PBS
Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.
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William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: Fate versus Free Will
Tenth graders explore Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. After reading specific scenes, they brainstorm and discuss free will. Students observe a clip from the Dr. Phil television show entitled, "Afraid to Age" and make connections from the...
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Illustrated Quotes of Julius Caesar
Third graders read and study William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and make a booklet of twenty illustrated quotations from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
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The Bard, the Globe, the Midsummer Night's Dream
Students complete a unit of lessons to learn about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre. In this William Shakespeare lesson, students complete 7 lessons of activities to study William Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre, and the play 'A...
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Trustworthy Reputation
Seventh graders explore psychology by writing reflections about quotations. In this human behavior lesson plan, 7th graders read a list of famous quotes about trust by men such as Benjamin Franklin and William Shakespeare. Students...
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To Be Or Not To Be... (Hamlet)
Students complete a unit of lessons on William Shakespeare's Hamlet. They analyze the plot, themes, and characterization, relate songs to thematic issues, develop plot summaries and translations, and compare the play to a movie version.
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A Year in the Work of the Bard
Young scholars study the life and times of Shakespeare. In this William Shakespeare lesson, students research the noted Web sites to discover details about Shakespeare's life and the times he lived in. Young scholars also virtually visit...
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A Way with Words or Say What?
Students examine Shakespearean language. In this word study lesson plan, students investigate the meaning of words that Shakespeare invented. Students draw and pantomime with the words prior to writing short stories that feature...
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Guess that Scene: A Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream Through Performance
Students rewrite and perform various scenes from the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. In groups, they include the main quotes and ideas from their scene, perform it for the class, and identify which scene each group is performing.
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"The World's Asleep": But Not Your Classroom
Students, in groups, form a circle in which to recite lines from Shakespeare. They throw foam balls to each other and when the ball is caught, a line is recited until all lines are memorized. They line up with quotations to resequence...
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"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.
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ESSAYS ABOUT IAGO'S METAPHORS
Students examine the first two scenes of Act I and do a metaphor interpretation exercise. They write an essay on the following question: Through Iago's metaphors, what is he trying to do to Brabantio? To answer this question they ...
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"To Be Or Not To Be" And the VT
Using the online Visual Thesaurus, nascent actors work in groups to analyze and interpret Hamlet's "To Be Or Not To Be" monologue. Individuals then craft a contemporary version of this famous speech and present their adaptation...
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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...