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Much Ado About Something (Lesson 6)
View a video clip about Shakespeare's work. Identify the ambiguities in his texts. Practice reading well-known soliloquies.
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Parodies of Shakespeare
Students view a video clip about parodies. They identify the characteristics of a parody in Mark Twain's work as well. They practice writing Shakepeare like verses.
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Further Activities with Language
Students chose a favorite passage from a Shakespeare play. They write a letter from one character to another in a novel they have just read. They take a scene from a movie and write it in Shakespearean language.
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Adapting Shakespeare's Classic from Romeo and Juliet
Students view a new adaptation of composer Charles Fran¿¿ois Gounod's opera "Romeo and Juliet", based on Shakespeare's 16th-century play. They conduct research on the era in which Shakespeare lived, write and respond to letters from...
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To Freeze or Not to Freeze
Students examine the non-verbal elements of a theatrical performance. They read an article, answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research, and stage frozen tableaux based on lines from Shakespeare's works.
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M.C. Bard: Hip Hop and Shakespeare
Middle schoolers compare lyrics from hip hop songs with monologues from Shakespeare's plays, and perform both for the class.
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Enter an Enchanged Wood with Shakespeare
Students research William Shakespeare and his literary works. They study a variety of literary terms and different elements of his plays. They also research the Globe Theatre and different elements of the theatre in general.
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The Shakespeare Crowd
Learners study the life and times of Shakespeare. They read and analyze one of his plays and use the Internet and videos to gain an understanding of how Shakespeare engaged his audiences, then and still today.
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Crafting a Character - The Making of Shylock
Students, in groups, analyze the characterization of Shakespeare's Shylock from "Merchant of Venice". They examine text, view movies and interpretative drawings and conduct historical research.
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The Trial of Iago: "To you...remains the censure of this hellish villain"
Students analyze text and utilize outside resources to determine Iago's fate, which is not addressed by Shakespeare in Othello; students present their findings in an organized trial scenario.
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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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Romeo and Juliet...Unfinished Business?
Students act as characters from Romeo and Juliet to carry on a cross-fire type discussion using contemporary language.
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THE GOOD AND THE BADDE: ARE STEREOTYPES A PERFECT FIT?
High schoolers examine stereotypes of women from The Good and the Badde in juxtaposition with the female characters in The Taming of the Shrew. Through this exercise, students locate evidence from the text of the play to support or...
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WHY IS LEONTES JEALOUS? FINDING A CAUSE IN THE WINTER'S TALE
Students examine several possible ways of understanding Leontes' jealousy through close reading, a performance activity, and the use of a primary source document. They, in groups, perform a scene.
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Romans in Britain, or Classical Colonialism
Students 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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Emulating Shakespeare: To Snooze or Not To Snooze
High schoolers reproduce the pattern of one of Shakespeare's soliloquies, but use their own ideas and words to replace the character's. They replace each word with a word of their own that serves the same purpose.They discuss the speaker...
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AND WE ALL SIT DOWN: STATUS IN KING LEAR
Students 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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I WILL NOT HEAR THAT PLAY: PERFORMING A DUMB SHOW
Students perform a "dumb show" based on a short passage from either A Midsummer Night's Dream or King Lear. This technique allows students to explain the action taking place on stage and the variety of different ways that action can be...
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Shakespeare Wall
Students create a visual notebook of a Shakespearean play by taking the actual written work, hanging it up on the wall, and highlighting various literary aspects of the play as they unfold.
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Romeo and Juliet-Balcony Scence
High schoolers 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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Hero vs. Claudio: A Case of Slander
Students research marriage customs of the Renaissance, discuss and debate the issues raised by Claudio repudiating Hero at the altar in the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing, and then stage a mock trial accusing Claudio of...
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Fear and Loathing in Othello
Students research the ideas that people had of African people during Shakespearean times and examine Othello's descriptions of himself as written by Shakespeare.
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Enter Ophelia: Stage Directions, Promptbooks, and Film
Students review different film versions of the play, Hamlet, and compare what was presented to the actual stage directions given in the original Shakespearean version.
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Anon Methought the Umbrellas Began to Move
Learners reenact a scene from Macbeth using umbrellas as props.