Roald Dahl
Matilda - The Third Miracle
Magnus takes a visit to the classroom in the 20th chapter of Matilda. Or does he? After reading, learners interview the person in the hot seat to get a detailed account of what happened during this chapter. Then, they write individual...
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West Side Shifts
Combine math, language arts, music, and dance with an activity focused on "America" from West Side Story. After listening to the song, learners compare the film to Romeo and Juliet, analyze the song's meter, design choreography, plan...
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Reading Plays
Students examine the role of tone in a comedy play. They also discover how to paraphrase a passage and explain a character's point of view.
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Guess that Scene: A Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream Through Performance
Learners 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 32-Second Macbeth
High schoolers read a very short script synopsis of Macbeth. They read the script, in small groups, trying to break the 32-second record, then write their own 32-second versions of one act from Macbeth.
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Welcome to Venice
Young scholars 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...
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Bill Irwin: All in a Day's Work
Students research and examine the various roles needed to put on a major drama production. Using this information, they role play one of these different responsibilities. As a class, they perform a play of their choosing and receive...
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Much Ado About Nothing
Young scholars explore the genre of romantic comedy through their reading of Much Ado About Nothing. In this literary genres lesson, students study the genre of romantic comedy through their reading of Much Ado About Nothing. Young...
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Different Strokes for Different Folks
Fourth graders are taken to the media center to review various genre of literature, apply information and concepts to evaluate examples and locate specific genre, and search for materials for reading enjoyment. A good lesson plan for...
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Destination Reading
Students practice reading skills and comprehension through the use of computers and the educational software "Destination Reading" provided by Riverdeep in this self-directed lesson.
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Create a Playbill!
Young scholars examine the variety of elements for a written play and create a playbill. They read about and define literary elements on a worksheet, and participate in a dramatic reading. Each student then creates and publishes a playbill.
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Macbeth: Shakespeare for Elementary Students (Elementary, Literature)
Students act out a fully realized Shakespearean play designed to be utilized by mid level elementary students.
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Celebrating Women: Toni Morrison
Students research Toni Morrison's life, work as a writer, and major contributions to the field of literature; students choose one of her novels to read, & perform a scene from it; each group member writes an autobiographical essay...
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Lon Chaney: Three Faces of Lon Chaney
Students watch the Lon Chaney episode of American Masters, read chapters from three original books on which Chaney's films were based, and use a reading strategy called Reader's Theater to adapt each chapter into a script. After...
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On With the Show: Fifty Years of the Public Theater
Learners view video clips from the program NY VOICES: "The Public" at 50, which examines Joseph Papp's passion and commitment to bring theater to diverse communities of New York. They create a playbill highlighting productions for an...
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First Grade, First Grade, What Do You See?
First graders read the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?" by Bill Martin, Jr. and work cooperatively to create an online book about their geographic region. Books can be posted on the internet with other books from around...
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Dateline: 442 BC Antigone
High schoolers create and videotape a newscast about the events that take place in the play, Antigone. They perform scenes describing the main events, the main characters and their conflicts.
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Youth Helping to Elevate Awareness
Eighth graders read a book whose main character has a physical disability, and complete various related activities. They listen to a guest speaker, simulate experiences at school as a disabled individual through the use of wheelchairs,...
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You Kiss By the Book
High schoolers explore Shakespeare's use of poetic conventions, examine the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet and gain experience in close readng and the interpretation of verse structure and imagery.
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Romeo and Juliet-Balcony Scence
Students 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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The Secret Society and FitzGerald's The Great Gatsby
High schoolers formulate what tensions about wealth and status are revealed in The Great Gatsby. Apply how these tensions are reflected in Nick Carraway's struggle to belong. Write a "credo" for the "secret society" implied in The Great...
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The Shapes of Art: A Lesson in Aesthetic Awareness
Students become immersed in analyzing the influences on and development of an artistic paradigm; they also move into, through and beyond the literary piece.
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The Portrayal of the Witches
Eleventh graders discover the importance of the fortune teller in Shakespeare's Macbeth. After watching two interpretations of the play, they examine and compare the portrayal of the character. They create their own modern adaptation of...
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So Foul and Fair a Play
Students watch various interpretations of Shakespeare's Macbeth in film. In groups, they examine the setting, characters, music and sequence. They compare and contrast the various films and discuss the differences. They write an essay on...