Lesson Plan Video: 18 minutes Lesson: 32 minutes Pre-viewing :00 Warm-up: Ask students what their experiences with Shakespeare s plays have been. Do they find it hard to understand his plays? 2 minutes :02 Pre-test: Have students give examples of Shakespeare plays they have seen. List their responses on the board. 4 minutes Viewing :06 Playing Video: Hand out Viewing Guide. Go over Viewing Questions and expectations. Tell the students to pay attention to the program and answer the questions while watching. Don t hesitate to stop the program and review if the students seem confused. 18 minutes Post-viewing :24 Question & Answer Session: Ask the class the Viewing Questions. See if any parts of the program were difficult or confusing for the students. Ask a few questions to check their understanding of the key topics. 5 minutes Sample Questions 1. Who was the Elizabethan era named after? 2. Who were the groundlings? 3. What did Medieval art focus on? Handouts :29 Practicing Material: Hand out the Worksheet and give the class 5-7 minutes to complete it. Students are allowed to use their Viewing Guides. Monitor the students progress, helping where needed. Go over Worksheet as a class. 9 minutes :38 Applying Material: Have students turn over their Viewing Guides and split the class into two teams. Go over the instructions for the Activity. 9 minutes :47 Wrap-up: Briefly sum up what has been covered in class by prompting students to list the main points covered. Assign any homework. 3 minutes Viewing Questions Answer Key 1. Where did Shakespeare grow up? Stratford, England 2. Why were plays performed during the day? to take advantage of the daylight, as there was no electricity 3. Where were many of Shakespeare s plays first performed? the Globe Theater Teacher Notes:
Teacher's Reference Guide Video: 18 minutes Lesson: 32 minutes Learning Objectives At the end of the module, students will be able to: describe the structure of the Globe Theater identify plays written by William Shakespeare explain the differences between Elizabethan drama and modern drama Materials Video: the life and times of Shakespeare, Shakespeare s use of language, Elizabethan drama, the importance of words, real life vs. stage life; 18 minutes Viewing Guide: the life and times of Shakespeare, Shakespeare s use of language, Elizabethan drama vs. modern drama; 3 Viewing Questions Worksheet: label the characteristics of the Globe Theater, thinking cap questions Activity: Shakespeare Mania Trivia Check Your Knowledge: true/false, multiple choice, and creative flow short answer questions; 50 points Background None required. Preparation Copy and cut out the Shakespeare Mania trivia cards. Extension Have students create a collage of Shakespeare s life by finding images from magazines, newspapers, or the Internet.
Viewing Guide Shakespeare s Life and Times 1564 Born in Stratford, England, on April 23. 1589 1592 1594 1596 1603 1603 Shakespeare settles in London and writes his first plays: Richard the Third, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry the Sixth Parts I, II, and III. All theaters close for two years due to an outbreak of the plague. Shakespeare writes two book-length poems: Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. Yippee!! Theaters re-open and Shakespeare is back writing for the stage. Shakespeare completes Love s Labour s Lost, Romeo and Juliet, Richard the Second, King John. Shakespeare writes his sonnets. Shakespeare writes The Merchant of Venice, Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night. Queen Elizabeth dies in 1603. King James becomes the new ruler of England. 1603 1608 Shakespeare writes the tragedies Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. 1608 1613 1616 1623 Shakespeare writes his last plays, including A Winter s Tale and The Tempest. Shakespeare decides it s time to live the good life, so he retires and moves back to Stratford. Shakespeare dies on April 23, at the age of 52. First Folio of Shakespeare s works is published in 1623. Shakespeare s Use of Language blank verse a poetic form that usually uses a metrical pattern known as unrhymed iambic pentameter. meter the use of a regular rhythm pattern in language. poetry a concentrated and heightened form of language, produced through rhythm and sound. prose the language of everyday, ordinary speech. iamb a unit of speech that contains one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. iambic pentameter a poetic form that consists of five iambs. Shakespeare used this form in his plays to mimic the natural rhythms of the English language. The line A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse! is written in perfect iambic pentameter Elizabethan Drama Importance of Words Shakespeare s plays are primarily verbal, not visual Shakespeare used words to express the setting and mood of his dramas Modern dramas are primarily visual Real Life vs. Stage Life Characters in a Shakespeare play are understood to be characters that represent real people not real people Modern dramas suggest that everything is real, especially the place and the people Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, wrote The Poetics, in which he spelled out his ideas on tragedy Aristotle described stage life as an illusion Aristotle described tragedy as an imitation of an action Symbolic Art Shakespeare was influenced by Medieval Art Medieval Art was deeply symbolic Globe Theater shaped like an O penthouse tower attached to the roof pit center area where groundlings watched the plays stage of theater extended into audience, with a trapdoor in the middle Viewing Questions 1. Where did Shakespeare grow up? 2. Why were plays performed during the day? 3. Where were many of Shakespeare s plays first performed?
