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shakespeare

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

January 2, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Turn your favorite Shakespeare play into a triorama book report for a unique project. Also, look at my pages Trioramas: How To Create Engaging Visual Narratives For Kids for more ideas and 4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas.

Trioramas are an amazing way to show off whatever topic you are learning about.

They are often done for creating a diorama like a scene of an animal in its habitat or something similar.

But they also make a great backdrop for a book report.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

We chose Romeo & Juliet, but you can opt for any of his works you like, giving it a unique design to match the setting and characters.

You can assign this unique style of book report for all of these or even for other popular plays and books.

I will give you a quick rundown on the 3 most popular of Shakespeare’s works, additional activity ideas, and the how to create your own triorama book report.

BOOKS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

First, look at some of these books about Shakespeare.

6 Books About Shakespeare For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add one or two of these books to your unit study or learning day.

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Tales from Shakespeare (Wordsworth Children's Classics)

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb was written to be an 'introduction to the study of Shakespeare', but are much more entertaining than that. All of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, comic and tragic, are retold in a clear and robust style, and their literary quality has made them popular and sought-after ever since their first publication in 1807.

This edition contains the delightful pen-and-ink drawings of Arthur Rackham.

Favorite Tales from Shakespeare

Retellings of the exciting stories of Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet are augmented by full-color illustrations

Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare

Nobody knows exactly when or why William Shakespeare left his boyhood home of Stratford-on-Avon for the great city of London, but it didn't take long for him to make a name for himself. His plays are now performed almost every day in just about every part of the world; even people who've never seen them use words and phrases he introduced into the English language.

How did a man from an unremarkable family create a legacy that the world, even 400 years after his death, has never forgotten? There will always be unsolved mysteries about Shakespeare, but what we do know of his life, his times, and his theater makes for a very dramatic story.

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare

Ken Ludwig devised his friendly, easy-to-master methods while teaching his own children. Beginning with memorizing short passages from the plays, his technique then instills children with cultural references they will utilize for years to come. Ludwig’s approach includes understanding of the time period and implications of Shakespeare’s diction as well as the invaluable lessons behind his words and stories. Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which the Bard wrote.

Romeo and Juliet

Joining Bruce Coville's earlier prose adaptations of Shakespeare's plays is this picture book treatment of the Bard's most popular work ever. The tender story of the young star-crossed lovers from warring families, Romeo and Juliet has moved audiences to tears for four hundred years. And Coville tells it in a way that will surely whet the appetite of young audiences, who will then find even greater enjoyment in the original. As with his earlier adaptations, Coville expertly combines his own dramatic language with key lines from the play. Dennis Nolan, who illustrated Coville's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, contributes stunning paintings, including a gatefold of the famous balcony scene. In addition to A Midsummer Night's Dream, which Publishers Weekly called "A first rate entree to the Bard," Coville also retold The Tempest and Macbeth. Of the latter, School Library Journal said, "Coville's muscular sentences, full of dramatic word choices, make this a good read-aloud." Both Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream were honored as ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults.

And look at these other trioramas.

MORE TRIORAMAS

  • How to Make an Easy Rainforest Triorama With Kids
  • How to Make a Water, Land, and Sky Animal Habitat Triorama
  • How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report
  • How to Make a Cool Greek Mythology Triorama With Kids
  • How to Make a Giant Triorama Project About Cherokee Culture
  • How to Make A Desert Triorama About the Gobi, Sahara, & Antarctica
  • Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids
  • How to Make a Triorama Teaching the Primary Colors with Dollar Tree Supplies
  • How To Build A Water Habitat Triorama With Kids
  • How to Craft a Stunning Wolf Animal Triorama
  • How to Make a Biome Triorama That Explores Alaska’s Amazing Features
  • How to Make a Native American Triorama Highlighting Tribes in 3 Regions
  • How to Make A Pyramid Diorama For States Of Matter
  • The Wonders of the Great Barrier Reef: An Ecosystem Triorama

Next, look at some of these works of Shakespeare.

3 POPULAR WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE

This play is a tragic love story about two young people from feuding families who fall in love at first sight.

ROMEO AND JULIET

The story is set in Verona, Italy. And it tells the story of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Romeo and Juliet are from two families who have been feuding for generations.

