiated product-based assessments to measure the progress of
students with gifts and talents.
2.4.3. Educators use off-level standardized assessments to measure the progress of
students with gifts and talents.
2.4.4. Educators use and interpret qualitative and quantitative assessment information to
develop a profile of the strengths and weaknesses of each student with gifts and
talents to plan appropriate intervention.
2.4.5. Educators communicate and interpret assessment information to students with gifts
and talents and their parents/guardians
3.2. Talent Development. Students with gifts and talents become more competent in multiple
talent areas and across dimensions of learning
3.2.1. Educators design curricula in cognitive, affective, aesthetic, social, and leadership
domains that are challenging and effective for students with gifts and talents.
3.2.2. Educators use metacognitive models to meet the needs of students with gifts and
talents.
3.4. Instructional Strategies. Students with gifts and talents become independent investigators.
3.4.1. Educators use critical-thinking strategies to meet the needs of students with gifts
and talents.
3.4.2. Educators use creative-thinking strategies to meet the needs of students with gifts
and talents.
3.4.3. Educators use problem-solving model strategies to meet the needs of students with
gifts and talents. 3.4.4. Educators use inquiry models to meet the needs of students
with gifts and talents
Unit Objectives:
• The students will create inquiry charts to generate and answer questions for the purpose of
small group and whole class discussion about perspectives on the nature of leadership and
authority evident in the Tao Te Ching and The Prince.
• The students will develop through the RAFT (role, audience, format, topic) process a creative
written response that will investigate the following themes: authority and power. One or more of

the unit texts will inform each writing product. Via creative writing the students will interpret
notions of authority and power contained in the texts.
• The students will create a formal oral presentation summarizing and comparing political actions
undertaken by a character in Macbeth or Titus Andronicus.
• The students will produce a creative synthesis of concepts of power evident in two or more of
the unit texts. The creative product will be a didactic in that it will be based upon the students’
individual moral values. The creative product can be visual (i.e. a drawing or sculpture), in
writing (poetry), or dramatic (a short performance).
• The students will critique the intentions and motivations of characters in Titus Andronicus or
Macbeth though the contrasting lenses of Machiavellian and Taoist perspectives. This critique
will take the form of an argumentative essay.
Content Outline:
• Defining leadership
• Taoism
• Machiavellian thought
• Subjective morality
• Critique of power
• Character motivation
Instructional Strategies:
• Pre-assessment (short answer opinion-based constructed response)
• Inquiry charts
• Group discussion
• Oral presentation
• RAFT writing product
• Art integration
• Post-assessment (argumentative essay)
Lesson Plan Description:
Lesson One:
What is leadership and how does it relate to power? How are leadership and power explored in
the unit texts? The teacher will distribute a reading assignment composed of selections from the
unit texts related to the concept of leadership. The teacher will present leadership relevant
content in The Prince and the Tao Te Ching while modeling the creation and use of an inquiry
chart. Individually, the students will complete an inquiry chart which will act as a scaffold for
development of questions about leadership that are addressed in the text. The goal is for students
to generate and attempt to answer these questions individually. Students will then work in small
groups of three to four to discuss the theme of leadership as it relates to The Prince and The Tao

Te Ching. Each group will come to consensus about an important question about leadership that
can be answered by the texts. Each group will present their question and answer to the class.
The teacher and the class will respond to each group’s presentation via a feedback form. The
students will then begin a short piece of creative writing through the use of the RAFT strategy.
In a RAFT assignment students assume a role (journalist, politician), write for an audience (radio
listeners, Lady Macbeth), in a particular format (petition, advice column), on a particular topic
(ways that power struggles within the ruling class affect the general population, Tamora,
Empress of Rome). The RAFT assignment will be designed to give the students a variety of
choices of roles, audiences, formats, and topics unified around the themes of power and
authority. The students will complete the RAFT assignment for homework.
Lesson Two:
Class will begin with a short reading assignment of selections from the class texts that relate to
the concept of power. The emphasis will be on opposing perspectives on power found in The
Prince and the Tao Te Ching. The students will work in pairs to complete a discussion web.
Each pair will work with a question related to the concepts of authority and power in the text.
The discussion web provides scaffolding for consideration of whether a claim is true or false.
After writing down some arguments for and against the claim, each pair will join another pair to
form a group of four. The students will then refine their arguments and draw conclusions after
discussion with their group. Each group of students will give a short presentation about their
conclusions. The students will then be divided into groups of three for the purpose of preparing
presentations focused on one character in either of the Shakespearian texts. The students will be
provided with detailed instructions and a rubric for the presentation. The presentation will
include a digital visual aid such as a power point or prezi site. The students will work at the
class computers or at their desks to compose the presentation. The presentation will occur at the
next class period. The students will complete their presentations as homework.
Lesson Three:
Each of the seven groups of three created during the previous class will give a five-minute
presentation about the political actions of a character from either Titus Andronicus or Macbeth.
The students will explain why these actions are political and describe their consequences. Using
a template, during the presentations the rest of the class will complete evaluations with feedback.
The teacher will present an example of an artistic response to notions of power found within the
class texts. The teacher will explain how the art object is meant to synthesize convergent,
competing, or contradictory viewpoints on power, and in response presents a didactic moral
argument or judgment about power. The teacher will then hand out an assignment with a rubric
that presents the students with a variety of options for completing the same process on their own.
The creative product will be visual, linguistic, or dramatic. The students will have the option to
work in small groups if preparing a dramatic product such as a short performance. To
accompany the creative product, the students will prepare a written statement that identifies
which texts they are responding to, how their work synthesizes notions of power contained
within the text, and how their work expresses and promotes an individual moral claim about the
nature of power. The assignment will be due at the beginning of Lesson Five.

Lesson Four:
The students will complete a warm up activity in which they describe the type of governments
they would like to live in as citizens. They will also describe the type of governments they
would prefer if they were the leaders of those governments. The teacher will ask the students to
individually share with the whole class the features of their ideal government. As each student
describes his or her government the rest of the class will take notes so as to be ready to complete
the exit ticket question. The teacher will then distribute the reflection on power, leadership and
conflict handout. In part I of this assignment the students will collect and cite information from
the texts to identify the potential effects (both good and bad) a Machiavellian government would
have on its citizens. The teacher will create a concept map to describe potential benefits and
disadvantages of living under a Machiavellian government. The teacher will ask students to
share their opinions and relevant quotations from the text with the class to help complete the
concept map. For Part II, the students will take the role of a political ruler of a state which has
just been through a deadly war with, and finally defeated, a dangerous enemy. As leaders, the
students will compose a memo that they will present to the senior leadership of their
governments on how they treat their conquered enemies and how they plan to prevent another
war. The students may work in small groups of up to three to discuss this assignment and each
other’s responses. Near the end of class he students will complete an exit ticket in which they
will question the plausibility of a system of government proposed by one of their classmates.
Lesson Five:
The students will present their artistic or creative products assigned in Lesson Three. Each
individual or small group will explain how their work synthesizes notions of power contained
within the text, and how their work expresses and promotes an individual moral claim about the
nature of power. The class will complete evaluation forms with written feedback for each
presentation. The assignment will be graded in accordance with the rubric. The teacher will
then hand out detailed instructions and a rubric for an extended writing assignment. In this
assignment, the students will critique the intentions and motivations of characters in Titus
Andronicus or Macbeth though the contrasting lenses of Machiavellian and Taoist perspectives.
This critique will take the form of an argumentative essay. This assignment will be the
summative post-assessment for the unit. The students will use the remainder of the class time to
begin their essays.
Unit Assessments:
• Pre-assessment (short answer opinion-based constructed response)
• Inquiry chart
• Oral presentation with digital visual aid
• RAFT writing product
• Creative product (Critique of Power)
• Post-assessment (argumentative essay)

Section II: Lesson Plans/Unit Activities
Lesson 1: 12th
Grade English
What is leadership and how does it
relate to power?
Standards of Learning
12.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of
nonfiction texts.
a) Generate and respond logically to literal,
inferential, evaluative, synthesizing, and critical
thinking questions before, during, and after reading
texts.
b) Analyze and synthesize information in order to
solve problems, answer questions, and generate
new knowledge.
c) Analyze two or more texts addressing the same
topic to identify authors’ purpose and determine
how authors reach similar or different conclusions.
f) Draw conclusions and make inferences on explicit
and implied information using textual support.
12.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze the
development of British literature and literature of other
cultures.
h) Analyze how dramatic conventions including
character, scene, dialogue, and staging contribute to
the theme and effect.
i) Compare and contrast dramatic elements of plays
from American, British, and other cultures.
Curriculum Alignment:
How the Lesson Relates
to the Unit Goals
This lesson introduces the main goal of this unit: to help students
question the nature of power and authority via comparative study
of Macbeth, Titus Andronicus, The Tao Te Ching, and The Prince.
The two Shakespearian tragedies offer compelling portraits of
individuals fighting over leadership of a state. The unit’s two

nonfiction texts offer counter-perspectives on leadership and
power although there are points of agreement. For example, both
Lau Tzu and Machiavelli argue that it is better for a ruler to be
loved than feared by the population of the state. In addition both
texts offer advice to guide the actions of their intended audience.
The pretest consists of four questions to gauge the student’s
understanding of and thoughts about the nature of power.
Students will generate writing samples in which they express their
opinions. At the end of the unit the students will write a formal
argumentative essay, which functions as a post-assessment.
Comparison of the depth of thought and relevance of supporting
arguments contained will allow the teacher to determine the
degree to which the students have engaged with, synthesized, and
interpreted the unit texts.
In this unit the students will complete most of the reading as
homework outside of class. However this lesson plan also
includes a selection of passages from the text relevant to the theme
of leadership. The selection from Titus Andronicus includes Titus’
decision to punish the defeated Goths and exact retribution by
executing the oldest son of their Queen as well as her anguished
vow of revenge. In the Macbeth selection Lord and Lady Macbeth
feign shock and horror over the murder of King Duncan even
though Macbeth is secretly the killer. The selection from The
Prince advises that a ruler focus on defense of walled cities at the
expense of rural areas. If a hostile force burns down the farms of
the peasants they will cower for protection within the city walls.
A wise ruler will take advantage of their anger and fear to
consolidate power. A prince actually benefits from violence and
conflict. This contrasts with The Tao Te Ching, which condemns
war and instructs that violence must be used only as a last resort.
The Inquiry Chart and RAFT creative writing task are intended as
introductory assignments to facilitate comparative interpretations
of the texts. The inquiry chart provides a framework that students
will use to develop questions about power. It also prepares the
students to conduct meaningful discussions in small groups. The
RAFT assignment asks students to create a piece of creative
writing that consolidates understanding developed during the
lesson. In this lesson the students engage in dialogue about the
nature of leadership in relationship to power. This dialogue will
help them develop their own opinions. The RAFT assignment is
intended to enable them to express their opinions creatively.

Instructional Purpose:
Lesson Objectives
• The students will create inquiry charts to generate and answer
questions for the purpose of small group and whole class
discussion about perspectives on the nature of leadership and
authority evident in the Tao Te Ching and The Prince.
• The students will develop through the RAFT (role, audience,
format, topic) process a creative written response that will
investigate the following themes: authority and power. One or
more of the unit texts will inform each writing product. Via
creative writing the students will interpret notions of authority and
power contained in the unit texts.
Differentiation for
Gifted Learners: How
the Lesson is
Differentiated for Gifted
Learners
The students will read most of the unit text as homework outside
of class. This will give students the opportunity to choose whether
they want to read the text in print, as digital books, or listen to
audio recordings of the text. If students have difficulty completing
the readings the teacher will help them find audio recordings,
companion books, and commentaries that will enable them to
engage with the content at a high level.
The students will complete their inquiry charts through discussion
in small groups. The teacher will assign groups with the intention
of matching students with complementary strengths and
weaknesses. Each group will contain students of higher and lower
ability levels in tasks particular to the group work assignment.
Higher-level students will have the opportunity to help lower level
students, who will benefit by receiving additional support and
feedback from their peers.
The RAFT assignment allows each student to choose from a
variety of roles, audiences, formats, and topics for writing in
relationship to the text. The students can select the criteria that
they find most individually meaningful or interesting. There will
be enough variance within the prompt to allow for a gradient of
complexity.
Vocabulary: Relevant
Lesson Vocabulary and
Definitions
Mirrors for princes: The mirrors for princes are a genre – in the
loose sense of the word – of political writing during the Early
Middle Ages, Middle Ages and the Renaissance. They are best
known in the form of textbooks which directly instruct kings or
lesser rulers on certain aspects of rule and behavior, but in a
broader sense, the term is also used to cover histories or literary
works aimed at creating images of kings for imitation or

avoidance. They were often composed at the accession of a new
king, when a young and inexperienced ruler was about to come to
power. They could be viewed as a species of self-help book
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Medici).
House of Medici: An Italian banking family, political dynasty and
later royal house that first began to gather prominence under
Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the first half
of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of
the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until they were able to
fund the Medici Bank. The bank was the largest in Europe during
the 15th century, seeing the Medici gain political power in
Florence - though officially they remained citizens rather than
monarchs (source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_for_princes).
Taoism: (noun)
1. The philosophical system evolved by Lao-tzu and Chuang-
tzu, advocating a life of complete simplicity and naturalness
and of noninterference with the course of natural events, in
order to attain a happy existence in harmony with the Tao.
2. Also called Hsüan Chiao. a popular Chinese religion,
originating in the doctrines of Lao-tzu but later highly
eclectic in nature and characterized by a pantheon of many
gods and by the practice of alchemy, divination, and magic
(source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/taoism)
Tao: (noun, sometime lowercase)
1. (In philosophical Taoism) that virtue of which all things
happen or exist.
2. The rational basis of human activity or conduct
3. A universal, regarded as an ideal attained to a greater or
lesser degree by those embodying it (source:
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tao?s=t).
Materials/Resources
Ÿ Pens
Ÿ Pencils
Ÿ Paper
Ÿ digital projector, computer, interactive whiteboard
Ÿ Pre-assessment handout
Ÿ Inquiry Chart handout
Ÿ RAFT handout
Ÿ Selected Reading handout from the following texts:
Lao-tzu, & Mitchell, S. (1991). Tao te ching. New York, NY:

