William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has earned its place among great literary classics by illuminating universal themes of free will, the public versus private self, the power of rhetoric, and the abuse of authority. Not only is this enthralling play full of beautiful figurative language but it also captivates the reader with raw emotions of betrayal, honor, and envy. This collection of compelling activities, ranging from discussion ideas, and escape room challenges to films and digital resources are sure to make the exploration of these central themes memorable and meaningful!
1. Analyze Famous Quotes
This thoughtfully curated collection of well-known quotes makes a great launching point for a middle school student discussion about the key themes of this historical play.
Learn More: Mom Quest To Teach
2. Escape Room Activity
This digital activity guide is designed with the student in mind, challenging learners to decipher fascinating facts about Caesar, the Roman Empire, and Shakespeare. It consists of cryptograms, mazes, ciphers, and jigsaws to keep all of your learners, including A-level students actively engaged. The content is protected by a private link, allowing you to collect real-time student data on academic progress.
Learn More: Think Tank Teacher
3. Create a Student Workbook with Free Printables
Why not create your own Shakespeare bundle unit; complete with a fill-in-the-blank, fact sheet, memorable quotes, and a hands-on coin-creating activity? Students will learn about daily life for patricians as well as the remarkable life of this famous historical figure.
Learn More: Mama’s Learning Corner
4. Bring the Feeling of Betrayal in the Play to Life
It can be tricky for learners to keep track of all the characters in this famous play, so why not bring the action to life in the form of a cold case file? This resource includes worksheets for gathering evidence and an indictment sheet for keeping track of all the suspects. There’s no better way to connect with the timeless themes of revenge and generate deep feelings that will stay with students well into their later school years.
Learn More: MSBS Got Class
5. Fabulous Activity for Digital Learning
After reading an informative passage about the memorable life of Caesar, students will answer a series of questions to reveal a secret message. This digital activity can be done in person and turned into a fun competition to see who can decode the message first!
Learn More: Think Tank Teacher
6. Julius Caesar Unit
This biography unit makes a wonderful supplement to a study of the play, as it helps students place Caesar in a historical context. The activity sheet features great discussion questions that are sure to help with comprehension while challenging students to demonstrate their knowledge.
Learn More: Student Handouts
7. Watch a Video Investigation On the causes of Caesar’s Assassination
This informative and engaging video digs into the reason behind Caesar’s assassination, bringing one of the greatest betrayals in history to life. This excellent TED resource comes complete with discussion questions that encourage students to think more deeply about the political climate of ancient Rome.
Learn More: TED
8. Check out an Informative PowerPoint
This fascinating PowerPoint guides students through Caesar’s early life, his role in the military and political position in the Roman republic as well as his untimely death. The included vocabulary guide is a great way to generate cross-curricular learning- combining English with History.
Learn More: Twinkl
9. Check Out a FlipBook
Kids love creating flip books, and this one is sure to be a crowd-pleaser! It includes a summary of each of the five acts of the play, as well as a character guide and comprehension questions, complete with a detailed answer key.
Learn More: Teach Simple
10. Explore Character Cards
What’s a play without rich, complex characters? These character cards explore round versus flat and static versus dynamic archetypes and encourage students to add richness and nuance to their own.
Learn More: Twinkl
11. Conduct a Debate
This debate guide encourages young learners to take a stand on the use of violence, and provide supporting arguments to back up their position. It includes a five corners activity poster, guiding voters to move to various corners of the room to indicate their choice.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
12. Try a Student Role Play
Most students learn best through an immersive experience, and this one challenges them to become Roman senators, studying relevant social issues that impacted both patricians and plebeians alike.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
13. Study Lessons from Caesar’s Life
What inspired Shakespeare to dedicate an entire play to this towering historical figure? This informative video goes back in time to bring the gifts, strengths, and challenges of Caesar to life.
Learn More: The Infographics Show
14. Analyze Speeches from the Play
What makes a convincing argument? Often, it’s a skillful combination of appealing to ethos (authority and credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic). In this activity, students will study how Brutus convinced the common Roman people that he was justified in killing Caesar.
Learn More: Troup.org
15. Analyze Figurative Language
Figurative language can be too abstract for students to grasp, so breaking down metaphors, similes, and idioms into concrete examples is a great way to teach the power of language.
Learn More: RSC.org.uk
16. Read a Comic Book Version of the Play
Kids relate more easily to comics and graphic novels than just about any other type of literature. Why not make their learning more accessible by presenting them with an easily digestible visual format?
Learn More: Scholastic
17. Watch a Film Adaptation of the Play
There’s nothing like a good movie to help students develop their empathy as they identify with the characters on screen. Films also give viewers a chance to explore different approaches to resolving conflicts that can be applied in their own lives.
Learn More: Darshan Thakur
18. Julius Caesar Campaign Project
After taking a quiz to determine which character they most resemble, students are divided into campaign groups (Mark Antony, Marcus Brutus, Gaius Cassius, and Julius Caesar) and have to advocate for their character and against the others.
Learn More: Sam And Scout
19. Study Fact Cards
These information-packed fact cards about Caser’s life and legacy can be used for independent projects, generating class discussions, or displayed around the classroom during a unit on the famous play.
Learn More: Teaching Ideas
20. Create Your Own 60-Second Shakespeare
Let the creative sparks fly by guiding students to produce their own versions of the iconic play. They can choose from an act, a scene, or even the whole play as well as decide between film or radio.
Learn More: BBC.co.uk
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