Teaching Shakespeare can be daunting for many.
Some wonder if Shakespeare is worth teaching. They argue that he’s just an older, white man who was forced to learn Shakespeare’s work in high school.
These people consider the idea that the next generation will be obligated to this responsibility cruel and ineffective.
Shakespeare was alive more than 500 year ago. Also, he wasn’t the first white Englishman to write plays. Yet, I believe Shakespeare teaching is vital.
Shakespeare’s work is undoubtedly unique and beautiful. For over five centuries, it has touched millions all over the globe and has been an influence in Western culture.
It’s possible to learn a lot about Shakespeare’s writings, including Japanese cinema, Italian opera, Japanese cinema, and the reason Shakespeare is the most famous playwright.
Shakespeare Week at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
All this to tell you that I believe Shakespeare is important to be taught to young children.
It is crucial that Shakespeare is taught in such a way as to allow children to connect with Shakespeare and make their own decision about whether or not to continue reading. Shakespeare Week, a national campaign initiated in the UK by Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT), is based on this principle and includes KS2 Shakespeare workshops.
Similar to Canada, many British children are only exposed to the Bard because it is a topic they must master for high school exams. Shakespeare Week was founded by the SBT to expose children to Shakespeare’s work, life and times in a fun and engaging way. SBT hopes this will help children understand Shakespeare better than just seeing him as a source of stress or confusion.
I had the opportunity to be an intern for the SBT for 2 months during this winter.
As part of Shakespeare Week’s team, I was able to see firsthand how excited people are. If Shakespeare is introduced in a proper way, kids can easily learn about Shakespeare.
I had the opportunity to be part of preparations for Shakespeare Week. Also, I was able travel around England and visit various theatres and historical houses that were running Shakespeare Week activities.
Lessons Learned from My Shakespeare Week Trips
Below are some lessons from Shakespeare Week, my time at SBT (and my subsequent M.A. research into designing museum education activities to children. So, here are five things Shakespeare Week taught and learned about teaching Shakespeare to children.
1. It’s not boring to be surrounded by blood, fairies and forbidden loves
Many people, either adults or children, are afraid to introduce Shakespeare to them.
These people are my question: Have they ever read this stuff before? Shakespeare’s plays include mythical creatures such as shipwrecks, plotting and back-stabbing, murder, and many other things.
Children may need some help understanding certain words (more to come shortly), but once the plot is understood, they will be more interested.
Shakespeare Week and, I’m sure in most classrooms as well, children loved Shakespeare’s plays.
While they found Macbeth’s murderousness and ruthlessness a little troubling, their interest in Shakespeare and its subtle plot points was undoubtedly gratifying.
2. Children want to participate
There are many factors that can make every child unique. Some may want to be more involved with a particular lesson or activity than others. Children love to be involved in learning, at least during Shakespeare Week. (Academic research also supports that children learn more when given some control over how they learn.
I found the Shakespeare Week activities which allowed kids to be in control and take part were the ones that engaged them most. One school group was able to create an entire Macbeth production within a single day. They were thrilled by the idea. At the end of day one of most reserved students asked if everyone could take a bow.
3. Children know… a lot.
Shakespeare (and particularly Shakespearean) can be overwhelming, even for the most highly educated and intelligent adult.
This is why most people assume Shakespeare is best taught to children through plot rather than language. It is not a good idea for a young person to read “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and expect them or her to understand it. However, children can understand a lot more things than we realize.
“I Bite the Thumb at You Sir”
I remember a couple of boys aged 10 and 11 who attended a workshop on Romeo and Juliet.
The inflections and tone of the one-boy uttered, “I bite my nose at you sir”, would have put shame to any Stratford actor.
4. Adults matter
Even though children can easily pick up a lot, that doesn’t make them less valuable than adults. Both my SBT experiences and my M.A. In both my SBT and M.A. research, I was struck by the importance of teachers, family members, and cultural educators (museum educaters, workshop directors, etc.). It was obvious.
Adults set the mood. They can help create a positive atmosphere and understand the needs of children. Adults can also become disengaged and uninterested. Children will then follow their lead.
This is why passionate, passionate, and curious educators, such as you, have a lot to offer. Experiential learning is far more effective when it’s led by a museum educator who is equally passionate.
5. Shakespeare fits into any curriculum
The main reason many people aren’t introduced to Shakespeare before their stressful high-school English exams is because Shakespeare isn’t part of the curriculum for young children in Canada and Britain.
Teachers should be concerned about curriculum.
Shakespeare Week demonstrates that Shakespeare can be included in any curriculum if you are creative. Literally thousands of schools in the UK registered for online access to the SBT’s cross curricular resources. These resources were available to parents and teachers for teaching Shakespeare to children. They also allowed them to learn about math and develop their curriculum. To learn more, please visit Shakespeare Week. International teachers and parents can also register to use these resources.
The introduction to Shakespeare does not have to include reading a play. Children can also learn about Shakespeare through the Globe’s profits and by reading Shakespeare’s plays.
A Positive Start
Children are naturally positive.
While parents, siblings and teachers might think Shakespeare is boring, younger kids don’t often have such preconceived views.
Shakespeare Week is a week that introduces children to Shakespeare, while they are still children. The project’s success has shown that children can develop positive relationships with Shakespeare.