HarperCollins Publishers.
Machiavelli, N. (1988). The Prince (2nd
ed.). R. M. Adams (Ed.).
R. M. Adams (Trans.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton &
Company, Inc. (Original work publishe 1532)
Shakespeare, W. (2000). Macbeth. S. Orgel (Ed.). New York,
NY: Penguin Books
Shakespeare, W. (2006). Titus Andronicus (Updated ed.). A.
Hughs (Ed.). Cambridge, UK ; New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Lesson Sequence and
Description
#1 (10 minutes) The teacher will provide the Selected Readings
handout to the students as they enter the class. The students will
use the first 10 minutes of class to skim over the readings. The
students should focus on the selections from The Prince and The
Tao Te Ching.
#2 (15 minutes) The teacher will introduce the unit with a brief
introduction to The Prince and The Tao Te Ching. The teacher
will locate Machiavelli in Florence during the Renaissance under
the influence of the Medici family, and identify Lau Tzu as the
author to whom of the The Tao Te Ching, composed during
China’s Warring States Period, is attributed. The teacher will
project the example inquiry chart on the board. The teacher will
explain that the purpose of the inquiry chart is to help the students
generate and answer questions about the unit text. To activate the
student’s background knowledge the teacher will ask the following
questions:
1) What are the actions of leaders?
2) How do leaders exhibit or use power?
3) Are all leaders powerful?
4) Is power a good thing for a leader to have?
The teacher will summarize student responses in the inquiry chart
projected on the board.
#3 (5 minutes) The students will begin to fill out the inquiry
charts individually. The students should refer to the class texts
during this activity.
#4 (25 minutes) The teacher will divide the students into small
groups of three or four. The students will use the inquiry charts as

a scaffold for discussion. The students will generate questions
about leadership, authority, and power, and then cite facts,
arguments, or passages from the text that address these questions.
In the summaries section of the chart the students will create an
answer to their questions based upon synthesis of the answers
provided by multiple sources. Through discussion Each group
will come to a consensus about which is the most important or
interesting question they have examined. Each group of students
will then very briefly (1-2 minutes) present their question and
summary. As each group presents students should add new ideas
presented to their charts.
#5 (20 minutes) The teacher will describe the RAFT assignment
and explain that the students will chose a role, audience, format,
and topic to create a piece of creative writing. The students
should reflect upon the ideas about leadership and power
summarized in their inquiry charts and produce a piece of fiction
that comments upon these ideas. For example, in an obituary for
Tamora a student could describe important events in Tamora’s life
and justify or condemn her actions as the Queen of the Goths and
later Empress of Rome. How should she be remembered? Was
she a good leader? Did she value her subjects or was she focused
only on revenge for the wrongs done to her family? The students
will use the remaining class time to begin writing and will
complete and type the assignments at home.
Homework: Follow-up
Tasks to be Completed at
Home
The students will polish and complete their RAFT creative writing
assignments as homework due in the next lesson. In this class the
students have read Macbeth and Titus Andronicus in previous
units. The students are assigned to read The Prince and The Tao
Te Ching over the course of the unit.
Extensions: Additional
Learning Activities that
the Student may
Complete Independently
The Tao Te Ching has been translated in many languages. As an
extension, students may find an alternative translation in English
or another language that they understand and read to find
differences between the versions. The students can then select a
chapter from the Tao Te Ching and rewrite the verses to create an
original interpretation. For example students may rewrite the
chapter through the use of contemporary internet slang or in the
style of their favorite poet, musician, or band.
The second Norton Critical Edition of The Prince, translated by
Robert M. Addams, includes a historical introduction and multiple
interpretations that give additional context for the assigned

reading. The book also includes marginalia such as a selection
from Nietzsche who admired and was influenced by Machiavelli’s
works. Students may complete additional reading from the
interpretations and marginalia found on pages 74-275.
Assessment: Methods
and Materials for
Assessing Student
Learning in the Lesson
Formative: Pre-Assessment (short answer opinion-based
constructed response)
Formative: Inquiry Chart
The Inquiry Chart is adapted from “Critical Reading/Thinking
Across the Curriculum: Using I=Charts to Support Learning,” by
J. V. Hoffman, 1192, Language Arts, 69(2), pp. 121-127.
Copyright © 1992 by the National Council of Teachers of English
Formative: RAFT creative writing piece
Teachers who would like additional background on RAFT are
directed to consult:
Buehl, D. (2013). Classroom strategies for interactive learning
(Fourth edition.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Titus Andronicus I.1.19 – I.1.141 (pgs. 68 -73)
Drums and trumpets sounded. Enter MARTIUS and
MUTIUS; After them, two Men bearing a coffin covered
with black; then LUCIUS and QUINTUS. After them,
TITUS ANDRONICUS; and then TAMORA, with
ALARBUS, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON, AARON, and other
Goths, prisoners; Soldiers and people following. The
Bearers set down the coffin, and TITUS speaks
TITUS ANDRONICUS
Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds!
Lo, as the bark, that hath discharged her fraught,
Returns with precious jading to the bay
From whence at first she weigh'd her anchorage,
Cometh Andronicus, bound with laurel boughs,
To re-salute his country with his tears,
Tears of true joy for his return to Rome.
Thou great defender of this Capitol,
Stand gracious to the rites that we intend!
Romans, of five and twenty valiant sons,
Half of the number that King Priam had,
Behold the poor remains, alive and dead!
These that survive let Rome reward with love;
These that I bring unto their latest home,
With burial amongst their ancestors:
Here Goths have given me leave to sheathe my sword.
Titus, unkind and careless of thine own,
Why suffer'st thou thy sons, unburied yet,
To hover on the dreadful shore of Styx?
Make way to lay them by their brethren.
The tomb is opened
There greet in silence, as the dead are wont,
And sleep in peace, slain in your country's wars!
O sacred receptacle of my joys,
Sweet cell of virtue and nobility,
How many sons of mine hast thou in store,
That thou wilt never render to me more!
LUCIUS
Give us the proudest prisoner of the Goths,
That we may hew his limbs, and on a pile
Ad manes fratrum sacrifice his flesh,
Before this earthy prison of their bones;
That so the shadows be not unappeased,
Nor we disturb'd with prodigies on earth.
TITUS ANDRONICUS
I give him you, the noblest that survives,
The eldest son of this distressed queen.
TAMORA
Stay, Roman brethren! Gracious conqueror,
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,
A mother's tears in passion for her son:
And if thy sons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my son to be as dear to me!
Sufficeth not that we are brought to Rome,
To beautify thy triumphs and return,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke,
But must my sons be slaughter'd in the streets,
For valiant doings in their country's cause?
O, if to fight for king and commonweal
Were piety in thine, it is in these.
Andronicus, stain not thy tomb with blood:
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful:
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge:
Thrice noble Titus, spare my first-born son.
TITUS ANDRONICUS
Patient yourself, madam, and pardon me.
These are their brethren, whom you Goths beheld
Alive and dead, and for their brethren slain
Religiously they ask a sacrifice:
To this your son is mark'd, and die he must,
To appease their groaning shadows that are gone.
LUCIUS
Away with him! and make a fire straight;
And with our swords, upon a pile of wood,
Let's hew his limbs till they be clean consumed.
Exeunt LUCIUS, QUINTUS, MARTIUS, and MUTIUS,
with ALARBUS
TAMORA
O cruel, irreligious piety!
CHIRON
Was ever Scythia half so barbarous?
DEMETRIUS
Oppose not Scythia to ambitious Rome.
Alarbus goes to rest; and we survive
To tremble under Titus' threatening looks.
Then, madam, stand resolved, but hope withal
The self-same gods that arm'd the Queen of Troy
With opportunity of sharp revenge
Upon the Thracian tyrant in his tent,
May favor Tamora, the Queen of Goths--
When Goths were Goths and Tamora was queen--
To quit the bloody wrongs upon her foes.

Macbeth II.3.52 – II.4.144 (pgs. 32 -39)
LENNOX
The night has been unruly: where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams of death,
And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatch'd to the woeful time: the obscure bird
Clamour'd the livelong night: some say, the earth
Was feverous and did shake.
MACBETH
'Twas a rough night.
LENNOX
My young remembrance cannot parallel
A fellow to it.
Re-enter MACDUFF
MACDUFF
O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart
Cannot conceive nor name thee!
MACBETH LENNOX
What's the matter.
MACDUFF
Confusion now hath made his masterpiece!
Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
The life o' the building!
MACBETH
What is 't you say? the life?
LENNOX
Mean you his majesty?
MACDUFF
Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight
With a new Gorgon: do not bid me speak;
See, and then speak yourselves.
Exeunt MACBETH and LENNOX
Awake, awake!
Ring the alarum-bell. Murder and treason!
Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself! up, up, and see
The great doom's image! Malcolm! Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites,
To countenance this horror! Ring the bell.
Bell rings
Enter LADY MACBETH
LADY MACBETH
What's the business,
That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley
The sleepers of the house? speak, speak!
MACDUFF
O gentle lady,
'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak:
The repetition, in a woman's ear,
Would murder as it fell.
Enter BANQUO
O Banquo, Banquo,
Our royal master 's murder'd!
LADY MACBETH
Woe, alas!
What, in our house?
BANQUO
Too cruel any where.
Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself,
And say it is not so.
Re-enter MACBETH and LENNOX, with ROSS
MACBETH
Had I but died an hour before this chance,
I had lived a blessed time; for, from this instant,
There 's nothing serious in mortality:
All is but toys: renown and grace is dead;
The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
Is left this vault to brag of.
Enter MALCOLM and DONALBAIN
DONALBAIN
What is amiss?
MACBETH
You are, and do not know't:
The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood
Is stopp'd; the very source of it is stopp'd.
MACDUFF
Your royal father 's murder'd.
MALCOLM
O, by whom?

LENNOX
Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had done 't:
Their hands and faces were an badged with blood;
So were their daggers, which unwiped we found
Upon their pillows:
They stared, and were distracted; no man's life
Was to be trusted with them.
MACBETH
O, yet I do repent me of my fury,
That I did kill them.
MACDUFF
Wherefore did you so?
MACBETH
Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious,
Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man:
The expedition my violent love
Outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan,
His silver skin laced with his golden blood;
And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature
For ruin's wasteful entrance: there, the murderers,
Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers
Unmannerly breech'd with gore: who could refrain,
That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make 's love known?
LADY MACBETH
Help me hence, ho!
MACDUFF
Look to the lady.
MALCOLM
[Aside to DONALBAIN] Why do we hold our tongues,
That most may claim this argument for ours?
DONALBAIN
[Aside to MALCOLM] What should be spoken here,
where our fate,
Hid in an auger-hole, may rush, and seize us?
Let 's away;
Our tears are not yet brew'd.
MALCOLM
[Aside to DONALBAIN] Nor our strong sorrow
Upon the foot of motion.
BANQUO
Look to the lady:
LADY MACBETH is carried out
And when we have our naked frailties hid,
That suffer in exposure, let us meet,
And question this most bloody piece of work,
To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us:
In the great hand of God I stand; and thence
Against the undivulged pretence I fight
Of treasonous malice.
MACDUFF
And so do I.
ALL
So all.
MACBETH
Let's briefly put on manly readiness,
And meet i' the hall together.
ALL
Well contented.
Exeunt all but Malcolm and Donalbain.
MALCOLM
What will you do? Let's not consort with them:
To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
Which the false man does easy. I'll to England.
DONALBAIN
To Ireland, I; our separated fortune
Shall keep us both the safer: where we are,
There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,
The nearer bloody.
MALCOLM
This murderous shaft that's shot
Hath not yet lighted, and our safest way
Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift away: there's warrant in that theft
Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left.
Exeunt
SCENE IV. Outside Macbeth's
castle.
Enter ROSS and an old Man
Old Man
Threescore and ten I can remember well:
Within the volume of which time I have seen
Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night
Hath trifled former knowings.
ROSS
Ah, good father,
Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day,

And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp:
Is't night's predominance, or the day's shame,
That darkness does the face of earth entomb,
When living light should kiss it?
The sacred storehouse of his predecessors,
And guardian of their bones.
Old Man
'Tis unnatural,
Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last,
A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd.
ROSS
And Duncan's horses--a thing most strange and certain--
Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make
War with mankind.
Old Man
'Tis said they eat each other.
ROSS
They did so, to the amazement of mine eyes
That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Macduff.
Enter MACDUFF
How goes the world, sir, now?
MACDUFF
Why, see you not?
ROSS
Is't known who did this more than bloody deed?
MACDUFF
Those that Macbeth hath slain.
ROSS
Alas, the day!
What good could they pretend?
MACDUFF
They were suborn'd:
Malcolm and Donalbain, the king's two sons,
Are stol'n away and fled; which puts upon them
Suspicion of the deed.
ROSS
'Gainst nature still!
Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up
Thine own life's means! Then 'tis most like
The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.
MACDUFF
He is already named, and gone to Scone
To be invested.
ROSS
Where is Duncan's body?
MACDUFF
Carried to Colmekill,
ROSS
Will you to Scone?
MACDUFF
No, cousin, I'll to Fife.
ROSS
Well, I will thither.
MACDUFF
Well, may you see things well done there: adieu!
Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!
ROSS
Farewell, father.
Old Man
God's benison go with you; and with those
That would make good of bad, and friends of foes!
Exeunt

The Prince (pgs. 30-31)
CHAPTER X — CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH THE STRENGTH OF ALL
PRINCIPALITIES OUGHT TO BE MEASURED
It is necessary to consider another point in examining the character of these principalities: that is, whether a prince
has such power that, in case of need, he can support himself with his own resources, or whether he has always need
of the assistance of others. And to make this quite clear I say that I consider those who are able to support
themselves by their own resources who can, either by abundance of men or money, raise a sufficient army to join
battle against any one who comes to attack them; and I consider those always to have need of others who cannot
show themselves against the enemy in the field, but are forced to defend themselves by sheltering behind walls. The
first case has been discussed, but we will speak of it again should it recur. In the second case one can say nothing
except to encourage such princes to provision and fortify their towns, and not on any account to defend the country.
And whoever shall fortify his town well, and shall have managed the other concerns of his subjects in the way stated
above, and to be often repeated, will never be attacked without great caution, for men are always adverse to
enterprises where difficulties can be seen, and it will be seen not to be an easy thing to attack one who has his town
well fortified, and is not hated by his people.
The cities of Germany are absolutely free, they own but little country around them, and they yield obedience to the
emperor when it suits them, nor do they fear this or any other power they may have near them, because they are
fortified in such a way that every one thinks the taking of them by assault would be tedious and difficult, seeing they
have proper ditches and walls, they have sufficient artillery, and they always keep in public depots enough for one
year's eating, drinking, and firing. And beyond this, to keep the people quiet and without loss to the state, they
always have the means of giving work to the community in those labours that are the life and strength of the city,
and on the pursuit of which the people are supported; they also hold military exercises in repute, and moreover have
many ordinances to uphold them.
Therefore, a prince who has a strong city, and had not made himself odious, will not be attacked, or if any one
should attack he will only be driven off with disgrace; again, because that the affairs of this world are so changeable,
it is almost impossible to keep an army a whole year in the field without being interfered with. And whoever should
reply: If the people have property outside the city, and see it burnt, they will not remain patient, and the long siege
and self-interest will make them forget their prince; to this I answer that a powerful and courageous prince will
overcome all such difficulties by giving at one time hope to his subjects that the evil will not be for long, at another
time fear of the cruelty of the enemy, then preserving himself adroitly from those subjects who seem to him to be
too bold.
Further, the enemy would naturally on his arrival at once burn and ruin the country at the time when the spirits of the
people are still hot and ready for the defence; and, therefore, so much the less ought the prince to hesitate; because
after a time, when spirits have cooled, the damage is already done, the ills are incurred, and there is no longer any
remedy; and therefore they are so much the more ready to unite with their prince, he appearing to be under
obligations to them now that their houses have been burnt and their possessions ruined in his defence. For it is the
nature of men to be bound by the benefits they confer as much as by those they receive. Therefore, if everything is
well considered, it will not be difficult for a wise prince to keep the minds of his citizens steadfast from first to last,
when he does not fail to support and defend them.

