Death and the Maiden Lesson Plan

Act it out!

Kind of Activity:

Performance

Objective:

to practice making directorial choices; to see the play come to life on stage; to practice close-reading of a short passage

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4

Structure:

Reading a screenplay only gives us half the full picture of the play as an art form; the play truly comes to life on the stage rather than on the page. For this activity, divide students randomly into groups of two. Give students 30 minutes to choose a short passage (one to two pages) from the first two scenes of Act One, decide who will play which part, and rehearse this passage together. Encourage the pairs not simply to...