Sep. 19, 2005 - Shakespeare Links & Lesson Ideas!

This from a fellow Homeschooler on my Konos list (with permission to post here):

The resources I have are sometimes geared to young kids but I find most of the time they are easier for my daughter and me to comprehend.  Our resources are:           

Bard of Avon:  The Story of William Shakespeare, by Diane Stanley

                                                Under the Greenwood Tree (good for memorization) Robin and Pat DeWitt

                                                Beautiful Stories of Shakespeare – E. Nesbit

                                                Shakespeare His Work and His Word – Michael Rosen

                                                The Usborne World of Shakespeare

                                                Shakespeare’s Theatre – Jacqueline Morley

                                                Video – Hamlet

                                                            Midsummer Nights Dream

                                                Audio – Stories and Plays by Caedmon (available at Amazon)

                                                            Mendleson (Midsummer Nights Dream)

                                                Game – The Plays The Think

                                                Activity Box – Shakespeare Treasure Box (available at Barnes and Noble0

When reading/studying a play I plan to:    See it – preferably in person, if not on video

                                                            Read it

                                                            Listen to it (audio)

Activities:

Create a Shakespeare Notebook

What do you know about Shakespeare – poster/notebook paper (do at the beginning of our study add to at the end)

Write your own play – perform it with friends or puppets etc

Draw/Design and build a replica of your own theatre

Did you know fact sheet

Write your own will

Make a collage of Shakespeare’s words, names sayings (these are sprinkled all over the books we have for resources)

Sketch a picture of Shakespeare (could be used for a notebook cover)

Copy Shakespeare’s epitaph:  “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear

                                                To dig the dust enclosed here

                                                Blest be the man that spares these stones

                                                And cursed by he that moves my bones.”

Narrate written summaries of the stories read and watched.  Include main characters, type of story, plot

Make Renaissance masks (ie Much Ado About Nothing) use poster board, feathers, glitter, ribbon

Map of England – show significant places

Map of Stratford on Avon

Map of London – mark theatres, places

Create timelines of works and life

Vocab

Discuss Shakespeare’s style

Online Links (this is just a few there are many, many):

http://print.factmonster.com/xwords/shakespeare.html

www.unitstudies.com

http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/

http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/

http://www.usborne-quicklinks.com/usa/usa_homepage.asp

http://www.readprint.com/author-69/William-Shakespeare

http://www.surfnetkids.com/william_shakespeare.htm

Hope this is helpful to you.  Have a great weekend, Tina

Live a life driven by purpose!