Lights, Camera, Action

In this lesson students will interpret Twelfth Night or another play by creating a silent movie, requiring them to think creatively and enhance their storytelling skills in verbal, nonverbal and written form.

This lesson will take approximately three class periods.

Folger edition of Twelfth Night
Available in Folger print edition and Folger Digital Texts

Video camera or still camera and scanner

Computer lab access

Technician or support teacher if necessary

1. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group one act of the play.

2. Tell students it is their task to create a silent movie of different tableaux to represent the most important developments in their act of the play. The movie must have 5-10 "slides," frozen images that represent individual moments in the text. Each group member must participate.

3. Emphasize the importance of heightened nonverbal communication. Discuss facial expressions, gestures, stance, interaction and pose.

4. Have students begin by brainstorming ideas for the most important moments in the text, then choose a selective group of those moments for their movie.

5. Next, students should explore ways to represent each moment. Encourage them to experiment with different ideas before settling on one.

6. Allow students time to rehearse their tableaux.

7. Showtime: if your school has a video camera, record the performances. If you have access to a scanner, you could photograph the slides and scan them as well.

8. Using PowerPoint or other presentation software, have students add narration to the slides they have created. Finally, have students complete their movies with slides that introduce their work and its cast.

9. Present the completed movie to the class and print a hard copy for public display. Conclude by discussing the differences in the choices made by the different groups, and the lessons students learned in the creation process.