PD Course
Shakespeare's Toolkit
Created by Todd Espeland
Todd Espeland has the experience to know that having more tools in your toolbox makes you a better actor. This is especially important when teaching students how to approach Shakespeare. They need help breaking through the language barrier and into the character’s needs and into the character’s thoughts.
The tools that you’ll receive in this course will do just that. The course looks at scansion as a tool for breaking down Shakespeare’s verse, the importance of end of lines, and caesura. Caesura is an inner-line pause which is a lot of fun to play with and really, helps us provide insight to the character’s thoughts and into their needs.
The course provides numerous examples and handouts, and culminates in a performance assignment to use with your students.
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1Lesson 1Introduction7:20 FREE PREVIEWLesson 1 outlines the course and explains the techniques that will be covered to build the tools to break down Shakespeare's characters and text.
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2Lesson 2Warm-Up9:02 FREE PREVIEWThis lesson teaches a vocal warm-up that gets the lips, teeth, and the tongue prepared for the language of Shakespeare's text.
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3Lesson 3Scansion41:47This lesson covers scansion: a system of breaking down Shakespeare’s verse in order to understand it, see how it’s arranged, and then look at the arrangements and see how Shakespeare arranged this poetry.
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4Lesson 4Scansion with a Sonnet31:17This lesson applies the scansion learned in lesson 3 to one of Shakespeare's sonnets.
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5Lesson 5Ends of Lines21:15This lesson looks at ends of lines in Shakespeare's poetic form, and examines their importance.
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6Lesson 6Ends of Lines with the Sonnet10:58This lesson reviews the ends of lines learnings and applies them to the ends of lines verse with the sonnet.
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7Lesson 7Caesura31:02This lesson reviews Caesura: an inner-line pause that Shakespeare has built in for characters to take breath or to create suspense or to have an emotional gear shift.
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8Lesson 8Performing Everything11:58This lessons applies the scansion, the ends of lines and the caesura to the sonnet, in order to perform.
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9Lesson 9Non-Shakespeare Work and Recap18:31This lesson recaps the learnings of the course, as well as discusses how these learnings can be applied to non-Shakespeare work.
Standards Addressed
Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation - Grade 6
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work - High School Proficient
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work - High School Advanced
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade 6
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade 7
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade HS Advanced
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding - Grade 6
Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade 7
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work - Grade 7
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work - Grade 8
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work - Grade HS Proficient
Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade HS Advanced
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work - Grade HS Advanced
6.TH:Pr4 Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Prof.TH:Cr1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Adv.TH:Cr1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
6.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
7.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Adv.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
6.TH:Cn11.2 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
7.TH:Cr3 Refine and complete artistic work.
7.TH:Pr6 Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
8.TH:Pr6 Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Prof.TH:Pr6 Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Adv.TH:Cr3 Refine and complete artistic work.
Adv.TH:Re9 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Sixth Grade
- DT.6.1.2.a Students Can: Analyze to improve, refine, and evolve original ideas and artistic choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- DT.6.1.3.b Students Can: Investigate the time period and place of a drama/theatre work to better understand performance and design choices.
- DT.6.1.4.a Students Can: Examine and articulate choices to refine a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- DT.6.2.1.a Students Can: Identify the essential events in a story or script that make up the dramatic structure in a drama/theatre work.
Seventh Grade
- DT.7.1.2.a Students Can: Examine and justify original ideas and artistic choices in a drama/theater work based on background knowledge, historical, and cultural context.
- DT.7.1.4.a Students Can: Demonstrate focus and concentration in the rehearsal process to analyze and refine choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- DT.7.2.4.a Students Can: Participate in rehearsals for a drama/theatre work that will be shared with an audience.
Eighth Grade
High School - Fundamental Pathway
High School - Professional Pathway
- DT.H3.1.1.c Students Can: Integrate cultural and historical contexts with personal experiences to create a character that is believable and authentic in a drama/theatre work.
- DT.H3.1.2.b Students Can: Collaborate as a creative team to discover artistic solutions and make interpretive choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- DT.H3.1.3.a Students Can: Collaborate on a drama/theatre work that examines a critical global issue using multiple personal, community, and cultural perspectives.
- DT.H3.1.4.b Students Can: Synthesize ideas from research, script analysis, and context to create a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant in a drama/theatre work.
- DT.H3.3.4.a Students Can: Research and synthesize cultural and historical information related to a drama/theatre work to support or evaluate artistic choice.
