Ravin Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Hive suggestions for study materials or retellings? I want something that will engage my 4th grader. Also, best movies-based-on that she might enjoy? I'm afraid actual Shakespear dramatizations will just go over her head and bore her. I had thought up: Romeo and Juliet: West Side Story Hamlet: The Lion King The Taming of the Shrew: 10 Things I Hate About You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 My son liked the Usbourne retellings the best. They were not the prettiest but the stories came through well. He loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Truthfully, I've never found the Bard to be inaccessible. I was blessed with a passionate fan of an English teacher as a young girl and was never taught it as if it were something difficult and so, it never was. I was heartbroken in college to take a class, that, had it been my first exposure to Shakespeare, would have killed any joy to be found from him. Some plays are easier than others for certain but read aloud, round robin style has helped us a great deal. The Midsummer Night's Dream movie version with Kevin Kline has been a household favorite since my girls were around that age. In no way boring in any stretch of the imagination. Also, there are two absolutely fantastic versions of of Much Ado About Nothing, that are totally accessible and we watch them frequently. Kenneth Branagh's and my current favorite, though the Dogberry scenes are stupid, is the one with David Tennant and Catherine Tate. This one has the added attraction that only comes from being a rabid dr. Who fan as well. :D The Helen Mirren version of the Tempest was pretty good, though it seemed to drag a bit in spots. The old movie The Forbidden Planet is lifted from The Tempest as well. Truthfully, all of the Branagh versions are huge favorites here and we watched them all over the years and own them as well. Subtitles are great for watching them so one doesn't miss anything. I am NOT a fan of Patrick Stewart's Macbeth Hamlet has been done wonderfully a number of times, Kenneth Branagh's, Mel Gibson's[/url] and David Tennant's are all wonderful though I admit, again, as a crazy David Tennant fan it is tops on my list at the moment. I love 10 Things I Hate About You but didn't find it appropriate for our 6th grader, you might want to preview it. I'd forgotten a lot of it and whew, 16 year old can watch it with me but I am holding off on the 11 year old. I adore West Side Story but of all his plays, I hate Romeo and Juliet, I just want to smack them. Though, Mercutio is on of my favorites. The DiCaprio version with Claire Danes was interesting. I hope you give some of these a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 My dc liked the animated Shakespeare that was done by BBC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare:_The_Animated_Tales They were available free on the internet, but I can't find the link now. ETA -- here it is http://www.squidoo.com/shakespeare-animated-tales Here is a Squidoo on Shakespeare that I found helpful: http://www.squidoo.com/shakespeareforchildren Oh, and the Jim Weiss Shakespeare retelling is easy to get into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I agree it's not inaccessible. Midsummer Night's Dream is generally the most approachable though. Around here it is often performed at dusk in leafy parks during Summer. Probably you have just missed the season for that. Worth looking out for next year. Truly captivating, even a bad performance ;) My introduction was The Tempest at 10. Loved it and was instantly hooked. Honestly, I think Romeo and Juliet is probably one of the least accessible for youngers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 The Midsummer Night's Dream movie version with Kevin Kline has been a household favorite since my girls were around that age. In no way boring in any stretch of the imagination. I agree that this film is a wonderful introduction. My kids both loved it when they were preschool aged. In fact, the year they were six and three, we all dressed up as fairies for Halloween, because it was their favorite movie. (My son, who was a late-ish talker, used to call Bottom "Donkey boy.") One word of warning: There is a scene toward the end of the film in which the four lovers are naked. I don't think it shows anything significant, but it bothers some folks with younger kids. In general, I believe strongly in staring with the comedies. And I think live performance is the way to go if it's at all possible. We used to read a synopsis of the plot with our kids when they were little, then go see the show. Each of mine has had his or her own season ticket for the local Shakespeare theatre since about age 8. I love The Tempest. It's one of my favorite plays. But I just couldn't get into the recent Julie Taymore movie. We all do like the Branagh Much Ado About Nothing. And I liked the Tervor Nunn version of Twelfth Night from a decade or so ago. Really, though, if it's at all possible, I strongly recommend seeing something live, especially a comedy. I think that's probably the best way to hook a person on Shakespeare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 Looks like SW Shakespeare Company is doing Love's Labour Lost in September. I'm going to find out if we can get tickets to a student matinee. I agree that seeing a live performance is the best way to go. As far as direct-dramatization movies, we have all the good ones in the house. Given DD's personality and tastes, I just don't think she's likely to sit through one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 The Bruce Coville books were my kids' favorites around that age. The illustrations are delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Check your library for Shakespeare 4 Kidz - they are stage productions that are pretty well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 The Bruce Coville books were my kids' favorites around that age. The illustrations are delightful. :iagree:Both my K and 4th graders loved these books, we did a whole slew of them last year, then watched A Midsummer Night's Dream (repeatedly!). We also watched Branaugh's Henry V, fast forwarding through the gory battle scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 BBC has made a series of animated shorts of a number of the plays that are actually quite good and are available on youtube. If you search on youtube for 'bbc shakespeare animated tales' you'll find a slew of titles. The Tempest is particularly well done... The Tempest part 1 The Tempest part 2 Another option is a UK site called Classical Comics. They have started taking the plays and putting them in comic book form but offering 3 different reading options ; the original text, the plain text which is the whole play rendered into modern english, or quick text which is very condensed version. We have used the plain text and it is very well done and remains faithful to the atmosphere of the original in its use of language. We have also used various Colville books and the Lamb ones as well and those were a good starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 The Bruce Coville books were my kids' favorites around that age. The illustrations are delightful. :iagree: These are amazing books! They have caused my dd8 to love Shakespeare. I am slowly purchasing all of them for our home library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 We use a combination of Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, Tales from Shakespeare, the Bruce Coville books, and BBC's animated Shakespeare stories. Ariel loves them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 DD loves the Usborne book, the Coville books and the Geraldine McCaughrean one. A vote for the Jim Weiss CD too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Shakespeare in Bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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