Here is an idea that is fun to do at the end of October and there is so much you can do with this! If you’ve always wanted to introduce your young scholars to Shakespeare but didn’t know how to get started, I hope this will encourage you to try!
Choose from all or just a few of the activities which reach ACROSS DISCIPLINES to include: a prediction activity for introducing the plot, a little mystery surrounding Shakespeare, quick and fun play performances or readings, and a magical science lesson to stir in some excitement!
I did the activities described here with my 4th grade as part of our MYSTERIES unit, but the resources here may be used with students as young as seven years (second grade).
PRESENTING THE STORY
Very Brief Intro ~ Before presenting any portion of the plot, I always found it best to see how much my students knew about Shakespeare, his genius, and the diversity of his writings. After eliciting what they (think they) know, I share a little about him. This video would work well as a simple introduction.
Prediction Activity and Basic Plot ~ I was convinced that Shakespeare Can Be Fun! by author and teacher Lois Burdett who retells the Bard’s plays through rhyming couplets! The samples of student writings and illustrations enrich the content and help students understand the plot!
Using excerpts from her Macbeth for Kids (affiliate link), I had students focus on DETAILS to make predictions about the storyline. Following predictions, I did a quick retelling of the rest of the story. We did not read the entire book. I skimmed through the pages, paraphrasing the plot, and shared the illustrations and student writings to clarify. To reinforce the plot, I created sequence cards that students can put in order as the story is retold. Believe it or not, the fact that I didn’t read the entire book enticed many of my students to clamor for it so they could finish reading it.
Preview/ Download PREDICTION ~ RETELLING lesson (PDF)
Big Ideas / Summarizing ~ My students then wrote limericks to express the big ideas and themes in the play (power, guilt, greed, ambition, etc.) while also striving to sum up the basic plot. It was a challenge, and we worked together to make things rhyme! With illustrations, these made a nice bulletin board display. View all slides to see samples.
If you get your hands on Lois Burdett’s version, you will be blown away by the BIG IDEA statements her young students wrote. One second-grader wrote, “Macbeth is all about pride and blood and spears and swords, but mostly it’s about power…”
Acting it Out– If you are interested in having students act out all or part of the story, this book of quick and funny plays includes versions from 10 minutes to 25 minutes for small or large groups. The plays are especially written for kids with a lighter tone and playful dialogue. I personally would change a line here and there (e.g. “kick Macduff’s butt”), but other than that, it’s very tame and would make a fun way to reinforce the story. I also love the way Brendan Kelan incorporates actual lines from Shakespeare!
THE MYSTERY
In 2011, a feature film, Anonymous, came out that brought attention to this so-called mystery: the question of whether William Shakespeare’s works were perhaps written by someone other than Shakespeare. Because our 4th-grade unit was all about mysteries, I had to include something about this even though it is largely debunked by scholars. This TEDEd video is one you can share with students, and though it gets a bit technical about two minutes in, I think it’s worth sharing about the mystery and how stylometry is used to study the characteristics of writers to determine authorship.
THE MAGIC
It may seem a little contrived to time this at the end of October, but I found this to be a great opportunity to throw in a science concept that many students don’t learn until later: sublimation. Create the witches’ brew and have students reenact the scene, reciting the famous lines: “Double, double, toil, and trouble…” as they stir the brew. Here’s a lesson you can use in part or in its entirety. Although it’s geared to younger students, I like the simplicity of the presentation!
You can find more about how to recreate a bubbling brew with dry ice, and more detailed information, by clicking on the photo shown here.
Language of the Discipline ~ There is so much that can be done with the language of Shakespeare and his wordcraft! I’ve decided to write about this in future posts- there’s too much!
If you do any of these activities and have feedback to share, your comments below would be appreciated! If you’re new to this site, be sure to check out the video tour to learn about how it is organized.
Happy Teaching!
My third and fourth grade students loved this unit! I had a group of eight boys and they were interested from beginning to end. We ended up performing the play using the book mentioned. Rather than memorize the play we used Google slides and input the lines, then highlighted it one part at a time. We displayed this on our smart board and ran it like a teleprompter! We recorded the performance on iPads in front of a green screen. The kids took turns acting, directing, running the teleprompter, recording, serving as prop manager, and editing. They even made movie trailers in iMovie. We had a movie premiere (complete with popcorn, of course) at the end. They were so proud of their work and did an amazing job!
Taylor, what a fun way to give your students all kinds of hands-on experiences with technology, production, and drama. I love that you took this idea and ran with it! Thank you so much for sharing what you and your students did. WELL DONE!