Thirty-six pages familiarize scholars with the story and vocabulary of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After reading and listening to an abbreviated version of the holiday tale learners show what they know about the sequence of...

After reading Acts III and IV of Othello, give your class a fun, interactive, music-related activity. Begin by asking high schoolers about songs they have heard in movies or plays. Let them look up the lyrics online and ruminate about...

A lesson turns young historians into playwrights to understand and speak out against social injustice. Pupils work individually or in groups to write and perform monologues that deliver personal messages on social justice. Writers then...

Everyone has a role to play. Young scholars step into history by taking on the roles of soldiers—both male and female—during the Civil War using a fictionalized play of what life was like on the battlefield. Pupils also examine the roles...

How does Shakespeare further develop Macbeth's character using the interaction between Macduff and Malcolm? Pupils write responses to the question. They continue their analysis of Macbeth with a masterful reading and guided whole-class...

Imperfect heroes, pity and fear, and a fatal flaw are all part of a tragic play. Scholars analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth as an example of the tragedy genre. Pupils demonstrate understanding by completing a Quick Write discussing how...

Macbeth describes life as a light and a candle, suggesting it is fleeting and meaningless. Using the resource, scholars engage in an evidence-based discussion and complete a Quick Write about Shakespeare's use of figurative language in...

How do directors' choices emphasize different elements of a drama? Scholars participate in a discussion about the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Macbeth and Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood. Finally, they write an analysis of...

What might viewers notice about the characters, setting, and cinematic choices in the movie version of a play? Pupils view an excerpt from Throne of Blood, Akira Kurosawa's film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. To finish the...

Withered, wild, and bearded are three adjectives that describe the Witches from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Scholars view paintings and discuss how different artists depict the witches. Pupils also complete a Quick Write to analyze Henry...

Using the resource, scholars work in small groups to rehearse a selected scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Finally, they present their interpretive dramatic readings to a group of peers or the whole class and complete a self-assessment...

Madness, violence, despair—the titular character of Shakespeare's Macbeth is spiraling out of control. Pupils first explore the topic with a collaborative jigsaw discussion. At the end of the lesson plan, they write about how character...

How do complex characters develop over the course of a text? Pupils read Act 5.1 from Shakespeare's Macbeth, which depicts Lady Macbeth's descent into madness. Using discussion and writing exercises, scholars analyze how Shakespeare...

What goes around, comes around. Using the resource, pupils read Act 4.3 of  Macbeth, in which Macduff and Malcolm make plans to attack Macbeth. Scholars then hold a discussion and complete writing activities to analyze Shakespeare's...

Lady Macduff uses a metaphor to suggest that her husband does not possess the courage of even a small, short-winged bird—ouch! Using the resource, pupils discover Act 4.2 of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Using reading, writing, and discussion,...

How does Shakespeare develop the idea of appearance versus reality in Macbeth? Using the resource, pupils discuss the plot in small groups. Scholars also complete a Quick Write analyzing how the interactions between Macbeth and Lady...

Is it better to be dead than to "dwell in doubtful joy,"  as Lady Macbeth suggests in Act 3.2 of Shakespeare's Macbeth? Using the resource, scholars work in small groups to discuss how Lady Macbeth and Macbeth begin to unravel following...

Shakespeare's Macbeth has something for everyone. Scholars complete a mid-unit assessment. They craft multi-paragraph essays to analyze how the author's structural choices create tension and suspense in the first two acts of the play. 

One sentence, so much meaning. Scholars work together to analyze a quote from Act 2.3 of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Additionally, pupils explore the plot by participating in a jigsaw discussion. 

What decisions might an author make about the structure of a play? Pupils participate in an evidence-based discussion about the author's choices in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Next, scholars analyze the effect of Shakespeare's structural...

Who was Harper Lee, and what led her to write one of the most celebrated novels of all time? Scholars learn about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird and read a summary of a dramatic production of the novel. They also discover the...

A variety of activities boost viewers' comprehension of Rudyard Kipling's classic The Jungle Book. Discussions, games, writing assignments, and hands-on activities are available for before and after watching the play.