rockala Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Hello, I am teaching a middle school home school co-op on the middle ages and trying to decide which play to do and with what resources. I work part-time and need something not heavy on preparation. I also want them to have a good experince. I have used EDCON publishing William Shakespares levels 2 and 3 before. I am considering Henry V as it is time period, but admitteldy do not know much about it. Any help on a good first play and resources/workbook would be wonderfully appreciated. kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Do a comedy, definitely. I love Twelfth Night, or you might also consider Comedy of Errors. One thing I have found really helpful teaching Shakespeare is to have little paper dolls of all the characters and a map of all the scenes. You can get volunteers from class to make these. I teach with the kids sitting in a circle and the map of scenes in the middle. The paper dolls are on sticks, which we stick into blobs of playdough on the scenery. It helps keep everything straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Here's a link to a recent discussion: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=773502#poststop Twelfth Night is a good one to do for younger dc. http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xShakeSph.html#top Penguin has notes on Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare; join for free to get the answers: http://www.penguinreaders.com/pr/resources/index.html Listen to it here: http://librivox.org/tales-from-shakespeare-by-charles-and-mary-lamb/ Be sure to check Youtube for clips of many of Shakespeare's plays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 A lot of people do "Midsummer Night's Dream" as a first time out with Shakespeare; it is a light comedy, very accessible, and mostly "clean". For go-along resources check out: - the 1999 film version as an option for seeing it performed - the Parallel Text Shakespeare version (side-by-side original text AND modern translation, plus accompanying workbook, AND teacher guide) Other accessible Shakespeare comedies: Twelfth Night - 1980 BBC videotaped live play version; from the series: The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare - 1996 film version (preview first -- I haven't seen this one) - Play On! -- wonderful 2000 TV musical based closely on the story of Twelfth Night, set in 1920s Harlem Much Ado About Nothing - 1993 film version (skip opening scene with people bathing and bare bums -- it's not in the play; the rest of the film is pretty clean) - 1984 BBC videotaped live play version; from the series: The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare - "Brightest Heaven of Invention" -- book covering 6 Shakespeare plays chapter with in-depth analysis Accessible Shakespeare tragedies: Macbeth - the Parallel Text Shakespeare version (side-by-side original text AND modern translation, plus accompanying workbook, AND teacher guide) - "Brightest Heaven of Invention" -- book covering 6 Shakespeare plays chapter with in-depth analysis - Throne of Blood -- 1957 Japanese samurai film based on the story (any other film version of Macbeth is too intense with too many violent and/or sexual content for young teens) Romeo and Juliet - the Parallel Text Shakespeare version (side-by-side original text AND modern translation, plus accompanying workbook, AND teacher guide) - West Side Story -- 1961 musical film based on the story see Parallel Text Shakespeare at: http://rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1234223695-1236962&subject=6&category=1471 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 PS -- As far as doing Henry V, there's nothing objectionable in it, and there is a chapter in Brightest Heaven on Invention on it, and there's a well done 1989 version of the play, but... frankly, Shakespeare's histories are not the most interesting/exciting introduction to his plays, in the way that the comedies and tragedies are. I vote with Strider in the post above and vote for a comedy, or a great tragedy! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 - "Brightest Heaven of Invention" -- book covering 6 Shakespeare plays chapter with in-depth analysis No experience with that age group, but I bought this book and enjoy using it to help ME understand Shakespeare, so I wanted to second it as a resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I am no Shakespeare expert and have just intended to do Henry V (we are in a medieval year) after seeing SWB's praise of the Keneth Brenaugh play in TWTM....however, we only got half an hour into the movie/play and we just did not enjoy it at all. I think one owuld have to be somewhat familiar with and fond of SHakespeare to enjoy Henry V. I remember doing it in school though. I have decided to do Romeo and Juliet actually, because I am familiar with it and it just feels right for my adolescent kids right now! I gave up on trying to match a play to our medieval era- instead we are learning more about Shakespeare and his times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Thoughts about Henry V: The Branagh film is wonderful, but there are distressing scenes: the battle scenes are bloody, the death of the young boy is not glossed over, and there is a hanging. This is all in the text, but seeing it on screen is a different matter. Back to the play: wonderful speeches; quite a bit of dialect (but the 'low' characters are often fairly incomprehensible in Shakespeare); a couple of scenes that are largely in French - it's possible to work out what's going on without understanding the language, but your middle schoolers might switch off. We started with Much Ado (because of the Branagh movie). It's a comedy, but has emotionally difficult aspects, and there's one scene (not in the text) where your middle-schoolers might realise that two peopl are making love in a window. There's also male nudity (non-sexual) viewed from behind. I like Midsummer Night's Dream as a starter - see if there's an outdoor production happening in your area this summer. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I would begin by reading a good story version of a play (I like Much Ado, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V or Twelfth Night as an introduction - depending if you have mainly boys or girls) - E Nesbit, Leon Garfield or Charles and Mary Lamb all wrote versions. Then watch a DVD of your chosen play (all of the above have decent film versions) in a cosy setting, with snacks. Afterwards you could have your group make their own short film using paper dolls / Lego people / themselves etc as characters. Choose short scenes to act from the play of your choice. Here is a book with a pop-up theatre model that also has paper dolls and short dialogues from selected plays that they could either use or simply enjoy playing with and seeing what the original Globe Theatre would have looked like. After they have finished that suggest to their parents that they buy the Oxford School Shakespeare book to go along with the play they studied. They are well laid out and, now they know the plot and have a greater grasp of the language, they will find it quite accessible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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