Tao Te Ching
Chapter 17
When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
If you don’t trust the people,
you make them untrustworthy.
The master doesn’t talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
The people say, “Amazing:
We did it, all by ourselves!”
Chapter 31
Weapons are the tools of violence:
All decent men detest them.
Weapons are the tools of fear:
a decent man will avoid them
except in the direst necessity
and, if compelled, will use them
only with the utmost restraint.
Peace is his highest value.
if the peace has been shattered,
how can he be content?
His enemies are not demons,
but human beings like himself.
He doesn’t wish them personal harm.
Nor does he rejoice in victory.
How could he rejoice in victory
and delight in the slaughter of men?
He enters a battle gravely,
With sorrow and with great compassion,
As if he were attending a funeral
Chapter 49
The Master has no mind of her own.
She works with the mind of the people.
She is good to people who are good.
She is also good to people who aren’t good.
This is true goodness.
She trusts people who are trustworthy.
She also trusts people who aren’t trustworthy.
This is true trust.
The Master’s mind is like space.
People don’t understand her.
They look to her and wait.
She treats them like her own children.
Chapter 67
All Streams flow to the sea
Because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.
If you want to govern the people,
you must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead the people,
You must learn how to follow them.
The Master is above the people,
and no one feels oppressed.
She goes ahead of the people,
and no one feels manipulated.
The whole world is grateful to her.
Because she competes with no one,
no one can compete with her.

Powerful Writing Unit Plan 5 days

Inquiry Chart Rubric
0 1 2
Questions There is 1 or fewer
insightful questions.
Or the questions are
unrelated to the
concepts of
leadership, authority,
and power.
There are at least 2
insightful questions
that relate to the
concepts of
and power.
All 4 questions are
insightful and relate to
the concepts of
and power.
Answers Relevant answers
from both The Prince
and The Tao Te Ching
are given for 2 or
fewer questions.
Irrelevant information
is included. Page
numbers are not cited
for quotations.
Relevant answers
are given for at least 3
questions. Page
numbers are cited for
quotations.
Relevant answers
are given for all 4
questions. Page
numbers are cited for
quotations.
Other Important
Information
Responses are blank
or not supported by
the texts.
1 additional facts of
interest are included
about each source.
2 Additional facts of
interest are included
about each source.
New Questions Chart includes 2 or
new questions or
questions that are
unrelated to or do not
respond to new
information found in
the texts.
Chart includes 3 new
questions that respond
to new information
found in the texts.
Chart includes 4 new
questions that respond
to new information
found in the texts.
Summaries 2 or fewer summaries
effectively synthesize
answers from both
The Prince and The
Tao Te Ching.
3 summaries
answers from both
The Prince and The
Tao Te Ching.
All 4 summaries
answers from both
The Prince and The
Tao Te Ching.
Extra credit ([2 points maximum] all 4 class texts have complete, insightful, and relevant
questions, answers, important information, and new questions): _______
Total: ____/10

RAFT Rubric
20 Response is typed. The work is a piece of creative writing in which the author
assumes a definitive role, writes to address a specific audience, adopts the
conventions of the chosen format, and addresses the chosen topic. The
response is of sufficient length to address all 4 categories. The response
exhibits exceptional creativity or functions as an insightful creative response to
notions of leadership and power found in at least one of the unit texts.
response is of sufficient length to address all 4 categories. The response
exhibits creativity or functions as a creative response to notions of leadership
and power found in at least one of the unit texts.
response is of sufficient length to address all 4 categories. The response is a
formulaic or generic piece of creative writing, which relates adequately to
notions of leadership and power found in at least one of the unit texts.
14 Response is typed. The work is a piece of creative writing but the author fails
to assume a definitive role, write to address a specific audience, adopt the
conventions of the chosen format, or address the chosen topic (3 of the 4
RAFT categories are adequately addressed). The response is generic and
formulaic. The response does not adequately present a creative stance or
comment regarding leadership or power.
12 Response is typed. The work is a piece of creative writing but the author fails
to assume a definitive role, write to address a specific audience, adopt the
conventions of the chosen format, or address the chosen topic (3 of the 4
RAFT categories are adequately addressed). The response is generic and
formulaic and does not adequately present a creative stance or comment
regarding leadership or power. The response lacks cohesion. The response is
off purpose in that it is primarily and informational summary of the text
without an attempt at creative reinterpretation.
0-11 Response is untyped. The response is not a creative writing piece that
responds to the text or opinions regarding leadership and power. There
response is of inadequate length to address multiple RAFT categories. The
response fails to incorporation multiple RAFT categories. The response is
solely informational or does not relate to one of the unit texts.
Total __/20

Lesson Plan 2: 12th
Grade English
Critiquing Machiavellian and Taoist
arguments; character analysis through
Machiavellian and Taoist perspectives
12.1 The student will make a formal oral presentation in a
group or individually.
b) Choose vocabulary, language, and tone
appropriate to the audience, topic, and purpose.
c) Use details, illustrations, statistics, comparisons,
and analogies to support the presentation.
d) Use media, visual literacy, and technology skills
to create and support the presentation.
e) Use grammatically correct language, including
vocabulary appropriate to the topic, audience, and
purpose.
f) Collaborate and report on small group learning
activities.
g) Evaluate formal presentations including
personal, digital, visual, textual, and technological.
h) Use a variety of listening strategies to analyze
relationships among purpose, audience, and content
of presentations.
to the Unit Goals
This lesson includes strategies for group work intended to
encourage the students to engage with the content of the texts with
a focus on the themes of leadership and power. The lesson will
begin with comparative readings of selections from The Prince
and the Tao Te Ching. Chapter III of The Prince is primarily
concerned with King Louis XII’s incursion into Italy. Machiavelli
describes how France conquered and lost Milan. Louis made the
mistake of crushing minor powers in Italy thus reducing internal
opposition within Italy to the state of Venice, which competed

with France for dominance in the region. Machiavelli also
describes war as a useful tool for destroying dissent within a state
and elaborates further upon this point in chapter XXIV. Citizens
will rally to support their leader if they are afraid of foreign
aggression. The selections from the Tao Te Ching present a very
different conception of power. Power cannot be obtained through
ambition or by controlling others. Several of these chapters deal
with the concept of non-action in Taoism. Any individual who
attempts to control events will fail because the universe is in a
constant state of chaos. Any effort one makes to impose order is
artificial and, takes and individual out of harmony with the Tao,
and will naturally be met with an equal and opposite counterforce
against whatever outcome is sought after or intended.
In this lesson the students will be divided into pairs and then
groups of four to discuss and document arguments supporting or
refuting five key questions:
1) Does Machiavelli place limits on the use of force by a wise
ruler?
2) Is Lao Tzu’s proscription against violence universal?
3) Does Macbeth exhibit the characteristics of a Machiavellian
prince?
4) Does Tamora ever possess true power in Titus Andronicus?
5) Could a Taoist support any of Titus’ acts of retribution against
Tamora and her family?
Each group will develop a consensus answer to one of these
questions and present their arguments and conclusions to the class.
This provides an opportunity for students to read through the text
for the explicit purpose of supporting or refuting a claim. This
will help prepare students for the unit post-assessment, an
argumentative essay grounded in the texts. In the second half of
the unit the students will work in groups of three to create a
presentation that will consist of an analysis of one of the
characters from Macbeth or Titus Andronicus through the
competing perspectives of Taoist and Machiavellian thought. This
will give the class practice in character analysis which they will
use when writing the unit post-assessment essay.
Lesson Objectives
• The students will develop and present arguments to support or
refute claims about power and force grounded in the unit texts.
• The students will work in small groups to create a presentation
about a main character from Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Titus

Andronicus and analyze that character from a Machiavellian and
Taoist perspective.
Differentiation for
the Lesson is
Learners
Differentiation will be provided through purposeful student
grouping. Students will be placed in groups so that students with
complementary strengths and weaknesses can support each other.
Higher-level students will have the opportunity to develop
leadership and clarify their own understanding by helping lower
level students, who will benefit by receiving additional support
and feedback from their peers. The discussion web activity
includes both written and verbal discussion. Introverted students
will benefit by having a written scaffold from which to develop
conversations about the texts. Extroverted students will benefit
from the opportunity to work in groups and develop their
arguments collaboratively while at the same time creating a
written document of those conversations. Intentional grouping for
the group character analysis presentations will also enable
differentiation. To the maximum extent feasible students will be
placed in groups so that each group contains at least one student
who excels in at least one of the following skills: writing and
computer use, verbal argument and presentation, and reading for
specific content. This will allow each group member to choose a
role within the group that compliments their individual abilities
and interests. Each group will choose which character the group
members will analyze, students have the ability to distribute the
tasks necessary to complete the presentation however they wish as
long as each member makes a comparable contribution, and the
students have the freedom to choose any format they wish for the
digital presentation. The only restriction is that the group must
address all four components of the assignment. This facilitates
differentiation by allowing students control in decision making
over how best to accomplish the goals of the lesson.
Definitions
Renaissance:
1) The activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature,
and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and
extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the
medieval to the modern world.
2) The forms and treatments in art used during this period.
3) (Sometimes lowercase) Any similar revival in the world of art
and learning.
4) (Lowercase) A renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc.; rebirth;
revival:

(source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/renaissance)
Warring States Period:
The Warring States period (Chinese: ) was an era in
ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period
and concluding with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the
annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to
the Qin state's victory in 221 BC as the first unified Chinese
empire known as the Qin dynasty. Although different scholars
point toward different dates ranging from 481 BC to 403 BC as
the true beginning of the Warring States, Sima Qian's choice of
475 BC is generally the most often cited and popularly accepted
one. The Warring States era also overlaps with the second half of
the Eastern Zhou dynasty, though the Chinese sovereign, known
as the king of Zhou, ruled merely a figurehead and served as a
backdrop against the machinations of the warring states.
The "Warring States Period" derives its name from the Record of
the Warring States, a work compiled early in the Han dynasty.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period)
Materials/Resources
Ÿ Pens
Ÿ Pencils
Ÿ Paper
Ÿ Discussion Web handout
Ÿ Group presentation with digital visual aid instructions
Ÿ Selected Reading handout from the following texts:
NY: Penguin Books
Press.
Lesson Sequence and
Description #1 (10 minutes) As the students enter the classroom the teacher

will provide them with the selected readings handout from The
Prince and The Tao Te Ching. The teacher will instruct the
students to use a pen, pencil, and/or highlighter to identify and
respond to key points.
#2 (10 minutes) The teacher will distribute the discussion web
handout and place students into pairs of two and assign each pair
one of the following questions:
1) Does Machiavelli place limits on the use of force by a wise
ruler?
2) Is Lao Tzu’s proscription against violence universal?
3) Does Macbeth exhibit the characteristics of a Machiavellian
prince?
4) Does Tamora ever possess true power in Titus Andronicus?
5) Could a Taoist support any of Titus’ acts of retribution against
Tamora and her family?
There are 20 students in the class and 2 pairs of students will work
on each question. The students will begin identifying arguments
on both sides of each question. At this stage the students should
focus on developing the best possible arguments supporting and
rejecting each proposition.
#3 (15 minutes) Each pair will join the other pair working on the
same question forming five groups of four. The students will
deliberate towards a consensus on each question, adding additional
arguments for both side of the web developed over the course of
discussion. Each piece of evidence supporting the arguments must
be grounded in the text. The students should write page numbers
for direct quotations and locations of specific details supporting
larger generalizations. Each group must come to consensus
conclusion in answer to their question. The students will also
identify the most effective arguments in support of their
conclusion and consider refutations of the most effective
arguments against their conclusions.
#4 (15 minutes) Each group will select a spokesperson to present
their findings to the class. In their minutes or less each
spokesperson will present his or her group’s conclusion and
supporting arguments.
#5 (25 minutes) The students will then be assembled in groups of
three and the teacher will distribute the group character analysis
presentation handout. The teacher will explain the goal of the
assignment. Each group will create a 5-10 minute presentation on
a character of their choice from the handout. The project will

include a digital presentation to document each group’s character
analysis. This can take the form of a Prezi (www.prezi.com), a
PowerPoint presentation, or another digital presentation format of
the group’s choice. The goal is not to create an elaborate
slideshow, but instead to provide clear written documentation that
the group can refer to while addressing the four components of the
assignment. However, as an extension, students may create visual
aids to compliment their presentations, such as a digital collage or
Google map. The students will use the remainder of class time to
divide group tasks and begin creating the presentation. The
students should share contact information such as their email
addresses so that each student can complete part of the research
and one student can compile all of the work into a single
presentation. Each group should assign group roles so that all
components of the presentation are addressed.
Homework: Follow-up
Home
Ÿ The students will complete preparation for the group character
analysis presentations as homework
the Student may
Ÿ For additional context students should read the Forward and
Chapter Notes for Stephen Mitchell’s translation of The Tao Te
Ching.
Ÿ While creating their digital presentations students have the
option to explore their character in greater depth by creating
original digital visual content to incorporate into their
presentations. For example, while studying a character from
Macbeth they could use Google Maps to create a custom map of
England and Scotland highlighting the travels of their character
over the course of the play. Another possibility would be to use
Photoshop to create a digital collage incorporating images of
Gothic and Roman buildings to create an image that depicts the
fictional setting inhabited by the characters of Titus Andronicus.
How could students visually represent Titus’s Rome as
simultaneously at the height of its power and on the verge of
imminent collapse?
Assessment: Methods
and Materials for
Assessing Student
Ÿ Discussion Web
Ÿ Group presentation with digital visual aid

The Prince
CHAPTER III — CONCERNING MIXED PRINCIPALITIES
But the difficulties occur in a new principality. And firstly, if it be not entirely new, but is, as it were, a member of a
state which, taken collectively, may be called composite, the changes arise chiefly from an inherent difficulty which
there is in all new principalities; for men change their rulers willingly, hoping to better themselves, and this hope
induces them to take up arms against him who rules: wherein they are deceived, because they afterwards find by
experience they have gone from bad to worse. This follows also on another natural and common necessity, which
always causes a new prince to burden those who have submitted to him with his soldiery and with infinite other
hardships which he must put upon his new acquisition.
In this way you have enemies in all those whom you have injured in seizing that principality, and you are not able to
keep those friends who put you there because of your not being able to satisfy them in the way they expected, and
you cannot take strong measures against them, feeling bound to them. For, although one may be very strong in
armed forces, yet in entering a province one has always need of the goodwill of the natives.
For these reasons Louis the Twelfth, King of France, quickly occupied Milan, and as quickly lost it; and to turn him
out the first time it only needed Lodovico's own forces; because those who had opened the gates to him, finding
themselves deceived in their hopes of future benefit, would not endure the ill-treatment of the new prince. It is very
true that, after acquiring rebellious provinces a second time, they are not so lightly lost afterwards, because the
prince, with little reluctance, takes the opportunity of the rebellion to punish the delinquents, to clear out the
suspects, and to strengthen himself in the weakest places. Thus to cause France to lose Milan the first time it was
enough for the Duke Lodovico(*) to raise insurrections on the borders; but to cause him to lose it a second time it
was necessary to bring the whole world against him, and that his armies should be defeated and driven out of Italy;
which followed from the causes above mentioned.
(*) Duke Lodovico was Lodovico Moro, a son of Francesco Sforza, who married Beatrice d'Este. He ruled over
Milan from 1494 to 1500, and died in 1510.
Nevertheless Milan was taken from France both the first and the second time. The general reasons for the first have
been discussed; it remains to name those for the second, and to see what resources he had, and what any one in his
situation would have had for maintaining himself more securely in his acquisition than did the King of France.
Now I say that those dominions which, when acquired, are added to an ancient state by him who acquires them, are
either of the same country and language, or they are not. When they are, it is easier to hold them, especially when
they have not been accustomed to self-government; and to hold them securely it is enough to have destroyed the
family of the prince who was ruling them; because the two peoples, preserving in other things the old conditions,
and not being unlike in customs, will live quietly together, as one has seen in Brittany, Burgundy, Gascony, and
Normandy, which have been bound to France for so long a time: and, although there may be some difference in
language, nevertheless the customs are alike, and the people will easily be able to get on amongst themselves. He
who has annexed them, if he wishes to hold them, has only to bear in mind two considerations: the one, that the
family of their former lord is extinguished; the other, that neither their laws nor their taxes are altered, so that in a
very short time they will become entirely one body with the old principality.
But when states are acquired in a country differing in language, customs, or laws, there are difficulties, and good
fortune and great energy are needed to hold them, and one of the greatest and most real helps would be that he who
has acquired them should go and reside there. This would make his position more secure and durable, as it has made
that of the Turk in Greece, who, notwithstanding all the other measures taken by him for holding that state, if he had
not settled there, would not have been able to keep it. Because, if one is on the spot, disorders are seen as they spring
up, and one can quickly remedy them; but if one is not at hand, they are heard of only when they are great, and then
one can no longer remedy them. Besides this, the country is not pillaged by your officials; the subjects are satisfied
by prompt recourse to the prince; thus, wishing to be good, they have more cause to love him, and wishing to be
otherwise, to fear him. He who would attack that state from the outside must have the utmost caution; as long as the
prince resides there it can only be wrested from him with the greatest difficulty.

