EmilyGF Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 My kids like Shakespeare. We just read through the plays and listen to the Arkangel productions and maybe memorize our favorite parts. It has been a hit. They read them for fun. We've read six so far (three per year for the last two years). We've done: 1. The Tempest (whoo-boy, that was a way to start!) 2. Midsummer Night's Dream 3. Twelfth Night 4. As You Like It 5. A Winter's Tail (weird) 6. Macbeth (my favorite so far) I'm not sure where to go for next year; I need to chose three. The 8, 10, and 12 year olds will participate. We could do Romeo and Juliet, which is being put on by a local company, but I sort of think I should wait until my kids are older. Thoughts? ​Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 (edited) comedy: Much Ado About Nothing is quite fun, as is Taming of the Shrew. tragedy: The themes in Othello are pretty straight-forward, as they are in Macbeth. Hamlet is rather cerebral, but MIGHT work. Perhaps a history -- Julius Caesar? For Romeo and Juliet -- our boys really liked watching the film of the tragic-musical West Side Story (based on R&J) when they were around 11-12 years old. Edited June 24, 2017 by Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I'll second Julius Caesar. And I don't think Romeo and Juliet is somehow worth "saving" if you're doing Shakespeare plays. I'm a big fan of saving things, but this is a first pass and R&J is overrated anyway. Go ahead and do it so you can see it on stage. To round it out, you definitely need a comedy. I love Much Ado... but it does have a very icky bit - the guy spurns the woman when he thinks she's been unfaithful and then her own father disowns her and they believe she's died and they're happy about it. It's dark. And while all of Shakespeare's plays have sex jokes, this one really has sex jokes (the titular "nothing" is a pun on lady parts). That said, it'll mostly go over their heads. And I did direct a children's version a couple of years ago (we set it in the Roaring 20's), so I'm definitely not one to say hold back. If you want to do something lesser known... Comedy of Errors is fun and underappreciated in my book. It's very silly. There are twins and mix ups. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 We just follow the schedule of Ambleside online... https://www.amblesideonline.org/ShakespeareSch.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Following this for ideas! My son just turned 11 and I've not done any Shakespeare with him really (though we did visit the Old Globe and museum while in London recently). I remember a while back watching plays on DVD too. I need to find those as well. Any recommendations for particular ones? I'd love to know your process for doing each play, to get started with him! Thanks for sharing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stutterfish Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 If it's of interest, you can get downloads of Shakespeare - and other - UK theatre productions here http://www.digitaltheatre.com The (very reasonable) price is also listed in dollars, so I presume downloads are available outside the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I base it on the local company's summer production or what's avail In NYC that I can get to. He still thinks of Ethan Hawke as Macbeth, and that wasn't even a particularly great production ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I don't know if this is true in her later editions but in TWTM 1st ed, SWB suggests choosing Macbeth, Henry V, or A Midsummer Night's Dream. We started with Henry V, then the others, and had a lot of fun with them. She explains how to approach them in the logic stage section of the book and it is pretty simple - First, read a summary. I personally like to use Nesbit's Beautiful Stories for Children when they are younger, the Garfield's Shakespeare Stories when they are older. Sparknotes has a pretty thorough synopsis of each play. Next, watch a production. The BBC has a filmed version of all of them and Netflix had them for a while. I have a few favorite versions that I can list if you like. Last, read the play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I usually check what's being put on by local theatre companies, and make my decisions from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Some additional threads of interest for those wanting to do Shakespeare with elementary/middle school ages -- LOTS of great resources mentioned or linked in these threads! "Shakespeare: which play is best to begin with?" "Shakespeare for younger readers" "Shakespeare book" -- compares the prose retellings by Lamb, Nesbit, Leon, and Coville picture books "Shakespeare introduction for 8 and 7-year-old" -- another comparison of above books + others "Shakespeare for elementary level" "Shakespeare for elem. age" "Shakespeare resources for middle school" "Teaching Shakespeare to 6th-7th graders" And some resources that frequently get mentioned in threads: How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare -- website and book CurrClick: Sharing Shakespeare with Students Folgers Shakespeare -- free teaching resources comicstrip type retellings by Marcia Williams Shakespeare: The Animated Tales -- 12 plays, 30 minutes long each, abridged BUT uses original language -- note, a few have some pg-13 moments, so perhaps preview 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted June 24, 2017 Author Share Posted June 24, 2017 I think we'll go with Henry V Othello Measure for Measure (or maybe ​a different comedy) Our approach is really simple: read along while listening to the Arkangel production (so they get both the visual input and the well acted lines) for about 10-15 minutes, then stop and narrate. We do this 1-2 times per week over a 12-week term. We may use a few passages for dictation and we may memorize some favorite lines. And my kids love Shakespeare. As my 12-year-old son said, as he was laughing aloud at a book he was reading, "Wow, this is almos as funny as Shakespeare!" I think the problem is that most people dive into Shakespeare and drown instead of enjoing it bit by bit. That's what happened to me in high school! And I don't know about the watch first method - I found it sort of hard to follow without going through it first somewhat. We also don't pre-read any summary because I don't like having the plot given away beforehand. As long as we keep the proper nouns straight (thanks, white board), keep the readings fairly short, and narrate, they understand, remember, and enjoy. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 (edited) I think we'll go with Henry V Othello Measure for Measure (or maybe ​a different comedy) JMO: I find Measure for Measure to be very problematic. It's not his best play plot-structure-wise and t's not as well-written as those you mentioned you've already read. And like Merchant of Venice there is not much humor -- both are called "comedies" because there is resolution that doesn't involve death, NOT because they are humorous. But most of all, I don't think Measure for Measure is the most appropriate for pre-high school students, as the main stated topic of the plot is s*x before marriage and adult*ry -- directly discussed, and the plot all revolves around it. And the "resolution" feels like spousal abuse to me. Read the plot summary at No Sweat Shakespeare. In contrast, the s*xual bits of humor in Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado are double entendre and innuendo and most likely go right over a kid's head. In fact, until Farrar mentioned that about the title of Much Ado, *I* was completely unaware of the innuendo. ;) BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D. Edited June 24, 2017 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted June 25, 2017 Author Share Posted June 25, 2017 Oh, I chose it because the grandparents just took a kid too see it! Nevermind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 (edited) Oh, I chose it because the grandparents just took a kid too see it! Nevermind! :( So sorry! Didn't mean to sound dictatorial! And, kids are so much more resilient and "water off a duck's back" about a lot of the things that I tend to stress over. I'm sure whatever you go with will be fun and fine. Edited June 25, 2017 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 We did Henry V, Merchant of Venice, and Romeo & Juliet last year with 12 & 8 year olds. Older DD listened to full annotated audio (the full text with added explanation and commentary) purchased on Audible and then we watched the movie version before discussing the play. Younger DD only heard adaptations and folk stories that inspired Shakespeare's plays. We then watched Romeo & Juliet performed live. Both girls think they LOVE Shakespeare, so I guess it was a success. We'll do The Tempest, Julius Caesar, and one other next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 I also think Measure for Measure is the darkest comedy. It's the only Shakespeare production we've ever not been able to take the kids to see, actually. The last time they did it at Shakespeare Theatre, it including a strip show at the start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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