William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Lesson plans and teaching ideas

Ariel by Grace Tiffany
Tiffany's novel is an adaptation of Shakespeare's play. This resource includes background information and discussion questions. Access requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.

Folger Study Guide: The Tempest
"Plot summary, background information, a list of characters, interactive activities, discussion questions, a brief bibliography, and original sheet music for two of the play's songs."

Making a Collage
Students explore The Tempest by creating a collage of a scene.

The Power of Music
"This lesson asks students to make connections between their own musical knowledge/tastes/interests and the characters and events in the play as a means of illuminating the text."

Prospero: Turkey or Tyrant?
"Students will study characterization and the difference between subjective and objective point of view by creating tableaux to depict three interpretations of the story of Prospero's overthrow, each with a very different point of view. The lesson will help them decode Shakespeare's language and give them an opportunity to interpret the play through movement and gesture."

Shakespeare's The Tempest
Questions for writing and discussion.

Teaching Shakespeare to able pupils
Scroll down on the page to find downloadable materials to support analysis of the play.

The Tempest
In this SCORE guide, students examine how The Tempest has inspired fine art and film. They also look at the language of the play critically.

The Tempest
Background, scene-by-scene synopsis, and a variety of activities related to the Elizabethan era, plot, character, language, theme, reader response, and more. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application for access.

The Tempest
Plot summary, themes, study questions, more.

The Tempest
Four text-based lessons analyzing characters and themes in the play. Access to this 30-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.

Tempest in the Lunchroom
Students enact the shipwreck scene, using text to understand the plot and break down intial resistance to reading Shakespeare.

Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Analysis from Sparknotes.

Tom Hanks and Caliban: Survivor Superstars
"Students ... explore the Sea Venture's wreck on Bermuda in 1609 as inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest."

The Tempest: Picture Poems
"Students will write descriptive poems of selected images of The Tempest using vocabulary from a word bank [provided at the site]. This activity will help students become more comfortable with the language of the play and enable them to start thinking about what characters in the play might look like."

You Can Go Home Again, Can't You? An Introduction to The Tempest
Text of a college-level introductory lecture on the play, with emphasis on interpretation.