Hand out copies of the Shakespeare’s Plays Word Search (created on www.puzzlemaker.com) and set a ten-minute time limit for the students to find all of the words in the word search. At the end of the time limit find out who has found the most titles and give them a round of applause.
STEP 1:
Transition – Ask the students how many of them know the different storylines of the plays in the word search. You can even have them give a three-sentence synopsis of the plotlines that they know. Then explain that they will be looking for a Shakespeare play to perform a monologue or a scene from.
STEP 2:
Instruction – Pass out the Acting Shakespeare handout. Have a student read out loud the first paragraph of the handout that emphasizes the importance of studying and performing the works of this classical playwright. Go over the requirements of the acting assignment. Briefly touch on each of the points so that the students are aware of what they will be facing but without overwhelming the students.
STEP 3:
Modeling – Tell the students that you have a video to show the students that demonstrate one thing that you can do with the knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays – a parody using his characters and settings. Introduce the video performance of The Reduced Shakespeare Company (You can choose to show the entire performance or you can highlight the first act and play the second act only). Start the video and watch for the remainder of the class period.
