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Macbeth Madness
Learners participate in various social studies activities in correlation to William Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this Macbeth lesson, students study maps of Scotland, England, and Norway to identify locations mentioned in Macbeth. Learners...
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Relationship Role Plays
High schoolers connect a scene from a play they are reading to events in their own lives. Working in male/female pairs, students act out a scene from "Hamlet." Pairs work to role play a scene as an extension of the one they have read,...
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Macbeth: What's Up with the Crime Scene?
Students are introduced to Macbeth by having them act out the scene where Duncan's murder is discovered. This activity enable students to use dialogue only to discover the structure and format of a scene and explain plot.
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Where Do They Stand?: Perspectives on Othello's Marriage
High schoolers read and discuss Act one, scene three of the play, Othello. They examine the text in small groups, determine each character's attitude toward Othello, identify text to justify their conclusions, then recite lines to the...
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Tempest in the Lunchroom
Students act out opening shipwreck scene of The Tempest, or watch and direct others doing it.
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Trustworthy Reputation
Seventh graders explore psychology by writing reflections about quotations. In this human behavior lesson, 7th graders read a list of famous quotes about trust by men such as Benjamin Franklin and William Shakespeare. Students complete a...
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Twelfth Night: Act 1, Scene 4
Students journal in response to reading act 1, scene 4 of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night. In this literature lesson, students read the play, discuss characterization and other literary elements, and create a list of persuasive...
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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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Literary Response and Analysis Theme Literature
Analyze the central idea or literary theme found in a series of quotes from the Shakespearean play, Hamlet. For literary analysis, learners paraphrase excerpts from the play and then identify the characters' motivations for their speech.
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Lady Macbeth's Cure
Students role-play the position of Lady Macbeth's nurse. They are to create a project or service that can cure her sleepwalking. They create their own commerical to sell their product.
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Romeo and Juliet Debate
Who is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? After generating a list of the six characters most responsible, class members prepare for and engage in a formal debate. Prior knowledge of basic rules for debate would be necessary.
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Romeo and Juliet Quiz
"Wherefore art thou Romeo?" These simple multiple-choice questions focus on Romeo and Juliet. Focusing on reading comprehension, this quiz can be a quick check to see if students are reading. A few are tricky!
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Love's Labour's Lost quiz
Challenge your class to recall the plot of Love's Labor's Lost. Consisting of multiple-choice questions, this quiz focuses on basic reading comprehension and plot.
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Julius Caesar Background
Students discover Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In this drama lesson, students read the first act of the play and discuss the historical background of the play. Students also respond to questions about the characters.
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Choosing Sides
Students examine the alliances in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In this drama lesson, students read the play and act out the conflict and controversy among Brutus, Caesar, Cassius, and Marc Antony.
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Analyzing Solutions in Julius Caesar
Learners investigate Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In this drama lesson, students read through Act IV of the play and then collaborate to determine Brutus's role in the military. Learners write their evaluations.
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Who's There: Acting in the Dark
Pupils participate in a performance of Macbeth using the lighting techniques that were employed during the Shakespearean era. Working in groups, student reenact a scene. Afterward they discuss the challenges of working with limited...
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Festival of Fools
Students act out lines from King Lear to show a character's folly. In this English literature lesson, students identify the 'folly' of a given character by choosing a passage from King Lear to demonstrate a time when the...
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The Trial of Iago: "To you...remains the censure of this hellish villain"
Students analyze text and utilize outside resources to determine Iago's fate, which is not addressed by Shakespeare in Othello; students present their findings in an organized trial scenario.
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Romeo & Juliet (Drama)
Ninth graders read and internalize the drama Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Many intriguing and thought provoking assignments are waiting for the completion of students within this lesson profile.
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MacBeth Activity Using Alanis Morissette's "Wake Up"
Students analyze Macbeth through the lens of a pop song. In this Macbeth lesson, students read Act I, Scene 7 of Macbeth and determine Lady Macbeth's viewpoint. Students read the lyrics to Alanis Morrissette's song 'Wake Up' and work in...
California Shakespeare Theater
Hamlet Teacher's Guide
Even those experienced teachers of Hamlet can find much to like in a guide that offers many fresh ideas for activities. Class members may take on the role of FBI profilers that investigate Claudius and Hamlet as murderers, or...
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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Students design and create photo albums that tell the story of the play, Twelfth Night, using pictures they take of themselves recreating various scenes of the play.
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"I Will Hear That Play": Using Sound to Enhance the Text
Students become familiar with Foley artists and sound effects as they analyze a scene from A Midsumer Night's Dream. They record their own sound for another scene.