Reading a Play in Class? Try this Quick Sound FX Tip!

 When students get into the parts they read, reading plays in class can be super fun.  One way to do this is props.  Students love putting on the crowns and witch hats for Macbeth.  Another easy way to get students into it is to assign someone to be the Sound FX specialist.  The Sound FX part looks for places where noises should be made (think old radio dramas) and quite simply they should make those noises.  Did someone enter or exit the scene, have them make walking sounds with their feet and door sounds.  Did Lady Macbeth say she heard an owl?  Hooting should be coming from the Sound FX person.  

I've had some people get so into it, that they became legends in the class.  One girl would go home and search ahead in the play and have computer sound fxs ready to go.  One boy in particular was not a great reader (especially not aloud), but he could make sounds.  The sillier the person gets, the more fun for the class.

Got anymore in-class play tips?  Share them in the comments or shoot me an email!

Introducing Shakespeare to your students?  Try this resource from the Extreme English Teacher TPT store.

Macbeth Fun - Lady Macbeth's Sassy Gay Friend

 Another teacher shared this with me.  Not class appropriate, but fun for those of us who teach Macbeth.  I leave it here for your viewing.  Have a great Thanksgiving! 

Freebie: Macbeth Background Slides

When I teach Macbeth, I like to use as many things as possible to make it immersive.  We have crowns, witches' hats, and sashes for nobility.  For atmosphere, the fog machine comes out and we always add a Sound FX role to the parts list.  The Sound FX person just makes ambient sounds (people walking, owls hooting, thunder, etc.).  

I also have a background for each scene that I have displayed on the screen in the front of the room that I will share with you here.  None of these are my own artwork or photographs and when I made these long ago,  I had no intention of anyone seeing them but my students, so artwork attribution is absent.  

Be that as it may, you may find it useful and you may find other images that work better (if so, please send them my way!)

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1utcairdoqPiqPd7qmmuyX6htFUI7WCQc6eMYJ5NbGlY/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p

If you have other things you do the make play reading fun, share it in the comments!

Shameless Plug - Curious Incident of the Dog Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown and Unit Bundle Pack

Currently on the Extreme English Teacher Store!

There is no book that I have found that generates student interest than The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. You know the students I teach - seniors who have given up on the thought of enjoying a book, struggling with reading, generally ready to be done with school to start a life that will never ask you to find the symbolism in that chapter - yet, this book has them reading ahead on their own time, jumping into class discussion, and getting passionate in class.  If you don't know why you should be teaching this book, read this and come back.  I'll wait.

What I have done is to break down this book chapter-by-chapter.  This is not a book summary. This is a guide to how to teach it.  Each chapter has my what-to-look for moments, what to emphasize, a heads up on what may throw off a student, how long it takes to read it aloud, which chapters work best read aloud, and along the way, I throw in fourteen activities - some in class, some for students to do on their own.  The students will immerse themselves into the games that Christopher plays, find the constellation he looks at, make predictions, read parts, and learn a quite a bit about how to treat others who are different.

It is exactly how I have taught this book for years, tweaking and adding along the way.  If you teach high school kids, especially ones who do not believe reading can be an enjoyable experience, YOU NEED TO TEACH THIS BOOK!  And this guide will help you to do it.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EET-Chapter-by-Chapter-Guide-for-Curious-Incident-of-the-Dog-in-the-Night-Time-7621144

And, in case you want the whole deal, you can get the Unit pack that includes:

• Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (with the 14 activities)
• Pre-Reading Activity
• Questions for every chapter
• Tests (both paper and online)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EET-Curious-Incident-of-the-Dog-in-the-Night-Time-Unit-Pack-7621196