Teaching Shakespeare can be a rewarding experience, and incorporating creativity into your approach can make the material more engaging for students. Here are seven creative ways to begin a unit on William Shakespeare or a unit that studies his literature... 1. Create a scavenger hunt with facts related to Shakespeare's life, works, and the Elizabethan era. Hide or hang the facts around the classroom or school. Then, have students hunt for the facts. As they find each fact, have them add the information to their notes as they build background on Shakespeare. This activity gets students up and moving while providing them a historical base for their Shakespeare studies. Need ready-made facts? Find them here! 2. Have students choose a character from one of Shakespeare's plays and write a modern-day monologue for that character. This activity allows students to connect with the characters on a personal level and showcase their understanding of the language and themes. 3. Make learning about Shakespeare especially engaging with a doodle poster. Have students fill the poster with facts about William Shakespeare. Then, have students glue the pages together to make an extra-long infographic. As students color in their doodle poster, they'll be exposed to facts one more time. This activity makes building background creative and fun. Grab a ready-made doodle poster HERE. 4. Ask students to imagine that Shakespeare and his characters had social media profiles. They can create Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, or Twitter feeds for characters like Romeo, Juliet, or Hamlet. This activity encourages creativity and helps students relate Shakespearean themes to contemporary communication. 5. Give students a chance to investigate one of Shakespeare's sonnet. You can assign a sonnet or have students choose one of their own. Then, guide them through analyzing the poem with a Doodle Poem Analysis one-pager. This guide makes analyzing the poem approachable and creative. It's also a great way to get students to share their poem analysis with others. You can download the FREE Doodle Poetry Analysis HERE. 6. Use a simple craft like this "Will's Quill" activity to get students learning about Shakespeare. First, have them research facts about Shakespeare. They should also find a quote that they like from Shakespeare. Students will add their work to feather shapes. Then, they'll cut out and glue the feathers together to make a quill just like one William Shakespeare would have used. Find everything you need to do this activity HERE. 7. Devote a day to immerse students in the Elizabethan era. Encourage them to come dressed in costumes from that time, play Renaissance music, and even serve Elizabethan-inspired snacks. This thematic approach can set the stage for a deeper exploration of Shakespeare's works. ----------------------------------------------------------- These ideas are designed to make learning about Shakespeare fun and relatable. Taking the time to make Shakespeare approachable can be a great way to foster a lifelong appreciation for his work. I hope you give some of these ideas a try. (And don't forget get to save a TON of TIME with the William Shakespeare Doodle and Do resource!) Thanks for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. Find more ways to make learning fun here.
Dreading teaching Shakespeare? Don't know where to look for great resources? Check out our list of 5 free resources to teach Shakespeare.
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Shakespeare is a staple in almost every English class. From Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet, students either love Shakespeare, or they hate him, whether it be the
In this podcast/post, I'm sharing some of my own favorite classroom activities you can use with any Shakespeare plays and the results of my Shakespearean treasure hunt around the web. If you're looking for some fun resources to engage students with Shakespeare, click through to learn more!
Shakespeare Posters - Hashtag Quotes Bulletin Board Display Decor and Assignment: This creative and interactive Shakespeare poster set takes the Bard into the 21st century, inviting students to engage with quotes from Shakespeare in a modern way. Create a "Shakespeare's Hashtag of The Week" bulletin board, featuring actual quotes from Shakespeare's plays that remain relevant today. Each poster includes hashtags that reveals which of Shakespeare's plays the quote is from. Change the Shakespeare quote poster out each week to create a unique and engaging bulletin board for your English language arts classroom! Also included is a response assignment where students can reflect on the quotes. This is included in our best-selling bundle: >>> Shakespeare Pre-Reading Activities Bundle Included in This Shakespeare Posters Hashtag Quotes Set: ➡️ Shakespeare Posters Display Instructions: Feel totally confident setting up this Shakespeare poster display in your classroom with these visual instructions that show you what the final bulletin board display should look like. ➡️ Title Display Posters: Two title posters are included for you to choose from depending on if you want to change the quotes out weekly or daily during a Shakespeare unit. The first option reads "Shakespeare's Hashtag Of The Week" and the other reads "Shakespeare's Hashtag Of The Day." ➡️ Cool Shakespeare with Sunglasses: The display includes a print out of a "cool" looking Shakespeare who is wearing sunglasses to hook your students in. ➡️ 40 Shakespeare Quote Posters: Share each of these 40 Shakespeare quotes posters each week or day. The quotes are taken from his most famous plays and use hashtags to indicate where they came from. The quotes were also carefully selected to get students thinking. ➡️ Shakespeare Quotes Response Assignment: After students have read the new quote, have them complete this quick response page where they must interact with the quote. The assignment asks them to explain the quote and relate it to today's world. Examples of Quotes Included in This Shakespeare Posters Hashtag Quotes: Below are a few of the example quotes included in this set: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. #TwelfthNight There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. #Hamlet Love all, trust a few, and do wrong to none. #AllsWellThatEndsWell The fault...is not in our stars , but in ourselves. #JuliusCaesar The course of true love never did run smooth #MidsummerNightsDream What Teachers Are Saying About This Shakespeare Posters Hashtag Quotes Set: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this! My students work with a quote once a week for their bell ringer. I like how this resource is a quick and simple way to introduce them to Shakespeare. The graphics are cool too! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I used this resource for one of my rotating classroom bulletin boards and the students love it! The Shakespeare icon is really funny and the quotes are great discussion pieces. Currently using it for extra credit and class bellringers! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A wonderful idea! My kids love the modern Shakespeare angle and the tweets really get them thinking and making connections to their own lives and to the world. Teaching Shakespeare? Grab our complete units below: >>> Hamlet Complete Unit >>> Romeo and Juliet Complete Unit © Presto Plans ➡️ Want 10 free ELA resources sent to your inbox? Click here! ⭐️ Follow Presto Plans on TpT to see what's new and on sale.
Shakespeare has been dead for over 400 years, but his plays are still being put on every day by theatre companies all over the world. If you’re not sure where to start, this flowchart can help you decide which play you should see first. The flowchart, from artist Mya Gosling at Good Tickle Brain, starts […]
A lesson plan! A lesson plan! My kingdom for a lesson plan!
Shakespeare facts, games, videos and more to help primary-school children with homework projects and history.
This is a great freebie: 7 free study guides, about 40 pages each, on the Shakespeare plays of MacBeth, Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest, MidSummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Othello,&…
Teaching Middle School Shakespeare can be easy and a fun with a few simple resources & a little time spent learning the nuances of Shakespearean Language.
Continuing our epic journey towards Shakespeare's 400th death anniversary on Saturday, here is a handy-dandy board game that allows you to relive all the exciting ups and downs of this master playwright's eventful life!
To fail or not to fail, that is the question.
Looking to get your kids hooked on Shakespeare? Follow these 5 easy steps and have fun introducing this genius to your little people!
Are you teaching Shakespeare in high school? Check out this blog post for 7 easy tips for teaching Shakespeare to high school students.
In this podcast/post, I'm sharing some of my own favorite classroom activities you can use with any Shakespeare plays and the results of my Shakespearean treasure hunt around the web. If you're looking for some fun resources to engage students with Shakespeare, click through to learn more!
Get hands-on when you study William Shakespeare's plays with these activities and crafts.
Yes, Macbeth is dark and gruesome and not the easiest Shakespeare story to relate to. The Scottish thane Macbeth listens to witches who clearly should not
Shakespeare for Kids is a collection of resources and ideas for introducing Shakespeare at a young age and carrying them through high school.
Are you looking for quotes from the Bard for your ELA classroom? Check out these 20 best of Shakespeare quotes to use with your teens/tweens.
Romeo and Juliet: Cartoon Summaries and Activities
Time for another scene-by-scene retelling of an entire play! This time around it's that classic (i.e. one you probably all had to study in school at sometime in your life) Romeo and Juliet ! Let's start, as always, with a look at the dramatis personae:
It's Shakespeare vs hip hop! A quick pop quiz for you - do you think the quotes below are words from a hip hop track or Shakespeare play? "To destroy the
Ok, so the plays are over four hundred years old and the language is difficult. Kids will let out an audible groan whenever the teacher announces that Shakespeare is next. So why are Shakespeare&…
Introducing "Shakespeare Uncovered": an immersive school resource delving into William Shakespeare's life and works. Engaging multimedia, interactive activities, and curated content provide a comprehensive exploration of his plays and sonnets. Perfect for classroom study, drama clubs, and independent learning. Unlock the world of Shakespeare today!
Download 3 free Shakespeare Study Guides in addition to other free Shakespeare resources.
Looking to get your kids hooked on Shakespeare? Follow these 5 easy steps and have fun introducing this genius to your little people!
