Shakespeare and the Shoemaker

Objective & Plot Summary

Objective: To lead students to follow an investigation in English, to identify suspects using aural clues, and to understand the resolution of a mystery.

Summary: In 16th-century London, a young shoemaker's apprentice with a photographic memory meets his hero, William Shakespeare. When the ending of Romeo and Juliet is destroyed in a suspicious fire, Edmund uses his cunning and talent to trap the culprit among three suspects and save the play.

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Suggested Lesson Flow

1. Before Listening (~10 min): PLUNGING INTO 16TH-CENTURY LONDON

• Anticipation: Show the illustration of the characters and the map (page 3). Who is Shakespeare? Where does the action take place?

• Vocabulary: Introduce key investigation words: fire, suspect, guilty, trap.

2. During Listening (~25 min): FOLLOWING THE TRAIL

• Segmented listening in 3 parts:

  • Part 1 (The Suspects): Listen until the end of the visits by Greenaway, Benson, and Hardcastle. Pause: "Who is angry at Shakespeare? Why?".

  • Part 2 (The Crime): Listen until the discovery of the arson attack. Pause: "What happened? Who are the three suspects?".

  • Part 3 (The Resolution): Listen to Edmund's plan and the outcome.

3. After Listening (~15 min): SOLVING THE INVESTIGATION

• Discussion: "Who was the guilty person? Why did he do it? Was Edmund's plan clever?".

• Simple Task: Form 3 groups, one for each suspect. Each group prepares a sentence to claim their innocence or accuse another. Example: "I am Dame Hardcastle. I am not guilty. I think the actor did it!".

Adaptations

• To Simplify: On the board, create a "Suspects" chart. After listening to the introduction of each suspect, pause and note down their name and the reason for their anger (the motive).

• To Extend: Ask students to imagine they are Shakespeare. They write a short journal entry recounting the fire and their meeting with the "remarkable" Edmund.