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 comedic play, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' takes place in and around the city of Athens, Greece.
- Find Greece on the map of Europe.
- Point to the location of Greece on the map of the world.
- Find Athens on the map of Greece.
Activity 5: Can You Find It?
During the week, zoom in to study the painting, 'Hermia and Helena,' by Washington Allston. Find the following:
- Hermia
- Helena
- Book
- Enchanted Wood
- Waterfall
- Cliffs
- 2 Sandals
- Woman Who Loves Lysander
- Woman Who Loves Demetrius
- Woman Who Betrays Her Friend
Activity 6: Color the Characters
- Color the characters on page 81 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
Activity 7: Practice Reciting Aloud Famous Quotations from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
HELENA: Remarking because she is envious of the physical attraction Demetrius has for Hermia.
- Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
- And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
HELENA: Saying condescendingly of Hermia's small stature and infuriating Hermia.
- Though she be but little, she is fierce!
LYSANDER: Saying to Hermia, his beloved, when her father refuses to let them marry.
- The course of true love never did run smooth.
PUCK: Remarking to King Oberon on the tomfoolery of the humans in the fairy forest.
- Lord, what fools these mortals be!
DEMETRIUS: Wondering whether he is awake or dreaming.
- Are you sure
- That we are awake?
- It seems to me
- That yet we sleep, we dream.
TITANIA (enchanted to love Bottom): Asking her fairies to fawn over Bottom.
- And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies
- To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.