I move quickly through Act II by utilizing one of my favorite activities: tableaux. You can use this idea with any play! Here are the steps.
If you’re looking for a good introductory activity for King Lear, check out this post. For my Act I ideas, look here.
Step #1: Read the Mini-Scene
Arrange students into groups and give each group a mini-scene. I typically have 32-34 students in class, so I created 11 mini-scenes so that students would mostly work in groups of three. If you’re using this idea for Act II of Lear, you can borrow my scenes here (will force copy).
As a group, students read the scene to make sense of it. I give them three minutes with these instructions:
Step #2: Create the Tableau
After they’ve had a chance to read the mini-scene, I explain the instructions for the tableau. Groups will work together to represent a significant moment from their excerpt in a photograph. Then, they will create a slide in which they include the photo and key lines from the excerpt. I like this activity because it gets students out of their desks and considering the movement of a scene without the fear that sometimes accompanies asking students to perform. Here are two examples:
Step #3: Share the Tableaux
Students submit their slides and I display them one at a time in chronological order. Each group explains what occurs in their mini-scene when we get to their photo. That’s it! It’s a super low-prep activity and my students have really enjoyed it.
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The only other activity that I complete with Act II is watching a film version and answering some close reading questions. For the end-of-act viewings, I use the Amazon Prime version directed by Richard Eyre and starring Anthony Hopkins as King Lear. If you plan to use the same version, I’ll eventually post the video guides. I’m still working on this. 🙂
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