The first time I ever experienced A Midsummer Night’s Dream was in an outdoor theatre on a misty, summer evening in New York City. That morning, like I did every day of our trip, I entered a lottery to win tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. This time I won, and sitting in the enchanted forest of Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, I felt like the luckiest English teacher in the world! Ever since then, I’ve dreamed of teaching A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a way that can bring the play and setting to life as it did for me that day. If you’re looking to do the same, this guide will be your inspiration. You’ll find A Midsummer Night’s Dream activities, ideas, and lesson plans to engage students with one of Shakespeare’s most enchanting (and hilarious) plays.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Summary
But before we dig into teaching A Midsummer Night’s Dream, here’s a quick recap:
The plot weaves together four main storylines:
- Young lovers Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena find themselves in a chaotic web of love and magic.
- The mischievous fairy Puck uses a magical flower to meddle with humans and creates chaos in the process.
- Titania, Queen of the Fairies, becomes infatuated with Bottom who has the head of a donkey.
- A group of amateur actors prepare a terrible play that’s key to the grand finale.
This play offers students the perfect mix of humor, fantasy, and relatable conflicts. Plus, its timeless exploration of love and imagination makes it a great text to analyze, perform, and discuss.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Pre-Reading Activities
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Setting
The setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream makes the magic happen. It moves between two distinctive worlds:
- Athens: Representing order, law, and societal expectations.
- The Woods: Representing chaos, magic, and transformation.
To set the mood and illustrate the symbolism of both settings, switch between two ambient scenes. First, play an Athens setting to open the play. Next, use a magical forest scene to set the mood for the fairies. Lastly, have students create a Setting Symbolism 3D-One Pager that provides a tactile representation of both worlds.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters
Honestly, keeping up with the characters is the hardest part about teaching A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Given that character mix up is a major part of Shakespeare’s plot, do we think he did this on purpose? I mean we do have THREE females whose names start with H (Hermia, Helena, Hippolyta) so it’s probable! Regardless, with four interconnected storylines, it’s easy for students to mix up characters. One easy way to solve this issue is to hand out A Midsummer Night’s Dream playbill that makes students feel like they are attending a play, plus serves as a character list reference sheet.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Themes
This play is ripe with themes that resonate with teens, such as:
- Love and Chaos
- Illusions vs. Reality
- Transformation and Magic
A fun way to introduce these themes and other topics is with A Midsummer Night’s Dream BINGO board. Students use the board to see how well they relate to topics, try to guess how they might all be connected, and get a visual general overview of the play. Would you like a copy of this Midsummer BINGO board? You can grab FREE resources by signing up for my Building Book Love Letter here!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Introduction Activities
Like with every unit, it’s important to hook students from the start with engaging pre-reading activities! Here are some A Midsummer Night’s Dream introduction ideas that will spark their curiosity and help set the tone of the play:
Set the Scene– As mentioned above, ambient media goes far in getting students into the setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Just hit play and you’ve set the mood for your A Midsummer Night’s Dream unit plan!
Create Intrigue: Did you know that people in Shakespeare’s time really believed in fairies? Did you know that people today make fairy gardens to be a part of this whimsical world? Have students imagine a world where tiny, mischievous fairy folk are thought to influence love, dreams, and even the weather. And how fun would it be to start a classroom fairy garden project for the play!?
