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English lesson plan · 11th grade (Year 12 in England) · 30 minutes

Drama terms: soliloquy, aside, foil, hamartia, catharsis…

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RL.11-12.3CCSS RL.11-12.5England: GCSE English Literature (Shakespeare and modern drama)England: A-level English Literature

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Drama terms: soliloquy, aside, foil, hamartia, catharsis….

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Verbal, situational and dramatic irony; The effect of narrative perspective and tense

Leads to: Literary movements: Romanticism, Gothic, Realism, Modernism and more

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Verbal, situational and dramatic irony; The effect of narrative perspective and tense). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which type of irony matches this description? Sarcasm is a sharp, mocking form of this kind of irony. (dramatic irony / situational irony / verbal irony) → verbal ironyPrompt: Is the contrast in what someone SAYS, in what HAPPENS, or in what the AUDIENCE knows?
  2. Is the proposed answer correct? A story is told in the first person, present tense: "I open the door. Something moves." What is the main effect? → immediacy: we experience events with the narrator as they happen (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → yes, it is correctPrompt: Who is telling the story, and when (present or looking back)?
  3. Which type of irony is used here? After the team lost 6–0, the coach muttered, "Well, that went brilliantly." (situational irony / dramatic irony / verbal irony) → verbal ironyPrompt: Does a character say something they don't mean?

Hook · 3 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: Drama terms: soliloquy, aside, foil, hamartia, catharsis…. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which drama term matches this description? A brief remark to the audience that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear.
  • Step 1: Drama has its own techniques for revealing thoughts (soliloquy, aside), shaping character (foil, tragic hero, hamartia) and affecting the audience (catharsis).
  • Step 2: aside: A brief remark to the audience that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: aside
  • Answer: aside
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which drama term matches this description? A long speech by one character addressed to other characters. (stage directions / tragic hero / monologue / catharsis) → monologuePrompt: Who is the character speaking to: themselves, the audience, or other characters?
  2. Which drama term best fits this moment from a play? [She crosses to the window, hesitates, then draws the curtains.] (foil / hamartia / catharsis / stage directions) → stage directionsPrompt: Is the character alone? Speaking secretly to the audience? Addressing others at length?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which drama term best fits this moment from a play? Alone on the empty stage, the prince wonders aloud whether to seek revenge or forgive. (soliloquy / catharsis / aside / hamartia) → soliloquyPrompt: Is the character alone? Speaking secretly to the audience? Addressing others at length?
  2. Which drama term matches this description? A brief remark to the audience that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear. (stage directions / monologue / soliloquy / aside) → asidePrompt: Who is the character speaking to: themselves, the audience, or other characters?

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Verbal, situational and dramatic irony.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Literary movements: Romanticism, Gothic, Realism, Modernism and more.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-11.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Drama terms: soliloquy, aside, foil, hamartia, catharsis…

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which drama term matches this description? Instructions in a script about movement, setting, sound or how lines are spoken.

    • A. soliloquy
    • B. hamartia
    • C. foil
    • D. stage directions
  2. Question 2

    Which drama term best fits this moment from a play? The cautious, patient brother makes the hero's reckless temper stand out even more.

    • A. stage directions
    • B. foil
    • C. soliloquy
    • D. tragic hero
  3. Question 3

    Type the drama term (in English) that matches this description. A noble or admirable protagonist whose flaw leads to their downfall.

    Answer

  4. Question 4

    Which drama term matches this description? The release of emotions such as pity and fear that an audience feels at the end of a tragedy.

    • A. soliloquy
    • B. catharsis
    • C. monologue
    • D. tragic hero
  5. Question 5

    Type the drama term (in English) that matches this description. A brief remark to the audience that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear.

    Answer

  6. Question 6

    Which drama term matches this description? A noble or admirable protagonist whose flaw leads to their downfall.

    • A. aside
    • B. foil
    • C. catharsis
    • D. tragic hero

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Answer key: Drama terms: soliloquy, aside, foil, hamartia, catharsis…

  1. 1. D. stage directions

  2. 2. B. foil

  3. 3. tragic hero

  4. 4. B. catharsis

  5. 5. aside

  6. 6. D. tragic hero