Hamlet Unit Plan - Complete Drama Reading Unit for Shakespeare's Play
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Hamlet Unit Plan includes everything you need to teach Hamlet by William Shakespeare. With more than 280+ pages and slides of content, there will be absolutely no prep required. This drama unit includes eye-catching presentation slides, print-ready assignments, questions, vocabulary, quizzes, video journals, interactive class activities, and much more!
What Teachers Are Saying About The Hamlet Unit Plan:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you for a challenging and comprehensive unit this is wonderful to have -- it makes teaching Hamlet fun and exciting for my students.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is an awesome unit! I wish I had found it sooner. I will be using it next semester for sure!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lots of fun and interesting material here! I love it! The activities are super fun and engaging and easy to use! Thank you!
What Teachers Are Saying About The Hamlet Unit Plan:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you for a challenging and comprehensive unit this is wonderful to have -- it makes teaching Hamlet fun and exciting for my students.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is an awesome unit! I wish I had found it sooner. I will be using it next semester for sure!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lots of fun and interesting material here! I love it! The activities are super fun and engaging and easy to use! Thank you!
Included in The Hamlet Unit Plan:
➡️ Hamlet Introductory Presentation: Start the Hamlet unit plan with this interactive PowerPoint presentation that includes pre-reading discussion questions, an interactive class activity, a biography of William Shakespeare, a fun review quiz, and context and background information on the play.
➡️ Hamlet Introductory Presentation: Start the Hamlet unit plan with this interactive PowerPoint presentation that includes pre-reading discussion questions, an interactive class activity, a biography of William Shakespeare, a fun review quiz, and context and background information on the play.
➡️ Hamlet Act and Scene Summary Cards: These summary cards are an excellent classroom reference for both teacher and student. These 20 printable act and scene summary cards outline the most important plot moments from Hamlet organized by scene. Simply print and cut out the cards, and you have a resource available that can be used as a tool for struggling readers, as a quick way to find plot moments, or as a tool to find text evidence during essay writing.
➡️ Hamlet Reading Quizzes: Included are five quizzes to assess student comprehension of the play. Each quiz includes six multiple-choice questions and two quotes that students must respond to by sharing context. For each quote, students are required to explain what is happening at that point in the plot with any relevant information. Answer keys are included.
➡️ Hamlet Writing Prompts - Video Clips: Help your students make connections to the play with these video journals. Students will watch a short video clip on YouTube that relates to a topic, theme, or idea presented in each of the acts (there are 10 videos in total - 2 videos per act). A related journal prompt is included and students share their thoughts and ideas in writing. The videos are not specific to the play, but they relate in a way that allows students to make a text-to-self or text-to-world connection. YouTube is required and teachers should always preview the videos to make sure they are appropriate for their particular students.
➡️ Hamlet Vocabulary Booklet and Slides: Help students learn new vocabulary words from the play during your Hamlet unit plan with this ready-to-use resource. This resource helps students hone their skills in using context clues to determine the meaning of new words as they are used within Hamlet. Included is a vocabulary booklet organized by acts where students read the new word in a quote from the play and infer its meaning. Then, they look up the definition to see if they were correct. Presentation slides are included for easy class review or grading.
➡️ Hamlet Act and Scene Questions and Answers: This resource includes play reading comprehension questions organized by act and scene. It also includes a presentation to review the answers with students. The answers are detailed and include text evidence for support.
➡️ Hamlet Analysis Notes: This Hamlet unit plan also includes a 40-slide PowerPoint presentation that shares some of the most important literary elements in Hamlet organized by each of the acts. The notes address characterization, theme, setting, and much more! The notes can be used for students to copy, or they can be used as discussion starters. After using this presentation, your students will have a much deeper understanding of the play.
This Hamlet Unit Plan also includes creative assignments and activities for each act. You can learn more about what's included below:
Pre-Reading
➡️ Who Said That? Pre-Reading Activity: Students will preview lines taken from Act 1 of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. They will share their first impressions of the person speaking the line and make predictions about them.
This Hamlet Unit Plan also includes creative assignments and activities for each act. You can learn more about what's included below:
Pre-Reading
➡️ Who Said That? Pre-Reading Activity: Students will preview lines taken from Act 1 of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. They will share their first impressions of the person speaking the line and make predictions about them.
Act 1
➡️ Polonius' Advice Speech Mystery Word Activity: Students will analyze Polonius' advice to Laertes in Act 1, Scene 3 before he leaves for France. They will then respond to a series of multiple-choice analysis questions that will test their comprehension and critical thinking. When they have all the answers correct, they will decipher the letters associated with the correct answers to reveal a mystery word related to the scene!
➡️ Polonius' Advice Speech Mystery Word Activity: Students will analyze Polonius' advice to Laertes in Act 1, Scene 3 before he leaves for France. They will then respond to a series of multiple-choice analysis questions that will test their comprehension and critical thinking. When they have all the answers correct, they will decipher the letters associated with the correct answers to reveal a mystery word related to the scene!
