Decoding Shakespeare: Advanced Tricks and Tips to Understanding the Bard

Completed by 2 learners

Ages 13-17

Live Group Class

Take the fear out of Shakespeare with this Arts-Integrated 50 minute 6 week class. We will cover meter, literary techniques, and punctuation as tools to determine emotion and subtext in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Michele Perkins M.A. - Certified Teacher

Average rating:

5.0

Number of reviews:

(2 reviews)

Live video meetings

1x per week, 6 weeks

2-10 learners per class

50 min

About Learning Overview Teacher Reviews

What's included

6 live meetings

5 in-class hours

Homework

1 hour per week. Optional Homework: Although we will be discussing and analyzing scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream, students are encouraged to read the script in its entirety. Memorize one monologue from the list provided. Students can choose to read from the script if they want.

Assessment

Students in this class will receive oral feedback based on teacher observation.

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11

Advanced Level

In Decoding Shakespeare: Midsummer, Meter, and Magic, we will be going over some of Shakespeare's most famous monologues and explore how Shakespeare's use of Meter, Alliteration, and Punctuation changes the meaning behind the words. Students will start each class with an acting exercise, learn about that day's literary technique, and then apply it to the monologue they have chosen from the list provided. This class is for students looking to act or just understand Shakespeare better. This is a great start for students who plan on competing in any acting competitions or taking the AP Literature Exam.
Week One: Midsummer Character Description, Acts 1-5 Summary, and Monologue Choices 
Week Two: Stanislavski Analysis: Objectives, Obstacles, and Tactics
Week Three: Making the Most of Meter - Iambic, Trochaic, and Half-Lines
Week Four: Leaning into Literary Techniques - Alliteration, Metaphors, and Similes
Week Five: Perfecting Punctuation - Using Full Stops, Mid-Stops, Commas, and Colons to Build and Change Energy.
Week Six: Monologue Coaching and Presentations

Learning Goals

C-Palm Standards:
ELA.12.R.3.1 Evaluate an author’s use of figurative language.
ELA 11.R.3.2 Paraphrase content from grade-level texts.
ELA 10.R.1.1 Explain how key elements enhance or add layers of meaning and/or style in a literary text.
ELA 9.R.1.2 Analyze universal themes and their development throughout a literary text.
TH.912.C.2.8 Improve a performance or project using various self-assessment tools, coaching, feedback, and/or constructive criticism.
TH.912.F.2.8 Strengthen acting skills by engaging in theatre games and improvisations.
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

Other Details

Supply List

Electronic handouts will be made available in class.

1 file available upon enrollment

Language of Instruction

English

External Resources

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Sources

Monologues from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Meet the teacher

Michele Perkins M.A. - Certified Teacher

Joined March, 2023

5.0

2reviews

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

Florida Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts

3 Degrees

Master's Degree in Theatre Arts from University Of Central Florida

Master's Degree in English from Florida Atlantic University

Bachelor's Degree in English from Florida Atlantic University

Hello! I have been a teacher of Shakespeare for the past 21 years. I have taught Shakespeare both as an English teacher and an Acting teacher in high school and college courses.  I have performed in and directed numerous plays by Shakespeare, including A Midsummer's Night Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth.