Category Archives: Resources

Dracula Act II Questions

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Act Two Questions

Name:_____________                                                                                   ELA A10/Ms. Fisher

As you read Act Two, please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. There will be a homework check on Tuesday. So, have them done!

  1. When the Attendant refers to ‘the Guv’ner’s pet looney’, what does he mean? Why do the characters talk about the ‘looney’ in this way? Provide evidence from the text (act one or act two)

 

 

  1. When the Maid mentions the ‘Dutch Sherlock Holmes,’ who is she referring to? Why compare him to Sherlock Holmes?

 

 

  1. How did the Attendant scare the Maid? Who came rushing in after the Maid screamed? Why was he upset?

 

 

  1. What is prostration (Use your own device)? Why do you think Dracula uses that particular word to describe her situation?

 

 

  1. What did Dracula do to the maid? Are there any other characters he may have done this to as well? Who are they? How are they affected by this?

 

 

  1. What is wolfsbane (Use your own device)?

 

 

  1. What was in the Count’s cases? What did he say he was going to use it for? How might he actually use this?

 

 

  1. What is Van Helsing’s plan for killing Dracula?

 

 

  1. What will happen to Lucy if she dies?

 

 

 

  1. Who overhears Van Helsing, Seward, and Harker talking? What do they do with him?

 

 

  1. What does Van Helsing think Renfield is lying about? What hints does Renfield give that makes it seem like he is working with Dracula? What happens when he starts to tell the truth to Van Helsing?

 

 

  1. What two animals can vampires shape shift into? How is that important to the play (remind yourself of act one)?

 

 

 

  1. Why is Seward worried about Van Helsing’s health?

 

 

  1. Why didn’t Van Helsing notice Dracula sneaking up? Why does Dracula destroy the mirror?

 

 

 

  1. Van Helsing uses some anti-vampire tactics against Dracula. What tactics does he use on Dracula?

 

 

  1. Why does Van Helsing suggest that they not tell Miss Lucy of his findings?

 

 

 

  1. What is the Hampstead Horror?

 

 

  1. Who is the woman in white described in the newspaper article? What has caused her to act this way? Why do they need to save Miss Lucy from this?

 

 

 

  1. What protective measures are they putting in place for Miss Lucy at night?

 

 

10.What is the message that the Attendant has come to deliver to Doctor Seward about Renfield?

 

 

11. Describe the last scene of Act Eight.

Group Dramatic Reading of Dracula

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Lesson Plan – Carol Fisher

Period 4: 1:09 PM – 2:12 PM (63 minutes)

Subject: ELA A10

Topic: Dramatic Reading of Act Two and comprehension/interpretation questions

Content: D.E.A.W., Dramatic Reading Explained, Group work, Present, Questions

Teaching Strategy: Choice of movement or still performance

Outcomes: CR A10.4

Read, interpret, and draw conclusions about the ideas, information, concepts, and themes presented in a variety of literary (including poems, plays, essays, short stories, novels) and informational (including magazines, newspapers, and on-line information) texts.

Indicators:

  • SWBAT: Demonstrate active reading behaviours including
  • SWBAT: Discussing and analysing meanings, ideas, language, and literary and informational quality in a range of contemporary and historical texts
  • SWBAT: Work in groups on their oral reading
  • SWBAT: Perform a dramatic reading or a reader’s theatre format reading

Multiple Intelligences: 

  • Visual-Spatial
  • Bodily-kinesthetic
  • Musical
  • Interpersonal

Prerequisite: Students will have given an oral presentation before (in a different class or grade)

Lesson Preparation:

  • Question Sheet
  • Typed out scenes

Evaluation/Assessment:

Set: Provide direction for writing. These students struggle with creative writing.

Development: Are students working together? Do they have plans for their presentation?

Closure: Do students following along with the question guide?

Presentation:

Set: (estimated time 10/60 minutes) (10)

Development: (estimated time 40/60 minutes) (30)

  • What is dramatic reading?

o   Use dramatic reading to turn an ordinary read aloud into an attention grabbing performance.

o   Dramatic reading refers to reading with flare; bringing the words written on a piece of paper to life to draw in the audience

o   Add some drama to your presentation (use those hands!).

o   Movement and a bit of memorization (in our case we will use the books)

  • Write trait of dramatic reading on the board

o   Use Voices

  • Create voices for the characters in the story you are reading aloud.
  • Use different tones, pitches and accents that you think work best for each character.
  • Speak clearly and audibly

o   Props (if available; welcome to use anything in the room)

  • Use simple props that are easy to alternate between while reading.
  • Simple props can add to the story and make it more life-like.

