Here is an authentic assessment task for Shakespeare's Macbeth. Young literature scholars prepare, perform, and record a news broadcast about the major events in the play. For example, groups may choose to report on the death of Lady...

"A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come."  The withered and wild witches of Shakespeare’s Scottish play launch an examination of the fantastical elements in Act I, scene iii, paying particular attention to the action, imagery,...

The writing activity in this lesson could be used to assess student understanding of previously taught concepts of how language reveals character.

High schoolers use an online search engine (or a printed concordance) to locate passages that highlight Macbeth's response to fear and his descent into evil. They analyze the motives of Macbeth's increasingly desperate and evil actions.

Students complete play and vocabulary analysis for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this Macbeth analysis lesson, students use an online research engine to locate passages that highlight Macbeth's response to fear and his descent into...

Pupils read Macbeth for examples of paradox and equivocation in the text. For this literature-response lesson, students work in groups to analyze Shakespeare's writing for use of paradox using handouts to guide their search. Student...

Students research Macbeth online and complete computer and graphing activities for the play. In this Macbeth activities lesson, students research Macbeth and bookmark the URL's. Students complete activities for the topic on spreadsheets...

Students analyze the archetype of 'the fall' in Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this literary analysis lesson, students work in tiered learning groups to analyze the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Students use the book of Genesis as...

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...

Students read Macbeth and work in groups to organize and create an outline for a persuasive essay. In this persuasive essay lesson plan, students work in tiered learning groups to organize their thoughts for a persuasive thesis about the...

Students discuss the "witches" of Shakespeare.  In this literature analysis lesson, students research the influence of Macbeth's sisters on his behavior.  They examine various terms used to describe the sisters, and discuss...

Help young researchers find credible sources online. Modeling with a Google search for information about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, use a computer projector or Smart Board to show class members how weak the top three search results are....

Students make Powerpoint presentations or Web pages about Macbeth. Their presentations must include at least three elements from a provided list. They write reflective papers about their learning experience.

Students read a short section of a scene very closely and develop a tableaux as a start to the performance process. They write a paragraph in the voice of a character. They present their beginning, middle and end tableaux to the class.

High schoolers analyze the problems with staging and character using the play Julius Caesar. They summarize the final scene of the play and view film versions of the scene. Additionally, they prepare a promptbook for the final scene and...

Students discover the two main ingredients of a play: speech and actions. They then listen to a shortened version of "Macbeth" and write down one sentence to describe what is happening in each of the comic-strip cells.

Students research characters from different plays. For this Shakespeare and performing arts lesson, students discuss the portrayal of characters from the perspective of real actors. Students work in groups to examine the technique for...

Learners explore the symbolic implications for the concept of the hero with a focus on the Beowulf theme. In this hero concept lesson, students find specific examples of monsters from Beowulf to complete the chart. Learners list the...

Pupils study the life and works of William Shakespeare. They investigate the art of playwriting and write a play of their own.

High schoolers gather textual citations from Othello, discuss stereotypes that they hold, examine primary source materials, and write character profiles.

High schoolers read and analyze Act one of the play Othello. They examine the themes of love and marriage and interpret Brabantio's words by using different subtexts.