Spark Notes
Legs by William Kennedy: Study Guide - Mini Essays
In this online interactive literature worksheet, students respond to 8 short answer and essay questions about William Kennedy's Legs. Students may check some of their answers online.
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Magic Words, Magic Brush: The Art of William Butler and Jack Yeats
Young scholars explore the influence of the landscape of Ireland on shaping the poetry of William Butler Yeats. They work in groups researching the growth of the Irish Nationalist Movement, Celtic origins, invasions, and the impact on...
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Southern Puritanism and Tennessee Williams
Students write an essay comparing Arthur Mille's The Crucible and one of Tennessee Williams' plays. In this Tennessee Williams lesson, students discuss the influence of Puritanism on modern American drama. Lesson includes a vocabulary...
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Exploring A Streetcar Named Desire
Students investigate the dramatic elements of a Streetcar Named Desire. In this drama lesson, students explore the theme of the Tennessee Williams play as they read the play and watch performances of some of the acts. Students then write...
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Mark Twain: Straddling the Civil War
Mark Twain's life, politics, writing, and role as a mirror of pre- and post-Civil War American culture are the focus 11th and 12th graders in this section from an expansive author study. A critical writing assignment comparing Twain to...
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Playing with Puns
"O pun" the door on this activity. Have your pupils compare the puns and word play in scenes from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to those in Gary Blackwood’s The Shakespeare Stealer. Warm up and introductory activities, as well as...
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A Way with Words or Say What?
Young scholars explore the language of Shakespeare. In this literature lesson, students examine words invented by Shakespeare as they interpret their meanings in drawings. Young scholars pantomime the meanings and then write a short...
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The Memory Play in American Drama
Students take a closer look at a memory play. In this American drama lesson, students read Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie and analyze it as a memory play. Students discuss the linear and non-linear aspects of the play prior to...
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President William Jefferson Clinton
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a passage about President Clinton and answer 7 multiple choice questions.
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Exploring the Expository Scenes in Macbeth
Students examine the function of exposition in play structure. They will be able to develop multiple interpretations and visual and aural production choices for Shakespearean scenes and choose those that are most interesting.
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Mystery State #40
In this mystery state worksheet, students answer clues arranged from difficult to easy to identify the state, then locate it on a map.
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Shakespeare Stealer: Design a Set
In groups, learners design sets for the play, "Shakespeare Stealer." They sketch a scale model of a set and present it to the teacher, who will choose which group gets to design the entire set.
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Playing with Puns
Learners examine the wit of characters in two plays. In this drama lesson, students read The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood and Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Learners analyze the puns used in both plays and write essays that...
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A Way with Words or Say What?
Learners examine Shakespearean language. In this word study activity, students investigate the meaning of words that Shakespeare invented. Learners draw and pantomime with the words prior to writing short stories that feature...
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A Question of Style: Exploring the Nature of Shakespeare's Comedy
Students present scenes from As You Like It and critique presentations of their peers. For this As You Like It lesson, students stage the opening scene, experimenting with different approaches to find the tone and style they think works...
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Rhythm and Improv, Jazz and Poetry
Connect the ideas of jazz improvisation and art to writing poetry. Learners collaborate and write different lines of poetry, imitating the jazz styles of improvisation and freewriting. Take a close look at the poems "Tenebrae" by Yusef...
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The Poetics of Hip Hop
The Bard, Nikki Giovanni, Mos Def? “Sonnet 18,” Ego Tripping,” and “Black on Both Sides”? Sure! It’s the poetics. Class members compare the lyrics, rhythm, and rhyme in classic poetry to hip-hop in a richly detailed resource that...
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Fractured Families in American Drama
Students compare and contrast the flawed families in two plays. In this American drama instructional activity, students read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Long Day's Journey into Night. Students research information about the playrights and...
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Lessons in Legal Ethics: Crime and the Media
High schoolers examine a variety of ethical issues that arise in criminal cases. They get into groups, and perform a case study of a real situation in which many of these ethical issues came up. All of the worksheets needed to...
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Arthur Miller and The Crucible
Students investigate the dramatic elements of The Crucible. In this drama lesson, students explore the elements and themes of the Arthur Miller play as they read the play and watch performances of some of the acts. Students then write...
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Eugene O'Neill on Page and Stage
Students investigate the life and works of Eugene O'Neill. In this American theater lesson plan, students read biographical information about O'Neill and review Long Day's Journey into Night. Students then analyze the play in order to...
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Noh Theater
Students take a closer look at Japanese drama. In this Japanese culture lesson plan, students study the attributes of Noh theater and compare it western theater. Students conduct independent research on the art form prior to acting out a...
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The Poetics of Hip Hop
Students consider the role of rhythm, form, diction, and sound in poetry. In this integrated arts instructional activity, students discuss the attributes of poetry as they analyze Shakespearean sonnets, hip hop music lyrics, and poems by...
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Pioneer America: Journey West
Fourth graders experience pioneer life on the Oregon trail. In this pioneer instructional activity, 4th graders research the reasons for moving west and what life was like on the trail. They create a map, complete an oral presentation,...