What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees?
The Tempest
30 minutes total
ByWilliam Shakespeare
Grade9-10
Time30 minutes
Essential question
What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees?
Marked passage
Passage location
Act V, Scene I
Start anchor
O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here!
End anchor
’Tis new to thee.
Passage focus
Miranda's brave new world
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Use Miranda's enthusiastic praise and Prospero's brief corrective, explaining what each character knows that the other does not.
Mark
Underline Miranda’s words of admiration. Circle Prospero’s short response. In the margin, write MIRANDA KNOWS and PROSPERO KNOWS beside the different information each brings to the scene.
Instructional move
Read dramatic irony through unequal knowledge
Notice
• What makes Miranda’s praise emotionally genuine? • What history does Prospero know that Miranda does not? • How does “’Tis new to thee” complicate the phrase 'brave new world' without completely mocking Miranda?
Strong answer
Prospero's reply adds experience to Miranda's wonder. She sees admirable humanity because nearly everyone is new to her; he knows enough history to recognize that novelty can produce overpraise.
Think
Answer provisionally: What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not treat Prospero's line as simply cynical. It complicates Miranda's judgment without erasing her sincere wonder.
Why this passage
Miranda sees the newly gathered nobles with almost no experience of ordinary human society, so her praise is sincere but uninformed. Prospero’s brief reply adds the knowledge that wonder can come from novelty rather than from the actual goodness of what is seen.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Underline Miranda’s words of admiration. Circle Prospero’s short response. In the margin, write MIRANDA KNOWS and PROSPERO KNOWS beside the different information each brings to the scene.
Notice
What makes Miranda’s praise emotionally genuine? What history does Prospero know that Miranda does not? How does “’Tis new to thee” complicate the phrase 'brave new world' without completely mocking Miranda?
Think
Answer provisionally: What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
Ready-to-teach lesson
TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON
BATCH 06 · 9-10 · LESSON 125
The Tempest
William Shakespeare
What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the
people she sees?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
Miranda's brave new world
FIND THE ANCHOR TEXT
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
SECTION / LOCATION
Act V, Scene I
START
O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here!
END
’Tis new to thee.
PASSAGE ID
sec-temp-03
THE MOVE
Read dramatic irony through unequal knowledge
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Miranda sees the newly gathered nobles with almost no experience of ordinary human society, so her praise is sincere but uninformed. Prospero’s brief reply adds the knowledge that wonder can come from novelty rather than from the actual goodness of what is seen.
MARK
Underline Miranda’s words of admiration. Circle Prospero’s short response. In the margin, write MIRANDA KNOWS and PROSPERO KNOWS beside the different information each brings to the scene.
page 1
NOTICE
What makes Miranda’s praise emotionally genuine?
What history does Prospero know that Miranda does not?
How does “’Tis new to thee” complicate the phrase 'brave new world' without completely
mocking Miranda?
THINK
Answer provisionally: What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the people she sees? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
CLOSE
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
STRONG ANSWER
Prospero's reply adds experience to Miranda's wonder. She sees admirable humanity because nearly everyone is new to her; he knows enough history to recognize that novelty can produce overpraise.
EVIDENCE
Use Miranda's enthusiastic praise and Prospero's brief corrective, explaining what each character knows that the other does not.
WATCH FOR
Do not treat Prospero's line as simply cynical. It complicates Miranda's judgment without erasing her sincere wonder.
SOLO
Read the exact passage independently.
SUPPORTED
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
LISTENING
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
page 2
STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING
The Tempest
William Shakespeare
What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise of the
people she sees?
START ANCHOR
O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here!
END ANCHOR
’Tis new to thee.
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
OPEN THE MARKED PASSAGE IN TUMBLELIT
SOLO: read independently. SUPPORTED: use narration + highlighting. LISTENING: listen to the exact passage. The question and evidence task stay the same.
1.MARK - Underline Miranda’s words of admiration. Circle Prospero’s short response. In the
margin, write MIRANDA KNOWS and PROSPERO KNOWS beside the different information each brings to the scene.
2.NOTICE - What makes Miranda’s praise emotionally genuine? What history does Prospero
know that Miranda does not? How does “’Tis new to thee” complicate the phrase 'brave new world' without completely mocking Miranda?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: What does Prospero's “’Tis new to thee” add to Miranda's praise
of the people she sees?
4.WRITE - Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage.
Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
page 3
Original printable PDF
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