Jen500 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 If we read one play, which one of these would you recommend for my 6th graders' first exposure? Would the Oxford School Shakespeare editions be best? Macbeth Henry V A Midsummer Night's Dream Hamlet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 A Midsummer's Night Dream. Not sure about edition you mentioned, but make sure to watch several versions of the play--at least one version live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 A Midsummer Night's Dream is a great one for first exposure. We liked the Charles Lamb version best for retellings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I do love the Oxford School Shakespeare editions! My kids love all four of those plays, so it's hard to pick. Henry V is wonderful for 6th (if you're following WTM history), since you can compare the historical Henry V with Shakespeare's version *and* because you can watch the truly delightful Ken Branagh movie. :) But A Midsummer Night's Dream is very friendly as a first-intro, and many kids love Macbeth. ... I don't think you'd go wrong with any of them. And yes, the Oxford School Shakespeare editions are fantastic. Wish I had the complete set! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Well KarenAnne (who no longer posts on the boards, sniff) sold me on the wisdom of WATCHING plays rather than being so insistent on them being read. Dd has read the usual retellings over the years (Coville, the comic versions VP sells or used to sell, Lamb, Nesbit, etc.), so this time I got her the Marchette Chute retellings, which she's enjoying. We just used the lit guide from here (free) http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/novelwise_ms_te_version/find/byauthor.htm# to work through Midsummer Night's Dream using the BBC/Ambrose version (available through your library) and had a TON of fun. She totally caught the fun of it, and the Holt guide brought out good discussion. Just enough analysis to say we did it, but not enough to ruin it. Now that she is ENJOYING it, I wouldn't be at all shocked if she went back and read the original. But this was a really nice way to slide into it. She doesn't read the KJV like I did growing up, so the words are a lot more removed for her than they were for me or might have been for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Ok, I think we'll go with A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'll look for the BBC version OhElizabeth mentioned. (And I noticed SWB recommends watching the plays before reading them in TWTM :001_smile:) And I did not realize KarenAnne wasn't posting anymore. :sad: I did enjoy her posts a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.MacGyver Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I know you didn't mention it, but my 6th grade girl absolutely loved TAMING OF THE SHREW. We watched the movie version first (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) and then she went and read the original version on her own...which led to reading Midsummer Night's Dream on her own. I am with OHElizabeth, my DD loved the movie version so much, she was hooked on Shakespeare from then on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I do love the Oxford School Shakespeare editions! My kids love all four of those plays, so it's hard to pick. Henry V is wonderful for 6th (if you're following WTM history), since you can compare the historical Henry V with Shakespeare's version *and* because you can watch the truly delightful Ken Branagh movie. :) But A Midsummer Night's Dream is very friendly as a first-intro, and many kids love Macbeth. ... I don't think you'd go wrong with any of them. And yes, the Oxford School Shakespeare editions are fantastic. Wish I had the complete set! These are so wonderful. I wish I could remember who to thank for the tip on the high school board. Michelle, I think. Macbeth and Hamlet were huge hits here. Both plays show up in so many works. My youngest loves identifying lines from Hamlet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElaineJ Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 This hasn't been mentioned as an option yet, but I am doing a co-op class on Julius Caesar for 5th and 6th graders this quarter, and it has been a lot of fun. I think it is an easy play to understand for beginners, and it gives us a chance to really focus on the characters and language. I am also using the Oxford School Shakespeare- excellent! I use the Secondary Solutions Standards Based Literature Guide as my teacher source book, and it has been very helpful. ElaineJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 ...the wisdom of WATCHING plays rather than being so insistent on them being read... Oh, absolutely! They are *plays* after all. :) I do *also* like to read them (or, at the very least, sections), but seeing them is so important. We usually see a few live Shakespeare plays each year and the kids have seen an array of film versions over the years as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Boy or girl? Girl: Midsummer night's dream. boy: Henry V. My son LOVED it. And it fits well with his history studeis of the Middle ages. I agree that Shakespeare is meant to be watched, not read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I completely agree with watching the plays. I think they should be watched first rather than after as a reward (the way they did it when I was in school). Watching it after made no sense to me at all. It's much better to see it and then read the detail and be able to picture the nuances and the hear the flow of the language in your mind. Watching them after is more like, "Oh, NOW I get it." So that is my advice watch first. I took my 7th graders to see Much Ado About Nothing and it completely made them fall in love with the bard. One of my dd's has read the play 3 times in the last month and is creating masks to do her own video version. I think a;; students should see the plays performed, it brings them to life...literally. I think the best ones to start with are: Midsummer Night's Dream The Taming of the Shrew Much Ado About Nothing Twelfth night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Boy or girl?Girl: Midsummer night's dream. boy: Henry V. My son LOVED it. And it fits well with his history studeis of the Middle ages. I agree that Shakespeare is meant to be watched, not read. This is for 6th grade boys, and I'm glad you posted this. Now I am leaning towards Henry V. Does anyone know what specifically makes the Kenneth Branaugh movie version of Henry V rated PG-13? One of my boys read some version of Macbeth on his own and liked it, but I want their first official exposure to be positive and enjoyable. (Unlike my own :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Well this might seem obvious, but the ones Lisa listed are the *comedies*, making them an extra-pleasant way to start. The humor really comes across in the Ambrose productions. You might also defer to whatever you find guides for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 This is for 6th grade boys, and I'm glad you posted this. Now I am leaning towards Henry V. Does anyone know what specifically makes the Kenneth Branaugh movie version of Henry V rated PG-13? Well, there IS a lot of fighting, some a bit graphic. Battles with swords and arrows just were not pretty. And if I remember correctly there is a hanging as well. But his version is the best. The Speech is wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 There is a version of Midsummer Night's Dream that is pg-13. We read about it at commonsense reviews and basically decided while something like that might be good, we just didn't need to go there. The Ambrose versions were good *enough* and g-rated. So if that becomes an issue, remember you still have the Ambrose versions to fall back on. The one we watched was GORGEOUS and very enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) There is a version of Midsummer Night's Dream that is pg-13. We read about it at commonsense reviews and basically decided while something like that might be good, we just didn't need to go there. The Ambrose versions were good *enough* and g-rated. So if that becomes an issue, remember you still have the Ambrose versions to fall back on. The one we watched was GORGEOUS and very enjoyable. My library doesn't have the Ambrose version. :thumbdown: Do you know of any other good options? Maybe I will go check Netflix...that shouldn't take long lol. I do see the Ambrose website sells the videos in groups of 5 for $99. eta:I did find the Ambrose versions on Netflix. thanks for your help, Elizabeth. Edited March 24, 2011 by Jen3boys . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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