English · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Themes of Power and Conflict

Active learning lets students engage with power and conflict as lived experiences rather than abstract ideas. By moving, debating, and creating, they connect Shakespeare’s characters to their own social world, making the themes immediate and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E10LT01
• AC9E10LT03

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Power Motifs

Assign groups one play and one motif (ambition, betrayal, hierarchy). Students compile evidence from acts, then regroup to share with mixed experts. Each group creates a class chart comparing motifs across plays.

Compare the manifestations of power struggles in different Shakespearean tragedies.

Facilitation Tip

During Jigsaw Expert Groups, assign each group a single motif (e.g., prophecies, omens, betrayal) to track across all three plays, forcing cross-text comparison.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Choose one character from Macbeth or Julius Caesar. How does their ambition, combined with the existing social hierarchy, inevitably lead to their downfall? Use specific textual evidence to support your argument.' Allow students 5 minutes to jot down notes before facilitating a class discussion.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Socratic Seminar
• 40 min · Whole Class

Fishbowl Debate: Ambition Today

Half the class debates if Shakespeare's view of ambition applies to modern leaders, using play quotes; the outer circle notes evidence and switches roles midway. Conclude with whole-class reflections on key insights.

Analyze how societal structures influence individual agency and conflict in the plays.

Facilitation Tip

For the Fishbowl Debate, provide a current news article about ambition or corruption to anchor each round’s argument in evidence.

What to look for

Ask students to write two sentences comparing how power is sought in Macbeth versus King Lear. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining a modern-day scenario that reflects a similar power struggle.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Socratic Seminar
• 30 min · Pairs

Tableau Vivant: Conflict Scenes

In pairs, students select and freeze-frame a power conflict scene with props, then explain choices to the class. Rotate leadership for multiple tableaux, linking poses to themes of agency and hierarchy.

Evaluate the enduring relevance of Shakespeare's exploration of ambition and betrayal in contemporary society.

Facilitation Tip

When running Tableau Vivant, assign students roles silently first, then have observers identify the hierarchy before discussion to deepen focus on structure.

What to look for

Provide students with short excerpts from two different Shakespearean plays (e.g., a scene of political debate from Julius Caesar and a scene of familial dispute from King Lear). Ask them to identify one key difference in how power is contested in each excerpt and one similarity in the underlying human motivations.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Socratic Seminar
• 35 min · Small Groups

Modern Parallels Mapping

Individually brainstorm contemporary examples of power struggles, then in small groups map them to Shakespearean quotes on a shared digital board. Present one strong link per group.

Compare the manifestations of power struggles in different Shakespearean tragedies.

Facilitation Tip

In Modern Parallels Mapping, supply a bank of modern headlines so every group has concrete material to connect to Shakespeare’s themes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Choose one character from Macbeth or Julius Caesar. How does their ambition, combined with the existing social hierarchy, inevitably lead to their downfall? Use specific textual evidence to support your argument.' Allow students 5 minutes to jot down notes before facilitating a class discussion.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach power and conflict through embodied cognition and comparative analysis. Start with close reading, then move students into groups where they must defend interpretations or stage scenes, because research shows movement and role-play improve comprehension of abstract concepts. Avoid long lectures on historical context; instead embed context during activities so it serves the analysis. Use misconceptions as springboards during discussions to correct thinking in the moment.

Students will analyze how power operates through language, hierarchy, and choice. They will compare plays, debate modern relevance, and embody conflict to show they understand how structures shape agency and lead to tragedy.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw Expert Groups, watch for students dismissing Shakespeare’s themes as outdated. Redirect by pairing each motif with a modern headline and asking groups to present one parallel.

  During Fishbowl Debate, watch for claims that power struggles only affect nobles. Redirect by introducing a prompt about school hierarchies or social media influence to ground the debate in students’ lives.

• During Tableau Vivant, watch for students assuming characters always act freely. Redirect by prompting observers to note societal pressures visible in the frozen scene.

  During Modern Parallels Mapping, watch for students ignoring societal influence. Redirect by providing a timeline template where students must plot both individual choices and external forces for each parallel.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Socratic Seminar