Activity 1: Recite the Story Information
- Before and after reading or listening to the story, recite aloud the title and author of the play.
Activity 2: Narrate the Story
- After reading or listening to the story, narrate the events aloud in your own words.
Activity 3: See the Playwright and Poet William Shakespeare
- Study the controversial 'Cobbe portrait' below, which may be a real-life portrait of Shakespeare.
- The portrait contains the Latin phrase 'Principum amicitias!' which means 'The alliances of princes!'
Activity 4: Map the Play
- Much of the play takes place in Paris, France.
- Find Paris on the map of France.
- Zoom in to find Paris, France on the map of Europe. Next find Florence, Italy, where Bertram and Helena traveled in the play.
- Point to the locations of France and Italy on the map of the world.
Activity 5: Can You Find It?
During the week, zoom in to study the painting, 'Helena and Count Bertram Before the King of France,' by Francis Wheatley. Find the following:
- Helena
- Count Bertram
- Person Who Wants to Get Married
- Person Who Does Not Want to Get Married
- King of France
- Courtiers
- Throne
- Pike
Activity 6: Build the Sets
- Color, cut out, and laminate the set items on page 138 of 'Third Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Set up the scenes in your theater.
Activity 7: Study the Order of Events
- Print and cut out Group A of events on page 139 of 'Third Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Using what you know from reading the story, arrange the events in the correct order.
- Glue the group of ordered events to a piece of construction paper.
- Repeat for groups B-E on pages 140-143 of 'Third Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Keep these event orderings for the next activity.
Activity 8: Act Out the Events
- Use the event orderings from the prior activity, the theater, the laminated characters, and the sets, to act out each group of events.
- The instructor reads aloud events from group A.
- Children build the appropriate set, add necessary characters, and act out the event, moving the characters and inventing their own dialog.
- Repeat for groups B-E.