Summer Activities That Will Build Strong English/ELA Skills

Last week, we shared two project-based activities designed to develop core high school theatre skills, adapted from resources on the Digital Theatre+ platform.

In today's blog, we're following these recommendations up with our top summer activities for English students, focused on building 21st century life skills essential to academic success...

Inspire Critical Thinking: Prepare a Mock Trial

Select a text that includes a clear crime or conflict in the narrative – some examples include:

• Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Is Macbeth to blame for Duncan's death?
• 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe: Is The Narrator sane or insane?

Assign each student a role in a mock trial – are they members of the defence or the prosecution? Are they a central character who will be questioned? Are they a judge or an evidence specialist? If possible, encourage students to meet (either in-person or online) over the summer to plan their case.

The goal of a mock trial is to develop a wide range of 21st century skills, but in particular, to foster critical thinking and communication skills, and to help students feel more confident arguing their viewpoint (with evidence from a text to justify their opinion).

Depending on the resources available, you may choose to have students submit their arguments and 'scenes' as a recording, or ask them to prepare to stage the trial in full during the first week back.

As part of this project, students should complete at least one of the following:

• Literary Analysis: Students should present clear historical, contextual, and literary analysis that centers around the driving question of the trial. They should show how they arrived at the argument they plan to make, and why they believe this to be true, using direct quotations and additional research into the time period.
• Visual Concept: Students should submit a piece of evidence that they plan to use during the trial. This could be a letter from the defendant, a photograph 'taken' at the crime scene, or even costumes or props that might be submitted as evidence for the judge to examine. They should include a written explanation as to why this piece of evidence is important to the case.
• External Feedback: Students should seek at least one piece of feedback from a classmate over the summer. This feedback should comment on their understanding of the 'case', the strength of their argument, and any constructive feedback towards their communication skills. This feedback should be submitted alongside a piece of reflective writing on the wider project.

Students may find our 'In Defence of Character' series helpful when preparing their trial...

Encourage Creativity: Write 'What Happens Next'

Select a text that you have recently studied as a class – this activity is based on teaching resources for Arthur Miller's The Crucible, but any story that does not have a traditionally 'happy' ending will work.

Over the summer, students should create an original piece of writing that explores 'what happens next', continuing the story that they have studied. They may choose to focus on a group of people, a single character, or the wider society that has been impacted by the events of the narrative.

The goal of this project is to develop communication skills and to encourage students to embrace their creativity to foster more insightful and unique literary analysis in the classroom.

Students are free to choose a format and style that suits them, whether this be a short story, a scene from a play, or an original poem.

Alongside this, they should also complete one of the following:

• Literary Analysis: Students should present clear evidence and reasoning for what they believe 'happened next'. They should relate their narrative to the original text using direct quotations, and reference specific motifs or themes in their work. This might include brainstorms, contextual or historical research, or in-depth analysis of key scenes.
• Visual Concept: Students should create a visual representation of their original work. For example, if a character has travelled to a new location, what does this look like, and why is this new setting important to the continuation of the story? This could take the form of a painting or photograph, a story moldboard, or even an annotated costume or set design.
• External Feedback: Students should seek at least one piece of feedback on their creative writing, which they should then respond to in a final reflection on how this project went. If possible, you could encourage students to pair up as 'Reading Partners' ahead of the holidays.

This activity has been adapted from activities in the Unlocked Study Guide for The Crucible...

Find time to rest and recharge this summer...

We know that 61% of teachers end up working 7+ hours a week during the summer, and we want to help you reclaim some of your well-deserved time off.

Here’s how Digital Theatre+ can help with your summer to-do list…

• Lesson Planning: Access 200+ standards-aligned lesson plans made by teachers, for teachers.
• Professional Development: Earn while you learn with the DT+ Training Academy, worth up to 2 hours of certified PD.
• Curriculum Development: Browse hundreds of resources to find fresh teaching ideas and engagement strategies, ready-to-go for the new school year.

Get started with Digital Theatre+ today by booking a 15-minute demo!