Shakespeare and the theatre

Objective & content

This sheet on Shakespeare and the theatre opens on an article, "A day at Shakespeare's Globe": a class visits the copy of Shakespeare's theatre in London, learns about his life in Stratford-upon-Avon and London, his plays and sonnets, the noisy audience of his time, and watches a performance of Romeo and Juliet. The article carries all the target words in context, from playwright, sonnets and groundlings to audience, roles, plot and adaptations. By the end, pupils understand and use the words of the theatre and talk about Shakespeare's life and influence.

Pedagogical guide

The vocabulary work comes out of the article, never from a list. Page 1 checks understanding with six multiple-choice questions, then pupils name six pictures (the theatre, a crown, a sword, a mask, a skull, a quill) from a box of eight words; two words have no picture. Page 2 matches eight words with their meanings (a tragedy, a comedy, a role, the plot) and five expressions that first appear in Shakespeare's plays with theirs (break the ice, in a pickle, a heart of gold). Page 3 uses eight words from a box of ten in new sentences, turns nouns into adjectives with -ic (tragedy, tragic), with a worked example and five items, and ends on a crossword of ten clues from the article. It is the hardest task, as pupils recall the words with no box to help them. Every task tests words, never grammar.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Ask pupils which Shakespeare stories they know, from films too; write the titles on the board.
2. (10 min) Pupils read the article and answer the six questions, then name the pictures.
3. (10 min) Page 2: match the meanings, then the expressions.
4. (20 min) Page 3: complete the eight sentences, change the nouns into adjectives, then the crossword.
5. (10 min) Correct with the answer key on pages 4 and 5; pupils read the crossword answers aloud.

Adaptations

[S] Read the article aloud together first; ask pupils which Shakespeare stories they know, from films too.

[A] After the expressions, pupils use two of them in sentences about their own life.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy per pupil of the three pupil pages, in colour or black and white. Pages 4 and 5 are the answer key with teacher notes: keep them. Pupils should know the past simple, the present perfect, relative clauses and superlatives. The sheet has no writing task; to take it further, pupils act out the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet in a modern version, or present a film adaptation of a play.