Shakespeare Help
Let’s start off with this: Shakespeare does not have to be intimidating.
Over the last 25 years, I’ve heard many homeschool parents admit that they want to add this or want to like it, but they aren’t sure where to start, how to prepare a lesson or even get their kids to like it. Many even scoff at the relevance of Shakespeare in a modern education! But I believe it strengthens language, comprehension and imagination.
As someone who has loved literature and read a variety of genres, I was SO ready and excited to add Shakespeare to our reading rotation. As a high school senior, I had my first taste of Shakespeare, attending a local high school’s production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream - it was incredibly beautiful! I was enchanted. But as I tried to read the plays myself, I was disappointed because the archaic language and bawdiness was really hard for me and so, it just kept slipping off our schedule. Each new school year, I would try again, without really understanding how to go about it. Eventually, I succeeded, and my youngest daughter and four tutoring students actually enjoyed our Shakespeare class.
What I Have Tried
The Folgers version of the Shakespeare plays are what I started with and they still remain, BUT with a few additions.
For younger kids, I have added coloring pages and Lego figures or paper dolls to go with the Lamb’s version that I read aloud.
Next, I discovered No Fear Shakespeare which I have used for myself, as they have the modern version on one side and the historical version on the other page so they can be compared or used to explain vocabulary.
I used to assign roles and have my students read the narrative aloud to help them engage. However…..this is VERY difficult when one is not an expressive or confident reader and the meaning is just….lost. Please understand, these are PLAYS, written to be performed by actors and actresses who bring meaning to the words. I think that my greatest tip is that we now LISTEN to the plays being read, after introducing the characters and the plot overview. Providing sheets with cartoon or anime characters and a brief explanation for each has been fun for my middle and high school students.
Now, my method is to provide each student with a copy of the play, a purchased book, or downloaded from Shakespeare's works | Folger Shakespeare Library which also features FREE audio versions of each play, dramatized by actors. Since doing this, comprehension and narrations have been significantly better. We try to cap off the year with a visit to see the play or watching it on YouTube, if possible.
How to Prepare a Lesson
After forecasting how many pages of a chosen play need to be covered in a term and breaking that down by week, I write that in our schedule, leaving an extra day- if possible- for viewing the play. Then, on a weekly basis, I plan on the day before we read to prep. So, if it is scheduled for Wednesday, then on Tuesday afternoon, I sit down with a cup of tea and read through the section we are going to cover, look up anything that I don’t understand myself, reading the historical version FIRST, and then using the modern version to check my understanding or give me a clue if I find myself totally lost. I have the Folgers audio cued up and saved as a tab on my computer so it’s ready to go. I have a Shakespeare playlist saved in Youtube.
How to Present a Lesson
The following day, we begin with a narration of what we heard the last time and then open our books to follow along as we listen to the audio version. Then I ask for narrations, or a series of narrations, in a group setting.
Pairing this with wonderful historical books, and the art works of the Pre-Raphaelites depicting scenes of the play, have lit a fire of appreciation in my students. Millais’ Ophelia, anyone?
Pro-tip: This is the same day I prepare my Plutarch lesson, and it usually takes 45 minutes to 1 hour at the high school level to prepare both lessons.
Do you have any questions? Or tips you want to share? Drop a comment below