New free lesson plans are up for Kafka and the Doll by Claudia Haas, built for ELA and theatre classrooms looking for flexible, ready-to-use material.
Download the free lesson plans using the button above!
Kafka and the Doll is a historical fantasy inspired by a real, undocumented moment from Franz Kafka's life: as the story goes, Kafka met a little girl crying over a lost doll in a Berlin park, and rather than tell her the truth, he told her the doll had simply gone off on an adventure — then spent three weeks writing her letters in the doll's voice. Claudia Haas's play imagines what those letters might have said.
What's Included in the Free Lesson Plans
- Pre-reading and post-reading discussion questions centered on storytelling, grief, kindness, and what it means to build a family out of the people who show up
- Character analysis activities that dig into Sofie and Kafka's parallel griefs, Lisette's own coming-of-age, and the letters that hold the whole play together
- Cultural and historical activities introducing students to Kafka's real biography, Weimar-era Berlin, and the fragile optimism of the early 1920s
- Creative activities including set design, an original comic song, and reimagining the play's letters for a modern audience
- Personal reflection prompts inviting students to consider their own experiences with grief, chosen family, and holding onto — or letting go of — hard truths
- Assessment options for analytical writing on theme and symbolism, comparative research, character monologues, and design presentations
- Text connections to novels, plays, and films that explore invented stories, kindness as a real force, and a world on the edge of change
These materials are designed to help teachers facilitate thoughtful discussion, critical thinking, and meaningful personal connections to the play.