Spark Curiosity– The best way to add movement and spark curiosity is with A Midsummer Night’s Dream introduction stations. For example, station two piques their interest by helping students discover relatable Midsummer themes. Station three provides some necessary context, and station five gives them an anticipation guide for teaching A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Stations are my favorite way to introduce any topic because they get students moving, talking, and excited about their unit without a ton of effort on the teacher’s part!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Unit Plan
The unifying elements of this A Midsummer Night’s Dream unit plan are the Interactive Notes and Acting Troupe Drama Activities. These features are woven through the entire plan, ensuring that your students don’t just read Shakespeare’s whimsical tale but enjoy it! The interactive notes break down the language while the drama activities add a layer of excitement and competition which really helps students get into the play!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1(Act I)
Just like when Titania lays eyes on Bottom, first impressions are everything! Act I of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is all about setting up conflicts, introducing the characters, and exploring the setting. Don’t rush through this act—it’s the foundation for all the mischief ahead! To make Act 1 and stick, try these A Midsummer Night’s Dream activities:
- Use interactive notes to break up the text and chunk close reading
- Help students explore character status through warm-up games
- Analyze the first few pages of the A Midsummer Night’s Dream graphic novel
- Hold a daydreaming discussion (I wonder what would happen if…)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 2 (Act II)
We enter the mischievous forest of fairies in Act II. This part of the play is full of comedic twists and dramatic confusion, so to keep it all straight, try these strategies:
- Use interactive notes to summarize the plot and make sense of the mix-ups
- Help students explore character motivation with a mime theatre game
- Create a tactile representation of the setting with a 3D Onepager
- Show a film adaptation to review and sum up the play thus far (see below for film options)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 3 (Act III)
The forest reaches peak chaos with love triangles, mistaken identities, and a donkey-headed Bottom in Act III. This is also an act where you can speed up the pace a bit by summarizing or showing scenes rather than closely reading the entire act. To do this, here are some A Midsummer Night’s Dream teaching ideas:
- Use interactive notes to summarize important information and analyze key scenes
- Incorporate set design by having students create a finger puppet play for an important scene
- Show a film adaptation to review and sum up the play thus far (see below for film options)
- Host a daydreaming discussion (I wonder how it would be different if…)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 4 (Act IV)
After the whirlwind of chaos throughout the play, Act IV ushers in the untangling. To keep students engaged, try these A Midsummer Night’s Dream activities:
- Use interactive notes to track the resolution and make connections
- Incorporate drama techniques by having groups act out an important scene
- Analyze A Midsummer Night’s Dream painting to better understand the themes
- Play pin the tail on the donkey with figurative language
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5 (Act V)
The final act is full of comedy and charm as amateur actors unknowingly deliver their delightfully tragic performance. This is the moment to explore themes of love… love of performance, love of mischief, love of the heart. Here are some A Midsummer Night’s Dream lessons that will end the play on a reflective note:
- Use interactive notes to process the ending and analyze the themes
- Incorporate drama techniques by creating Theme Tableaus
- Compare a film production to the script (see below for film options)
- Host a daydreaming discussion (I wonder why…)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: After Reading Ideas
Just because the curtain has fallen doesn’t mean the learning ends. Post-reading activities for A Midsummer Night’s Dream are a fantastic way to deepen understanding and create connections. Here are some fun A Midsummer Night’s Dream activities to try after finishing the play:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Pairings
- Watch a TED Talk– Imagination, storytelling and the importance of wonder by Ollie Oakenshield is a great one for discussing the love of performance and the idea that theatre and culture are for everyone, no matter their social status.
- Read a poem– A Midsummer Night’s Dream poem pairing can include “Puck Goes Court,” by Fenton Johnson and “Dreams” by Langston Hughes
- Research “fairies”– Explore the infamous Cottingley Fairies hoax
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Film and Performances
Plays are meant to be watched! One of the best ways to review A Midsummer Night’s Dream and ensure comprehension is to watch a production of the play. Here are some choices:
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999) PG-13 – Starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rupert Everett, this adaptation combines humor and romance with a whimsical atmosphere. Common Sense Media recommends it for ages 12+, noting it’s both earthy and enchanted.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2022) NR – This adaptation brings a contemporary twist to the classic tale. Featuring a modern setting, it appeals to both new audiences and longtime Shakespeare fans. Common Sense Media has not rated this one as of this post.
- Shakespeare at Play NR- This is a fantastic site that matches acted-out scenes with the text.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Adaptations
Diverse classrooms require diverse teaching strategies, and when approaching a complex text like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adaptability is key. If you are looking for Midsummer ESL activities or ways to make sure every student has an opportunity to engage with the play, here are some adaptation ideas:
- Visualize with A Midsummer Night’s Dream graphic novel- For visual learners and striving readers, a graphic novel adaptation can make a world of difference. If you don’t have the funding for a classroom set, you can get creative by allowing students to digitally flip through the preview to start the play and then use a single copy for read-alouds as the play progresses.
- Translate with helpful resources- How about turning the Bard’s words into a language they better understand? Sites like My Shakespeare define words in line to help students better understand.
- Watch movie recaps- Watching a film adaptation, particularly one that’s modern and relatable, can help students understand the plot and characters and review acts before moving on.
- Chunk scenes for understanding- Consider ‘chunking’ the play into more manageable segments. Rather than analyzing entire scenes or acts at once, break the text down into smaller, digestible parts. This approach accommodates students who may need more support. The interactive notes in this A Midsummer Night’s Dream unit are designed to help you easily chunk and check for understanding.
Teaching A Midsummer Night’s Dream inspires students to imagine a world beyond logic, think critically about love’s complexities, and laugh at the absurdity of mortal fools like us.
By incorporating the activities in this A Midsummer Night’s Dream unit plan, you can help even the most mischievous students find joy in Shakespeare’s work.
