Teaching A Midsummer Night's Dream

Instructions for You

Objective: "Fairy Queen Falls in Love with Donkey Man."
"Father Threatens Daughter with Execution—Duke Concurs."
"Puck Strikes Again, Causes Mayhem for Four Athenian Lovers."

This play is filled with sensational happenings that are ripe for tabloid coverage. Just look at those potential headlines. After you've finished reading the play, your students will take advantage of the tawdry melodrama by rewriting a scene from the play as if it were appearing inside a tabloid, and then designing their own tabloid cover based on the play. This activity should take about 60 minutes.

Materials Needed: Microsoft Word, internet access, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and—cringe—a YouTube tutorial

Step 1: A simple Google search will bring up hundreds of tabloid covers students can examine as examples. Not everyone pays attention in the checkout line at the supermarket.

Step 2: After spending no more than two or three minutes looking at tabloid examples, spend another two or three minutes having a very quick class brainstorming session where you come up with a list of events from the play that would make great tabloid material. Students can just call out examples, as long as you're comfortable with that.

Step 3: Once they choose which part they want to focus on, each student will find the scene in the play and reread it. They then will write it like it's a tabloid story—sensational, over the top, and as exaggerated as possible. The more they can embellish the story, the better. Remember, this would appear in the type of publication that prints articles about dolphins growing human arms.

Step 4: Finally, students can design their tabloid cover. They can begin by opening up Microsoft Word and placing text boxes wherever they want to include text and headlines. If they're unfamiliar with text boxes, this minute-long tutorial simplifies the process. They can then fill in whatever text they need, along with pictures and graphic elements.

Step 5: Volunteers? This should be a fun one for students to share their tabloid covers and stories.

Instructions for Your Students

Have you ever paid attention to the magazines in the checkout line at the supermarket? Some of those tabloids have absolutely ridiculous headlines—three-headed babies from Mars, women fawning over a real-life wolf-man, dolphins with human arms washing up on shore. You think a fairy queen falling in love with a donkey-man would fit right in? Actually, this play probably has a few scenes that seem torn straight from the tabloids. In this assignment, your job is to take one of those scenes—which is pretty outrageous already—and rewrite it like it's going to appear in the National Enquirer. You'll also design your very own tabloid cover, so prime your brain for some absurd headlines.

Step 1: If you're not so familiar with what tabloids look like, a quick Google image search of "tabloid covers" will give you more than enough examples to follow.

Step 2: After you check out a few examples, the class is going to quickly brainstorm some ideas for scenes from the play that translate to this activity. Just call out any you can think of, as long as your teacher is okay with that.

Step 3: Once you choose which easy-to-sensationalize event you want to focus on, you'll find the scene in the play and reread it. Then you'll rewrite it like it's a tabloid story—sensational, over the top, and as exaggerated as possible. The more you can embellish the story, the better. Remember, three-headed babies from Mars. That's what you're going for.

Step 4: Finally, you can design your tabloid cover. Begin by opening up Microsoft Word and placing text boxes wherever you want to include text, including headlines. If you're unfamiliar with text boxes, this minute-long tutorial simplifies the process. Then fill in whatever text you need, along with pictures and graphic elements.

Step 5: Want to volunteer to read your story and show off your cover? This should be fun for you and your classmates to share with one another.