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Divinity of hell
High schoolers have to look at the text of the play Othello and cut the text in half. Each group then moves to the computer to their right and continues on with what that group wrote. They then have to stage the final script and...
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Picturing Shakespeare: Creating Illuminated Texts
Learners experiment with illuminating important text. In this fictional literature lesson plan, students research Shakespearean sonnets. Learners identify key elements of the sonnets, and examine the relationship between illuminated...
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Playing it Straight
Students view live theatre. In this play productions lesson, students visit selected venues online or in person to see up to 32 plays in the United Kingdom.
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" I will hear that play"
Learners listen to the play A Midsummer's Nights Dream and analyze how sound influences the overall film. They study about Foley and how sound effect artists use this in the film industry. Students compare what they have heard between...
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Street Language
Learners consider the impact of language. In this literacy lesson plan, students read an article about literary classics being rewritten in "youth speak" (the article is not included). Learners read and discuss the article.
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"Very tragical mirth:" Romeo and Pyramus, Juliet and Thisbe
Students analyze and compare the poetic tools Shakespeare uses in the death scenes of Romeo and Juliet to those of Pyramus and Thisbe in Midsummer Night's Dream.
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Cracking Cassius
Students examine the argument between Cassius and Brutus to define the importance of friendship and study a Shakespearean play. In this Julius Caesar analysis lesson, students list qualities of a best friend and read scenes from the...
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Imagining Back Story: Creating an Artifact for an Extra-Extended Text
Young scholars create a "back story" for a character from Measure for Measure. In this Measure for Measure instructional activity, students read the text closely as they look for clues about where the character came from and how he or...
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Rather Cut a Little
Students create podcasts of Measure for Measure. In this Measure for Measure activity, students decide which lines are the most important and edit scenes to create a shorter version of the play that includes the important concepts. ...
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Drama: Julius Caesar Storyboard
Students create storyboards based on Julius Caesar using the device of framing to convey character information. After examining framing techniques in photographs from the Folger Theater, they discuss how they influence character...
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Tudor Entertainment
In this facts about Tudor entertainment worksheet, students read illustrated facts about Tudor sports, banquets, theatre, and public execution and create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting them with entertainment today. Students...
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The 32-Second Macbeth
Pupils read a very short script synopsis of Macbeth. They read the script, in small groups, trying to break the 32-second record, then write their own 32-second versions of one act from Macbeth.
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Figurative Language Alive: Balcony Scene Charades
Students act out lines from Romeo and Juliet in a charade-like game.
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Playing Humanity: Comparing Shylock and Antonio
Pupils read a scene of "The Merchant of Venice" and write remarks by Antonio and Shylock that indicate traits of their personalities. They enact both characters and discuss the treatment of anti-Semitism, bigotry, persecution and mercy.
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Romeo and Juliet-Balcony Scence
Students create and carry out a "modern day" version of the famous scene from Romeo and Juliet to help them build understanding of the plot and the two characters.
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You Can't Go Home Again (or, If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother)
Students read a scene from Hamlet, without stage directions. They recreate the scene using their own stage directions as they see fit for the scene.
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Romans in Britain, or Classical Colonialism
Learners identify the extent of the Roman Empire on a map of Europe and North Africa. They discuss the reasons behind Roman expansion and occupation. They read Cymbeline and write about the attitudes of 3 characters. Groups stage the scene.
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AND WE ALL SIT DOWN: STATUS IN KING LEAR
High schoolers participate in two simple status games to allow students to explore the relationships between Lear, his three daughters, and his court.
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Romeo and Juliet Project: A Perfect Album Side
In this Romeo and Juliet worksheet, students combine music, lyrics, and drama to analyze Romeo and Juliet. Students select music to fit the theme, mood, and feeling of each act and research the lyrics. Students compose an essay about why...
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Hark! The Sounds of Murder
Young scholars analyze the Macbeth murder scene through textual analysis and construct the murder scene of Duncan through the use of sound only. In this Macbeth lesson, students work in groups to analyze the murder scene of Duncan from...
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The Full Bodied Romeo
Students put physical movement to the word of Romeo's ozymoronic speech in order to explain the trauma that he is experiencing.
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MacBeth Activity Using Alanis Morissette's "Wake Up"
Students analyze Macbeth through the lens of a pop song. For this Macbeth lesson, students read Act I, Scene 7 of Macbeth and determine Lady Macbeth's viewpoint. Students read the lyrics to Alanis Morrissette's song 'Wake Up' and work in...
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Merchant of Venice
Students examine patterns of imagery in Merchant of Venice by using online resources. Students compare the patterns they see to those they've found in other Shakespeare plays. Then students draw conclusions about why Shakespeare might...
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The Bard in the Big Apple
Identify their feelings about Shakespeare's plays, addressing their readability and relevance to their lives.
2. Explore the effects of remaking Shakespeare plays in a modern context, as well as differences that emerge when a play is...