Speaking and Listening
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Language
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.6 Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.
Reading: Literature
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.9 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Language
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Critical Thinking & Reflection
- TH.68.C.1.4 Create and present a design, production concept, or performance and defend artistic choices.
- TH.912.C.1.2 Create, refine, and sustain complex and believable characters for performance through the integration and application of artistic choices based on research, rehearsal, feedback, and refinement.
- TH.912.C.1.3 Justify a response to a theatrical experience through oral or written analysis, using correct theatre terminology.
- TH.912.C.1.5 Make and defend conscious choices in the creation of a character that will fulfill anticipated audience response.
- TH.912.C.2.8 Improve a performance or project using various self-assessment tools, coaching, feedback, and/or constructive criticism.
Historical & Global Connections
- TH.912.H.1.1 Analyze how playwrights' work reflects the cultural and socio-political framework in which it was created.
- TH.912.H.1.2 Study, rehearse, and discuss a broad range of theatre works by diverse playwrights to enrich one's perspective of the world.
- TH.912.H.1.3 Present a design or perform in the style of a different historical or cultural context to gain appreciation of that time and culture.
Innovation, Technology & the Future
Organizational Structure
- TH.68.O.2.1 Diagram the major parts of a play and their relationships to each other.
- TH.68.O.2.2 Explain how a performance would change if depicted in a different location, time, or culture.
- TH.68.O.2.4 Perform a scene or pantomime to demonstrate understanding of blocking and stage movement.
- TH.912.O.1.1 Research and analyze a dramatic text by breaking it down into its basic, structural elements to support development of a directorial concept, characterization, and design.
- TH.912.O.2.6 Deconstruct a play, using an established theory, to understand its dramatic structure.
Skills, Techniques & Processes
- TH.68.S.2.4 Memorize and present a character's lines from a monologue or scene.
- TH.68.S.3.2 Use the elements of dramatic form to stage a play.
- TH.68.S.3.3 Lead rehearsals of improvised and scripted scenes, communicating with cast and crew to create appropriate characterization and dramatic environments.
- TH.912.S.1.7 Interpret dramatic texts, organize and conduct rehearsals, and justify directorial choices for formal and informal productions.
- TH.912.S.1.8 Use research to extract clues in dramatic texts to create performances or technical elements, choosing those that are most interesting and that best convey dramatic intent.
- TH.912.S.2.4 Sustain a character or follow technical cues in a production piece to show focus.
- TH.912.S.2.5 Perform memorized theatrical literature in contrasting pieces to show ability to apply principles and structure, focus on details of performance, and processing skills to establish successful interpretation, expression, and believability.
- TH.912.S.2.8 Strengthen acting skills by engaging in theatre games and improvisations.
- TH.912.S.3.2 Exercise artistic discipline and collaboration to achieve ensemble in rehearsal and performance.
- TH.912.S.3.3 Develop acting skills and techniques in the rehearsal process.
Grade 6 - Creating
- TA6.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Identify artistic choices, utilize theatre vocabulary, and demonstrate non-verbal communication skills in the rehearsal process.<br/>b. Interpret a character’s motivation by understanding the relationship between their background and their behavior.<br/>c. Identify the variety of relationships between characters.<br/>d. Identify, define, and classify character traits.<br/>e. Recognize and demonstrate the roles, responsibilities, and skills associated with collaborative performance.<br/>f. Use resources to identify and create technical elements of theatre.
- TA6.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Identify the elements of a story.<br/>b. Identify the theme and structure of a play.<br/>c. Articulate creative ideas in oral and written forms.<br/>d. Use the dramatic writing process to generate a script.<br/>e. Demonstrate the conventions of dialogue and stage directions.
Grade 7 - Creating
- TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Identify and rehearse effective communication skills.<br/>b. Compare and contrast character types and relationships by analyzing character motivations, objectives, and goals.<br/>c. Compare the physical, emotional, vocal, and social dimensions of a character.<br/>d. Investigate the role and responsibility of the cast and crew.<br/>e. Identify and model ensemble skills in the rehearsal process.<br/>f. Utilize staging and blocking choices to enhance the performance.<br/>g. Compare, contrast, and design elements of technical theatre.<br/>h. Utilize theatre vocabulary throughout the rehearsal process.
- TA7.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Create ideas for stories.<br/>b. Analyze the theme and structure of a play.<br/>c. Use the dramatic writing process to generate a script.<br/>d. Utilize dramatic conventions in the scriptwriting process (e.g. stage directions, dialogue, scenes).
Grade 7 - Performing
- TA7.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.<br/>a. Execute effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in performance (e.g. rate, pitch, volume, inflection, posture, facial expression, physical movement).<br/>b. Participate in a variety of acting exercises and techniques that can be applied in a rehearsal or theatre performance.<br/>c. Engage in various performance styles.
- TA7.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.<br/>a. Select a variety of technical elements that can be applied to a theatrical work.<br/>b. Incorporate artistic and technical elements into a theatre performance.
Grades 9-12 - ACTING LEVELS I-IV - Creating
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Performing
- TAHSAD.PR.1 Act and direct by communicating and sustaining roles within a variety of situations and environments.<br/>a. Examine and implement the skills and tasks associated with acting, incorporating voice, body, observation, and imagination to create characters for formal and informal performances.<br/>b. Implement the duties of the stage manager, including communication and safety procedures, that will assist the director in all areas of production.<br/>c. Develop a schedule and organizational plan to prepare a scene for performance, including a rehearsal schedule and a prompt script.<br/>d. Conduct rehearsals and present a full theatrical presentation to a live audience.
- TAHSAD.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.<br/>a. Engage as a creative team in script analysis to plan and create technical elements of a theatre production.
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Creating
- TAHSFT.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Recognize and/or employ realistic and conventional speech patterns within dialogue or dramatic verse.<br/>b. Incorporate dramatic elements through improvisation.<br/>c. Recognize and interpret artistic choices in performance.
- TAHSFT.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Differentiate between dramatic and traditional literary writing and utilize common steps of the playwriting process.<br/>b. Assess the need for script analysis, concept development, and directorial and technical concerns of a theatrical script.<br/>c. Construct and critique elements of dramatic structure, character, and dialogue.<br/>d. Create and perform scenes for audiences.
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Connecting
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Creating
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Performing
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Responding
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Connecting
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE MANAGEMENT - Creating
Sixth Grade Create
Sixth Grade Present
Seventh Grade Create
Seventh Grade Present
Beginning High School Create
Beginning High School Present
Beginning High School Respond
Intermediate High School Present
- I.PR.1.2 Apply staging conventions to formal and informal theatrical productions by employing vocal and physical acting techniques.
- I.PR.2.1 Develop scenes for formal or informal presentations.
- I.PR.2.2 Exhibit audience etiquette appropriate for a variety of theatrical spaces, styles, and genres.
- I.PR.2.4 Compare the effect various theatrical venues have upon performance.
Intermediate High School Respond
Advanced High School Create
Beginning High School Standards - Communication
Beginning High School Standards - Analysis
Beginning High School Standards - Culture
Intermediate High School Standards - Communication
Intermediate High School Standards - Analysis
Intermediate High School Standards - Culture
Advanced High School Standards - Communication
Advanced High School Standards - Culture
MS 117.211 LI - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
MS 117.211 LI - Historical and cultural relevance
MS 117.212 LII - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
MS 117.212 LII - Historical and cultural relevance
MS 117.213 LIII - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
MS 117.213 LIII - Historical and cultural relevance
HS 117.315 LI - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
HS 117.315 LI - Creative Expression: production
HS 117.315 LI - Historical and cultural relevance
HS 117.316 LII - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
HS 117.316 LII - Historical and cultural relevance
HS 117.316 LII - Critical evaluation and response
HS 117.317 LIII - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
HS 117.317 LIII - Historical and cultural relevance
HS 117.318 LIV - Historical and cultural relevance
Acting Drama 20
Theatre Studies Drama 10 (Greek, Medieval or Elizabethan, and Canadian)
Theatre Studies Drama 30 (Early or Middle or Late drama)
Movement Drama 10
Playwriting - Drama 20
Improvisation/Acting Level III - Advanced
Junior Goal II Objectives
Junior Goal III Objectives
Junior Orientation
- meet deadlines and follow through on individual and group commitments
- recognize that there is an historical and cultural aspect of drama/theatre
- respond to directions without breaking concentration-side coaching