The other and better course is to send colonies to one or two places, which may be as keys to that state, for it is
necessary either to do this or else to keep there a great number of cavalry and infantry. A prince does not spend
much on colonies, for with little or no expense he can send them out and keep them there, and he offends a minority
only of the citizens from whom he takes lands and houses to give them to the new inhabitants; and those whom he
offends, remaining poor and scattered, are never able to injure him; whilst the rest being uninjured are easily kept
quiet, and at the same time are anxious not to err for fear it should happen to them as it has to those who have been
despoiled. In conclusion, I say that these colonies are not costly, they are more faithful, they injure less, and the
injured, as has been said, being poor and scattered, cannot hurt. Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either
to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they
cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of
revenge.
But in maintaining armed men there in place of colonies one spends much more, having to consume on the garrison
all the income from the state, so that the acquisition turns into a loss, and many more are exasperated, because the
whole state is injured; through the shifting of the garrison up and down all become acquainted with hardship, and all
become hostile, and they are enemies who, whilst beaten on their own ground, are yet able to do hurt. For every
reason, therefore, such guards are as useless as a colony is useful.
Again, the prince who holds a country differing in the above respects ought to make himself the head and defender
of his less powerful neighbours, and to weaken the more powerful amongst them, taking care that no foreigner as
powerful as himself shall, by any accident, get a footing there; for it will always happen that such a one will be
introduced by those who are discontented, either through excess of ambition or through fear, as one has seen
already. The Romans were brought into Greece by the Aetolians; and in every other country where they obtained a
footing they were brought in by the inhabitants. And the usual course of affairs is that, as soon as a powerful
foreigner enters a country, all the subject states are drawn to him, moved by the hatred which they feel against the
ruling power. So that in respect to those subject states he has not to take any trouble to gain them over to himself, for
the whole of them quickly rally to the state which he has acquired there. He has only to take care that they do not get
hold of too much power and too much authority, and then with his own forces, and with their goodwill, he can easily
keep down the more powerful of them, so as to remain entirely master in the country. And he who does not properly
manage this business will soon lose what he has acquired, and whilst he does hold it he will have endless difficulties
and troubles.
The Romans, in the countries which they annexed, observed closely these measures; they sent colonies and
maintained friendly relations with(*) the minor powers, without increasing their strength; they kept down the
greater, and did not allow any strong foreign powers to gain authority. Greece appears to me sufficient for an
example. The Achaeans and Aetolians were kept friendly by them, the kingdom of Macedonia was humbled,
Antiochus was driven out; yet the merits of the Achaeans and Aetolians never secured for them permission to
increase their power, nor did the persuasions of Philip ever induce the Romans to be his friends without first
humbling him, nor did the influence of Antiochus make them agree that he should retain any lordship over the
country. Because the Romans did in these instances what all prudent princes ought to do, who have to regard not
only present troubles, but also future ones, for which they must prepare with every energy, because, when foreseen,
it is easy to remedy them; but if you wait until they approach, the medicine is no longer in time because the malady
has become incurable; for it happens in this, as the physicians say it happens in hectic fever, that in the beginning of
the malady it is easy to cure but difficult to detect, but in the course of time, not having been either detected or
treated in the beginning, it becomes easy to detect but difficult to cure. This it happens in affairs of state, for when
the evils that arise have been foreseen (which it is only given to a wise man to see), they can be quickly redressed,
but when, through not having been foreseen, they have been permitted to grow in a way that every one can see them,
there is no longer a remedy. Therefore, the Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once, and, even to avoid
a war, would not let them come to a head, for they knew that war is not to be avoided, but is only to be put off to the
advantage of others; moreover they wished to fight with Philip and Antiochus in Greece so as not to have to do it in
Italy; they could have avoided both, but this they did not wish; nor did that ever please them which is for ever in the
mouths of the wise ones of our time:—Let us enjoy the benefits of the time—but rather the benefits of their own
valour and prudence, for time drives everything before it, and is able to bring with it good as well as evil, and evil as
well as good.
(*) See remark in the introduction on the word "intrattenere."

But let us turn to France and inquire whether she has done any of the things mentioned. I will speak of Louis(*) (and
not of Charles)(+) as the one whose conduct is the better to be observed, he having held possession of Italy for the
longest period; and you will see that he has done the opposite to those things which ought to be done to retain a state
composed of divers elements.
(*) Louis XII, King of France, "The Father of the People,"
born 1462, died 1515.
(+) Charles VIII, King of France, born 1470, died 1498.
King Louis was brought into Italy by the ambition of the Venetians, who desired to obtain half the state of
Lombardy by his intervention. I will not blame the course taken by the king, because, wishing to get a foothold in
Italy, and having no friends there—seeing rather that every door was shut to him owing to the conduct of Charles—
he was forced to accept those friendships which he could get, and he would have succeeded very quickly in his
design if in other matters he had not made some mistakes. The king, however, having acquired Lombardy, regained
at once the authority which Charles had lost: Genoa yielded; the Florentines became his friends; the Marquess of
Mantua, the Duke of Ferrara, the Bentivogli, my lady of Forli, the Lords of Faenza, of Pesaro, of Rimini, of
Camerino, of Piombino, the Lucchese, the Pisans, the Sienese—everybody made advances to him to become his
friend. Then could the Venetians realize the rashness of the course taken by them, which, in order that they might
secure two towns in Lombardy, had made the king master of two-thirds of Italy.
Let any one now consider with what little difficulty the king could have maintained his position in Italy had he
observed the rules above laid down, and kept all his friends secure and protected; for although they were numerous
they were both weak and timid, some afraid of the Church, some of the Venetians, and thus they would always have
been forced to stand in with him, and by their means he could easily have made himself secure against those who
remained powerful. But he was no sooner in Milan than he did the contrary by assisting Pope Alexander to occupy
the Romagna. It never occurred to him that by this action he was weakening himself, depriving himself of friends
and of those who had thrown themselves into his lap, whilst he aggrandized the Church by adding much temporal
power to the spiritual, thus giving it greater authority. And having committed this prime error, he was obliged to
follow it up, so much so that, to put an end to the ambition of Alexander, and to prevent his becoming the master of
Tuscany, he was himself forced to come into Italy.
And as if it were not enough to have aggrandized the Church, and deprived himself of friends, he, wishing to have
the kingdom of Naples, divides it with the King of Spain, and where he was the prime arbiter in Italy he takes an
associate, so that the ambitious of that country and the malcontents of his own should have somewhere to shelter;
and whereas he could have left in the kingdom his own pensioner as king, he drove him out, to put one there who
was able to drive him, Louis, out in turn.
The wish to acquire is in truth very natural and common, and men always do so when they can, and for this they will
be praised not blamed; but when they cannot do so, yet wish to do so by any means, then there is folly and blame.
Therefore, if France could have attacked Naples with her own forces she ought to have done so; if she could not,
then she ought not to have divided it. And if the partition which she made with the Venetians in Lombardy was
justified by the excuse that by it she got a foothold in Italy, this other partition merited blame, for it had not the
excuse of that necessity.
Therefore Louis made these five errors: he destroyed the minor powers, he increased the strength of one of the
greater powers in Italy, he brought in a foreign power, he did not settle in the country, he did not send colonies.
Which errors, had he lived, were not enough to injure him had he not made a sixth by taking away their dominions
from the Venetians; because, had he not aggrandized the Church, nor brought Spain into Italy, it would have been
very reasonable and necessary to humble them; but having first taken these steps, he ought never to have consented
to their ruin, for they, being powerful, would always have kept off others from designs on Lombardy, to which the
Venetians would never have consented except to become masters themselves there; also because the others would
not wish to take Lombardy from France in order to give it to the Venetians, and to run counter to both they would
not have had the courage.
And if any one should say: "King Louis yielded the Romagna to Alexander and the kingdom to Spain to avoid war,"
I answer for the reasons given above that a blunder ought never to be perpetrated to avoid war, because it is not to be
avoided, but is only deferred to your disadvantage. And if another should allege the pledge which the king had given

to the Pope that he would assist him in the enterprise, in exchange for the dissolution of his marriage(*) and for the
cap to Rouen,(+) to that I reply what I shall write later on concerning the faith of princes, and how it ought to be
kept.
(*) Louis XII divorced his wife, Jeanne, daughter of Louis
XI, and married in 1499 Anne of Brittany, widow of Charles
VIII, in order to retain the Duchy of Brittany for the
crown.
(+) The Archbishop of Rouen. He was Georges d'Amboise,
created a cardinal by Alexander VI. Born 1460, died 1510.
Thus King Louis lost Lombardy by not having followed any of the conditions observed by those who have taken
possession of countries and wished to retain them. Nor is there any miracle in this, but much that is reasonable and
quite natural. And on these matters I spoke at Nantes with Rouen, when Valentino, as Cesare Borgia, the son of
Pope Alexander, was usually called, occupied the Romagna, and on Cardinal Rouen observing to me that the Italians
did not understand war, I replied to him that the French did not understand statecraft, meaning that otherwise they
would not have allowed the Church to reach such greatness. And in fact it has been seen that the greatness of the
Church and of Spain in Italy has been caused by France, and her ruin may be attributed to them. From this a general
rule is drawn which never or rarely fails: that he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined; because
that predominancy has been brought about either by astuteness or else by force, and both are distrusted by him who
has been raised to power.
CHAPTER XXIV — WHY THE PRINCES OF ITALY HAVE LOST THEIR STATES
The previous suggestions, carefully observed, will enable a new prince to appear well established, and render him at
once more secure and fixed in the state than if he had been long seated there. For the actions of a new prince are
more narrowly observed than those of an hereditary one, and when they are seen to be able they gain more men and
bind far tighter than ancient blood; because men are attracted more by the present than by the past, and when they
find the present good they enjoy it and seek no further; they will also make the utmost defence of a prince if he fails
them not in other things. Thus it will be a double glory for him to have established a new principality, and adorned
and strengthened it with good laws, good arms, good allies, and with a good example; so will it be a double disgrace
to him who, born a prince, shall lose his state by want of wisdom.
And if those seigniors are considered who have lost their states in Italy in our times, such as the King of Naples, the
Duke of Milan, and others, there will be found in them, firstly, one common defect in regard to arms from the causes
which have been discussed at length; in the next place, some one of them will be seen, either to have had the people
hostile, or if he has had the people friendly, he has not known how to secure the nobles. In the absence of these
defects states that have power enough to keep an army in the field cannot be lost.
Philip of Macedon, not the father of Alexander the Great, but he who was conquered by Titus Quintius, had not
much territory compared to the greatness of the Romans and of Greece who attacked him, yet being a warlike man
who knew how to attract the people and secure the nobles, he sustained the war against his enemies for many years,
and if in the end he lost the dominion of some cities, nevertheless he retained the kingdom.
Therefore, do not let our princes accuse fortune for the loss of their principalities after so many years' possession,
but rather their own sloth, because in quiet times they never thought there could be a change (it is a common defect
in man not to make any provision in the calm against the tempest), and when afterwards the bad times came they
thought of flight and not of defending themselves, and they hoped that the people, disgusted with the insolence of
the conquerors, would recall them. This course, when others fail, may be good, but it is very bad to have neglected
all other expedients for that, since you would never wish to fall because you trusted to be able to find someone later
on to restore you. This again either does not happen, or, if it does, it will not be for your security, because that
deliverance is of no avail which does not depend upon yourself; those only are reliable, certain, and durable that
depend on yourself and your valour.

The Tao Te Ching
Chapter 3
If you over esteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions.
people begin to steal.
The Master leads
by emptying people’s minds
and filling their cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their resolve.
He helps people lose everything
they know, everything they desire,
and creates confusion
in those who think that they know.
Practice not-doing,
And everything will fall into place.
Chapter 8
The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places people disdain.
Thus is is like the Tao.
In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
When you are content to be simply yourself
and don’t compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.
Chapter 11
We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.
We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.
We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.
We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.
Chapter 19
Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
And ther won’t be any thieves.
If these three aren’t enough,
Just stay at the center of the circle
And let all things take their course.

Chapter 30
Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men
doesn’t try to force issues
or defeat enemies by force of arms.
For every force there is counterforce.
violence, even well intentioned,
always rebounds upon oneself.
The Master does his job
and then stops.
He understands that the universe
is forever out of control,
and that trying to dominate events
goes against the current of the Tao.
Because he believes in himself,
he doesn’t try to convince others.
Because he is content with himself,
he doesn’t need others’ approval.
Because he accepts himself,
the whole world accepts him.
Chapter 33
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
If you realize that you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever.
Chapter 38
The Master doesn’t try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has enough.
The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.
The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does something,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness,
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
And lets all illusions go.

Discussion Web & Discussion Web Presentation Rubric
3 2 1 0
Arguments for
the affirmative
7 thoughtful
arguments are
recorded in favor of
the proposition. All
7 arguments are
grounded in the
source material.
At least 5 thoughtful
arguments are
the proposition.
These 5 arguments
are grounded in the
source material.
arguments are
the proposition.
These 3 arguments
are grounded in the
source material.
Section is blank or
less than 3
thoughtful
arguments are
the proposition.
Less than 3
arguments are
grounded in the
source material.
Arguments for
the negative
7 thoughtful
arguments are
recorded in
opposition to the
proposition. All 7
arguments are
grounded in the
source material.
5 thoughtful
arguments are
recorded in
opposition to the
proposition. These 5
arguments are
grounded in the
source material.
arguments are
recorded in
opposition to the
proposition. These 3
arguments are
grounded in the
source material.
Section is blank or
less than 3
thoughtful
arguments are
recorded in
opposition to the
proposition. Less
than 3 arguments are
grounded in the
source material.
Group
Presentation
All 4 group
members contribute
to the presentation.
An insightful
consensus
conclusion is
presented as well a
the most important
arguments
supporting and
refuting the
conclusion.
All 4 group
members contribute
to the presentation.
A consensus
conclusion is
presented.
Arguments
supporting and
refuting the
conclusion are
presented but some
are extraneous.
At least 1 group
member does not
contribute to the
presentation. The
presentation on the
consensus
conclusion and
surrounding
arguments is
superficial and
includes irrelevant
information.
Group presentation
is unprofessional or
group fails to present
a consensus
conclusion and key
arguments on both
sides of the issue.
No conclusion is
presented
Conclusion A well-considered
conclusion is
recorded after
synthesis of
supporting and
opposing arguments.
A satisfactory
conclusion is
recorded with
supporting
arguments that do
not respond to
doubt.
A week conclusion
is recorded that is
only somewhat
supported by
affirmative or
negative arguments.
Conclusion is
missing or
irrelevant.
Total _____/12

Group Presentation
In this assignment you will be divided into groups of three. Your group will select a character
from either Macbeth or Titus Andronicus and analyze the character from both a Machiavellian
and Taoist perspective. You will have up to 10 minutes to complete your presentation you’re
your presentation must be at least 5 minutes in length. Please choose one of the following
characters:
Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus
Marcus Andronicus
Saturninus
Tamora
Macbeth
Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Banquo
Malcolm
Macduff
You may include graphic organizers and images in your presentation but the primary goal of the
visual aid should be to clearly and concisely summarize the key points of your presentation. You
will create a digital presentation such as a PowerPoint or Prezi that addresses the topics and
questions below. Be sure to support your answers with evidence from the texts.
1) Character Synopsis- Write a short biography of your character. Describe key actions
performed by the character in the play and explain why learning more about this character is
critical for understanding the play.
2) Identify a decision made by your character that Machiavelli would approve of or condemn.
Why would Machiavelli hold this opinion?
3) Select a chapter from the Tao Te Ching that you believe relates to your character and describe
this relationship. To what degree does your character live in accordance of in opposition to your
understanding of the Tao?
4) Each of the above characters wields some degree of power as a military and/or political
leader. Having considered your character from a Machiavellian and Taoist perspective, answer
the following questions: is your character a good leader? Would you follow your character if he
or she gave you an instruction, command, or order? Why or why not?

Lesson Plan 3: 12th
Grade English
Character analysis through
Machiavellian and Taoist perspectives;
Creative critique of power
b) Choose vocabulary, language, and tone
appropriate to the audience, topic, and purpose.
d) Use media, visual literacy, and technology skills
to create and support the presentation.
purpose.
activities.
g) Evaluate formal presentations including
personal, digital, visual, textual, and technological.
of presentations.
cultures.
a) Compare and contrast the development of British
literature in its historical context.
d) Relate literary works and authors to major themes
and issues of their eras.
e) Analyze the social and cultural function of British
literature.

to the Unit Goals
In this lesson the students will complete group presentations that
address conceptions of power through analysis of one important
character from the unit texts. In groups of three, the students will
give a presentation consisting of an analysis of one of the
characters from Macbeth or Titus Andronicus through the
competing perspectives of Taoist and Machiavellian thought. This
will give the students practice in character analysis which they will
use when writing the unit post-assessment essay. These
presentations also function as a jigsaw activity. Each group
focuses on a different character and each student will complete an
evaluation of each presentation other than his or her own. In this
way a large amount of content can be covered in a relatively short
amount of time.
In the second part of this lesson the teacher will present an
example of artistic critiques of power relevant to the unit texts:
Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Richard Bacon’s Study after
Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Virginio Ferrari’s
Dialogo, and Henry Moore’s Nuclear Energy. The teacher will
explain how an art object can synthesize convergent, competing,
or contradictory viewpoints on power, and in response present a
didactic moral argument or judgment about power. The teacher
will then hand out an assignment with a rubric that presents the
students with a variety of options for completing the same process
on their own. The creative product will be visual, linguistic, or
dramatic. The students will have the option to work in small
groups if preparing a dramatic product such as a short
performance. To accompany the creative product, the students
will prepare a written statement that identifies which texts they are
responding to, how their work synthesizes notions of power
contained within the text, and how their work expresses and
promotes an individual moral claim about the nature of power.
Analysis of notions of power contained within the class texts is a
key goal of the unit. This assignment provides opportunity for
students to engage with these concepts in an alternative, creative
manner. In addition the inclusion of the accompanying writing
assignment will helps students consolidate understanding in
preparation for the post-assessment argumentative essay.
Lesson Objectives
• The students will work in small groups to give a presentation
about a main character from Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Titus

Andronicus and analyze that character from a Machiavellian and
Taoist perspective.
• The students will work individually or in small groups to create
an original artwork or musical or dramatic composition that
expresses an opinion about the nature of power. The students will
create a written statement describing the intentions of their
creative product.
Differentiation for
the Lesson is
Learners
This lesson provides for differentiation for gifted students because
students are intentionally placed into groups of students with
complementary abilities. A student who is very good at webpage
design but hates speaking in public could make a good partner for
a student with limited computer literacy or ability, but is highly
extroverted and loves to lead presentations. Both students have an
important skill that they can use to accomplish the group goals.
By placing them together, they have the opportunity to learn from
each other.
This lesson includes art integration. Given that the students
possess a range of creative abilities the plan does not require all
students to make a work of visual art. The students have the
option to create a written or dramatic creative product as well, and
to work individually or in groups, according to their individual
preferences. Art integration may increase the engagement of
twice-exceptional or high ability students who may become bored
or frustrated if given too many traditional paper and pencil tasks.
Art integration is beneficial to gifted and talented students as it
engages them to explore concepts through the use of
nontraditional media. Drawing a picture about a topic is very
different from writing a report about the same topic. While
drawing it may not be possible to focus solely on line and form.
Instead the mind tends to construct a narrative in the background
while the hands and the eyes complete the drawing task. This
narrative will become visually incorporated to some degree in the
drawing. Importantly the students will reflect on the concept of
power and what they know about it so as to create an effective
work of art. The students have the choice to work in other areas
such as music and theater and have the option to join small groups
to work collaboratively. Increasing the number of choices as
student may make when deciding how to complete the assignment
facilitates differentiation, as students will gravitate towards
learning options that they enjoy and/or find more useful. This also
increases student investment in the final product.

Definitions
Proto-Cubism (also referred to as Protocubism, Pre-Cubism or
Early Cubism) is an intermediary transition phase in the history of
art chronologically extending from 1906 to 1910. Evidence
suggests that the production of proto-Cubist paintings resulted
from a wide-ranging series of experiments, circumstances,
influences and conditions, rather than from one isolated static
event, trajectory, artist or discourse. With its roots stemming from
at least the late 19th century this period can be characterized by a
move towards the radical geometrization of form and a reduction
or limitation of the color palette (in comparison with Fauvism). It
is essentially the first experimental and exploratory phase of an art
movement that would become altogether more extreme, known
from the spring of 1911 as Cubism.
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and
painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th
century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a
subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect
in order to evoke moods or ideas. Expressionist artists sought to
express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical
reality.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressionism)
Materials/Resources
Ÿ Pens
Ÿ Pencils
Ÿ Paper
Ÿ Group presentation feedback forms
Ÿ Creative critique of power assignment handout
Lesson Sequence and
Description
#1 (50 minutes) The students will divide into the groups of three
assembled for the purposes of the group presentations assigned in
the previous class. In 5-10 minutes each group will present their
analysis of a character from Macbeth or Titus Andronicus through
the competing perspectives of Taoist and Machiavellian thought.
Each group will submit a digital document summarizing the key
points of their oral presentation. During each presentation the rest
of the class will complete feedback forms, which the teacher will
refer to when assigning the final grade. Each group will receive a
copy of all feedback forms on their presentation.
#2 (25 minutes) The teacher will distribute handouts for the
critical evaluation creative product assignment. The teacher will

project images of the following artworks: Pablo Picasso’s
Guernica, Richard Bacon’s Study after Velazquez's Portrait of
Pope Innocent X, Virginio Ferrari’s Dialogo, and Henry Moore’s
Nuclear Energy. Briefly, the teacher will locate Picaso within the
Proto-cubist visual art movement and Bacon within the broader
category of Epressionism. The teacher will explain some of the
concepts investigated by the Moore and Ferrari sculptures. Some
believe that the shadow cast by Dialogo on May Day (May 1st
, the
international celebration of workers and worker’s rights) and
perhaps the sculpture itself resembles a hammer and sickle, the
symbol of Communism. This visual analogy may stand as a
critique of the University of Chicago School of International
Studies’ role in the development of neoconservative political
ideology (a nationalist, military interventionist philosophy, which
was also violently anti-communist) that would eventually provide
a philosophical justification for decision-making in the Reagan
and Bush administrations. Nuclear Energy documents humanity’s
first successful attempt to control the fission reaction. The
sculpture suggests multiple forms including an infantry helmet, a
skull, and a mushroom cloud. Ironically these sculptures function
simultaneously as critiques of power and as monuments
documenting and displaying the wealth, academic influence, and
authority of the university. The four pieces presented are all
demonstrably didactic. They convey a distinct message about the
disturbing nature of authority and power.
The teacher will explain that for this assignment the students will
create their own original artworks that express their unique
opinions about the nature of power and authority. The students
should consider how Machiavelli and Lao Tzu each convey an
ideological statement. The students may chose to create a work of
visual art individually or may work in small groups to prepare a
musical or theatrical composition. An example of a musical
submission could include rewriting the lyrics and then performing
a favorite song to convey a new message. A theatrical submission
could include a monologue or sketch. The students will create a 1-
page statement to accompany their artwork or performance
describing their intentions and motivations for creating the piece.
Students who wish to work in groups may create groups of up to
3. The students will spend the remainder of class sketching out
plans for their artwork, musical, or theatrical composition.
Homework: Follow-up
Home
Ÿ Critical evaluation creative product

the Student may
Ÿ For additional context students may read the Stephen Orgel’s
prefaces to Macbeth including The Theatrical World, The Texts of
Shakespeare, and the Introduction
Ÿ Some students may feel that they need more time to fully
develop their artwork. These students may treat the piece they
will complete for this lesson as a sketch or first draft that can
inform subsequent work. For credit, students may revise their
initial musical or dramatic composition or visual artwork to create
a new, more complex and polished piece.
Assessment: Methods
and Materials for
Assessing Student
Ÿ Oral presentation with digital visual aid

Group Presentation Evaluation Form
Group Members:
The presentation is clear and concise
4 Excellent 3 Satisfactory 2 Developing 1 Insufficient
All group members make a meaningful contribution
Character analysis yields insights through a Machiavellian perspective
Character analysis yields insights through a Taoist perspective
A convincing case, grounded in the text, is made for why the group members would or
would not follow the character’s leadership
1) What did you learn about the character who is the subject of this presentation?
2) Did the group increase your understanding of Taoism? Why or why not?
3) Did the group increase your understanding of Machiavelli? Why or why not?
4) What questions occurred to you while watching this presentation?
5) What made this presentation effective? Were all four components of the presentation
adequately addressed? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

Critique of Power
In this assignment you will create an original work of art that expresses your views on power. In
class today we have taken a look at Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Richard Bacon’s Study after
Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Virginio Ferrari’s Dialogo, and Henry Moore’s Nuclear
Energy. An art object can synthesize convergent, competing, or contradictory viewpoints on
power, and in response present a didactic moral argument or judgment about power. With
Guernica, Picasso brought attention to the bombing of Guernica, Spain on April 26, 1937 during
the Spanish Civil War by the Nazi German and Fascist Italian governments at the behest of the
Spanish National Faction. Bacon’s Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, depicts
Innocent X, a Catholic Pope during the 16th
and 17th
centuries, in a monstrous and grotesque
style reminiscent of the Surrealist and Expressionist movements in 20th
century art. Both
paintings convey a sense of nausea and horror, with Nationalist Spain in Picasso’s case and the
Catholic Church in the case of Bacon. Some believe that the shadow cast by Dialogo on May
Day (May 1st
, the international celebration of workers and worker’s rights) and perhaps the
sculpture itself resembles a hammer and sickle, the symbol of Communism. This visual analogy
may stand as a critique of the University of Chicago School of International Studies’ role in the
development of neoconservative political ideology (a nationalist, military interventionist
philosophy, which was also violently anti-communist) that would eventually provide a
philosophical justification for decision-making in the Reagan and Bush administrations. Nuclear
Energy documents humanity’s first successful attempt to control the fission reaction. The
sculpture suggests multiple forms including an infantry helmet, a skull, and a mushroom cloud.
Ironically these sculptures function simultaneously as critiques of power and as monuments
documenting and displaying the wealth, academic influence, and authority of the university. All
four pieces are all demonstrably didactic. They convey a distinct message about the disturbing
nature of authority and power.
During this unit we have focused on two competing ideologies (Taoism and Machiavellianism)
regarding power. Machiavelli describes power as the ability to control a state, develop a
military, and deploy it in warfare. Lao Tzu describes power as inaction and harmony with
nature. What are you own views on power? How can you express them with a work of art?
Create a work of art that expresses these views. You can create a work of visual art (a drawing,
sculpture, found object, etc.), a poem or short story, a piece of music (i.e. rewrite the lyrics of a
popular song and perform it in class, create a remix, compose you own original song), or a
theatrical performance (a monologue, a sketch or skit with up to 3 students per group). In
addition to the artwork, prepare a one-page written statement that identifies which texts you are
responding to, how your work synthesizes notions of power contained within the text, and how
your work expresses and promotes your claims and ideas about the nature of power.

Created in honor of Chicago businessman Albert Pick Jr., and as a symbol for the Department of
International Studies inside Pick Hall, Virginio Ferrari’s 1971 Dialogo is an arresting sight just
around the corner from the University’s Main Quadrangle. Modeled on campus while Ferrari
was the University’s sculptor-in-residence and subsequently cast in bronze in Ferrari’s home city
of Verona, Italy, Dialogo (“Dialogue”) represents worlds coming together. He said:
What I want to call to mind in this sculpture is the four cardinal points. Three of the four forms
emerge as strong, geometric elements, representing the diversity, pain and repression of the life
of any continent. They rise up slowly and become soft and delicate; two of the forms almost
touch in the center in a manner of caressing; the third... giving the impression of protection and
security of the life of tomorrow. The fourth form represents a big wave...symbolic of the water
that surrounds and unites all the continents.
At the sculpture’s unveiling during the dedication ceremony for Pick Hall on June 14th, 1971,
then-President Edward Levi spoke about the University’s burgeoning research relationships with
international institutions. He closed by saying, “the organized cruelty of this century makes clear
that appreciation and acquaintanceship are insufficient. The close quarters of the world make it
essential that we not only understand others, but also understand ourselves.”
(Source: https://arts.uchicago.edu/public-art-campus-microsite/browse-artist/virginio-
ferrari/dialogo)
Dialogo
Virginio Ferrari (b. 1937)

Installed 1971

Bronze on limestone base
Height: 192 in. (487.7 cm)

Located at Albert Pick Hall for International
Studies
5828 S. University Avenue
Gift of Albert Pick and the Polk Brothers
Foundation of Chicago
“Ferrari is a peaceful sculptor whose works, in one way or
another, have been consistently in praise of life.”

