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Introducing Shakespeare with Little Ado! (Includes FREE Vocabulary PDF)
Did you know on this day (April 23rd) 1616, William Shakespeare passed away? Can your child calculate how long ago that was? None of us know precisely when Shakespeare was born, but he was baptised on 26 April 1564. Supposing he was born in the same year he was baptised, can your child figure out how old Shakespeare was when he died? Nowadays, your child may be interested to note, we also celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday on April 23rd!
On this very special date, why not have a discussion about the Bard of Avon? I have picked a few activities to pique your child’s interest in Shakespeare and the times he lived in. Shakespeare can be difficult to understand and is off-putting to some children for this reason. These activities are designed to take some of the trepidation away and act as a gentle introduction to his work.
Who was Shakespeare?
What does your child know about Shakespeare? Ask him/her to jot down all the things (s)he knows about him. Watch this short video entitled Who was Shakespeare? Next, investigate these Shakespeare facts from National Geographic. How many correct facts did your child have to begin with? Ask him/her to supplement their list with new information they have found. Fact fiends may also be interested in checking out this No Sweat Shakespeare list or this Biography Online list. Use this William Shakespeare worksheet to review learning to date.
Life in the Time of Shakespeare
Having read all of this information, can your child answer these multiple-choice questions from Teaching English (British Council)? Thinking about what (s)he imagines life to have been like at the time, ask your child to sort these statements into Life for Rich People, Life for Poor People and Life for Both. How would (s)he present these in a diagram? Did your child choose to use a Venn diagram or some other format? Learn about Tudor times on Primary Facts and investigate what periods Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean times refer to.
Renowned Wordsmith
Shakespeare is acclaimed for his invention of words. No Sweat Shakespeareoffers a brilliant introduction to this topic, explaining some of the words we credit to Shakespeare would have been used in Elizabethan and Jacobean times but are attributed to him as he was the first to commit them to print. In other instances, he did create new words although he didn’t just pluck these out of thin air. He tended to adapt known words. Among his techniques were:
Conjoining two words
Changing verbs into adjectives
Changing nouns into verbs
Adding prefixes to words
Adding suffixes to words
To get a flavour of the breadth of the vocabulary recorded in Shakespeare’s body of work, I have created a free bumper Shakespeare’s Words PDF (200 words!) to use for vocabulary-building sessions. Each page has 10 words so it is not too formidable a task although the words are challenging so reading proficiency is essential!
You may wish to try some of the following challenges with your child:
Mask the definitions and ask your child to read the words only. Can (s)he read each one?
Can your child spell all 10 words on the page? When marking their spellings, ask your child to highlight the correct parts of their word – can they see where they went wrong and figure out why that part was tricky?
Check whether your child can define each word and use it in a sentence (orally) to illustrate its meaning. Highlight all known words. What percentage of the list does your child know to begin with? Repeat this task when you later return to the same vocabulary sheet. Did your child’s score improve on the first time?
Next, ask your child to match each word with its definition. In most cases, the modern definition of the word is provided; however, as an additional challenge, in some cases the archaic meaning of the word has been given. Can your child use their logic and any etymological knowledge (s)he may have (knowledge of word meanings) to figure out the definition? In addition, in a few cases, the old and new meanings are provided. Have a chat as to why your child thinks the meaning has evolved as it has.
More detailed word study of unknown words can be undertaken using techniques such as the Frayer Model. I have written about that in this International Teaching Magazine article.
A really brilliant way to learn new vocabulary is through using the Leitner System. I have written about this system several times in the past. Essentially, it is a study technique using flashcards. The following blog posts – Leitner System and Leitner Tracking – provide a useful overview of the technique and include free tracking documents your child can use to monitor their progress in implementing it.
As most of us are confined to home and may not have access to flashcards, have your child create their own by cutting out the definitions from the vocabulary workbook. Write the correct word on the back of each one. Use these as you would flashcards. Store them in a box/envelope for daily review. When your child reads the word, (s)he must check they can provide the definition on the back. If (s)he can, that “flashcard” moves to a new box/envelope for spaced practice. Unknown words remain in the daily pile.
Many of the phrases we use today were also coined by Shakespeare. ‘Heart of gold,’ ‘wild goose chase,’ and ‘more fool you’ were all brought to us by the Bard. Keep an eye on the blog for an upcoming post and some learning materials on this topic. When reading Shakespeare and encountering unknown words or words that do not appear to make sense contextually, this Shakespeare glossary is a useful tool.
New words weren’t just a feature of Shakespeare’s time. We continue to add new words to the dictionary to this day. Can you think of any words that may have been recently added to the dictionary? Good ways to think of these are to bring to mind recent inventions and slang terms that have gained widespread use and popularity. Have your child conduct some online research. What are the most recent words (s)he can find that have been added to the dictionary?
With all this word study under their belt, your child may be ready to give this Shakespeare words challengea go!
Performance
Plays are written to be performed, but there are lots of skills to learn and hone before taking to the stage in a performance of Shakespeare. During this time of learning at home, a good challenge for your child is to prepare a performance piece.
A monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their mental thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Diving into a Shakepspeare monologue is a difficult challenge for those relatively unfamiliar with his language or plays, but there are lots of more readily-accessible monologues for both children and teenagers on dramanotebook. Can your child learn a piece by heart and recite it with appropriate expression and intonation? Think of the skills this task requires:
Your child must read through several monologues to find one that resonates with him/her.
(S)he must then figure out the tone of the piece and understand the character’s viewpoint.
Your child must commit the piece to memory.
Next, (s)he must work on performing it with confidence, ensuring appropriate intonation and expression is used and that they pace their speech correctly.
It is one thing performing in front of a mirror but quite another to perform for an audience. If your child can do this, blocking out distractions, handling their nerves, and maintaining focused attention, what a confidence-booster this will be and such a useful skill to have for the future.
When (s)he is finally ready to tackle a Shakespeare monologue, you will find them linked!
Delving Deeper!
Lots of children respond positively to the study of Shakespeare, sensing it is quite a grown-up task they have been set. It is important to build on such enthusiasm. I have shared one British Council video, but there are lots of othersthat give an overview of some of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Depending on where you live, you may be able to access some Horrible Histories videos set in Shakespeare’s time. Children typically love these irreverant sketches!
There are also lots of Shakespeare books available. Mr. Williams Shakespeare’s Plays by Marcia Williams are presented in comic-strip format rendering them very accessible. I have also used 20 Shakespeare Children’s Stories: The Complete Collection by Macaw Books with good success with young children previously. An excellent foundation for studying Shakespeare is understanding the plot, so do not underestimate the utility of these resources. With knowledge of the storyline secure, children have a foundation on which to hook later learning and this will make deciphering the language used somewhat easier.
There you have it! I hope these give you some ideas for marking the Bard’s anniversary and introducing your child to his work in an accessible and pupil-friendly way. What are you waiting for? To quote the great man, ‘without further ado,’ please jump straight in, download the vocabulary PDF and encourage your child to try the Leitner System to support their learning if they are not already familiar with it. This may well be one of the most helpful study techniques they ever encounter and our Shakespeare’s Words PDF one of the most useful vocabulary-boosters they ever use!
