Middle schoolers investigate the concept of a market. They produce a dramatization to simulate the daily activities found inside. Students ask questions about the price, location, and use of items. The acting strengthens communication...

Learners explore Hamlet's character. In this Shakespeare lesson, students read the selected lines from Hamlet and write any unusual or difficult phrases. Learners highlight the names of characters who speak the lines and underline words...

Students explore Indian marriage customs and culture.They connect and compare their own experiences with the experiences of characters from the short story Diamond Dust and rewrite a scene from the story from another point of view.

Learners create a "crime scene" in their classroom and have to tell what's out of place. The class is given a set of cards that are all face down and have to play concentration. If they get a matched pair, they get both cards. Whoever...

Students read Katherine Paterson's book, A Bridge to Terabithia, and select small groups to complete a project based on a chapter of the book. They create a story web for the chapter, summarize it, design a brochure or advertisement,...

Students read Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." They create a dramatic reading of Titania's monologue in Act II by randomly assigning words of the monologue that are demonstrated using sound and movement, not the actual words. ...

Students 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.

Twelfth graders read a Shakespearean play focusing on a character. They create "Mind Maps" of their characters and act out a selection of the play.

Students investigate how the Indians and Europeans first met and their first interactions using spoken language. Before speaking the class warms up to the idea with the use of body language and gestures. Then the teacher sets the scene...

The lesson includes guided questions to help young scholars to think about their own behavior and purpose in life. They do this through a quiet time of reflection that can include the writing of ideas. Then students act out a play to...

Learners practice the skills of coping with real situations. They act out and role play various sceanarious dealing with real life situations. Students access how to protect their skin from the sun as well.

In this energy activity, students analyze a detailed realistic picture of a rural farm scene during a thunderstorm. Students identify all the ways that energy is being used and discuss them as a class.

Students explore the character relationships and their connection in the play "As You Like It." Working in groups, students act out the various scenes from the play and discuss the characters and their actions in the scene. Students...

Students read the Nicaraguan folktale, "Uncle Cricket, the Soothsayer," prior to participating in various activities. Among the ideas presented here are completing story maps, analyzing characters, summarizing the plot, writing...

Fourth graders examine the life and achievements of promident African-Americans. As a class, they participate in acting out various scenes of a play which represents the Civil Rights era. They discuss how the world might be different...

In this ecology worksheet, students read an interview with a forest ecologist before they act as an ecologist and spot the difference between two forest scenes on a black and white worksheet. They circle the wildlife and the clues left...

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...

Eleventh graders read and study Hamlet. Then they are introduced to close reading as a means of understanding what is being read--not only understanding the printed word, but also the nuances and connotations of language as it is used by...

Students research William Shakespeare and his literary works. They study a variety of literary terms and different elements of his plays. They also research the Globe Theatre and different elements of the theatre in general.

Students participate in an engaging, alternative assessment activity: making a silent film of an Edgar Allen Poe story. This project offers them an additional way to demonstrate their mastery of the topic. 

Read then role-play the characters from story of If You Give A Pig a Pancake. Young actors use improvisation and characterization to create the characters from the story. They will also write and role play original version of the...

“There is nothing that becommeth a maid better than soberness, silence, shamefastness, and chastity, both of body & mind.” This line, from Thomas Bentley ‘s The Monument of Matrons published in 1582, typifies the way women were...

The world is a stage, and so is your classroom! Hone the skills of the next generation of Tony® award winners with a set of exercises, reference pages, writing prompts, and excerpts from famous plays.

Write what you know, sound advice for any writer and something many famous authors are known to have done. Use these materials to explore how Shakespeare's life influenced his plays. This resource is packed with readings, video segments,...