Three two-hour lessons around the life and work of William Shakespeare.

Level A1 (not complete beginners)

This is an outline of three lessons with attached worksheets and video links which will enable low
level students to participate in the April Shakespeare week. Students will be given a good British
Council note book to include all their Shakespeare worksheets, notes, collages etc.

Lesson 1
Warmer: Word Puzzle. Students work in a team or pairs with an acrostic-like puzzle: the
Step word William Shakespeare is written down the middle of a paper Flip Chart page. Students
One. have to write a word or two words for each letter in William Shakespeare for 10 minutes.
The aim is to give the students a lead into the topic. This should be done in groups/teams.
Good idea to give each team one of Shakespeares plays as a name and to keep this for
points and motivation over the three lessons.
This is fun if done in an open space outside the classroom even outside on tables if the
centre lends itself to this.

Needed.: board pens / flip chart paper and chart with teams names and column for
points.

Step Students go back into class and teacher gives points for each word built around William
two. Shakespeare and adds the first points to a team record sheet. The mark sheet is kept by
teacher and team leaders: and if possible placed on a display board.

Using the attached IWB Flip Chart T introduces family lexis using photos of his/her
Step own family ( Lis Hodgsons family on the attached FC but much better if teachers
three. use their own. It really helps build rapport with students). This will introduce
family lexical set before moving onto Shakespeares family on page two of IWB
Flip Chart. Include pictures of the following grandfather, husband, uncle,
grandson, father, nephew, brother Granddaughter, sister, niece, aunt,
grandmother ,mother, wife if possible on the first page of FC and lexis to match to
the picture.
T uses flash cards (need to be laminated) to practise vocabulary of family.
Worksheet 1. Run and touch games/list family you have/order according to
probable age/sts sit back to back one a teacher asking the students to spell the
family words the other spelling.
Students complete family word search, Word search 1. This is done in groups and
points awarded to the first team etc.

Step 4 Teacher returns to Shakespeares family using IWB FC to elicit Shakespeares

family members before looking at a family tree. ( As this lesson is A1 revision is
essential)
www.teachingenglish.org. /sites/teacheng/files/shakespeare-and-his-family-
 student-worksheets-2.pdf Students sit back to back or some distance from each
other and ask questions to complete the tree.
The above family tree completed students complete an easy gap fill using family
vocabulary about Shakespeare. (Worksheet 2). This ensures the students know
something about Shakespeares family and the period in which he lived.

Step 5 Students are given their first homework task which is to source pictures of
Shakespeares family and produce a collage with:
Shakespeare
Anne Hathaway
Their living children
His father and any more of his family they can find.
They glue it into a Shakespeare copy book/Journal as a first page. Points will be
given to the teams according to quality and participation etc.

Introduce more information about Shakespeares family on Flip Chart to introduce them
Step 6 . to his school, his home etc. which will lead into a running dictation to give more
information Worksheet 3.
Step 7 Introduce video clip on Romeo and Juliette. Students listen once. They then listen
and reorder the lines on Worksheet 4. These should be cut up and laminated.
https://youtu.be/FHoaPLO6Zd8 balcony scene.
Students listen to phrases with correct intonation and then practise in pairs.
Homework students stick dialogue in Shakespeare note book and illustrate.

LESSON 2
Step 1 Revise Shakespeares family using FC and Rods. Each rod representing a member
of the family. Learn the family and their names.
Revise general information about Shakespeares family and life using reorder
activity.
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacHeng/files/Task%201%20timeline%2
0Shakespeare%27s%20life.pd Students re-order the cut up phrases about
Shakespeares life.
Homework activity can be to write a paragraph using the information from the
cut ups.

Step 2 Video tour of Shakespeares home

http://shakespeare.org.uk/visit-the-houses/take-a-video-tour.html
Listen and tick what you see in each of Shakespeares houses. Worksheet 5 Preteach
thatched roof etc. IWB Flip Chart.

Step 3 The Globe Theatre. Read about the theatre . Show the Globe Theatre on IWB Flip Chart.
Question formation and Running Dictation on basic facts of the Globe Theatre reading :
Work sheet 6

Download the Shakespeares globe app 360. IPAD lesson. Each centre must have flash for
the app to App to be watched. This is an amazing virtual trip around the globe and is also
interactive.
This can be set for a homework activity or completed in Class as an IPAD lesson
 Introduction to Hamlet. USE Sparks notes HAMLET video and reorder the sentences
Step 4 summarising the Hamlet plot. Work sheet 7

To be or not to be video clip Kenneth Branagh with subtitles. Complete gaps. Worksheet 7

To be or not to be - Kenneth Branagh HD (HAMLET on YouTube.\

Lesson 3
Revise William Shakespeares life with a gap fill. Worksheet 8
Questions to be asked on FC .

Group work.
Group One: prepare to tell Shakespeares life based on the activities in lesson 1
and two. Lower level students will be in this group: Use FC paper.
Group Two. Prepare to act the Romeo and Juliette lines studied in lesson one
Group three: Work on Hamlets soliloquy I pairs, 4 line each.

Students prepare to introduce the topic of Shakespeare: talk about the Globe
theatre : Talk about Shakespeares family and life: recite small parts of Romeo
and Juliette. Write and illustrate the programme and invite other students to
watch them later in the week.

NB Links of sites to be used.

1. www.teachingenglish.org. /sites/teacheng/files/shakespeare-and-his-family-
student-worksheets-2.pdf

2. https://youtu.be/FHoaPLO6Zd8 balcony scene.

3. http://shakespeare.org.uk/visit-the-houses/eye-shakespeare-app.html

4. NB Download the Shakespeares Globe app 360

5. Music which can be used as background music during activities.

The King's Singers Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" performed by the WYSO Philharmonia Orchestra