An Engaging Activity for Introducing Any Shakespearean Play
A lot of textbooks that introduce Shakespeare start with something like “William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford upon Avon, England.” Um, okay. The problem is how does that help students? The one thing they probably know about Shakespeare is that he lived a long time ago. They probably don’t know much of anything about the 16th century, so adding the date doesn’t help.
And where the hell is Stratford upon Avon? For that matter, what the hell is Stratford upon Avon and why does it have that weird (at least to Americans) name? That one simple sentence about Shakespeare’s birth hasn’t done much to build student knowledge or motivation to read. At worst, it might have reinforced their beliefs that Shakespeare will be difficult, foreign, and have nothing to do with them.
At this point you might feel tempted to break into a song and dance routine to liven up Stratford upon Avon. But I want to suggest a more engaging way of introducing any Shakespearean play. Continue reading
August may be a wonderful month. I’ve heard that in many European countries it means relaxing in a lake cabin with friends. But as a teacher, August has always meant one thing: freaking out about the start of school. Freaking out that you haven’t finished all of the summer to-do’s, freaking out that you haven’t thought through all of the connections in the curriculum, and freaking out about the first day itself. Let’s talk about how not to freak out on the first day.
And why you should do them anyway
