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Divinity of hell: Soliloquies, Cutting and Computers
Students use a computer to read text from Shakespeare's "Othello." They attempt to read through his soliloquies, and reduce the amount of words in each bit of text.
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"Words, words, words"
Learners discuss words that represent the "big ideas" in Othello and that recur throughout the play. They will be assigned words to track throughout the text, recording which character says the word and in what context.
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The Wooden 0
In this "The Wooden O" instructional activity, students read about the first public theatres in London and answer discussion questions about attending a play during the 1500-1600's. Students then create a poster of the Globe theatre and...
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Twelfth Night
In this Twelfth Night worksheet, students complete a love triangle from Act One, underline words that describe Sir Toby, answer four questions about characters, and look at the relationship between two characters. Students answer twelve...
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An Introduction To Status
Students explore the concept of status and its use in theater. Using a scene from Shakespeare's play King Richard II, students work in pairs to perform the scene. After the performance, the pairs discuss their use of physical status in...
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Status Games
Tenth graders, in groups, participate in a simulation activity in which they are assigned a certain "status" role to play in a given situation. After the simulation, they reveal their status roles and discuss what they observed. They...
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Who's There: Acting in the Dark
High schoolers 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...
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Introduction to "As You Like It"
Students 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. Students...
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Introducing "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Students are introduced to Shakespeare's play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." In groups, they "mini-sculpt" four scenes from the play that illustrate the relationships between the four lovers. They create a living statue out of the other...
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"Set Your Heart At Rest" Word Plays
Students read Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." They create a dramatic reading of Titania's monologue in Act II by randomly assigning words of the monologue that are demonstrated using sound and movement, not the actual words. ...
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Restaging Julius Ceasar
High schoolers engage in a lesson looking at a major scene of a Shakespeare play. They assume the role play of being the director and apply problem solving skills in order to conduct the scene. Others must switch roles and take on the...
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Interviewing the Players
Pupils analyze Shakespeare's words through scenes and portions of scenes. They compare the characters' motives and make connections between the text they are performing and the larger context of the play. They participate in panel...
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Twelfth Night-The Musical!
Students read Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In groups, they divide Act 2 and add a new character or direction to the plot. They reinterpret the scene as a musical, using contemporary songs.
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Pyramus and Thisbe, Page to Stage
Students read and interpret a script. Then they use higher order thinking skills to transfer information to long term memory. They use the information and interpretations in order to have a model to create dramatic scripts.
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That Quaffing and Drinking Will Undo You
Students do a close character study of the characters in scenes 1.3 and 2.3 from Twelfth Night. They read a primary source about the effects of drunkenness and examine its role in the characters of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Students...
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Shakespear Scavenger Hunt
Students use the internet to study basic biographical facts about Shakespeare in the form of an internet scavenger hunt. This activity is a great introduction to a Shakespearean unit of study.
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Shakespeare
Students read specific acts of Shakepeare's King Lear. Using the text, they identify the beginning stages of Lear's insanity and the causes of his instability. They examine the relationship between King Lear and Poor Tom and reenact the...
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Prospero: Turkey or Tyrant?
Students study characterization and the difference between subjective and objective points of view by creating tableaux to depict three interpretations of the story of Prospero's overthrow, each with a very different point of view. They...
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New York City: Passionate About Shakespeare
Students read passages from Shakespeare and have a Town Hall meeting in which they defend Shakespeare as part of American culture.
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Do Clothes Make the Man?
Students discuss the Shakepeare play "The Merchant in Venice" to examine if dress makes a person who they are. They discuss certain situations and the dress required for them. They role-play different roles in the play to examine the...
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Lose the Lute!
Students use Shakespeare's plays to add modern music to match the mood in the play. They assign adjectives to the original songs of the play and find a song with the same mood. They work together to role-play the play with new music.
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Can't Buy Me Love?
Students activity find the multiplicity of meanings buried within Shakespeare's language. They examine how the meanings of words differ in modern America and in Venice.
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Julius Caesar Oral Report
Learners conduct research on William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar. They research and explore various websites, complete graphic organizers, and develop a research paper.
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Character Study in Macbeth
Eleventh graders analyze a Shakespeare soliloquy by writing a prose summary of it. They keep a character journal, following one character through the play and analyzing what the character does and says, as well as, might have done or...