Literacy Design Collaborative
Whom Do We Trust, and Why?
Is it possible to regain trust? Scholars put much thought into the subject of trust after reading Shakespeare's Macbeth. Readers work together to analyze how the character relationships develop the a message about trust. They then...
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Midsummer Night's Dream Unit
Students use the Internet to research one of Shakespeare's plays. They read two myths and create their own script for the play. They also examine the history of Ancient Greece.
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Macbeth Madness
Learners analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth in a variety of creative activities. For this Macbeth lesson, students read Act Two, Scene IV and Act Three, Scene I-VI. Learners then complete the text given at the link.
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The Bard, the Globe, the Midsummer Night's Dream
Students complete a unit of lessons to learn about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre. In this William Shakespeare lesson, students complete 7 lessons of activities to study William Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre, and the play 'A...
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Macbeth Madness
Learners analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth through the reading and discussion activities. In this Macbeth lesson, students read Act IV and V and then discuss the ending to the play.
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Macbeth Madness
Students analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth by completing the creative activities. In this Macbeth lesson, students discuss the timeline for William Shakespeare and identify the characters for Macbeth. Students read Act One, Scenes i-v of...
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Hamlet on the Ramparts: A Pre-reading Activity
Students explore the first act of Hamlet. In this Shakespeare lesson, students pantomime important events from Hamlet in a pre-reading activity. Classmates observe the performances and write reviews.
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The 32-Second Macbeth
Students read a very short script synopsis of Macbeth. They read the script, in small groups, trying to break the 32-second record, then write their own 32-second versions of one act from Macbeth.
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I Want to Believe: Astrologers and Sceptics in King Lear
Students examine two conflicting writings on solar eclipse that occurred on Black Monday and discuss them in the context of Shakespeare's King Lear. In this Shakespeare lesson, students discuss astrology and read the speeches made in Act...
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When Fair is Foul: Paradox and Equivocation in Macbeth
Students read Macbeth for examples of paradox and equivocation in the text. In this literature-response lesson plan, students work in groups to analyze Shakespeare's writing for use of paradox using handouts to guide their search....
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Introducing the Ghost: Asking Questions and Finding Answers
Students write words that describe the Ghost in Hamlet and act out scenes to grab the audience's attention. In this Hamlet lesson plan, students use language to interpret feeling and grab the audience's attention.
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Twelfth Night
In this Twelfth Night learning exercise, students fill in phrases which have been left out from Act One, Scene One of Twelfth Night. Instead of filling in Shakespeare's words, students fill in the given translations for the words in...
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Who's the Fool in King Lear
Students complete close reading and character analysis for Shakespeare's King Lear. In this play analysis lesson, students reenact scene 1, Act 1 and pick only the lines that demonstrate action. Students act out the scene so their body...
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Let the Leader Beware
Students consider the tone of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In this drama lesson, students read the first two acts of the play and discuss tone of the acts. Students also respond to questions about the characters and their motives.
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Claudio and Hero Lesson Plan
Students examine the roles of arranged marriage through their work with Shakespeare's, Much Ado About Nothing. They look at the roles of Claudio and Hero, and determine how their marriage could be considered to be arranged. They complete...
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Message in a Bottle
Students read acts from The Tempest and complete analysis activities for the play. In this Shakespeare lesson, students read the first four acts of The Tempest and choose one of the characters to write a rescue message from their point...
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Now, Unto Thy Bones, Goodnight.
Students read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to learn about epitaphs. In this Shakespeare activity, students read sections from the play and piece together Shakespeare's epitaph using index cards. Students create a 4 line...
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Screwing Courage in Macbeth
High schoolers read, analyze, and act out the scenes 1.7.29-79 of the William Shakespeare play, "Macbeth." They discuss motivation, tactics, and obstacles, and improvise scenes suggested by the class.
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"Strike a Pose:" Music and Vogueing in The Winter's Tale
Students read Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. In groups, they "perform" Act 3, Scenes 1-3 by "striking a pose" that best depicts the characters in that scene and by bringing in music that would best accompany the scene.
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Words, Words, Words
Students discover Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In this drama lesson, students read the first act of the play and then rewrite the original passages in today's English.
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Illustrated Quotes of Julius Caesar
Third graders read and study William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and make a booklet of twenty illustrated quotations from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
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War and Remembrance: St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V
Students discuss their opinions about war. In this political science lesson, students use a video about war to analyze their own ideas about war. They discuss the terminology Shakespeare used in reference to war, and examine...
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In Search of Caesar's Ghost
High schoolers collaborate in small groups to choose a scene that they write in place of a scene in Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar". In this dramatic expression activity, their scripts include roles, lines and stage directions....
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Literary Response and Analysis: Romeo and Juliet's
Tenth graders complete characterization analysis for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In this characterization instructional activity, 10th graders work in learning tiers to analyze the characters and plot in the play. Students...