Curated OER
Something is Rotten in Denmark!
Students identify a key line from a Shakespearean play and create a poem based on the imagery evoked by the dialogue.
Curated OER
Sculptures of the Seven Ages
Students simulate sculptors and clay to help them explain abstract phrases in a soliloquy.
Curated OER
King Lear's Storm
Young scholars read speeches from King Lear. They examine the sppeach for meaning by paraphrasing and defining words. They read aloud with "storm" in their voices. Groups perform their speech and class discusses it in terms of inner vs....
Curated OER
Who's There: Acting in the Dark
Learners participate in a performance of Macbeth using the lighting techniques that were employed during the Shakespearean era. Working in groups, student reenact a scene. Afterward they discuss the challenges of working with limited...
Curated OER
Themes in "Romeo and Juliet"
Students read the play, Romeo and Juliet, and discuss the main themes. They examine the music they listen to, and present selections that reflect any of the themes in the play.
Curated OER
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: A Dual Exploration of Macbeth
Students emulate a key practice of Renaissance theater: doubling. The goal of this lesson is for students to experience-to see, hear, and feel-the differences between characters. Each group presents scenes to the rest of the class.
Curated OER
MTV Othello
High schoolers read a scene in Othello. They create a performance of a song in Othello. They perform their "ow Song"s and compare and contrast the interpretations.
Curated OER
The Tempest
Students discuss cultural beliefs about magic. They investigate European exploration and colonialism. They create a cartoon strip of an episode that is described or dramatized in the play.
Curated OER
Introduction to "As You Like It"
High schoolers explore the character relationships and their connection in the play "As You Like It." Working in groups, students act out the various scenes from the play and discuss the characters and their actions in the scene. High...
Curated OER
The Raven: Creator of the Universe?
Students conduct research to learn about the fascinating ways and lore of the raven. They analyze the variety of ways the raven has been perceived by different cultures and classify the information and create a convincing argument to...
Curated OER
Mapping Shakespeare
Twelfth graders read a Shakespearean play focusing on a character. They create "Mind Maps" of their characters and act out a selection of the play.
Curated OER
Picturing Shakespeare: Creating Illuminated Texts
Students experiment with illuminating important text. In this fictional literature lesson, students research Shakespearean sonnets. Students identify key elements of the sonnets, and examine the relationship between illuminated text...
Curated OER
Henry V (Shakespeare) Introduction
Ninth graders identify current knowledge of dramatic literature and develop a schema for discussing an performing dramatic literature.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
O how I faint when I of you do write:" Analyzing Shakespearean Sonnets Using "SOAPSTone" and Performance
Students encounter how to use SOAPSTone--a strategy that helps students break down a text to comprehend its intended point of view and audience--in order to analyze Shakespeare's sonnets. They then physicalize their knowledge through a...
Curated OER
Macbeth
Students engage in a variety of activities in order to complete a unit about the Shakespeare work of Macbeth. The lessons are part of a layered curriculum. The objective is to create a portfolio to create more layers.
Curated OER
Close Reading of a Sonnet
Students practice reading sonnets line by line to find the message of the sonnet. In this sonnet activity, students read a sonnet one line at a time as the teacher projects it for the entire class. As each line is shown, students focus...
Curated OER
"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Students complete reading and vocabulary activities for Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias." In this literary analysis lesson, students review vocabulary and related definitions for the text. Students read the poem and discuss the meaning.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Breathing New Life into Old Traditions
Students investigate the role of ceremonies and other traditions of Native American cultures. They research various Native American nations and create posters that visually depict their research.
Curated OER
Romeo and Juliet...Unfinished Business?
Students act as characters from Romeo and Juliet to carry on a cross-fire type discussion using contemporary language.
Curated OER
The Tempest: Picture Poems
Students, in pairs, write descriptive poems of selected images of The Tempest using vocabulary from a word bank. They pass the poems only to other groups and then they attempt to draw an image solely based on the poem.
Curated OER
"Thou hast set me on the rack": A Dramatic Reading of Iago's Most Poisonous Lines
Students select and analyze quotations from Othello, and do a dramatic reading to illustrate the power of Iago's most poisonous words.
Curated OER
The Bullying of Malvolio
Students explore Malvolio's behavior and treatment in Twelfth Night. For this literature lesson, students examine the characteristics of a bully. They then work in groups and analyze scenes to determine whether Malvolio fits the...