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English lesson plan · 11th grade (Year 12 in England) · 45 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 · 5 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? A speaker says the opposite of what they really mean. (verbal irony / situational irony / dramatic 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 narrator describes a disastrous party but insists, "Everyone had a wonderful time." What might the writer be suggesting? → the narrator is unreliable, so readers should question their account (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? The fire station burned down. (dramatic irony / situational irony / verbal irony) → situational ironyPrompt: Does a character say something they don't mean?

Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 10 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 character who contrasts with another, highlighting their qualities. (foil / stage directions / aside / tragic hero) → foilPrompt: 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.] (monologue / hamartia / stage directions / catharsis) → stage directionsPrompt: Is the character alone? Speaking secretly to the audience? Addressing others at length?

You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Type the drama term (in English) that matches this description. The fatal flaw or error of judgement that causes a tragic hero's downfall. → hamartiaPrompt: Who is the character speaking to: themselves, the audience, or other characters?
  2. 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. (tragic hero / soliloquy / catharsis / hamartia) → soliloquyPrompt: Is the character alone? Speaking secretly to the audience? Addressing others at length?

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

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

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which drama term matches this description? A long speech by one character addressed to other characters.

    • A. monologue
    • B. soliloquy
    • C. foil
    • D. aside
  2. Question 2

    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

  3. Question 3

    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.

    • A. tragic hero
    • B. foil
    • C. aside
    • D. soliloquy
  4. Question 4

    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. catharsis
    • B. foil
    • C. aside
    • D. stage directions
  5. Question 5

    Which drama term matches this description? A speech in which a character, alone on stage, speaks their thoughts aloud.

    • A. tragic hero
    • B. stage directions
    • C. aside
    • D. soliloquy
  6. Question 6

    Which drama term best fits this moment from a play? The general addresses his gathered troops for several minutes, explaining why they must hold the bridge.

    • A. monologue
    • B. hamartia
    • C. aside
    • D. catharsis
  7. Question 7

    Which drama term matches this description? A brief remark to the audience that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear.

    • A. hamartia
    • B. monologue
    • C. stage directions
    • D. aside
  8. Question 8

    Type the drama term (in English) that matches this description. The release of emotions such as pity and fear that an audience feels at the end of a tragedy.

    Answer

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

  1. 1. A. monologue

  2. 2. aside

  3. 3. D. soliloquy

  4. 4. B. foil

  5. 5. D. soliloquy

  6. 6. A. monologue

  7. 7. D. aside

  8. 8. catharsis