Professor Harold Haydon, June 14th, 1971

Nuclear Energy is a bronze sculpture by Henry Moore that is located on the campus of the University of
Chicago at the site of world's first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1. It is located on Ellis Avenue, between
the Max Palevsky West dormitory and the Mansueto Library. This site is located in the Hyde Park
community area of Chicago in Cook County,
Illinois, United States. The location commemorates
the exact location where the Manhattan Project team
devised the first nuclear reactor to produce the first
self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction under the
former stands of Stagg Field. The sculpture was
commissioned by the B. F. Ferguson monument
fund.
It’s a rather strange thing really but I’d already
done the idea for this sculpture before Professor
McNeill and his colleagues from the University of
Chicago came to see me on Sunday morning to tell
me about the whole proposition. They told me
(which I’d only vaguely known) that Fermi, the
Italian nuclear physicist, started or really made the
first successful controlled nuclear fission in a
temporary building. I think it was a squash court - a
wooden building - which from the outside looked
entirely unlike where a thing of such an important
nature might take place. But this experiment was
carried on in secret and it meant that by being
successful Man was able to control this huge force
for peaceful purposes as well as destructive ones.
They came to me to tell me that they thought where
such an important event in history took place ought
to be marked and they wondered whether I would do
a sculpture which would stand on the spot.
(Henry Moore quoted in Art Journal, New York, spring 1973, p.286)
The sculpture is described as 14.0 feet (4.3 m) in height and 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter by the Smithsonian
Institution and it sits atop a base that is 1.5 feet (0.46 m) in height and 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter.
However, the University of Chicago says it is only 12 feet (3.7 m) in height. The Henry Moore
Foundation lists its height at 3.66m. The sculpture reminds some of the human skull, while it reminds
others of an atomic mushroom cloud. The sculpture was erected for and dedicated at the celebration of
the 25th anniversary of the initiation of the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction on the grounds
by Fermi on December 2, 1942. Thus, it was dedicated at precisely 3:36 p.m. on December 2, 1967. The
site of the first nuclear reaction received designation as a National Historic Landmark on February 18,
1965 and was added to the newly created National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15,
1966 as one of the original designated historic places. Chicago Pile-1 is one of four Chicago NRHPs on
the original list. The site was named a Chicago Landmark on October 27, 1971. A working model for
Nuclear Energy ("Atom Piece (Working Model for Nuclear Energy) 1964-65") is on display at the
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan.[9]
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Energy_(sculpture))

Diego Velazquez Pope Innocent X 1650. Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pop Innocent X
1953 © The Estate of Francis Bacon.
Bacon worked on his pope paintings, variations on Velázquez’s magnificent portrait of Pope Innocent X, for over twenty years.
He was already exploring the idea while in the South of France in late 1946. The first surviving version (Head VI) dates from late
1949, and he finally stopped in the mid-1960s. Subsequently, Bacon announced that he thought the works ‘silly’ and wished he
had never done them. He acquired endless reproductions of the Velázquez painting from books, but famously did not see the
original when he visited Rome in late 1954.
Clearly Bacon was not just producing homages to a picture he loved. Artists have always made copies as creative exercises, and
Bacon may have been particularly inspired by the example of Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), who made many transformations
of pictures that he especially admired by Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), Jean- François Millet (1814–1875) and others. Bacon’s
popes depart even further from their source, often replacing the pontiff’s head with the equally recognisable screaming face of the
wounded nurse mown down by the soldiers’ gunfire in the Odessa steps sequence of Eisenstein’s film Battleship Potemkin.
The insertion subverts the encapsulation of power and self-assurance projected by Velázquez. The screaming mouth, isolated
from other facial features and divorced from any narrative context, suggests existential agony. The pathos of human vulnerability
and loss of faith or conviction are accentuated by the precisely rendered space frames in many Bacon images of popes, which
make the figures register as ‘enclosed in the wretched glass capsule of the human individual’, to cite the evocative phrase used by
the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy (1872), one of Bacon’s favourite books.
The papal theme may have had a more contemporary resonance for Bacon, given that he embarked on his variations in 1946
immediately after the completion of Painting, with its dense references to Nazi iconography. He may have been attracted to the
Velázquez picture as an iconic distillation of power, which made it such a vivid precursor to Fascist propaganda photography. In
later works in the series, Bacon inserted references to photographs of the then pontiff, Pope Pius XII, a controversial figure who
was thought by some to have appeased the Nazis. A photograph of Pius on his throne, being carried from St Peter’s, appears in
one of Sam Hunter’s 1950 studio montages, and was clearly the basis for some of the subsequent pope pictures.
(Source: http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2013/february/08/the-truth-behind-francis-bacons-screaming-popes/)

Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso (b. October 25, 1881, d. April 8, 1973), inspired by
Picasso's horror at the Nazi German bombing of Guernica, Spain on April 26, 1937 during the
Spanish Civil War. Guernica depicts suffering people, animals, and buildings wrenched by
violence and chaos. The painting is currently located in the Museo Reina Sofía or Queen Sofia
Museum in Madrid, Spain. The huge mural was produced under a commission by the Spanish
Republican government to decorate the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris International Exposition
(the 1937 World's Fair in Paris). The mural presents a scene of death, violence, brutality,
suffering, and helplessness without portraying their immediate causes. The choice to paint in
black and white contrasts with the intensity of the scene depicted and invokes the immediacy of a
newspaper photograph.
(Source: http://www.markwk.com/teaching/lessons/quino-picasso-%20guernica/quino-esl-
lesson.html)
Guernica is a mural-sized oil painting on canvas by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso completed by
June 1937. The painting, which uses a palette of gray, black, and white, is regarded by many art
critics as one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history.[2]
Standing at 3.49
metres (11 ft 5 in) tall and 7.76 metres (25 ft 6 in) wide, the large mural shows the suffering of
people, animals, and buildings wrenched by violence and chaos.
The painting is believed to be a response to the bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country village
in northern Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the request of the Spanish Nationalists.
Upon completion, Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous
and widely acclaimed, and believed to have helped bring worldwide attention to the Spanish
Civil War.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso))

Lesson Plan 4: 12th
Grade English
Leadership and power in conflict
cultures.
a) Compare and contrast the development of British
literature in its historical context.
d) Relate literary works and authors to major themes
and issues of their eras.
e) Analyze the social and cultural function of British
literature.
12.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of
nonfiction texts.
a) Generate and respond logically to literal,
inferential, evaluative, synthesizing, and critical
thinking questions before, during, and after reading
texts.
b) Analyze and synthesize information in order to
solve problems, answer questions, and generate
new knowledge.
c) Analyze two or more texts addressing the same
topic to identify authors’ purpose and determine
how authors reach similar or different conclusions.
d) Recognize and analyze use of ambiguity,
contradiction, paradox, irony, overstatement, and
understatement in text.
e) Identify false premises in persuasive writing.
f) Draw conclusions and make inferences on explicit

and implied information using textual support.
to the Unit Goals
This lesson gives the students practice finding quotations from the
unit texts to accomplish a task: finding reasons to support both
sides of an argument and then after considering counter arguments
making a decision on a definitive opinion or claim. The students
will also create arguments about the types of governments they
would prefer to live in and the kinds they find abhorrent. While
the lesson may impart some social science content knowledge the
main purpose of the lesson is to develop writing skills such as
finding and citing supporting evidence and working this material
into the student’s own writing. Both of these skills will be helpful
for the extended essay post assessment.
Lesson Objectives
Ÿ The students will collect and synthesize evidence to support an
argument.
Differentiation for
the Lesson is
Learners
Differentiation for the needs of gifted learners is provided in the
lesson through the assignment of open-ended tasks that require
complex thought. Rather than accepting a common belief that
Machiavelli was simply an immoral advocate of manipulative
violent opportunism in state leadership, the students are asked to
find reasons that a Machiavellian prince could actually make
decisions that help the ordinary people under his rule. Next
students will synthesize their knowledge of Machiavellianism and
Taoism to assume the role of a leader of a country and write a
fictional memo delivered after a war to the other leaders in their
country on how to prevent a war and deal with a defeated enemy.
Although that is the basic premise of the writing assignment,
students may choose to adapt the prompt to a wide variety of
settings. A student could write as Johnson at the end of the
American Civil War, Truman after the defeat of Japan, Mao after
the defeat of the Kuomintang, or a fictional leader of a fictional
country and conflict. The students therefore have choice in
deciding how to complete the assignment.
Definitions
Machiavellian
A) Using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something:
clever and dishonest
B) Suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli;
specifically: marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith
Synonyms include: cutthroat, immoral, unprincipled, unconscionable, unethical,
unscrupulous

Empire
1) A major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number
of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority; especially
one having an emperor as chief of state
2) The territory of such a political unit
3) Something resembling a political empire; especially an extensive
territory or enterprise under single domination or control
4) Imperial sovereignty, rule, or dominion
Oligarchy
Simple Definition-
A country, business, etc., that is controlled by a small group of people
The people that control a country, business, etc.
Government or control by a small group of people
Complete Definition-
1) Government by the few
2) A government in which a small group exercises control especially
for corrupt and selfish purposes; also: a group exercising such control
3) An organization under oligarchic control
Republic
Simple Definition-
A country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected
leader (such as a president) rather than by a king or queen
1) A government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who
in modern times is usually a president 2) Political unit (as a nation)
having such a form of government
3) A government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens
entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives
responsible to them and governing according to law
4) A political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government c : a
usually specified republican government of a political unit <the French
Fourth Republic>
5) A body of persons freely engaged in a specified activity <the
republic of letters>
6) A constituent political and territorial unit of the former nations of
Czechoslovakia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or
Yugoslavia
Democracy
Simple Definition-
1) A form of government in which people choose leaders by voting
2) A country ruled by democracy
3) An organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally
and has equal rights
1) Government by the people; especially: rule of the majority
2) A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people
and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of
representation usually involving periodically held free elections
3) Political unit that has a democratic government
4) Capitalized: The principles and policies of the Democratic party in

the United States <from emancipation Republicanism to New Deal
Democracy — C. M. Roberts>
5) The common people especially when constituting the source of
political authority
6) The absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges
Fascism
1) A way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a
dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not
allowed to disagree with the government
2) Very harsh control or authority
3) Often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as
that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the
individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government
headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social
regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
4) A tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or
dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality — J.
W. Aldridge>
Theocracy
1) A form of government in which a country is ruled by religious
leaders
2) A country that is ruled by religious leaders
3) Government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials
who are regarded as divinely guided
4) A state governed by a theocracy
Communism
1) A way of organizing a society in which the government owns the
things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil,
factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property
2) A theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in
which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed
3) Capitalized: A doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism
and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics
4) A totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian
party controls state-owned means of production
5) A final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has
withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably
6) Communist systems collectively
Collectivity
1) The quality or state of being collective
2) A collective whole, especially: the people as a body
Collective
Simple Definition-
Shared or done by a group of people; involving all members of a group
Full Definition-
1) Denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or

whole <flock is a collective word>
2) Formed by collecting: aggregated b of a fruit : multiple
3) Of, relating to, or being a group of individuals
4) Involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals <a
collective action>
5) Marked by similarity among or with the members of a group
6) Collectivized or characterized by collectivism
7) Shared or assumed by all members of the group <collective
responsibility>
Nationalism
Simple Definition-
1) A feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their
country often with the belief that it is better and more important than
other countries
2) Desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the
same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and
independent nation of their own
Full Definition-
1) Loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially: a sense of national
consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary
emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those
of other nations or supranational groups
2) a nationalist movement or government
Individualism
1) The belief that the needs of each person are more important than the
needs of the whole society or group
2) The actions or attitudes of a person who does things without being
concerned about what other people will think
3) A doctrine that the interests of the individual are or ought to be
ethically paramount; also conduct guided by such a doctrine
4) The conception that all values, rights, and duties originate in
individuals
5) Theory maintaining the political and economic independence of the
individual and stressing individual initiative, action, and interests; also
conduct or practice guided by such a theory
6) Individuality
7) Idiosyncrasy
(Source: adapted from http://www.merriam-webster.com/)
Materials/Resources
Ÿ Pens
Ÿ Pencils
Ÿ Paper
Ÿ Bell Ringer (Warm Up)
Ÿ Reflection on Power, Leadership, and Conflict Handout
Ÿ Rubric for Power, Leadership, and Conflict Handout
Ÿ Exit Ticket

Unit Texts:
Company, Inc. (Original work published 1532)
Lesson Sequence and
Description
#1 (10 minutes) Warm up: As the students enter the classroom
the teacher will provide each student with a copy of the warm up
handout. The bell ringer asks the students what kind of
government they would prefer to live in as regular citizens and
what kind of government they would prefer live in as the leader of
that government. The students must then explain whether they
would prefer to live under a different government as citizens than
they would as leaders. For example, as a regular citizen, a student
might prefer to live in a democratic society because he or she has
very strong religious views and does not want his or her ability to
practice his or her religion threatened. However, if the student
were to be the leader of his or her county, he or she might prefer to
govern a theocracy and ensure that all citizens practice his or her
faith. Another possible example is that a student could prefer to
live in under communism as a citizen, but as an emperor in an
empire. Students must ask themselves whether they would lead as
they want to be lead. The students are also asked to explain what
would be the features of the worst possible government. The
students will primarily refer to the dictionary definitions of various
forms of government while answering these questions. The
students’ proposed governments could be multifaceted. A student
might want to combine the collectivist goals of communism with
the goal of equal representation in democracy.
#2 (10 minutes) The teacher will ask the students to individually
share with the whole class the features of their ideal government.
As each student describes his or her government the rest of the
class will take notes so as to be ready to complete the exit ticket
question.
#3 (20 minutes) The teacher will then distribute the reflection on
power, leadership and conflict handout. In part I of this
assignment the students will collect and cite information from the
texts to identify the potential effects (both good and bad) a
Machiavellian government would have on its citizens. The teacher
will create a concept map to describe potential benefits and

disadvantages of living under a Machiavellian government. The
teacher will ask students to share their opinions and relevant
quotations from the text with the class to help complete the
concept map. After this whole group discussion the student will
write 3-5 paragraphs to answer the following question:
Do the benefits of Machiavellian leadership outweigh the costs?
#4 (30 minutes) For Part II, the students will take the role of a
political ruler of a state which has just been through a deadly war
with, and finally defeated, a dangerous enemy. As leaders, the
students will compose a memo that they will present to the senior
leadership of their governments on how they treat their conquered
enemies and how they plan to prevent another war. The students
may work in small groups of up to three to discuss this assignment
and each other’s responses. If a student doesn’t finish this
assignment during class, he or she has the option to complete it as
homework.
#4 (5 minutes) Exit ticket: The students will refer to their notes
taken during the warm up activity to answer the following
questions:
Identify a system of government described by one of your
classmates. Do you think this government could exist in reality?
Why or why not?
Homework: Follow-up
Home
Ÿ Students have the option to complete unfinished parts of the
reflection on power, leadership, and conflict assignment as
homework.
the Student may
Ÿ For additional context students can read Hughes’ Introduction
and Textual Analysis for his edition of Titus Andronicus.
Assessment: Methods Ÿ Reflection on power, leadership and conflict handout

and Materials for
Assessing Student
Ÿ Informal observation of student progress through conversation
and dialogue

Warm Up
Read over the key terms below and then answer the following questions:
1) As a regular citizen, which form of government (Empire, Oligarchy, Republic,
Democracy, Communism, Theocracy, and Fascism) would you prefer to live in and why?
Your ideal government may include features of more than one of the above governments.
Would your ideal government have nationalist, collectivist, or individualist tendencies?
2) If you were the leader of a state, which form of government (Empire, Oligarchy,
Republic, Democracy, Communism, Theocracy, and Fascism) would you prefer to live in
and why? Your ideal government may include features of more than one of the above
governments. Would your ideal government have nationalist, collectivist, or individualist
tendencies?
3) Explain why your answers to questions 1 and 2 are the same or different.
4) What are the characteristics of the worst possible government or society (a dystopia)?
Machiavellian
A) Using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something: clever and dishonest
B) Suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli; specifically: marked by cunning,
duplicity, or bad faith
Synonyms include: cutthroat, immoral, unprincipled, unconscionable, unethical, unscrupulous
Empire
1) A major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a
single sovereign authority; especially one having an emperor as chief of state
2) The territory of such a political unit
3) Something resembling a political empire; especially an extensive territory or enterprise under single
domination or control
4) Imperial sovereignty, rule, or dominion
Oligarchy
Simple Definition-
A country, business, etc., that is controlled by a small group of people
The people that control a country, business, etc.
Government or control by a small group of people
1) Government by the few
2) A government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes;
also: a group exercising such control
3) An organization under oligarchic control
Republic
Simple Definition-
A country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader (such as a president) rather
than by a king or queen

1) A government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a
president 2) Political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government
3) A government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by
elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law
4) A political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government c : a usually specified republican
government of a political unit <the French Fourth Republic>
5) A body of persons freely engaged in a specified activity <the republic of letters>
6) A constituent political and territorial unit of the former nations of Czechoslovakia, the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, or Yugoslavia
Democracy
Simple Definiton-
1) A form of government in which people choose leaders by voting
2) A country ruled by democracy
3) An organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights
1) Government by the people; especially: rule of the majority
2) A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or
indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections
3) Political unit that has a democratic government
4) Capitalized: The principles and policies of the Democratic party in the United States <from
emancipation Republicanism to New Deal Democracy — C. M. Roberts>
5) The common people especially when constituting the source of political authority
6) The absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges
Fascism
1) A way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people
and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government
2) Very harsh control or authority
3) Often capitalized: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation
and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a
dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
4) A tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army
fascism and brutality — J. W. Aldridge>
Theocracy
1) A form of government in which religious leaders rule a country
2) A country that is ruled by religious leaders
3) Government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided
4) A state governed by a theocracy
Communism
1) A way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and
transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property
2) A theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in which goods are owned in common
and are available to all as needed
3) Capitalized: A doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the
official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
4) A totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of
production
5) A final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are
distributed equitably

6) Communist systems collectively
Collectivity
1) The quality or state of being collective
2) A collective whole, especially: the people as a body
Collective
Simple Definition-
Shared or done by a group of people; involving all members of a group
Full Definition-
1) Denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole <flock is a collective word>
2) Formed by collecting: aggregated b of a fruit : multiple
3) Of, relating to, or being a group of individuals
4) Involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals <a collective action>
5) Marked by similarity among or with the members of a group
6) Collectivized or characterized by collectivism
7) Shared or assumed by all members of the group <collective responsibility>
Nationalism
Simple Definition-
1) A feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is
better and more important than other countries
2) Desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to
form a separate and independent nation of their own
Full Definition-
1) Loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially: a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation
above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those
of other nations or supranational groups
2) a nationalist movement or government
Individualism
1) The belief that the needs of each person are more important than the needs of the whole society or group
2) The actions or attitudes of a person who does things without being concerned about what other people
will think
3) A doctrine that the interests of the individual are or ought to be ethically paramount; also conduct guided
by such a doctrine
4) The conception that all values, rights, and duties originate in individuals
5) Theory maintaining the political and economic independence of the individual and stressing individual
initiative, action, and interests; also conduct or practice guided by such a theory
6) Individuality
7) Idiosyncrasy

Reflection on Power, Leadership, and Conflict
Part I
The term Machiavellian can be defined as follows:
A) Using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something : clever and dishonest
B) Suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli; specifically : marked
by Cunning, duplicity, or bad faith
Synonyms include: cutthroat, immoral, unprincipled, unconscionable, unethical, unscrupulous
This begs the question, why would an intelligent person like Machiavelli write such an
“unethical” book? Can living in a powerful state controlled by a strong ruler benefit ordinary
citizens? Perhaps Machiavelli wanted to document extremes to which Renaissance era monarchs
had to or were will to going to maintain their grasp on power. Machiavelli writes:
Men are attracted more by the present than by the past, and when they find the
present good they enjoy it and seek no further; they will also make the utmost
defense of a prince if he fails them not in other things. Thus it will be a double
glory for him to have established a new principality, and adorned and
strengthened it with good laws, good arms, good allies, and with a good example.
Find evidence of the ways ordinary citizens in a state ruled by Machiavelli’s ideal prince are hurt
or benefit from a this prince following Machiavelli’s advice. Find five quotations that
demonstrate that ordinary people could benefit from Machiavelli’s advice and five quotations
that demonstrate Machiavelli’s advice can clearly harm ordinary people. In three to five
paragraphs answer the following question: Do the benefits of Machiavellian leadership outweigh
the costs?
Part II
Machiavelli writes “men ought either to be caressed or destroyed, since they will seek revenge
for minor hurts but will not be able to revenge major ones.” Lao Tzu writes: “weapons are the
tools of fear/ a decent man will avoid them/ except in the direst necessity/ and, if compelled, will
use them/ only with the utmost restraint.” Consider the following quote from Carl Schmitt, a
influential German legal scholar and political theorist, whose work remains controversial due to
his association with Nazism:
Rationally speaking, it cannot be denied that nations continue to group themselves
according to the friend and enemy antithesis, that the distinction still remains
actual today, and that this is an ever-present possibility for every people existing
in the political sphere.

The enemy is not merely any competitor or just any partner of a conflict in
general. He is also not the private adversary whom one hates. An enemy exists
only when, at least potentially, one fighting collectivity of people confronts a
similar collectivity. The enemy is solely the public enemy, because everything
that has a relationship to such a collectivity of men, particularly to a whole nation,
becomes public by virtue of such a relationship.
If a war is fundamentally between two collectives (groups) of people it seems unlikely that a
political leader can simply begin or end a war as one might turn a light on or off with the flick of
a switch. This contentions seems supported by Lao Tzu: “Those who wish to take the world and
control it/ I see that they cannot succeed/ The world is a sacred instrument/ One cannot control
it/ The one who controls it will fail/ The one who grasps it will lose. Depending on the size of
the combatant states, hundreds of thousands or millions of people are involved in decision-
making regarding a war even if the only decision they make is whether they personally will
involve themselves in the violence.
Imagine that you are the leader of a state in a time period and location of your choice. Imagine
your country was attacked by another country. After a long and devastating war with many
deaths on both sides of the conflict your country has decimated the military of the other country
and its leadership has surrendered. Although your adversary has been defeated, already an
underground resistance against your military is forming in the conquered nation. Your adversary
has been devastated for the time being but could rebuild at some point and threaten your country
again.
Write a confidential memo to the leadership of your government about how you plan to deal with
your conquered enemies and prevent another war (1-2 pages)
Include the following in your memo:
1) One quote from Machiavelli that supports what you plan to do.
2) One quote from Machiavelli that casts doubt on your plan.
3) One quote from Lao Tzu that supports your plan.
4) One quote from Lao Tzu that makes you doubt your plan.
Make an effort to integrate your quotations into the flow of your memo. Elaborate on these
quotes to demonstrate your goals and fears as your draw up a post war plan. You may base the
scenario for this memo on a real world conflict of your choice or a hypothetical or fictional
conflict. Provide a sense of what your nation is like and what values it stands for. In addition,
describe your defeated enemies and how you believe they deserve to be treated.

Exit Ticket
1) Identify a system of government described by one of your classmates. Do you think this
government could exist in reality? Why or why not?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Exit Ticket
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Exit Ticket

Reflection on Power, Leadership, and Conflict Rubric
Part I
Five quotations that demonstrate that ordinary people could benefit from Machiavelli’s
advice are listed with page numbers.
5 4 3 2 1
5 relevant quotations
are listed and cited.
1 relevant quotation
is listed and cited.
Five quotations that demonstrate Machiavelli’s advice can clearly harm ordinary people.
5 4 3 2 1
1 relevant quotation
is listed and cited.
In three to five paragraphs answer the following question: Do the benefits of Machiavellian
leadership outweigh the costs?
5 4 3 2 1
Response is 3-5
paragraphs long,
argument is clear
and convincing and
responds to doubt,
response adheres to
spelling and
grammatical
conventions
Response is 3-5
paragraphs long,
argument is clear
and fairly
convincing but some
doubts remain, there
are some minor
errors in spelling and
grammatical
conventions
Response is at least
3 paragraphs long,
argument fairly clear
and somewhat
convincing, errors in
spelling and
grammatical
conventions occur
with some regularity
2 paragraphs long,
argument somewhat
unclear and
somewhat
unconvincing, errors
in spelling and
grammatical
conventions detract
from meaning and
comprehensibility
2 paragraphs long,
argument is unclear
and unconvincing,
errors in spelling and
grammatical
conventions are
glaring and make the
response hard to
understand
Total ___/15

Reflection on Power, Leadership, and Conflict Rubric
Part II
Write a confidential memo to the leadership of your government about how you plan to
deal with your conquered enemies and prevent another war.
8 6 4 2
The response includes:
1) One quote from Machiavelli that supports what
you plan to do.
2) One quote from Machiavelli that casts doubt on
your plan.
3) One quote from Lao Tzu that supports your plan.
4) One quote from Lao Tzu that makes you doubt
your plan.
The
response
only
includes 3
of the
required
quotes.
The
response
only
includes 2
of the
required
quotes.
The
response
only
includes 1
of the
required
quotes.
In this response the author:
1) Makes an effort to integrate quotations into the flow of the memo.
2) Elaborates on these quotes to demonstrate his or her goals and fears as her or she draws
up a post war plan.
3) Bases the scenario for this memo on a real world conflict of the author’s choice or a
hypothetical or fictional conflict.
4) Provides a sense of what the author’s nation is like and what values it stands for.
5) Describes the defeated enemies and how the author believes they deserve to be treated.
10 9 8 7 0 - 6
All five criteria are
met. The author
convincingly adopts
the tone of a leader
addressing his or her
top advisors.
Elaborative details
give a strong sense
of the nature of the
conflict and
realistically
characterize the two
opposing countries.
met. The author
satisfactorily adopts
top advisors.
Elaborative details
give a satisfactory
sense of the nature
of the conflict and
satisfactorily
opposing countries.
met. The author
adequately adopts
top advisors.
Elaborative details
give an adequate
sense of the nature
of the conflict and
adequately
opposing countries.
At least 4 criteria are
met. The author
makes a basic
attempt to adopt the
tone of a leader
top advisors.
Elaborative details
give a basic sense of
the nature of the
conflict and
opposing countries
at a basic level.
3 or fewer criteria
are met. The author
unconvincingly
attempts to adopt the
tone of a leader
top advisors.
Elaborative details
fail to give a basic
sense of the nature
of the conflict and
fail to characterize
the two opposing
countries at a basic
level.
___/18

Lesson Plan 5: 12th
Grade English
What is power?
a) Choose the purpose of the presentation.
b) Choose vocabulary, language, and tone appropriate
to the audience, topic, and purpose.
d) Use media, visual literacy, and technology skills to
create and support the presentation.
purpose.
activities.
g) Evaluate formal presentations including personal,
digital, visual, textual, and technological.
of presentations.
12.6 The student will develop expository and informational,
analyses, and persuasive/argumentative writings.
a) Generate, gather, and organize ideas for writing to
address a specific audience and purpose.
b) Produce arguments in writing that develop a thesis
to demonstrate knowledgeable judgments, address
counterclaims, and provide effective conclusions.
c) Clarify and defend a position with precise and
relevant evidence.
d) Adapt content, vocabulary, voice, and tone to
audience, purpose, and situation.
e) Use a variety of rhetorical strategies to accomplish
a specific purpose.
f) Create arguments free of errors in logic and

externally supported.
g) Revise writing for clarity of content, depth of
information and technique of presentation.
h) Use computer technology to plan, draft, revise, edit,
and publish writing.
to the Unit Goals
This lesson is the culmination of all previous efforts throughout
the unit. The students will present works of visual art, musical,
and dramatic pieces, and fictional writings that investigate the
concept of power. Accompanying the art, the students will create
an artist statement or description of their artwork that describes
their intentions as they created the piece. Secondly, the extended
essay is also a culmination of efforts to identify questions, make
claims, and cite sources to support an argument. The highest
priority intended learning outcome for this unit is for the students
to think in depth about the nature of power, develop a claim about
power after synthesizing their views, and defend the claim through
argument.
Lesson Objectives
Ÿ The students with create a work of art, which synthesizes
notions of power contained within the unit texts, and expresses
and promotes the students’ individual claims about the nature of
power.
Differentiation for
the Lesson is
Learners
This lesson includes art integration. Given that the students
possess a range of creative abilities the plan does not require all
students to make a work of visual art. The students have the
option to create a written or dramatic creative product as well, and
to work individually or in groups, according to their individual
preferences. Art integration may increase the engagement of
twice-exceptional or high ability students who may become bored
or frustrated if given too many traditional paper and pencil tasks.
Art integration is beneficial to gifted and talented students as it
engages them to explore concepts through the use of
nontraditional media. Drawing a picture about a topic is very
different from writing a report about the same topic. While
drawing it may not be possible to focus solely on line and form.
Instead the mind tends to construct a narrative in the background
while the hands and the eyes complete the drawing task. This
narrative will become visually incorporated to some degree in the
drawing. Importantly the students will reflect on the concept of
power and what they know about it so as to create an effective

work of art. The students have the choice to work in other areas
such as music and theater and have the option to join small groups
to work collaboratively. Increasing the number of choices as
student may make when deciding how to complete the assignment
facilitates differentiation, as students will gravitate towards
learning options that they enjoy and/or find more useful. This also
increases student investment in the final product.
For the essay portion of this assignment some students may need
additional support. The teacher will encourage all students who
need additional support to present the teacher with a rough draft of
the essay in sufficient time before the lesson is due to allow the
teacher to provide suggestions and feedback and for the student to
make revisions.
Definitions
Individual Autonomy
Individual autonomy is an idea that is generally understood to
refer to the capacity to be one's own person, to live one's life
according to reasons and motives that are taken as one's own and
not the product of manipulative or distorting external forces.
(Source: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/autonomy-moral/)
Freedom
1) The quality or state of being free
2) The absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in
choice or action
3) Liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of
another
4) Independence
5) The quality or state of being exempt or released usually
from something onerous <freedom from care>
6) Ease, facility <spoke the language with freedom>
7) The quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
<answered with freedom>
8) Improper familiarity
9) Boldness of conception or execution
10) Unrestricted use <gave him the freedom of their home>
11) Political right
12) Franchise, privilege
Authority
1) The power to give orders or make decisions
2) The power or right to direct or control someone or
something

3) The confident quality of someone who knows a lot
about something or who is respected or obeyed by other
people
4) Quality that makes something seem true or real
5) A citation (as from a book or file) used in defense or
support
6) The source from which the citation is drawn
7) A conclusive statement or set of statements (as an
official decision of a court
8) A decision taken as a precedent
9) Testimony
10) An individual cited or appealed to as an expert
11) Power to influence or command thought, opinion, or
behavior
12) Freedom granted by one in authority: right
13) Persons in command; specifically: government
governmental agency or corporation to administer a
revenue-producing public enterprise <the transit
authority>
14) Grounds, warrant <had excellent authority for
believing the claim>
15) Convincing force <lent authority to the performance>
Materials/Resources
Ÿ Pens
Ÿ Pencils
Ÿ Paper
Ÿ Bell Ringer handout
Ÿ Creative product feedback form
Ÿ Final Essay (post-assessment)
Ÿ Essay Rubric
Ÿ Unit texts:
NY: Penguin Books

Press.
Lesson Sequence and
Description
#1 (5 minutes) Warm Up: Upon entry to class the students will
complete a warm up to answer the following questions:
Did you think about the concept of power any differently after
composing your performance or creating your art? If so, what
changed? If your views did not change, why do you think this is
the case.
#2 (50 minutes) Individually or in groups the students will
present the art they created as a critique of power. Students who
have produced a piece of visual art will display their artwork and
explain how it critiques the concept of power. Students who will
play music or stage a dramatic performance will their work first
and then provide an explanation. f the student wrote a particularly
long piece of creative writing, the student will read a selection and
then explain the intent of the piece. As each student presents, the
rest of the class and the teacher will fill out Creative Product
Feedback Forms describing what they took away from the piece or
presentation and to provide a critique that could motivate further
development for the student critiqued.
#3 (20 minutes) The teacher will distribute the formal essay post
assessment instructions and rubric. The teacher will explain the
seven criteria the essays must meet to be successful. Each student
must chose two characters from the unit’s Shakespearian tragedies
and compare and contrast those characters in the context of
Taoism and Machiavellian thought. Importantly, the student will
define and defend his or her personal definition of power. The
teacher will review how in an argument a claim is connected to
supporting ground via a warrant. For example:
Claim: Air pollution causes autism.
Grounds: Children who live near high traffic roads are more
likely to have autism.
Warrant: Children who live near high traffic roads are more likely
to have autism; therefore, air pollution causes autism.
This statements may or may not be true but by dividing the
argument into claim, grounds, and warrant one now has three
potential avenues to consider when responding to doubt or when
attempting to disprove the claim.

The teacher will answer questions about the assignment. The
students will have the remainder of class time to begin outlining
their essays.
Homework: Follow-up
Home
the Student may
Assessment: Methods
and Materials for
Assessing Student
Ÿ Creative product feedback form
Ÿ Informal observation and conversations with the students

Bell Ringer
1) Did you think about the concept of power any differently after composing your performance
or creating your art? If so, what changed? If your views did not change, why do you think this
is the case.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bell Ringer
is the case.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bell Ringer
is the case.

Creative Product Feedback Form
Student(s) Critiqued:
Artwork quality: the piece presented or performed demonstrates critical reflection on the
nature of power
After the presentation or performance the presenter or performer(s) describe the
intentions and thought processes motivating the work
The piece or performance is of high quality, demonstrating technical skill and/or creativity
The explanatory statement accompanying the piece helps the reader to understand the
artwork
The presentation or performance demonstrates professionalism and adheres to the time
limits
1) In you opinion, what was the meaning of the artwork or performance?
2) Did the artwork or performance demonstrate a meaningful consideration of the concept of
power?
3) What questions occurred to you while watching this presentation or performance?
4) What made this artwork, composition, dramatic or musical performance effective? Do you
have any suggestions for further development?

Section III: Unit Assessments
Pre-assessment
Directions: Answer the following questions in three to five paragraphs. Please justify your
claims with appropriate grounds (statements that support an argument).
1. What are the qualities of an effective leader?
2. What is power?
3. Consider the following quotation:
"The Greek playwright Sophocles wrote in Electra (c 409 B.C.), 'The end excuses
any evil,' a thought later rendered by the Roman poet Ovid as 'The result justifies
the deed' in 'Heroides' (c. 10 B.C.)."
- From: "Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings and Time-
Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New" by Stuart
Flexner and Doris Flexner (Avon Books, New York, 1993)."
Do you agree that an immoral action is justified if it leads to a beneficial outcome (for a leader or
for society in general)?
4. Read the following critique of power:
I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a
favorable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other
way against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility
has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt and absolute
power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they
exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the
certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office
sanctifies the holder of it.
- Letter to Mandell Creighton (5 April 1887), published in Historical Essays
and Studies, by John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1907), edited by John
Neville Figgis and Reginald Vere Laurence, Appendix, p. 504; also in Essays
on Freedom and Power (1972)
Power can be used for good and bad outcomes. Do you agree with Lord Acton? Are all leaders
bad people? Can power itself be said to be inherently good or evil?

Pre-assessment Rubric
Grade 0 1 2 3
Characteristics The response
does not address
the questions.
There is no
particular claim
defined in the
response.
Arguments to
presented to
support the claim
are minimal or
contradict the
main claim.
The response is 1
paragraph long.
The response has
a minimal or
contradictory
introduction and
conclusion. The
main claim is
present but
vague, unclear,
or poorly
justified. Some
reasons are
provided to
support the
claim.
The response is 2
paragraphs long.
The response has
an adequate
introduction and
conclusion. The
response
includes and
main claim and
adequate
justification for
the argument.
The response is
3-5 paragraphs
long. The
response has an
effective
introduction and
conclusion. The
response
definitively
presents a main
claim and
supports the
claim with
effective
grounds.
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Total: _____/12

Extended Essay Post-assessment
In this unit we have focused on competing ideas about leadership, authority, and power in
Machiavellian and Taoist thought. We have also used these perspectives to interpret two of
Shakespeare’s tragedies Macbeth and Titus Andronicus. For this essay you will select two
characters of your choice from either Macbeth, Titus Andronicus, or both tragedies. Your essay
must contain the following features:
1) An introduction in which you construct an original definition of power based on your own
best judgment. Your argument that this definition is true, valid, and/or rational will be the main
claim and thesis statement of your essay. The introduction must also contain a preview of the
evidence and arguments you will present in the essay to support your thesis statement.
2) Two character biographies that describe each character. Describe the characters’
backgrounds. What role do these characters play in their respective tragedies? What important
scenes in the plays feature these characters? What important decisions and/or actions do these
characters make or perform that advance the plot of their play(s).
3) An analysis of each character from a Taoist perspective. Select quotations from the Tao Te
Ching that relate to the character and explain the relationship. Is the character ever in harmony
with the Tao? In what ways does your character fail to meet the Taoist ideal?
4) An analysis of each character from a Machiavellian perspective. Does your character express
the characteristics of a Machiavellian leader? In what ways does your character fail to meet the
Machiavellian ideal? If your character is an important part of the play but is not in a position of
authority (such as Lavinia in Titus Andronicus) does he or she say or do things that Machiavelli
would approve or disapprove of? Why or why not?
5) Compare the ideas expressed, decisions made, and actions taken by your characters. Include
quotes from the plays to support your comparison. How are these characters similar and
different?
6) Having described each character from a Machiavellian and Taoist perspective, express your
own opinions about leadership, authority, and power. What is leadership? What is authority?
And most importantly, what is power? Is it possible or useful to claim that these concepts are
morally good or evil? If morality is an ineffective criterion what are acceptable criteria from
which to make judgments about leadership, authority and power? If morality is an acceptable
basis for judgment, is it the most important criteria? What other factors should be considered?
What moral system should be used? Justify your ideas in relationship to the analysis and
comparison your performed on your chosen characters. Conclude your essay with a summary of
your arguments and your thesis statement: your original definition of the concept of power.
Ÿ Your essay must be 1000-1500 words, single-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font, and
include a reference section including all 4 texts in this unit and any other texts cited in support of
your arguments.

Extended Essay Post-Assessment Rubric
10 9 8 7 0 - 6
Introduction Introduction
proposes an original
definition of power.
The thesis statement
is clear and
purposely placed at
the first sentence or
last sentence of the
first paragraph.
The introduction
provides and
excellent preview of
the evidence and
arguments that will
be presented in the
essay to support the
thesis statement.
Introduction
is clear and
purposely placed at
first paragraph.
There is a
satisfactory preview
of the evidence and
arguments that will
be presented in the
thesis statement.
Introduction
is adequately clear
and original and
purposely placed at
first paragraph.
There is an adequate
preview of the
evidence and
arguments that will
be presented in the
thesis statement.
Introduction
proposes a somewhat
original definition of
power.
is somewhat unclear
and original or is not
purposely placed at
first paragraph.
There is a partial
preview of the
evidence and
arguments that will
be presented in the
thesis statement.
Introduction
proposes an
unoriginal definition
of power not based
on the author’s
judgments.
is unclear and
unoriginal or is
absent. Summary of
the evidence and
arguments that will
be presented in the
thesis statement is
haphazard or
ineffective.
Character
Biographies
Two high effective
character biographies
describe each
character including
the characters’
backgrounds, roles,
important scenes,
important decisions
and actions.
Two satisfactory
describe each
character including
the characters’
backgrounds, roles,
important scenes,
important decisions
and actions.
Two adequate
describe each
character including
the characters’
backgrounds, roles,
important scenes,
important decisions
and actions.
Two basic character
biographies describe
each character
including the
characters’
backgrounds, roles,
important scenes,
important decisions
and actions.
One character is not
described or one or
more description of
the characters’
backgrounds, roles,
important scenes,
important decisions
and actions is
missing.
Character
Analysis from
the Taoist
Perspective
Well chosen
quotations selected
from the Tao Te
Ching relate
excellently to the
character and the
relationship is
explained in detail
including the ways
the character is in
harmony and
opposition to the
Tao.
Quotations selected
from the Tao Te
Ching relate
satisfactorily to the
character and the
relationship is
explained in
satisfactory detail
including the ways
the character is in
harmony and
opposition to the
Tao.
Quotations selected
from the Tao Te
Ching relate
adequately to the
character and the
relationship is
explained in
adequate detail
including the ways
the character is in
harmony and
opposition to the
Tao.
Some quotations
selected from the
Tao Te Ching relate
to some degree to the
character and the
relationship is
explained in basic
detail including the
ways the character is
in harmony and
opposition to the
Tao.
Quotations are
absent or those
selected from the
Tao Te Ching do not
relate to the
character and no
relationship is
explained or the
ways in which the
character is in
harmony and
opposition to the Tao
are not explained.
Character
Analysis via
Machiavellian
Thought
An excellent
consideration is
given as to whether
the character
expresses
Machiavellian
characteristics.
Quotations from The
Prince effectively
advance the
argument.
A satisfactory
consideration is
given as to whether
the character
expresses
Machiavellian
characteristics.
Quotations from The
Prince satisfactorily
advance the
argument.
An adequate
consideration is
given as to whether
the character
expresses
Machiavellian
characteristics.
Quotations from The
Prince adequately
advance the
argument.
A basic
consideration is
given as to whether
the character
expresses
Machiavellian
characteristics.
Quotations from The
Prince do not detract
from or contract the
argument.
Minimal or no
consideration is
given as to whether
the character
expresses
Machiavellian
characteristics.
Quotations from The
Prince detract from
or contract the
argument or are
absent.
Character
Comparison
The author
thoughtfully
compares the ideas
expressed, decisions
made, and actions
taken by the
characters and
chooses excellent
quotes from the
plays to support the
comparison.
The author
satisfactorily
compares the ideas
expressed, decisions
made, and actions
taken by the
characters and
chooses satisfactory
quotes from the
comparison.
The author
adequately compares
the ideas expressed,
decisions made, and
actions taken by the
characters and
chooses adequate
quotes from the
comparison.
The author compares
decisions made, and
characters at a basic
level and chooses
quotes from the
plays that support the
comparison to some
degree.
The author fails to
effectively compare
decisions made, and
characters at a basic
level and neglects to
choose quotes from
the plays that support
the comparison.

Conclusion The essay makes
insightful
conclusions about
and power. A highly
effective definition
of power is justified
in relationship to the
character
biographies, analysis
and comparison.
Supporting
arguments are
original and highly
effective.
The essay makes
satisfactory
conclusions about
and power. An
effective definition
character
and comparison.
Supporting
arguments are
original and
effective.
The essay makes
adequate conclusions
about leadership,
authority, and power.
An adequate
definition of power
is justified in
relationship to the
character
and comparison.
Supporting
arguments are
somewhat original
and effective.
The essay makes
simple or basic
conclusions about
and power. A basic
definition of power
is justified in
relationship to the
character
and comparison.
Supporting
arguments are
somewhat formulaic
or unconvincing.
The essay makes no
clear conclusions
about leadership,
authority, and power.
No clear definition
character
and comparison.
Supporting
arguments are
superficial,
contradictory, or
missing.
Conventions Response adheres to
standard conventions
for spelling and
grammar. The
response is polished
and errors are
minimal or absent.
Transitions and word
choice are varied and
increase the
effectiveness of the
argument. All
sources are cited
correctly.
Response adheres to
for spelling and
grammar. The
response is polished
but there are some
minor errors.
Transitions and word
choice have some
variety and
satisfactorily
increase the
argument. All
sources are cited, but
there are minor
errors.
Most of the response
adheres to standard
conventions for
spelling and
grammar. There are
some noticeable
errors. Transitions
are present. Word
choice neither
enhances nor detracts
from the
argument. All
sources are cited in a
nonstandard format.
In general, the
response adheres to
for spelling and
grammar; however,
there are multiple
noticeable errors
indicating inattentive
proofreading.
Transitions are
repetitive or hinder
the flow of the essay.
Word choice detracts
from the
argument. At least
one source is
missing. Multiple
components are
missing from the
individual citations.
The response does
not adhere to
for spelling and
grammar. There are
numerous noticeable
errors indicating
inattentive
proofreading.
Transitions, word
choice and errors in
conventions hinder
the
comprehensibility of
the essay. Reference
section is missing or
indecipherable.
______/70

Informal Student Observation
The teacher will use informal observational approaches to formatively gauge student progress
throughout the unit. When students are working on an individual task the teacher will walk from
student to student and ask the student about his or her progress on the day’s assignments. The
teacher will also answer any questions the student may have. If students are working in small
groups, the teacher will use the same procedure except with a focus on the needs of the group in
the context of the task at hand. The teacher will be available for office hours and will reflect
upon conversations that occurred during the office hours when considering how best to modify
instruction. The teacher will also conduct informal observation during class wide discussions to
get a sense of the general level of comprehension and content knowledge of the class.

Portfolio
Over the course of this unit you will collect and save the assignments below, after
they have been graded, so that you can refer to them when working on your
extended essay at the end of this unit. You will receive 3 points per item included
in your portfolio and 1 additional point if all required items are included.
☐ Pre-Test
☐ RAFT Creative Writing
☐ Inquiry Chart
☐ Printed Copy of Character Analysis Group Project Digital Presentation
☐ Discussion Web
☐ Statement for Visual, Musical, Written, or Dramatic Artwork
☐ Lesson 4 Warm Up
☐ Reflection on Power, Leadership, and Conflict
☐ 1 Point if all Required Items are Saved and Included
Total: _______/25

Section IV: Materials/ Resources
Teacher Materials Bibliography
Buehl, D. (2013). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (Fourth ed.). Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.
Hoffman, J. V. (1992). Critical reading/thinking across the curriculum: Using I=Charts to
support learning, Language Arts, 69(2), 121-127.
VanTassel-Baska, J. (2003). Curriculum & instructional planning & design for gifted learners.
Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company.
http://www.dictionary.com
http://www.markwk.com/teaching/lessons/quino-picasso-%20guernica/quino-esl-lesson.html)
http://www.merriam-webster.com
http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2013/february/08/the-truth-behind-francis-bacons-
screaming-popes/)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/autonomy-moral/)
http://www.wikipedia.com
https://arts.uchicago.edu/public-art-campus-microsite/browse-artist/virginio-ferrari/dialogo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso))
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Energy_(sculpture))
Student Materials Bibliography
Lao-tzu, & Mitchell, S. (1991). Tao te ching. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
ed.). R. M. Adams (Ed.). R. M. Adams (Trans.). New
York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (Original work publishe 1532)
Shakespeare, W. (2000). Macbeth. S. Orgel (Ed.). New York, NY: Penguin Books
Shakespeare, W. (2006). Titus Andronicus (Updated ed.). A. Hughs (Ed.). Cambridge, UK ;
New York: Cambridge University Press.

Powerful Writing Unit Plan 5 days

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to Powerful Writing Unit Plan 5 days (20)

More from Kyle Guzik (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Powerful Writing Unit Plan 5 days