Introduction
You can find the full text of the play here – so no excuses if you lose your book!
Also on this website you will find various sources of information and activities that will help you learn more about this play and about Shakespeare – his life and times.
Background Research
First, we need to find out something about Shakespeare himself. You will be studying Shakespeare’s plays for the next few years; at NIS we study Shakespeare fro Grade 6 – 9; in other school there may well also be Shakespeare plays and poetry at DP level. So it’s important to find out something about why he is read, performed and studied so much, 400 years after he was writing.
♠♥♣♦
Reading Tasks
We will sometimes use this Study Guide in lessons as there are useful activities that will help you to understand what is going on.
This document will also very very useful – we will use this regularly, and you will need to use your notebooks to make sure you remember the class discussions.
We will also use this document (or you can duplicate it in your notebook) for two crucial scenes.
Finally, part of studying Shakespeare involves getting to know his characters, and finding clues in the play about what kind of people they are, what motivates them, and how they change. In class, we will focus on Helena, Puck and Bottom to find lines in the play that teach us about them. Later on, we will focus on Helena – who has some personal issues she needs help with. When the time comes, we will use this document.
Your teachers will check regularly that you are keeping your notebooks up to date.
♠♥♣♦
Assessed Tasks
Task 1: Essay
This will be your Semester 2 exam. You be given a choice of three essay topics, and will choose one of these topics on which to write a literary essay – like the one we practised and wrote for ‘Chinese Cinderella’. Here it is again.
You will be told the three topics in your Exam Outline which will be issued on Veracross a week or so before the exam date. Then you will have a lesson in which to prepare your plan for your essay.
Keep watching Veracross for details.
Task 2: Digital Tableau
Your final assignment will be to produce a comic strip style picture of a particular scene, chosen by your group, combining digital photo and speech bubbles. You have a choice of modern dress or costume, modern English or Shakespeare’s English.
Before you begin, you will need – as a group – to put together a short write-up describing your plans and showing your understanding of what is going on the scene you have chosen. Read the following instructions.
Digital Tableaux Write Up Instructions
You must hand this in to your teacher first, before you go ahead with your digital tableau. Once you have completed your write-up and your teacher has approved it, read the instructions below, then begin!
Keep watching Veracross for details.
♠♥♣♦
This is a film version of the play, and can be found on DVD in the school library.
