The 23rd of April marks the birth (and death) of William Shakespeare: poet, playwright and pre-eminent dramatist. His poems and plays have been translated into 80 languages, even Esperanto and Klingon.
It is remarkable how Shakespeare¡¯s iconic body of work has withstood the test of time. More than four centuries on, his reflections on the human condition have lost none of their relevance. Contemporary artists and writers continue to draw on his language, imagery and drama for inspiration.
But, despite the breadth and longevity of his appeal, getting students excited about Shakespeare is not always straightforward. The language is challenging, the characters may be unfamiliar and the plots can seem far removed from modern life.
However, with the right methods and resources, there is plenty for teenagers and young adults to engage with. After all, love, desperation, jealousy and anger are feelings we can all relate to, regardless of the age group, culture or century we belong to!
So, how can you bring classic Shakespearean dramas like Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth to life?
There are many ways for your learners to connect with Shakespeare and get excited by his works. Here we¡¯ll show you three classroom activities to do with your students and some indispensable resources to ensure that reading Shakespeare is as accessible and enjoyable as possible!
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The very word ¡®Shakespeare¡¯ is enough to strike dread into the hearts of some youngsters. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so important to highlight the lighter, more humorous side of his work from the very beginning. Based on some of Shakespeare¡¯s finest insults, this activity will help transmit a crucial idea: these plays were designed to entertain.
The Bard was renowned for his linguistic creativity; nowhere is this more evident than in his?. Some of them still sound as hard-hitting as they would have done back then. Take these for example:
¡°Thou crusty batch of nature!¡±?(Troilus and Cressida)
¡°Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, thou lily-liver¡¯d boy.¡±?(Macbeth)
¡°I do wish thou were a dog, that I might love thee something.¡±?(Timon of Athens)
Once your students have tried some Shakespearean slurs and enjoyed some gentle verbal sparring, you can draw their attention to important grammatical differences.
For example, in Early Modern English, the language of Shakespeare, there were various ways of saying ¡®you¡¯. As the subject of a sentence, it would be ¡®thou¡¯ (for example, I do wish thou were a dog). As the object of a sentence, they would say ¡®thee¡¯ (e.g. ¡I might love thee something).
We certainly don¡¯t want to encourage name-calling among students, but if conducted carefully, it¡¯s a great way to give them a feel for the jocular power of Shakespeare¡¯s language.
If that¡¯s not enough, you can let them loose to compile their own Shakespearean burns with this??and?.
Not only has Shakespeare inspired scores of artists and writers, but many of his plays have also been adapted to film. Showing students a??of one of Shakespeare¡¯s best works is a surefire way of creating interest and promoting an appreciation of the plot. It is not a substitute for a more in-depth text analysis but can be an effective complementary activity.
Video and audio are more familiar formats for many young people. Here are some more recent adaptations that you might consider showing in class:
Another great way to engage your students is to get them performing! It¡¯s easy to forget that most playgoers in Shakespeare¡¯s time would have been illiterate. His words were written not to be read but to be performed and watched.
To begin with, you can present your students with a??or, at least, recorded for the first time in his works. They can put on their actors¡¯ hats and make short sentences with these phrases, pretending they¡¯re on stage at Shakespeare¡¯s famous Globe Theatre.
As their theatrical confidence grows, you can move on to longer texts. Shakespearean dialogues offer an excellent opportunity for pair work. They can practice their lines in pairs before performing in front of the class.
Here are a couple of scenes that lend themselves well to this type of activity:
Engaging and effective classroom activities depend on having quality resources. When it comes to using Shakespeare¡¯s work with learners of English, accessibility is everything.
So, instead of diving into the original text, your students can experience Shakespeare¡¯s iconic plays as?ÃÛÌÒapp English Readers. These are abridged versions of Shakespeare¡¯s finest tragedies and comedies, with carefully-graded language that stays true to Shakespeare¡¯s unique style. Students can develop their language and communication skills by reading, listening and performing these plays.
Learning English with music can enhance learning and create a more engaging and dynamic classroom environment. In a previous post, we discussed if music can help you learn a language; this post looks at how music can be incorporated into the classroom.
Using music in your classroom can help improve student motivation, focus, and retention of information. Here are some ways you can use music to enhance your classroom teaching:
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Have you considered studying abroad? Moving to Canada to study? With more than 100 world-class universities across the country, there¡¯s good reason to. From coast to coast to coast, it offers many international students a safe and supportive learning environment and the opportunity to work after graduation.
Want to learn more? In this guide, we cover ten things you should know about studying in Canada:
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Teaching teenagers can be a rewarding yet challenging experience.
When planning classes, we need to consider the environment in which the students are growing up. Most of our teenage students do not know a life without the internet, instant messaging or Google.
Commonly referred to as ?(or Gen Z), they are the most tech-savvy generation to date; this should be reflected in how we teach them.
However, not all of us have access to computer labs, interactive whiteboards or class tablets. But there is something that many of our teens bring to class in their pockets and bags every day.
You¡¯ve guessed it - a phone.
By bringing students¡¯ phones into your classes, you can bridge the technology gap between the learners and the curriculum, keep them engaged for longer and make them feel more empowered at the same time.
Here are four low-tech activities that use phones in class.
Activity requirements: one phone per student (or group of students) and a pre-made quiz.
is an app designed to help you create quizzes online, which can be a fun, engaging way to challenge your learners in the classroom.
Quizzes are an ideal activity to use at the start of a class to recycle previous vocabulary or to pre-teach new language.
For example, you could choose 10 British English phrases or idioms. Write a series of four possible definitions for each word, phrase, or idiom (with only one correct answer).
In class, ask your students to take out their phones, find the app, and link to the quiz.
Tell the students that they must vote for the definition they think is correct. They can keep track of their scores directly on the app while competing with their friends.
Not only will it immediately engage your learners and help them interact with what¡¯s being learned, but they¡¯ll also have a lot of fun.
Activity requirements: a phone with the Google Translate app installed and a pen and paper per pair.
Did you know Google Translate has a feature where you can ? This is a perfect tool for text that you might find on a poster, in a book or uses an alphabet which you are unfamiliar with.
Bring in samples of different languages to class ¨C the more complex, the better. If you don¡¯t have anything suitable at home, find something online and print it out.
Get one student to take a photo of the text using the app and with their finger, select the section of the text they¡¯d like to translate from the original language to English. (Note: if you download the Google Translate language file to your phone, it will translate everything automatically).
Then, have them dictate what it says to their partner, who has to write it down.
Finally, they work together to improve the English translation. After all, everyone knows Google¡¯s English isn¡¯t perfect (not yet, anyway).
Activity requirements: a mobile phone with a camera per student.
Do your students love taking photos? Tap into their love of photography and make activities more exciting by incorporating the photos on their phones into your classes.
Adapt speaking activities from common exams such as the B2 Cambridge First. Instead of using the pictures in the book, put the students in pairs and get them each to choose a more relevant photo from their phones. You may find they have more to say and will communicate naturally while still practicing the necessary language and skills required in the exam.
Another idea is to get students to take photos of things they encounter in English in the street. This could be on a sign outside a restaurant or in their favorite clothing shop. Use these photos to start the next class with a discussion about where they saw it, what it means and if the English is correct.
You could also nominate one student each week to bring a photo they took that weekend. Share it with the class and get everyone to write Instagram captions. You wouldn¡¯t believe how many already do this in English, so why not help them?
If you are worried about the misuse of mobile devices in your class ¨C don¡¯t be! Here are our top three strategies to help avoid students getting distracted:
