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
The tragic play, 'King Lear,' takes place somewhere in the middle of England (now part of the United Kingdom (UK)).
- Find England (UK - Southern Part of Larger Island) on the map of Europe.
- Zoom in to find the capital city of London.
- Point to the location of the UK on the map of the world.
Activity 5: Can You Find It?
During the week, zoom in to study the painting, 'Cordelia's Portion,' by Ford Madox Brown. Note how Goneril and Regan and their husbands all grab at King Lear's crown, and find the following:
- King Lear (on throne)
- Goneril and Regan
- Cordelia (in yellow)
- Scepter
- Orb (on table)
- Censer (on table - container for incense)
- King of France (holds Cordelia's hand)
- Duke of Burgundy (biting his finger)
- Mistletoe (above the King's head)
- Map
- 3 Swords
Activity 6: Create Your Own Reusable Theater to Study and Stage Shakespearian Plays
Instructor Note: If you created and saved your theater, props, characters, etc. from the third grade Shakespeare course, you may reuse them for the fourth grade course.
Materials:
- 1 large, sturdy, and solid-colored foam board
- Laminating pouches
- Self-adhesive Velcro tape, squares, or dots
Background:
- The foam board will serve as a theater for putting on Shakespeare's plays.
- You will build sets for your theater, populate it with characters, and use it to act out scenes.
- Attaching Velcro to the foam board, set pieces, and characters will enable creating multiple configurations of sets and characters.
Directions:
- Fasten approximately 30 one-inch strips or dots of evenly spaced Velcro to the front of each foam board.
- Color, cut out, laminate, cut out, and attach Velcro to the backs of the theater decorations on page 3 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- See an example of a full laminated sheet of characters, set items, and labels before the final cut out.
- Decorate your theater as you see fit.
Activity 7: Cast the Characters
- Serve as the casting director and audition actors and actresses for parts in your play.
- Color, cut out, laminate, and attach Velcro to the backs of the labels on page 4 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Color, cut out, laminate, and attach Velcro to the backs of the actors and actresses trying out for the roles (make sure to keep the boxes attached to the characters) on pages 5-11.
- You will have more characters than roles.
- Attach an additional piece of Velcro to the box under each of the actors and actresses.
- Using what you know from reading the story, cast each character by Velcroing a label to the box under the actor or actress you feel is best suited for the role.
Activity 8: Create a Character Map
- Cut out the relationship connectors on page 12 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Using what you know from reading the story, place the relationship connectors between the characters to show their relationships.