Lesson Locker
Macbeth: Act Two Questions for Study
There are 21 considerable examinations of the rising action of Act 2 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Use this resource for a productive group-work activity, a quiz, or to spark conversation about the play. Note: If given for homework, the...
Curated OER
Scene Writing: Literacy and Playwriting
Drama is ever-present in our daily lives and eloquently depicted on stage. Middle schoolers practice writing scenes based on different prompts and frameworks, and then perform those creative scenes for their classmates. The activities...
Prestwick House
Reading Challenge
One of the big challenges of assigning independent reading is helping class members find a book to read. Another is encouraging readers to read a variety of genres. Never fear, help is here in the form of a quest that asks individuals to...
Curated OER
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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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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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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Midsummer Night's Dream Unit
Students use the Internet to research one of Shakespeare's plays. They read two myths and create their own script for the play. They also examine the history of Ancient Greece.
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Words, words, words
Students discuss words that represent the big ideas in Othello and that recur throughout the play. They are assigned words to track throughout the text, recording which character says the word and in what context.
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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 Merchant of Venice
Students read parts of Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. Using primary sources, they gain a glimpse into the early modern period's negative perceptions and stereotypes of human beings of African descent.
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TO LOVE, HONOR AND OBEY (ONE'S PARENTS!)
Learners examine parent-child tensions regarding obedience and communication, in order to explain the conflicts in the opening scene of King Lear. They discuss ways in which expectations for studenT obedience were different in...
Curated OER
In Search of Caesar's Ghost
Students collaborate in small groups to choose a scene that they write in place of a scene in Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar". In this dramatic expression instructional activity, their scripts include roles, lines and stage...
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Examining Redemption in King Lear
Students examine the concept of the tragic hero in Shakespeare's King Lear and explore how it affects the plot of the play. In this theatrical analysis lesson, students investigate the redemption or defeat of King Lear and perform two...
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Now, Unto Thy Bones, Goodnight.
Students read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to learn about epitaphs. In this Shakespeare lesson, students read sections from the play and piece together Shakespeare's epitaph using index cards. Students create a 4 line epitaph in...
Curated OER
Bad Bard/Good Bard: Coming to Character through Preconceptions of Shakespearean Acting
Students practice their own acting skills. In this Shakespeare lesson, students participate in choral readings and reenact scenes from The Taming of the Shrew. Students then discuss the difficulties of Shakespearean acting.
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Macbeth
Students discuss the changes the characters go through in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. They discuss the themes of the play write an essay comparing current events to the themes of the play.
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War and Remembrance: St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V
Pupils discuss their opinions about war. For this political science lesson, students use a video about war to analyze their own ideas about war. They discuss the terminology Shakespeare used in reference to war, and examine the efforts...
Curated OER
Twelfth Night
In this Twelfth Night activity, students fill in phrases which have been left out from Act One, Scene One of Twelfth Night. Instead of filling in Shakespeare's words, students fill in the given translations for the words in order to...
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For Thy Sweet Love Remembered Such Wealth Brings
Students read sonnets and choose one which contains words or phrases that create an emotional reaction to study the Shakespearean language. For this Shakespearean sonnet lesson, students read Shakespeare sonnets and circle words that...
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The Tempest: Quiz
In this The Tempest activity, students answer 15 multiple choice questions on the plot, characters, and theme of Shakespeare's play.
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Welcome to Venice
Students read the opening scene of the play, The Merchant of Venice without receiving any background information. They analyze and discuss the relationships between the six characters, and determine the social status of the characters.
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NOTHING TO LEAR BUT LEAR HIMSELF
Learners read a scene from King Lear and decide collaboratively how best to present it. In doing so, they examine the scenes and the play from multiple perspectives.
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Writing Process
Students read Macbeth and work in groups to organize and create an outline for a persuasive essay. In this persuasive essay lesson, students work in tiered learning groups to organize their thoughts for a persuasive thesis about the...
Curated OER
Othello
Students find evidence to support reasons why Othello's insecurity makes him weak. In this Othello analysis lesson, students find evidence to support Othello as a strong person at the beginning of the play. Students use the given...