We’ve been experimenting with project-based homework at school this term to introduce Shakespeare. We gave our Year 7s six weeks to research Shakespeare’s life, times and work and asked them to present their findings in a creative way. The homework brief offered links to useful resources – BBC Bitesize, the British Library, the Globe Theatre, the RSC – and asked students to present their work as something that might appear in a museum – a model of The Globe, a short documentary film, or even an interactive poster.
We were not entirely prepared for the levels of creativity that our English students came back with. We had models made from lollipop sticks, cakes in the shape of The Globe, a puppet show and even a Minecraft guided tour of the Elizabethan theatre.
Giving English students a starting place with Shakespeare and then offering them creative freedom has been exciting. Here are some resources you might use to set your students up with their learning about Shakespeare’s plays …and then set them free!
Research Shakespeare's life, times and works might be useful as a way to guide students with their research. You could add links to the sheet before sending students off to the library and internet. Follow this up with Research The Globe Theatre: a lovely resource that features a cross section of the theatre and a useful list of key areas for students to research and label.
Once you’re ready to tackle the texts, you might want to start with Shakespearean insults. It’s a tried-and-tested method for breaking down barriers to Shakespeare’s language. Print out the resource and give each student a card as they come into the classroom. Explain that you’ll be having a whole class fight. Their task is to approach another student, read their insult aloud (with as much drama as they can muster) and then trade cards with their partner before moving onto another student. Students insult and trade with five different partners before writing a short script in which two people are having a fight. They need to include insults they’ve spoken and can invent new ones of their own.
Next stop is the sonnets – a manageable way into language and form. Look at Sonnet 18 for an exploration of Shakespeare’s use of metaphor. Then compare it with Sonnet 116 and start to examine meter, structure and rhyme. Exploring a sonnet will help you to guide students through this.
From there you’re all set to start teaching a complete play! And 20 Teaching Ideas for Shakespeare offers plenty of inspiration for engaging students.
Remember to allow space for creativity in the classroom and your Shakespeare teaching will be a dream.
This article was originally published as an Editor's pick newsletter.
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