- share ideas confidently with others
- show awareness of story sequence
- support positively the work of others
- work cooperatively and productively with all members of the class in pairs, small groups and large groups
Improvisation/Acting Level I - Beginning
Junior Goal I Objectives
- develop the ability to initiate, organize and present a project within a given set of guidelines
- develop the ability to interact effectively and constructively in a group process
- develop the willingness to make a decision, act upon it and accept the results
- extend the ability to explore meaning through abstract concepts
Theatre Studies Level II - Intermediate (Theatre History)
Theatre Studies Level III - Advanced (The script)
- 10 demonstrate understanding of the concept of dramatic convention
- 11 demonstrate understanding of plot structure
- 12 analyze a script to identify character, setting and plot
- 7 define the elements of script, dialogue, directions, characters and settings
- 8 demonstrate understanding of directions used in a script
- 9 read a script aloud
Senior Goal I Objectives
Senior Goal II Objectives
Senior Goal III Objectives
GRADE 6 - ARTS - Exploring and creating
GRADE 6 - ARTS - Reasoning and reflecting
- Interpret works of art using knowledge and skills from various areas of learning
- Reflect on works of art and creative processes to understand artists' intentions
- Research, describe, interpret and evaluate how artists (dancers, actors, musicians, and visual artists) use processes, materials, movements, technologies, tools, techniques, and environments in the arts
GRADE 6 - ARTS - Communicating and documenting
GRADE 7 - ARTS - Reasoning and reflecting
- Develop and refine ideas, processes, and technical skills in a variety of art forms to improve the quality of artistic creations
- Interpret works of art using knowledge and skills from various areas of learning
- Reflect on works of art and creative processes to understand artists’ intentions
- Research, describe, interpret and evaluate how artists (dancers, actors, musicians, and visual artists) use processes, materials, movements, technologies, tools, techniques, and environments in the arts
GRADE 7 - ARTS - Communicating and documenting
- Describe, interpret and respond to works of art
- Experience, document, choreograph, perform, and share creative works in a variety of ways
- Express, feelings, ideas, and experiences through the arts
- Interpret and communicate ideas using symbols and elements to express meaning through the arts
- Take creative risks to express feelings, ideas, and experiences
GRADE 8 - ARTS - Exploring and creating
GRADE 8 - ARTS - Reasoning and reflecting
GRADE 8 - ARTS - Communicating and documenting
GRADE 9 - DRAMA - Exploring and creating
GRADE 9 - DRAMA - Reasoning and reflecting
GRADE 9 - DRAMA - Communicating and documenting
GRADE 9 - DRAMA - Connecting and expanding
GRADE 10 - DRAMA - Explore and Create
GRADE 10 - DRAMA - Reason and reflect
GRADE 10 - DRAMA - Communicate and document
GRADE 10 - DRAMA - Connect and expand
GRADE 11 - DRAMA - Explore and Create
GRADE 11 - DRAMA - Reason and reflect
GRADE 11 - DRAMA - Connect and expand
GRADE 12 - DRAMA - Explore and Create
- Create, rehearse, and refine dramatic works through collaborative and individual presentation or performance
- Develop and refine performance skills in a variety of contexts
- Develop dramatic works for an intended audience
- Explore and create dramatic works to express ideas, meaning, and emotions
- Intentionally select and combine dramatic elements and conventions
GRADE 12 - DRAMA - Reason and reflect
GRADE 12 - DRAMA - Connect and expand
Grade 6 - Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts
Grade 6 - Creating and Presenting
Grade 7 - Creating and Presenting
Grades 9 & 10 - Foundations - Responsible Practices
Grades 9 & 10 - Foundations - Concepts and Terminology
- C.1.1 identify the drama forms, elements, conventions, and techniques used in their own and others’ drama works, and explain how the various components are used, or can be used, to achieve specific effects, with a focus on ensemble drama works (e.g., how a comic drama form can be used to convey a serious message, how setting and time period can be used to sharpen the focus on a moral dilemma, how characters can be used to vary the mood within a drama)
- C.1.2 demonstrate an understanding of and use correct terminology to refer to the forms, elements, conventions, and techniques of drama, with a focus on ensemble drama works (e.g., chorus, protagonist, ingénue, supporting role, act, scene, climax, resolution, improvisation, mask, freeze-frame image)
Grade 11 - Creating and Presenting - Elements and Conventions
Grade 11 - Creating and Presenting - The Creative Process
Grade 12 - Foundations - Responsible Practices
Grade 12 - Creating and Presenting - Elements and Conventions
Grade 12 - Creating and Presenting - The Creative Process
Theatre Arts III: Intermediate Acting & Playwriting
Theatre Arts IV: Advanced Acting And Directing
Theatre Arts IV: Advanced Acting And Directing
Theatre Arts IV: Advanced Acting And Directing
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