A Gentle Introduction to Shakespeare
Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 5:00AM
I've been anticipating studying Shakespeare for a few months now. I must admit it was initially intimidating. I do remember studying Shakespeare in college, but that was twenty years ago.
The chapter in The Story of the World, Volume 2 was a PERFECT, gentle introduction to Shakespeare. It gave a simple synopsis of Macbeth and explained tragedies, comedies and historical plays quite nicely. The whole thing peaked my children's curiosity about Shakespeare and they wanted to know MORE.
My strategy when we approach a unit is to first gather books and videos, with notebooking pages, copywork, lapbooking, etc... to record our learning. Then, when we have had a good exposure we will delve into some hands on activities that incorporate art, cooking, or whatever strikes the kids' fancies.
The following are {mostly} FREE resources we have used with great success this week in phase 1 of our Shakespeare study:
( My goal intially is just to give my children a BROAD OVERVIEW of Shakespeare - his life and times, types of plays, and a feeling for that genius so many of us love. )
- Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare for Children - This collection, by E. Nesbit, is a lovely introduction to Shakespeare. I think this book should be in every homeschooling family's library! You can find it at The Baldwin Project for free! We've been reading these aloud all week.
- Who Was William Shakespeare? - We love this series of books and this one is no exception.
- Shakespeare Notebooking Pages from Jimmie's Collage - I printed these out and added them to our Story of the World notebooks. We notebook during each chapter, and these fit right in. I would stop during the chapter and have them write specific things down, etc...
- Shakespeare Animated Tales Video Showcase - These videos from the BBC are such a gift! There are each a little over 20 minutes and were perfect for my second grader AND sixth grader.
- Copywork: Quotations from Shakespeare's Plays - This is also a free download... we use copywork A LOT, so this was a great find.
- Shakespeare for Children - Jimmie's Squidoo lens is a comprehensive resource for teaching Shakespeare. Look no further!
Next I am on a hunt for fun hands-on Shakespeare activities for Phase 2. If you know of some, please leave me a comment and let me know!
*linking this post to Read Aloud Thursday!
Reader Comments (5)
Go to as many live theatrical productions as possible! I can't believe how many we saw this year and how these stories are now a part of my girls. We also love Jim Weiss retellings.
I can't wait until the kids are old enough to teach them Shakespeare. It'll work perfectly when we reach that unit in history. I am so excited about it. We have a local company that puts on free plays twice a year, and I really wanted to take them this year, but I knew it's not time yet.
I ditto Jess. We saw "the Scottish Play" at a local venue in October, and I have plans for one or two more this year. The girls loved it! In fact, we all did. We've also watched some DVDs, which we got from Netflix. Mickey Rooney as Puck in A Midsummer's Night Dream is still a favorite.
We loved the Jim Weiss CDs too! Several weeks ago, my daughter, who loves reading Shakespeare, chose Shakespeare as a theme for her birthday party. We have a couple months until the big day, but I'm starting to gather ideas for it now. Thanks for all the links, they may spark an idea for her party.
Fantastic, Mary! I've looked forward to introducing my girls to the Bard. Thanks for doing the legwork for me, and thanks for linking up to RAT!