“To be (in this class) or not to be (in this class). That is the question.”
Welcome, all of you who have chosen “to be” in this Shakespeare 101 class.
This class will offer your child the opportunity to become familiar with William Shakespeare and his works.
Class notes will be shared on dates:
January 28
February 11, 25
March 10, 24
April 7, 21
May 5
To begin your study, print this sheet of William Shakespeare, have your child color it, and place it in a presentation folder which will serve as your child's portfolio. Check with your library to see if they have a biographical DVD/Video on William Shakespeare. We will be using this one: William Shakespeare: The Famous Author Series (30 minute concise biography).
Some of the basics I hope to cover are:
(1) The life and times of William Shakespeare
(2) A sampling of his greater works
(3) To familiarize them with the lead characters
(4) To familiarize them with the separation of his works (comedies, histories, tragedies)
(5) To understand how the plays were written and how to find quotes
(6) To recognize familiar words and quotes in our 21st Century that came directly from Shakespeare himself
(7) To learn about the Globe Theatre
(8) Compare today's current events with things Shakespeare wrote about
(9) Compose a sonnet
(10) To put together a portfolio of this study which will show a record of what your child has learned in this class
I’m looking forward to learning more about Shakespeare along with your child.
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
As You Like It, II, 7
Dear Cay, Thank you so much for doing this study. It comes at the perfect time for us as we are actually starting our first Shakespeare "play" (actually in prose, though) today! This will be a great help to me in making our study more useful and fun. (BTW, I just received my copy of PPC last week and found it very inspiring. After reading it I logged into the library's system and reserved several of your recommendations for the Jan/Feb Children's Hour. What a great list!)
Sincerely,
Diana Cunningham
Posted by: Diana Cunningham | January 28, 2008 at 07:59 AM
Cay,
I didn't know co-op was starting, so we will follow along with your online study! Thanks for doing this.
Kimberly
Posted by: Kimberly | January 29, 2008 at 08:23 AM
I am so excited about this, Cay! Thank you!
Posted by: Elizabeth Leone | January 29, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Thanks for this, Cay! I will be sharing with members of our co-op; we are studying the middle ages this year and Shakespeare is at the end of our year (in May).
I'd like to jump in now and I know others will, too.
One neat newer resource on Shakespeare is a series called ... "for Kids." We have Twelfth Night for Kids and Shakespeare for Kids. I think they are really well done and worth exploring.
Nancy
Posted by: Nancy | January 29, 2008 at 01:30 PM
This was on my list of "put together this year", Cay. You just saved me a ton of anguish and work. I am very very grateful. Thanks and God bless!
Posted by: stef | January 29, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Cay - Just found your posts on Shakespeare 101 as I'm putting my year and plans together. What a help! Thanks much.
Posted by: Jennifer | June 23, 2008 at 05:46 PM