Introducing Shakespeare in Year 7/8
These comprehensive resources are packed with materials to introduce KS3 pupils to two of Shakespeare’s comedy and tragedy plays – building knowledge of language, techniques, characters, themes, genre, and much more.
- Fulfils the requirement of the 2014 curriculum to study two whole plays!
I loved the modern version of [A Midsummer Night's Dream] – very funny and would really engage students at KS3. Makes Shakespeare relevant for a younger age group. Would be great for students to act this out too.
For both plays...
- Keep students engaged: insightful activities for every scene with worksheets provided for write-on exercises
- Decipher Shakespearean language: modern adaptations of three key scenes
- Consolidate key plot points: all remaining scenes summarised through clear, concise narrative notes
The suggestions for activities are excellent with plenty there to enable teachers to pick and choose to suit the makeup and ability of their students.
Activities include:
Comparing the modern and original versions (both provided)
and working out meanings, group discussions and debates,
independent research, creative writing, role play, close
reading and many more!
| Comedy | Tragedy |
|---|---|
| A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest | Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth |
Linked to learning objectives based on the 2014 curriculum requirements throughout!
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What do teachers say about this resource? (5388)
Incredibly detailed, particularly with the modern and traditional scenes together. The suggestions for activities are excellent with plenty there to enable teachers to pick and choose to suit the makeup and ability of their students. The narrative notes on the scenes are incredibly useful for both teachers new to the play and as catch-up notes for absentees... I like the variety of activities available across all the different areas of English. The teacher hints are also very useful... It enhances learning by not shying away from Shakespeare's English... It gives a varied selection of activities to suit a variety of learning styles therefore making it extremely good value for money. It also emphasised social and historical context through the research tasks; so often reading AF7 is shied away from, but here it is used a lot at various points, not only promoting research and summary skills but also enhancing students learning... this would be a valuable addition to my resources, particularly the modern scenes.
A clearly set out resource with some good instructions for teachers... Good ideas for tasks... Great questions... I like the narrative notes – very clear. These could be stuck into students books... I loved the modern version of [A Midsummer Night's Dream] – very funny and would really engage students at KS3. Makes Shakespeare relevant for a younger age group. Would be great for students to act this out too. The puppet theatre idea is also a good one – very entertaining... lots of creative activities. The resource would help students to see this play in a modern context... Appropriately pitched in terms of level of challenge for KS3 students... provides a range of activities to help students to perform the range of speaking and listening, writing and reading tasks that the National Curriculum requires.
Covered the two plays in detail... I liked the extracts that were included... – both Shakespeare's original and the modern translations. The teacher's notes were particularly extensive and allowed for good teaching... This resource suits the new KS3 2014 curriculum particularly well, as it clearly focuses on two of Shakespeare's plays and an extensive look at the genre of comedy. This allows an in depth analysis of Shakespeare's writing and the comedy genre; therefore, ensuring that students have an enhanced learning experience.
Practical and contains some interesting activities that would be easily adapted for different groups and abilities. It provides a clear pathway through the play... I liked the wide range of activities that are suggested for students. The combination of speaking and listening, creative writing, close reading, drama, games and assessment is really useful and makes the resources quite versatile... The resource would enhance learning as it provides and approachable series to activities... the range of activities covers the curriculum well and makes a text that many Year 7 students may have found unapproachable accessible and fun
This resource has a range of activities for a selection of key scenes and would be beneficial to those new to teaching Shakespeare. I feel there is a good balance of drama and English activities and I am glad that drama activities have been included as many resources don't include such activities.
What do teachers say about this resource? (6132)
The modern version text is really useful for a lower ability group, rather than getting them to paraphrase from the original Shakespearian language.
I liked the fact that the resource is clearly linked to the national curriculum aims and objectives - very teacher friendly and will help when writing the Schemes of Learning.