o   Practice

  • Scan the text to important stage directions
  • Practice reading the piece, or the parts of the piece that you will be reading aloud.
  • Practising will make you more comfortable and familiar with the text, making it easier to perform.
  • Use your book; we haven’t been practising for weeks.
  • Pace yourself
  • Might help to highlight your part
  • Students will be reading Act two orally to their peers

o   Reader’s Theatre or Dramatic Reading Choice

o   Students will use this as a practice stage for their final oral story retelling

o   I will write the groups up on the board

o   Students will gather into their groups

o   One student will come grab their scene for their group

o   Students will have 15 minutes to practice their reading

  • Groups:

o   Group One (Scene 1 and Scene 8):

o   Group Two (Scene 2):

o   Group Three (Scene 3):

o   Group Four (Scene 4):

o   Group Five (Scene 5):

o   Group Six (Scene 6):

o   Group Seven (Scene 7):

  • **missing people? Get inventive! (Ms. Fisher can be the innovation)

Closure:  (estimated time 60/60 minutes) (10)

  • Presentations will start
  • Students will be asked to work on the Act Two Questions to be taken up on Monday

Adaptive Dimensions:

  • Group Work
  • Strong Readers/Confident individuals placed in each group
  • Guiding Questions
  • ELL’s are spread throughout the groups

The Dorm Room Cannibal

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While my students were busy crafting their horror stories, I wrote one of my own to read on presentation day.

The Dorm Room Cannibal

‘Missing: Russian man disappears from campus.’

Laura rarely ever talked, but her mind was an explosive minefield of thought. She focused her attention on not burdening her few friends with her curiosities for fear that they might leave her. While she had no desire to ‘fit in,’ she wanted to maintain at least one or two relationships to help get her through university. The young intellectual wasn’t too different from her peers; she enjoyed the odd gossip session and chatting about boys. However, her true passion in life was to study the absurdities that were present in the world. She spent countless nights on the internet researching strange topics that popped up in her browser. It was a miracle how her grades didn’t plummet with all her late night internet excursions. Her peculiarities were well shut up and manacled in her mind. People would fear her thoughts. She had to keep them a secret, but every day they seem to become progressively larger.

It was early morning when Laura pushed herself away from the keyboard. The corners of her eyes were crusted with gritty bits of dirt. She attempted to rub the sleep dust away, but it only made the maroon circles under her eyes stick out on her poltergeist-like skin. Her late night romp the night before had forced her to stay up all night to finish a major assignment. She gently massaged her temples and waited for her paper to finish running off the printer. Class was in half an hour and this paper needed to be pressed and stapled. Glancing over at the alarm clock on her radiator, she noted that her greasy locks would have to stay upright for the day. A toque easily solved that predicament.

Wandering the halls, the young woman noted the different people that were going about their days as they passed her. She made a game of guessing what each person was thinking about and always silently hoping that they did not do the same in return. Laura pictured their delicious thoughts; she reached up to brush a bit of thick saliva from her mouth. Her distractions wouldn’t keep her from handing in the paper she slaved over all night.

As she rounded the corner to the classroom building, a savoury scent wafted beneath her nose. She stopped her forward progress to class and allowed the new sensation to envelop her body. Her heart rhythm quickened as she grabbed for the wall to catch herself from falling. Forcing her fallen eyelids open she was met with the face of an angel. A young man with a toothy grin had come over to her.

“Are you alright?” he questioned. Laura’s mind was blurred and words wouldn’t escape her taut lips. “Can you stand?” he said. He extended a hand to her. She nodded her head and reached for his paw. Her legs wobbled when she leaned into him. That enchanting aroma had been emanating from him. She balled up her fist and forced her face away from his delicate neck. “Would you like me to help you home?” Laura drove her teeth in her lip, but still managed to sneak out a little grin.

With the help of the gentleman, Laura made her way back home. In his thick accent he muttered away, but she was so far lost in that cavern of her mind, that her body was just going through the motions. She was plotting. They arrived in front of her door, 526.

“Want to come in?” Laura let out in the meekest voice. She propped the door open with her toe and beckoned the man with her eyes and fox-like grin. Unable to step back into her body, her mind took over. Her fingers slid over a knife on the counter as the foreigner took in her dorm room. “Check my view,” she said. Fighting her mind, Laura tried to throw the knife back onto the counter. Her grip tightened.

While the man was busy glancing out the fifth floor kitchen window, Laura drove the knife deep into his back and cupped a soiled hand over his mouth. His screams were muffled and soon turned to gurgles of blood. He folded over and smashed her head against the window pane. Laura leaned in and ran her tongue along the side of his face. An unfamiliar salt taste grazed her taste buds. All of her inner turmoil ceased. Happily, she hoisted the dead weight up onto her kitchen table. Searching through her kitchen drawers, she found a carving knife, a gift from her Aunt Bev. The skin of her kill was not easily sliced.

Laura feasted for days on her find. The raw meat was fatty, but enough to quench her disturbing thoughts. Each morning she severed off a new limb and tasted the decaying flesh. Her curious mind was sedated with this new experience and found a calm new corner of her brain to chain itself to. It was enough to return her back to her normal net surfing routines.

The police searched for the young Russian man who mysteriously disappeared off campus one afternoon, but eventually gave up when they found no trace of him. The quiet are never suspected.