Shakespeare's Midsummer for a 6th grade kid with minor delays

[MeganW]

Can you suggest an easy-to-understand version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for a child with minor learning challenges?  Best friends have it coming up this school year, and she will want to know what it's about so she can participate when they are talking about it.  This is for a kid who just finished 6th grade, but has some minor delays, so is more like 4thish.  

[nixpix5]

Can't go wrong with the version from Bruce Coville or the beautifully illustrated version by Kincaid. 

https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Nights-Dream-Tales-Shakespear/dp/1858542715/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527299458&sr=8-1&keywords=Midsummer+nights+kincaid

https://www.amazon.com/William-Shakespeares-Midsummer-September-Paperback/dp/B014S2M6DY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527299519&sr=1-2&keywords=Midsummer+nights+coville

For a really fun version try the lego brick one (the scenes help but the language is challenging and while it is abridged it still has not been translated into modern English). I find this one fun for kids to hear and look at pics after a simpler version is read.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Brick-Shakespeare-Comedies-Midsummer-Nights/dp/1628737336/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527299588&sr=1-2&keywords=brick+shakespeare

 

[PeterPan]

I think there used to be some cartoon versions on youtube. The Coville version is great, but it's complicated enough that she still might need someone to read it with her and help her follow along with the characters. When I did it with my ds, we made clothespin figures for each character. Or see if there are paper dolls for it. 

[HomeAgain]

We did it with Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare (Mary & Charles Lamb), but the language in that can get a little bogged down.  The WTM store sells an audio by Jim Weiss covering it and a few other stories in Shakespeare For Children.  We haven't listened to that particular one, but we've loved the other Jim Weiss productions we've listened to.

 

I'd also maybe suggest looking into whether your town, or a neighboring one, does Shakespeare On The Green.  Ours here calls it something slightly different now (Shakespeare On The Common, I think), but it's the same thing: free outdoor adaptation or full play.  We've seen a few this way because they're usually....I don't want to say age appropriate, but dumbing down isn't quite right either.  Simplified?  Yes, simplified.  We're watching The Tempest this summer but I don't think all towns do the same thing.

[historically accurate]

I've done a few Shakespeare plays with the kids over the years; I did Midsummer with a 4th, a 6th, and a 9th grader a couple of years ago. 

We started with a really easy Children's version. We have this set  https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Shakespeare-Childrens-Stories-Collection/dp/1782260854  They're essentially early chapter books.

I read Mary and Charles Lamb's version aloud. It's a good story, but harder to read. During me reading, the younger kids built a stage and dolls/puppets to act out the scenes (essentially doing narration with a visual component). 

We watched it in cartoon form (I can't find the link - pretty sure it was Youtube); then we watched a live play. 

Finally, after everyone was overly familiar with the story did I try to tackle the original. We have a version that has the original on one page and the opposing page has a modern translation, but by that time, the 9th grader really didn't need the translation. Really, only the 9th grader read the original, although the 6th grader gave it a good shot. It took about a semester to get through the play (not daily work on it obviously). 

[Lori D.]

4 hours ago, beckyjo said:

We watched it in cartoon form (I can't find the link - pretty sure it was Youtube)...

 

15 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I think there used to be some cartoon versions on youtube...

 

The 25-min. Animated Tales: Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's dream is here: Vimeo, and here: Daily Motion. NOTE: it's all original language, but abridged, so you'll want to first read one of the easy children's versions linked by Nixpix5 or Beckyjo, above, and then watch.