Worksheet A. Enter the Globe Label each section of the Globe Theater. B. Thinking Cap Put on your thinking cap and answer the following questions. 1. How do you think Shakespeare viewed human nature? Do you think he was pessimistic, optimistic, or something else entirely?
Worksheet Answer Key A. Enter the Globe Label each section of the Globe Theater. Penthouse Pit Trapdoor Stage Groundlings B. Thinking Cap Put on your thinking cap and answer the following questions. 1. How do you think Shakespeare viewed human nature? Do you think he was pessimistic, optimistic, or something else entirely? (Answers will vary.)
Activity Shakespeare Mania Trivia Instructions: Place all the cards in a stack. Split the class into two teams and flip a coin to determine which team will go first. Ask one of the questions from the Shakespeare Mania Activity Card and give the first team a chance to answer. If the team answers correctly, they get a point. The second team is then given a chance to answer a question. The team with the most points after all the questions on the Activity Cards have been answered wins. Let The Games Begin!
Activity What year was William Shakespeare born? 1564 True or False: William Shakespeare lived and wrote during the Italian Renaissance. False Shakespeare was a member of what theatrical company? Lord Chamberlain s Men, which later became the King s Men True or False: The English Renaissance was a time of immense creativity in culture and the arts. True Name of the Greek philosopher that spelled out his ideas on tragedy in The Poetics. Aristotle True or False: The Globe Theater was shaped like an O. True Where was Shakespeare born? Stratford True or False: William Shakespeare wrote two booklength poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. True
Activity How many iambs does a line of perfect iambic pentameter contain? Five True or False: William Shakespeare died in Stratford at the age of 90. False Name one of Shakespeare s plays. Sample Answers: Richard the Third, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew. True or False: During the English Renaissance, actors were highly regarded and admired. False Who were the groundlings? Spectators at the Globe Theater who stood on the ground in front of the stage while watching a play. True or False: Today s dramas tend to suggest that everything is real, especially the place and people. True Where were many of Shakespeare s plays performed? The Globe Theater True or False: Poetry is a concentrated and heightened form of language, produced through rhythm and sound. True
Activity In terms of symbolic art, which of the following is a universal? a) villain b) protagonist c) femme fatale d) justice True or False: Verse is another name for poetry. True d) justice
Check Your Knowledge A. Oh, Drama! Determine whether the following statements about Elizabethan drama are true or false. Circle (T) if the statement is true and (F) if the statement is false. (4 points each) Total Score / 50 1. Elizabethan audiences listened intently to the words of a play. T / F 2. Shakespeare used words to express the setting and mood of his plays. T / F 3. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, described tragedy as an illustration of art. T / F 4. The raging storm in King Lear is an example of symbolism. T / F 5. Medieval art was deeply symbolic. T / F B. What a Life! Choose the correct answer. (5 points each) 1. During which period did William Shakespeare live and work? a) the Age of Enlightenment b) the Elizabethan Era c) the Romantic Era d) the Italian Renaissance 2. Where was Shakespeare born? a) Stratford b) London c) Once-upon-a-Thames d) Hamm-on-Wye 3. What was the name of the theatrical company of which Shakespeare was a member? a) The King's Men b) The Queen's Men c) The Chessmen d) The Lord's Men 4. Which of the following was an attribute of the Globe Theater? a) three-story, open-air construction b) extended stage with trapdoor c) shaped like an "O" d) all of the above C. Creative Flow If Shakespeare were around today, what artistic medium do you think he'd be working in? Theater? Film? Television? Interpretive Dance? Do you think he'd have a website? If yes, what would it look like? Explain your answer in 3-5 sentences. (10 points)
Check Your Knowledge Answer Key A. Oh Drama! Determine whether the following statements about Elizabethan drama are true or false. Circle (T) if the statement is true and (F) if the statement is false. (4 points each) Total Score / 50 1. Elizabethan audiences listened intently to the words of a play. True 2. Shakespeare used words to express the setting and mood of his plays. True 3. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, described stage life as a illustration of art. False 4. The raging storm in King Lear is an example of symbolism. True 5. Medieval art was deeply symbolic. True B. Oh What a Life! Choose the correct answer. (5 points each) 1. During which period did William Shakespeare live and work? a) the Age of Enlightenment b) the Elizabethan Era c) the Romantic Era d) the Italian Renaissance 2. Where was Shakespeare born? a) Stratford b) London c) Once-upon-a-Thames d) Hamm-on-Wye 3. What was the name of the theatrical company of which Shakespeare was a member? a) The King's Men b) The Queen's Men c) The Chessmen d) The Lord's Men 4. Which of the following was an attribute of the Globe Theater? a) three-story, open-air construction b) extended stage with trapdoor c) shaped like an "O" d) all of the above C. Creative Flow If Shakespeare were around today, what artistic medium do you think he'd be working in? Theater? Film? Television? Interpretive Dance? Do you think he'd have a website? If yes, what would it look like? Explain your answer in 3-5 sentences. (10 points) (Answers will vary.)