Shakespeare for the Social Media Age: A Fun & Creative Lesson Plan for Teens

Engage your high school students with a lesson plan that makes Shakespeare relevant and fun! This creative resource uses social media, modern music, and witty insults to teach theme, character, and language from plays like Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. Perfect for English, Theatre, or homeschool educators looking for activities that inspire creativity and critical thinking.

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Lesson Plan: Shakespeare's Social Media Remix

Subject: English Language Arts / Theatre Arts

Student: Madison (Age 15)

Focus: This lesson moves beyond memorization to focus on application, creativity, and finding modern relevance in Shakespeare's work. It's designed to be fun, interactive, and tailored to Madison's interests.

Materials Needed

  • Computer with internet access
  • Notebook or journal and a pen/pencil
  • Printer (optional, for printing scenes or worksheets)
  • Art supplies (markers, colored pencils, poster board - optional, depending on creative choice)
  • Access to a music streaming service (like Spotify or YouTube Music)
  • Pre-selected short scenes from Shakespeare (e.g., Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene 2; A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 3, Scene 2; Macbeth Act 1, Scene 7). Links will be provided.
  • A "Shakespearean Insult Generator" or a printed list of insults.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, Madison will be able to:

  1. Analyze Shakespearean language by translating his insults into modern slang and using them in a creative context.
  2. Apply thematic analysis by connecting the core themes of a Shakespearean play to the lyrics of a modern song.
  3. Create a modern adaptation of a classic Shakespearean scene, demonstrating an understanding of character, plot, and tone.

Curriculum Standards (Common Core ELA, Grades 9-10): RL.9-10.2 (Theme), RL.9-10.4 (Word Meanings), W.9-10.3 (Creative Writing)

Lesson Activities & Procedure

Part 1: The Warm-Up - Thou Art a Tweet! (15 minutes)

Goal: To break the ice and show that Shakespeare's language, while old, is understandable and structured.

  1. Activity: Present Madison with 2-3 famous Shakespearean quotes written in modern, "tweet" format (under 280 characters). Her task is to guess the original quote or at least the play it's from.
    • Example 1: "IDK if I should exist or not. That's the real question. #overit" (To be, or not to be: that is the question - Hamlet)
    • Example 2: "OMG, why are you named Romeo Montague? Just change your name and I'm all yours. #namesaremeaningless" (O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? - Romeo and Juliet)
  2. Discussion: Briefly discuss why these ideas are timeless. How do the original lines sound different from the tweets? What makes them more powerful or poetic?

Part 2: The Insult-a-Thon - A Battle of Wits! (20 minutes)

Goal: To have fun with Shakespeare's language and understand his mastery of creative, witty insults.

  1. Introduction: Explain that Shakespeare was the master of the "burn." His insults were clever, specific, and often hilarious.
  2. Activity: Using a Shakespearean Insult Kit/Generator (many are available online), Madison's task is to create 3-5 of her own epic insults. An insult is created by combining one word from each of three columns.
    • Example: "Thou artless, base-court, apple-john!"
  3. Challenge: Madison must now write a short, modern dialogue (like a text message exchange between two friends fighting) where she incorporates at least two of her newly-created Shakespearean insults. She should then perform or read it aloud with dramatic flair!

Part 3: Shakespeare's Playlist - The Theme Tracker (25 minutes)

Goal: To connect the universal themes in Shakespeare's plays to modern music, proving their relevance today.

  1. Choose a Play: Have Madison choose a play she is somewhat familiar with or interested in (e.g., Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream). Watch a quick 5-10 minute animated summary video on YouTube to refresh the plot.
  2. Identify Themes: Discuss and list the major themes of the play. For Romeo and Juliet, this could be: forbidden love, fate vs. free will, rash decisions, family feuds.
  3. The Playlist Challenge: Madison's task is to find one modern song from her own playlists that she feels represents a major theme from the play.
    • She will listen to the song and follow along with the lyrics.
    • In her notebook, she will write down 2-3 specific lines from the song and explain exactly how they connect to the characters or events in the Shakespearean play.

Part 4: The Main Quest - Scene Remix (45-60 minutes)

Goal: The culminating creative project. Madison will adapt a short, famous scene into a completely new, modern format.

  1. Choose a Scene: Provide Madison with a choice of 2-3 famous scenes (e.g., the balcony scene from R&J, the "Out, damned spot!" scene from Macbeth). She should read both the original text and a modern translation side-by-side (No Fear Shakespeare is excellent for this).
  2. Brainstorm Formats: Encourage her to think outside the box. The scene could be remixed as:
    • A series of text messages or a social media DM conversation.
    • A 6-panel comic strip.
    • A script for a modern short film or a TikTok video.
    • A "Dear Diary" entry from one of the characters' perspectives.
  3. Create!: Give Madison ample time to work on her chosen format. The goal is to capture the original scene's core emotion, conflict, and character intentions, just in a new setting.

This is the main assessment piece. Evaluate it based on creativity, understanding of the source material, and clarity.

Part 5: The Wrap-Up & Showcase (10 minutes)

Goal: To reflect on the lesson and share the creative work.

  1. Showcase: Madison presents her "Scene Remix" project and explains the creative choices she made.
  2. Reflection: Ask a few closing questions:
    • What was the most surprising thing you learned about Shakespeare today?
    • Do you think Shakespeare's stories are still important to read? Why or why not?
    • Which activity did you enjoy the most?

Differentiation & Extension

  • For Support: Provide sentence starters for the playlist analysis ("This lyric reminds me of the play when..."). Use scene versions that have built-in glossaries or annotations.
  • For Challenge (The "Level Up" Quest):
    • Poet's Corner: Try writing a 4-line poem in iambic pentameter (ten syllables per line, alternating unstressed and stressed syllables) about a modern topic, like ordering pizza or scrolling through Instagram.
    • Director's Cut: Turn the "Scene Remix" script into a real short video, with costumes and props from around the house.
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