Active Reading Bingo

A-level Active Reading Bingo!

Active reading means that as you read, you should try to notice:  Dramatic structure – why that event or speech there, to them, at that time – aud reaction?  Dramatic characterisation – what impression of that ch. - say, do, said about, done to?  Literary aspects bringing out mood or meaning: F.I.S.T. – form, imagery, sound, tone?  Chains of imagery or diction signalling developing themes.  Context issues – makes sense since King James thought.../shows X values of Y time…  Evidence for/against any critical theories you are building for yourself/have read about – NB these can be essay questions of course, and every essay question has a theory behind it.

How do you do it with Bingo? Read a section at a time, looking for technical stuff, annotate the copy with your thoughts as usual, but also record each relevant observation as you go in the bingo card. You score Bingo! if you complete a full section of the card. Play with different:

 combos for bingo – vertical/horizontal lines e.g. Do you need to learn to see just sound patterns or F.I.S.T. all together? Or dramatic characterisation with language?  sections – Act? Scene? One speech? Do you need to get more detailed understanding out of small sections or to develop your ideas across a longer section of play?

What use is this? Turn the bingo cards into essay questions (hypotheses – what does everything you noticed add up to?), essay plans (logical chains of these observations built up to evidence your hypothesis) and more juicy paragraphs (all the observations in one line, or cross section, or even one card, to explore/evaluate/examine/discuss that point in your hypothesis).

What if there is NOTHING TO NOTICE in one section? This either means you aren’t looking hard enough (remember the poem you said there was no sound in?) or the author has left it out on purpose for a reason. What effect on us and what is the author’s reason?

What if there is MORE HERE THAN THERE? What effect on us and author’s reason?

General examples = for C grades. More detailed examples = for A and B grades.

Dramatic Dramatic Sound Form Imagery Tone Context structure characterisation Tech. (diction)

How would you make your own to stretch yourself and/ or sort your weaknesses? Sound – basics of different types of pattern (consonant, vowel, rhyme and rhythm)

Alliteration Assonance Rhyming couplet Regular iambic line Rhythm disrupted

Sound – focussed analysis of more detailed sound techniques

Sybillant Plosive alliteration Onomatopoeic Alliteration of… Assonance of… alliteration of… of… sound of…

Imagery – developing analysis of figurative language

Personification Diction with Metaphorically Imagery (add one) Imagery (another?) of… suggesting… connotations of… suggesting… developing theme developing theme of… of… Personification Diction with Metaphorically Imagery Imagery of… suggesting… connotations of… suggesting… developing theme developing theme of… of… Personification Diction with Metaphorically Imagery Imagery of… suggesting… connotations of… suggesting… developing theme developing theme of… of… Personification Diction with Metaphorically Imagery Imagery of… suggesting… connotations of… suggesting… developing theme developing theme of… of… Personification Diction with Metaphorically Imagery Imagery of… suggesting… connotations of… suggesting… developing theme developing theme of… of……

Rennaisance rhetorical devices (although metaphor, alliteration and assonance are these too).

Antithesis of… Anadiplosis of… Parenthesis of… Synecdoche of… Metonymy of…

Antithesis of… Anadiplosis of… Parenthesis of… Synecdoche of… Metonymy of… My Personalised Active Reading Bingo!

In this table, I aim to get better at noticing and linking together patterns of…

I will to try it out on one scene, namely Act ___ Scene ___.

Add your first technical Second thing you want to tool term here! focus on?

Being a literature student, having looked at all these things in this scene, I’m interested in how Shakespeare, through these aspects of the play, is developing the idea that…

If I was an actor preparing to perform one of these parts, having picked out these clues for ways to perform this scene which Shakespeare has put in his lines (since he hasn’t given me any other instructions) I think I want to present X as…

So I think I will try placing myself/moving…

And as for how I’ll speak, I might try…

If I was a director thinking about how I’d like to produce this play, having noticed these aspects which Shakespeare has included in his blueprint for performance (which is how Jacobeans would have thought of these texts and the way I do today) I want to get my designers and actors to emphasise…

So I think I would ask my actors to…/ I would set up the stage so that… / I would use… to make sure that my audience…

If I was an examiner, I think a really good exam question to test how much students understand about these two plays, especially the nature of Shakespeare’s drama (when it was made, plus as it has been performed and interpreted since) and drama in general (including what they’ve learnt studying Oedipus), testing their ability to structure different types of argument (EXPLORE/ EXAMINE/ EVALUATE/ DISCUSS) might be…

FROM BINGO TO THE BONES OF YOUR ARGUMENT Exam Question – aspect of theory about these texts for you to demonstrate your investigative powers on! What is the main problem or crime scene they want you to investigate and how might the partner text help you do that?

Hypothesis – possible overall answer – sum up the whole skeleton of your argument about BOTH TEXTS (think of core text as the main crime scene and partner as another similar one you can use to help you understand the main problems – what are these author’s similar MOs?) = first para intro. Can also include words signally alternative views (may/might/perhaps/could/has been said to…). ______

First Point – one clearly defined aspect of your argument exploring how to prove your hypothesis – pick the best bone to begin with (about BOTH TEXTS but the one going to court is the core text, so that’s what your focus is on) = first sentence of second para ______

Back up and explore further your first point – by remembering those interesting Bingo patterns and the key quotes you picked and memorised to demonstrate them (as the core text is the main crime scene, that’s where most of the evidence comes from, but you are using the partner to help you work the case out – i.e. how do the similar MOs work out in the main crime scene?) which now become the meat on the bones of your argument = the body of your second para including suitable technical terms as you discuss technical concepts

Second point – the logical next clearly defined aspect of your argument to move our understanding of your hypothesis on (NOT NOT NOT REPEATING) = first sentence of another meaty paragraph, including suitable link or contrast word Furthermore/in addition/similarly OR However/On the other hand/Whilst…

Back up and explore further your second point – NOT NOT NOT REPEATING – would you really like to eat the same hamburger twice? Only cows chew their own food over and over again. But yes please linking backwards and forwards in your argument if you like and it is possible that you will include a whole para here or later about the partner text but NOT MORE THAN ONE PARA ONLY MENTIONING THE PARTNER TEXT = the body of your third para including suitable technical terms as you discuss technical concepts

Carry on moving your argument forwards, paragraph by paragraph (series of linked points wth relevant juicy back up), til you have demonstrated your hypothesis and can conclude about your discoveries and state any remaining issues.