Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 13 and 14
How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star Wars: A New...
Curated OER
Hamlet-Bodies, Bodies, Everywhere...
Dwell on the tragic circumstances of Hamlet with this quiz. Every multiple-choice question deals with the death or near-death of a character in the play. Discover why Hamlet is truly a tragedy.
Curated OER
Macbeth: Denouement/Falling Action
Readers of Shakespeare explore denouement in Macbeth and track the play's falling action in Act IV, Scene 1. They complete a worksheet/table noting the content and significance of each of the three apparitions granted Macbeth by the...
Curated OER
Mastering the Mighty Melville
“Bartleby the Scrivner” as an existential forerunner to The Office? Dense and often dark, Herman Melville’s stories abound with Biblical allusions and complex symbols. If you are considering using Melville’s novels or short stories with...
Shakespeare Globe Trust
Fact Sheet: Writing Plays
Who were some of the popular playwrights of Elizabethan England? Using the provided fact sheets, scholars research playwrights, explore three different types of plays, and learn about censorship in Elizabethan England.
Orlando Shakes
Merry Wives of Windsor: Study Guide
What does the character Falstaff mean when he says "I was beaten myself into all the colors of the rainbow"? Using the Merry Wives of Windsor curriculum guide, scholars unlock meaning by paraphrasing lines from the play. Pupils also...
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A Year in the Work of the Bard
Students study the life and times of Shakespeare. In this William Shakespeare instructional activity, students research the noted Web sites to discover details about Shakespeare's life and the times he lived in. Students also virtually...
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Race and Crime in the United States: Are We Victims of Discrimination or Antiheroes?
Using methods adopted by Public Policy Analysts (PPA) class groups define a social problem, gather evidence to document the existence of the problem, identify causes, evaluate existing policies designed to deal with the problem, develop...
Shakespeare Globe Trust
Fact Sheet: The First Globe
Where did actors perform plays during Shakespeare's era? Using the handout, pupils learn about London's historical Globe Theatre and discover which of Shakespeare's plays actors performed there. Scholars also explore the cause of the...
Shakespeare Globe Trust
Fact Sheet: Indoor Theatres
Pull up a cushion, grab an apple or some nuts, light a candle, and get ready to explore indoor theatres from Elizabethan England. Readers use a handout to distinguish between indoor and outdoor theatres and the types of actors who...
Curated OER
Twelfth Night: QAR
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is used to model for readers how to craft four levels of questions that promote comprehension. Questions that can be answered with evidence right there in the text, questions that require readers to think and...
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King Lear: Fun Trivia Quiz
This Fun Trivia quiz incorporates vocabulary, quote identification and character recognition questions for Shakespeare's classic play King Lear. As with all Fun Trivia quizzes, it may be necessary to review content for usefulness....
Curated OER
Shakespeare Project
Learners research the life and times of William Shakespeare and present their research in a variety of ways. They make timelines, act out the story of one of his plays or create word searches.
Curated OER
Much Ado About Something (Lesson 4)
Students view a film about Shakespeare and his poetry. They complete a worksheet while viewing. They discuss how to properly read a poem and practice reading his sonnets.
Curated OER
Exploring the Expository Scenes in Macbeth
Students examine the function of exposition in play structure. They will be able to develop multiple interpretations and visual and aural production choices for Shakespearean scenes and choose those that are most interesting.
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Hamlet's Soliloquy
Everyone is familiar with the beginning of Hamlet's soliloquy, "To be or not to be..." While reading Hamlet, help your middle schoolers analyze the lines that follow, but how do you help them make personal connections to the text? Use...
Curated OER
Macbeth: Fun Trivia Quiz
While this quiz on Macbeth is not highly collaborative or academically challenging, you might use it as brief check for understanding or sponge activity. This quiz is composed of ten multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions....
Curated OER
Richard the Second #2: Fun Trivia Quiz
Challenge your class to recall information about Shakespeare's Richard II. This online quiz provides fifteen questions based on characters and basic plot points. Use it as a check for understanding or a quick sponge activity. Since this...
Curated OER
Richard the Second #1: Fun Trivia Quiz
If you are working on Richard II in your class, you might find this brief online interactive quiz useful. While not the most innovative quiz, you might draw a few questions about basic plot understanding from this resource. If you use...
Novelinks
The Winter’s Tale: Concept Analysis
A comedy? A romance? A little of both? Shakespeare's The Winter Tale is the focus of an overview appropriate for those who are considering using the play for the first time.
Jen London
Julius Caesar Funeral Speech Essay Assignment
"Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause." "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!" As part of a study of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, individuals as asked to compare the funeral speeches of Brutus and Mark...
Curated OER
Who is Gertrude, Really?
Students form opinions about Gertrude by imaginatively creating 5 entries for Gertrude's journal. Each journal entry reveal much about Gertrude's character at pivotal moments in the play.
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Reading Shakespeare
Students rebuild the a portion of the text of Twelfth Night by reordering lines of text to create meaning thereby gaining confidence when in their ability to gain meaning when reading Shakespeare.
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"Tear him for his bad verses:" Cinna the poet and Shakespeare's Sonnets
Poor Cinna, the poet. His dream of “things unlucky” certainly comes true as the mob tears him apart, at first because they mistake him for Cinna, the conspirator, and then continue to “tear him to pieces for his bad verses.” As part of...