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This lesson plan is designed as a pre-study exercise before a unit on The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Students will discuss and dramatize questions surrounding a person’s “name” or reputation.

In this lesson, students will be introduced to The Crucible. They will examine and discuss a fact sheet on the play and explore allegory.

In this lesson, students will learn about the various background elements for The Crucible through readings and research. Students will then infer, based on what they’ve learned, what is going to happen in the play.

Students will read, analyze, and discuss Act 1 of The Crucible. They will then visualize and dramatize the ideas of Act 1.

Students will read, analyze, and discuss Act 2 of The Crucible. They will then visualize and dramatize the ideas of Act 2.

Students will read, analyze, and discuss Act 3 of The Crucible. They will then visualize and dramatize the ideas of Act 3.

Students will read, analyze and discuss Act 4 of The Crucible. They will then visualize and dramatize the ideas of Act 4.

Students will apply what they have learned through a creative project.

In this lesson, students will participate in a couple of hook activities for theatrical adaptation and discuss the definition for adaptation that we will apply throughout the unit.

In this lesson, students will learn a set of guidelines for theatrical adaptation for students to follow when they write their own. They will then apply those guidelines in a couple of smaller text section exercises.

In this lesson, students will look into the key elements of choosing a text for theatrical adaptation: copyright, the thesis for the adaptation—the “what” and the “why” of the adaptation—and discussing how changes will affect the original source material, meaning, is the original iconic?

In this lesson, students will get into the nitty gritty of adaptation: the close reading and annotation of the source material. You want your students to know the original text inside and out before they start to adapt. Students will use practice texts to try out the exercise that they will then use on their chosen adaptation source material.

There are two parts to this lesson. Part 1: Students (or you) choose the text they will work on for a theatrical adaptation and apply all the pre-writing steps they’ve practiced in this unit so far. Part 2: Students will write a first draft of their theatrical adaptations.

In this lesson, students will explore a variety of methods for learning about Shakespeare from a specific character warm-up, fast facts, using Shakespeare’s words as the jumping off point for a tableau, and reflecting in role as they take on acting “Shakespeare style.” Finally, students will read a synopsis of A Midsummer Night’s Dream so that everyone is on the same page with the story and characters.

There are many things to pay attention to when preparing a Shakespearean monologue. So much so that character development often falls by the wayside. In this lesson, students apply exercises to a character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by examining the character’s foreground and background, answering character questions, and creating the character’s physicality. This will demystify the process of preparing a Shakespearean monologue and give students the modern tools they need to prepare a monologue on their own later in the unit.

Students have spent time being introduced to the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, studied a monologue, and reviewed some character development exercises. It’s time to read through the play. We will be reading Act I in sections, making sure students fully comprehend the characters and story. Students will also go through an acting technique that can help students become confident performers of Shakespeare. In this lesson, students will analyze the punctuation in A Midsummer Night’s Dream from an acting perspective.

In this lesson, students will read Act II in sections. Students will also go through an acting technique that can help them become confident performers of Shakespeare. Students will learn about keywords and how they can help student actors with Shakespeare.

In this lesson, students will choose a monologue from Act I or II and apply the performance elements they’ve have learned so far: character development exercises, punctuation, and keywords to develop, memorize, and perform a monologue.

In this lesson, students will read Act III in sections. Students will also go through an acting technique that can help them become confident performers of Shakespeare. Students will use analysis to explore finding emotion and action in the text.

In this lesson, students will read Act IV in sections. Students will also go through an acting technique that can help them become confident performers of Shakespeare. Students will research and discuss character interpretation.