Curated OER
What's in a Name? Considering the Shakespeare Authorship Question
Did Shakespeare really write all that stuff? After viewing a trailer for the film, Anonymous and reading Stephen Marche’s article “Wouldn’t It Be Cool If Shakespeare Wasn’t Shakespeare?” class groups read articles about the Shakespeare...
Curated OER
Programs for Shakespeare's Plays
Students design theater programs which show their understanding of William Shakespeare's plays. They design original art to include in the programs.
Curated OER
Figurative and literal language through the study of Shakespeare
Sixth graders explore figurative and literal language. They study literary devices through short pieces of Shakespeare's work. Then investigate Shakespeare's works and life.
Curated OER
Shakespearean Comedy on Film
This instructional activity will focus on the aspects of Shakespeare's comedy that become more evident in performance. By viewing clips of the same Shakespeare scene in different film versions, high schoolers have the opportunity to...
Curated OER
Shakespeare 2000
Comparing the more modern film Ten Things I Hate About You to The Taming of the Shrew leads to an understanding of how Shakespearean plots can be applied to modern-day situations and characters. As a culminating activity, groups select a...
Curated OER
A Way with Words or Say What?
Young scholars explore the language of Shakespeare. In this literature lesson, students examine words invented by Shakespeare as they interpret their meanings in drawings. Young scholars pantomime the meanings and then write a short...
Curated OER
Shakespeare's Othello and the Power of Language
Learners explore the basis of Iago's persuasive power by analyzing his astonishing command of rhetoric and figurative language. The diverse set of activities below include short group performances, writing exercises and the guided use of...
Curated OER
Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Ethic in Text and Film
Students discover how Shakespeare's play interprets Elizabethan attitudes toward revenge, as reflected in the structure of the Elizabethan revenge tragedy, one of the most popular forms of drama of that era. Students perform certain...
Curated OER
Macbethan Art
Young scholars review and reproduce an article of Elizabethan styled clothing as a part of an analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this Elizabethan art lesson plan, students discuss the fashion of the Elizabethan era and research...
Curated OER
"Strike a Pose:" Music and Vogueing in The Winter's Tale
Pupils 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.
Curated OER
Twelfth Night Act 1 Scene 5
Students complete play analysis activities for Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In this play analysis lesson, students read a summary of the scene and complete close reading discuss activities. Students analyze the...
Curated OER
Macbeth Madness
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...
Curated OER
Romeo & Juliet
Ninth graders, while in the library working in groups of three, find an article about a gang altercation and present them to their groups. They discuss the articles and then tie them back to the themes (rivalry between two warring...
Curated OER
Prospero: Turkey or Tyrant?
High schoolers study characterization and the difference between subjective and objective points of view by creating tableaux to depict three interpretations of the story of Prospero's overthrow, each with a very different point of view....
Curated OER
Twelfth Night-The Musical!
Students read Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In groups, they divide Act 2 and add a new character or direction to the plot. They reinterpret the scene as a musical, using contemporary songs.
Curated OER
Introducing "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Young scholars are introduced to Shakespeare's play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." In groups, they "mini-sculpt" four scenes from the play that illustrate the relationships between the four lovers. They create a living statue out of the...
Curated OER
Romeo and Juliet
High schoolers study Romeo and Juliet. In this language arts lesson, students read the play and complete a series of activities. High schoolers choose the activities to complete. Students write a summary, draw a poster or compare and...
Curated OER
Romeo and Juliet Newspapaer
Learners create a newspaper based on their reading of Romeo and Juliet.
Curated OER
Something is Rotten in Denmark!
Students identify a key line from a Shakespearean play and create a poem based on the imagery evoked by the dialogue.
Curated OER
Knock, Knock
Learners explore the use of sound as a special effect to enhance or radically change the meaning of a scene. They design a soundscape for Macbeth's porter scene, and conclude by listening to and watching two different film treatments of...
Curated OER
Who's There: Acting in the Dark
Students 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...
Curated OER
MacBeth Activity Using Alanis Morissette's "Wake Up"
Students analyze Macbeth through the lens of a pop song. In this Macbeth lesson plan, 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...
Curated OER
Introduction to "As You Like It"
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...
Curated OER
Relationship Role Plays
Students 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, using...