Teaching Shakespeare

by lina

Jul 14, 2011

Hi everyone,

I would like to know your opinion with regards to teaching Shakespeare:

1. how much time do you on average spend teaching Shakespeare in the classroom and how does it fit into the curriculum?

2. what is the overall reaction towards his works: would you like to teach more or less Shakespeare?

3. do you decide on how much and what Shakespeare's works to teach?

4. would you be interested in teaching Shakespeare to younger children to introduce them to the language at an earlier stage?

Please share your personal opinion about Shakespeare in Education. Thank you!

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Sara On 7/14/11, lina wrote:

Good questions. First off I'd say - Shakespeare intended his plays to be seen. He did not intend his plays to be read. That said, my school does Shakespeare in every Language Arts and Lit class - one play a year though we often read an abridged version.

Some of the kids HATE it simply because Shakespeare's...See More

Jul 19, 2011

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calif english teacher I've had good luck teaching "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Julius Caesar" to sophomores at an Early College High School. They had "Romeo & Juliet" as freshmen. > > 1. how much time do you on average spend teaching > Shakespeare in the classroom and how does it fit into the > curriculum? four weeks on "Dream" with interruptions for...See More

Jul 19, 2011

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MO Teacher Whatever you do, don't teach plays that are not at the kids' level. A school I know teaches Hamlet in 8th grade and it is SUCH a struggle for all, especially the teacher!

When I teach Shakespeare, I combine it with actor training then have the kids prepare and present scenes.

Jul 23, 2011

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Natasha If you are interested in teaching Shakespeare to younger students, I recommend watching the documentary called The Hobart Shakespeareans. It's about a class of 5th graders who put on a Shakespearean play every year. The teacher, Rafe Esquith, also writes books about his teaching practices.

Jul 30, 2011

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