Eschew obfuscation!! High schoolers learn techniques that permit them to listen critically, sort through verbiage used to hide meaning or mislead listeners, and determine the message's validity.

Villainy, parricide, ambition, abuse of power, and some of the most famous lines in English literature—Richard III has it all. Instructors using the play for the first time and those who list it as one of their favorites will find...

Henry IV, Part 1 is the focus of a teaching guide that introduces readers to an important time in British history. The guide provides historical background information, explores the play's many political and familial themes, and offers...

Was Antony "transformed/Into a strumpet's fool," as Philo declares? (I, i) Was Cleopatra "green in judgment"? (I,5) A guide to Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare's tragedy, provides instructors with a framework for teaching the play about...

Imperialism, colonialism, utopianism. There are certainly a lot of "isms" reflected in The Tempest, just as there are a lot of stormy relationships. Instructors new to using the play in their classroom and those more seasoned will find...

Trying to get a hold on the author's intent in Measure for Measure can be a problem—no wonder the drama is considered one of Shakespeare's "problem" plays. This guide provides instructors with information about why the play is...

With all due respect to Beatrice, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing speaks with both mirth and matter. With the help of this guide, readers will fall in love with the "skirmish of wit" between Beatrice and Benedick, the hysterical...

Villains populate literature. These dastardly characters serve as a contrast to the hero who they set out to destroy. Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, certainly rates as one of the most despicable. Motivated by...

It's a wise teacher who knows their pupils well enough to tackle using The Merchant of Venice as a whole-class reading. This 40-page teaching guide may not glitter but is filled with nuggets that will prove invaluable to those new to...

A study of The Taming of the Shrew proves to be problematic in contemporary classrooms. Is Shakespeare following Elizabethan conventions or being ironic? What are readers supposed to make of all the hunting imagery? Of Katherine's...

A boy is playing a girl disguised as a boy playing a girl. Welcome to William Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It. "And thereby hangs a tale."

A night in the forest, a fairy king and queen, adolescent rebellion, magic potions, love triangles, a funny play about a tragedy, a plot that, rather than running smooth, runs amok? Of course, 'Twould be a guide for teaching...

King Lear is a powerful and complex tragedy that looks deeply into political power and family dynamics, loyalty, betrayal, aging, and madness. This teaching guide includes scene-by-scene plot summaries, information about the...

A 24-page teacher's guide to Romeo and Juliet includes scene-by-scene plot summaries, focus, discussion questions, and suggestions for individual and group projects.

With the help of this teacher's guide, it won't take 12 nights for scholars to complete their study of William Shakespeare's romantic comedy about twins Viola and Sebastian. Pompous prigs, he shes, fatuous fools, and lovelorn lovers...

Double, double scholars' appreciation of the Scottish Play with a guide that adds a rich brew of pre-reading background information, chapter discussion questions, activities, and writing prompts to provide readers with a "firm and good"...

Writing a bio-poem is a great way to have young scholars go below the surface and reflect on who or what has made them who they are. Check out this richly detailed lesson that provides step-by-step directions for crafting a bio-poem.

Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, and A. Philip Randolph developed different views on how to advance civil rights for African Americans. Class members research these famous figures and their strategies before developing...

Just as Kermit the Frog notes, "It isn't easy being green!" it isn't easy occupying "multiple Identity spaces." Class members read and discuss poems by writers detailing what it is like when their identities are "oppressed."

Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See is the focus of a toolkit that provides readers with a summary of the plot, background information about the author, and discussion topics. 

Health phrasal verbs are the focus of a two-page worksheet. Language learners match health phrasal verbs with their meanings, match the first part of sentences with the proper conclusion, select the correct particles to complete...

A two-page worksheet focuses on verbs associated with household chores. Intermediate language learners match phrasal verbs with their definitions and complete sentences and answer a series of "would you rather" questions. Learners...

Romance and relationships are the subjects of an ESL worksheet designed for intermediate language learners. Class members match 10 sentences with the correct endings, match verbs with their correct definitions, and complete sentences...

An ESL vocabulary activity focuses on verbs associated with travel. Intermediate language learners complete 10 sentences using the correct verb, match five verbs with their definitions, and complete five sentences using the correct...