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"I Banish You": Using Visual and Auditory Imagery to Connect with Speech
High schoolers analyze a monologue by Coriolanus in Shakespeare's play of the same name. In this literature lesson plan, students discuss and define betrayal and the events surrounding Coriolanus' banishment from Rome.
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Shakespeare by Choice
Students identify the most important elements in a scene. In this editing a scene lesson, students decide what elements are absolutely necessary to a scene. Students discuss the main criteria for editing or cutting a scene and decide...
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One-on-One with Hamlet: Fun Trivia Quiz
Studying Hamlet in your class? This helpful resource provides ten questions on plot understanding and quote identification. While you might not use this quiz verbatim, you might use the given questions to create your own quiz. Keep in...
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play
Students read Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play by Stewart Ross. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the play and Shakespearian culture. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Young scholars read and perform William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. In this Shakepeare play lesson, students read the script for the play and practice the simplified version of the play.
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Shakespeare in Parts
Middle schoolers examine primary source manuscript fragments, discuss differences in performing a play without the entire script, and perform a scene from Twelfth Night with no preparation.
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Seeking Shakespeare in Local Communities
Students explore where Shakespeare exists in local community plays. In this Shakespeare lesson, students create a documentary to define the existence of Shakespeare in their community drama activities. Students participate in community...
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A Question of Style: Exploring the Nature of Shakespeare's Comedy
Students present scenes from As You Like It and critique presentations of their peers. In this As You Like It lesson, students stage the opening scene, experimenting with different approaches to find the tone and style they think works...
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You Kiss the Book: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Students analyze imagery in Shakespeare's, Romeo and Juliet, and act out the passage to see how the author includes stage directions with his poetry.
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Character Found Poems: Investigating Language in Twelfth Night
Students create found poems to represent characters in Twelfth Night. In this Shakespeare lesson, students discuss how to compose found poems and select characters from the play to write their poems about.
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Spenser, Shakespeare, and the "Blazon": Lesson 4
Students discuss the meaning and tone of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. In this sonnets instructional activity, students compare Spenser's sonnets to Shakespeare's. Students discuss specific words that add to the humor in Shakespeare's...
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Shakespeare, Macbeth: Characterization and Theme
In this literary elements worksheet, students read Shakespeare's Macbeth and then respond to 13 short answer questions about the characters and themes in the play.
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Reader's Theater, King Lear, and the Language of Gesture
Students perform a Reader's Theater of a small section of the play, King Lear. They examine the text, read a handout for Reader's Theater techniques, cut and reorder lines in small groups, and add choreography to perform their scene.
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Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
In this online interactive reading comprehension instructional activity, students respond to 12 multiple choice questions about Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
You might not be able to put a girdle around the earth in forty minutes but you can generate interest in A Midsummer’s Night Dream in that length of time. As an introduction to Shakespeare’s comedy, pairs of students assume the roles of...
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"Some Excellent Dumb Discourse:" Caliban as native American
Explore The Tempest and how language and power are intertwined in the play. Through a series of questions (provided) and an intense activity that has groups translate Caliban's speech into American Sign Language, learners recognize...
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Literary Response and Analysis
Students analyze the archetype of 'the fall' in Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this literary analysis lesson, students work in tiered learning groups to analyze the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Students use the book of Genesis as...
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Et tu Brute?: Fun Trivia Quiz
A unique format for a reading comprehension quiz, the questions for this test give a brief statement as if spoken by Marcus Brutus which asks readers questions about major characters and plot elements in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar....
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Pyramus and Thisbe
Focus on the play embedded in A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe. All questions in this quiz are concerned with the play-within-a-play and the amateur actors within it.
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This Was the Noblest Roman of Them All
High schoolers analyze the problems with staging and character using the play Julius Caesar. They summarize the final scene of the play and view film versions of the scene. Additionally, they prepare a promptbook for the final scene and...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
A series of multiple-choice questions cover various aspects of A Midsummer Night's Dream. From lines of the play to characters' relationships, be sure your scholars know their Shakespeare!
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Much Ado About Nothing: Guided Imagery Exercise
“Be glad that all things sort so well.” To make text-to-self connections to Shakespeare’s play, class members engage in a guided imagery exercise prior to reading Act IV, scene i of Much Ado About Nothing (the wedding of Claudio and...
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Romeo and Juliet: KWHL Strategy
Introduce Romeo and Juliet with a KWHL strategy that asks learners to record what they know, what they want to learn, and how they will find this information on a large chart posted in the classroom. During the reading of Shakespeare’s...
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Romeo and Juliet: Anticipation Guide
To prepare readers for some of the themes in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, individuals complete an anticipation guide and then share their ideas in small groups.