Reading Shakespeare
Shakespeare Literature Circles Role Sheets
Tired of those blank stares after your class reads a particularly complex passage from a Shakespearean play? Help high schoolers untangle that prose with a literature circle activity. Ten different roles prompt class members to focus on...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 1: Unit 3, Lesson 10
"O, I am fortune's fool!" As they continue their analysis of Act 3, scene 1, class members consider the role of fate in the events. The lesson concludes with a viewing of a brief portion of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, in which the...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 1: Unit 3, Lesson 16
"Thus, with a kiss, I die." After viewing a film clip of the events leading up to Romeo's suicide, class members analyze Act 5, scene 3, lines 88-120, in which Romeo drinks the apothecary's poison.
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Foreshadowing
Students read and discuss Act V, Scene 1. They define foreshadowing and identify examples of it from the text. They edit a partner's diary entry. They identify key ideas from the scene.
Soft Schools
Interpreting Metaphors in Shakespeare
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." Shakespeare provides the examples on this worksheet that asks readers to identify the two things being compared and to explain the characteristics the two share.
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Til Death Do Us Part
Ninth graders read Romeo and Juliet. They complete a character analysis on one of the major players and present it in an informative and entertaining way. They rewrite and perform one scene from another character's point of view.
Think Map
Shakespearean Idioms
How do you react if you're "hot-blooded?" What happens when you engage in a "wild goose chase?" And what are "salad days?" Use this worksheet and the online Visual Thesaurus to answer these questions and more. Based on...
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Shakespeare, the 900-pound Guerilla: or Performing Scenes for Unsuspecting Audiences
Students perform a scene from Shakespeare for an unsuspecting audience in a public setting. In this Shakespeare activity, students create a Shakespearean "flash mob" or "guerilla theater" event. Students choose a...
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Working with Shakespeare, the Poet and Dramatist
Students study the work of William Shakespeare. They survey the elements of comedy and tragedy and read plays and poems. They discuss the texts they read and recite poetry. They dramatize poems with movement and sounds and write poetry...
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We and Thee
High schoolers examine class structure. In this diversity education lesson, students discuss stereotypes within their school as an introduction to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. After high schoolers have read the play and discussed...
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All the World's a Stage
Enhance your teaching of plays with strategies for pre-teaching, engagement, and culminating projects.
Shakespeare in American Life
Performing Modernized Shakespeare
“All the world’s a stage…” What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Heath Ledger, and Kenneth Branagh have in common? They have all starred in modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. After viewing a series clips from modern Shakespeare videos,...
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From Start to Finish: Shakespeare's Plays
This online interactive quiz is too low-quality to assign to your class; however, you may want to adapt the idea of recognizing starts and finishes of works for your own lesson or quiz. An example from the worksheet is: "When shall we...
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Calling All Directors
Interpret Shakespearian scenes with your middle and high school classes. Groups select scenes from plays that they are familiar with to perform for their classmates. They should attempt to recreate the emotions they think the characters...
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Performing Modernized Shakespeare
Students select a piece of text from a play and prepare it for performance to the class based on their modern setting.
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Original Line or Familiar Find?
Students examine a primary source document from 1684 that includes many of the same lines found in Romeo's speech to Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Students compare the texts and discuss authorship during the sixteenth and...
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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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Pyramus and Thisbe, Page to Stage
High schoolers 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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Let's Shake Up Shakespeare!
Stray from the traditional by trying this modern approach to exploring history's distinguished bard.
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Henry V - Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions Shakespeare's Henry V. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
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Much Ado About Something
Students view video clips of Shakespeare's plays. They discuss issues in his plays that challenge his authorship. They discuss the concept of a genius and identify what qualities a writer has.
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Henry V Quiz
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 14 multiple choice questions about Shakespeare's Henry V. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
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Universal Traditions
Students research personal bias towards the story Marriage is a Private Affair. In this tradition research lesson, students read the story and discuss the ending. Students free write about the topic and complete a Venn diagram to compare...
Orlando Shakes
West Side Story: Study Guide
Hey, enough frabbajabba about that stool pigeon, Daddy-O! Using the West Side Story study guide, scholars explore the language of the play and read about its historical associations and themes. Pupils also engage in a Spectrum of...