Act 2
➡️ Hamlet Social Media Page: Students will create a "Fakebook" social media page based on Hamlet from Shakespeare's play. Students will consider Hamlet's physical appearance, thoughts, personality, and relationship with other characters. It also looks great on display in your class or the hallway!
➡️ Hamlet Quote Hunt: Students will read lines from Act 2 Scene 2 written in modern English and try to find the line from Shakespeare's original text!
➡️ Hamlet Social Media Page: Students will create a "Fakebook" social media page based on Hamlet from Shakespeare's play. Students will consider Hamlet's physical appearance, thoughts, personality, and relationship with other characters. It also looks great on display in your class or the hallway!
➡️ Hamlet Quote Hunt: Students will read lines from Act 2 Scene 2 written in modern English and try to find the line from Shakespeare's original text!
Act 3
➡️ Hamlet "To be or not to be" Soliloquy Sorting Game: Students will explore one of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies, Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' speech. Through a creative game, students will rearrange modern translations of the soliloquy to reconstruct its original meaning to reveal a mystery word. This activity not only deepens their understanding of the iconic speech but also fosters critical thinking and interpretation skills while having fun with The Bard's timeless words!
➡️ Hamlet Courtroom Speech Activity - Is Hamlet Mad?: In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet kills Polonius by stabbing him through the arras, but is he responsible for his death? In this activity, students will step into the roles of either a prosecutor or a defense attorney and take on the responsibility of analyzing whether Hamlet is culpable for the death of Polonius or if he should be considered innocent by reason of insanity. Students will craft and deliver a persuasive argument, based on evidence from the play, that supports their chosen stance.
➡️ Hamlet "To be or not to be" Soliloquy Sorting Game: Students will explore one of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies, Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' speech. Through a creative game, students will rearrange modern translations of the soliloquy to reconstruct its original meaning to reveal a mystery word. This activity not only deepens their understanding of the iconic speech but also fosters critical thinking and interpretation skills while having fun with The Bard's timeless words!
➡️ Hamlet Courtroom Speech Activity - Is Hamlet Mad?: In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet kills Polonius by stabbing him through the arras, but is he responsible for his death? In this activity, students will step into the roles of either a prosecutor or a defense attorney and take on the responsibility of analyzing whether Hamlet is culpable for the death of Polonius or if he should be considered innocent by reason of insanity. Students will craft and deliver a persuasive argument, based on evidence from the play, that supports their chosen stance.
Act 4
➡️ Ophelia's Playlist Song Analysis Activities: Students will examine Ophelia's character in the context of modern music with two creative assignments. First, students will analyze the song "Ophelia" by The Lumineers and answer questions that will help students connect the lyrics and music video to Shakespeare's play. Then, they will create a playlist of three songs that connect to Ophelia’s character before designing cover art for the playlist.
➡️ Hamlet Internet History: Your internet browsing history reveals a lot about your personality. Students will share what they think would be the top four websites (real or imagined) that a character from the play would most frequently visit during the play.
➡️ Ophelia's Playlist Song Analysis Activities: Students will examine Ophelia's character in the context of modern music with two creative assignments. First, students will analyze the song "Ophelia" by The Lumineers and answer questions that will help students connect the lyrics and music video to Shakespeare's play. Then, they will create a playlist of three songs that connect to Ophelia’s character before designing cover art for the playlist.
➡️ Hamlet Internet History: Your internet browsing history reveals a lot about your personality. Students will share what they think would be the top four websites (real or imagined) that a character from the play would most frequently visit during the play.
Act 5 / Post-Reading
➡️ Hamlet Symbolism Assignment: Students will turn to the play to form a conclusion about what prevalent symbols and motifs like weeds, clothing, flowers, and more represent in the text. They will also provide text evidence in the form of a quote to support their choice. This assignment also comes with a detailed answer key that will allow for easy class review or grading.
➡️ Hamlet Newspaper Final Project: Students will be given the opportunity to create a newspaper called "The Denmark Times", in which they act as journalists living in Hamlet's world. This project is an excellent final assessment for a unit on the play with the bonus of exposing students to some of the skills and terms used in journalism.
➡️ Hamlet Essay Topics: Provide these essay topics for students to choose from to write a five-paragraph essay on the novel.
➡️ Hamlet Symbolism Assignment: Students will turn to the play to form a conclusion about what prevalent symbols and motifs like weeds, clothing, flowers, and more represent in the text. They will also provide text evidence in the form of a quote to support their choice. This assignment also comes with a detailed answer key that will allow for easy class review or grading.
➡️ Hamlet Newspaper Final Project: Students will be given the opportunity to create a newspaper called "The Denmark Times", in which they act as journalists living in Hamlet's world. This project is an excellent final assessment for a unit on the play with the bonus of exposing students to some of the skills and terms used in journalism.
➡️ Hamlet Essay Topics: Provide these essay topics for students to choose from to write a five-paragraph essay on the novel.
Pair this with our Shakespeare Introductory Resources. Click below: