Exeunt!: A Pre-Reading ACTivity for A Midsummer Night's Dream

Those of us who teach struggling readers know how important pre-reading activities are, and those of us who teach Shakespeare know how important it is for students to EXPERIENCE the text, rather than just read it.

Exeunt! is the pre-reading/acting game students will BEG to play each day during your Shakespeare unit!

Here’s how this pre-reading activity works:
1. Invite students to volunteer for the roles that appear in each act, according to the script.
2. Line up students at the front of the room and give them the character card of the role they’ve volunteered for.
3. Begin reading your script, pausing to give each student time to process and act out what you’re saying.
4. End each scene by saying the key word, “Exeunt!” This cues your students to return to their seats, and it opens the floor to volunteers for the next scene.
5. After each Act, give students the differentiated written reflection prompts to complete.

Get ready for increased comprehension, higher engagement, and lots of laughs as your students play their way to understanding Shakespeare!

As always, if you'd like me to adapt this game to fit the Shakespeare play YOU'RE teaching, just send me a request!