Despite their families’ hatred for each other, Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly marry.

Their love is forbidden. They must keep their relationship a secret from their families.

However, their love is doomed from the start, and they eventually take their own lives rather than live without each other.

Romeo and Juliet explores a number of important themes, including: The power of love, the dangers of prejudice and hatred, the importance of family, the consequences of rash decisions

It is a timeless story of love, loss, and tragedy.

The characters are relatable and interesting, and the themes are relevant to teens’ lives. Romeo and Juliet is also a great way for teens to learn about Shakespeare’s writing and the Elizabethan era.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is full of humor, romance, and adventure, and it tells the story of four young lovers who find themselves caught up in a magical forest on a midsummer night.

The story begins with Hermia and Lysander, two young lovers who are forbidden from being together by Hermia’s father. They decide to run away together. And they are followed into the forest by Demetrius, Hermia’s former love interest, and Helena, Demetrius’s current love interest.

Once in the forest, the four lovers are caught up in a magical world of fairies and elves.

The fairy king, Oberon, and the fairy queen, Titania, are having a fight, and they use their magic to play tricks on the lovers. The lovers are confused and enchanted. Too, they fall in and out of love with each other.

In the end, Oberon and Titania resolve their fight, and the lovers are reunited. The play ends with a wedding and a celebration.

It explores a number of important themes, including: the power of love, the dangers of jealousy, the importance of forgiveness, and the nature of dreams.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

It is a funny, romantic, and exciting play with a lot of magic and adventure. The characters are relatable and interesting, and the themes are relevant to teens’ lives. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also a great way for teens to learn about Shakespeare’s writing and the Elizabethan era.

JULIUS CAESAR

Julius Caesar is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, and it’s a great introduction to Shakespeare for teens. The play is full of action, adventure, and political intrigue, and it tells the story of one of the most famous assassinations in history.

The story is set in ancient Rome. It tells the story of a group of conspirators who plot to assassinate Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator. Caesar is a powerful and popular leader, but he is also ambitious and ruthless. The conspirators believe that Caesar is a threat to Rome’s democracy, and they are determined to stop him.

Julius Caesar explores a number of important themes, including the dangers of ambition, the importance of loyalty, and the nature of power. The play is also a reminder that even the most

Teens will love Julius Caesar because it is a fast-paced and exciting play with a lot of action and adventure. The characters are relatable and interesting, and the themes are relevant to teens’ lives.

Julius Caesar is also a great way for teens to learn about Roman history and culture.

Also, look at more activities to go along with this Shakespeare triorama book report.

TRIORAMA BOOK REPORT AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

  • 4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas
  • Introduce Shakespeare with a Free Escape Room
  • How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Mixed Media Art Project
  • Shakespeare Unit Study Starters
  • It’s a Bard Knock Life: DIY Shakespearean Collar
  • Amazing Globe Theatre model!
  • How to Draw William Shakespeare

Finally, look at how to make this book report.

AMAZING SHAKESPEARE TRIORAMA BOOK REPORT

You will need:

  • 12×12 color or patterned cardstock
  • White cardstock
  • Craft paint/paint brushes
  • Printed pages of Shakespeare quotes
How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

First, fold cardstock from corner to corner and press the seam tightly.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Unfold and fold it again across the opposite corner.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Open the cardstock and cut up one of the corner creases all the way to the center.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Before we glue the triorama into place it is easiest to draw the design on the backdrop, you can paint or color it before folding or after.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Bend the creases so that one side of the cut flap slides under the other, glue in place.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

To create a fun backdrop we typed up some of our favorite Shakespeare quotes.

Then we printed and ripped them into strips as if they were torn from the pages of his play.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Glue them down onto the backdrop of the triorama.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

The final piece is to draw out your characters and props on white cardstock, color them in if you wish or leave them as sketches.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Cut each one out, like you would a paper doll but leave a ½” long strip across the bottom.

How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report

Fold the strip under and glue it into place on your scene.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: book report, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, shakespeare, triorama

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

November 5, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free 4-week Shakespeare unit study for kids. Look at these other Best Homeschool Unit Studies and my Fun Renaissance Unit Study Ideas for Kids and Lapbook Renaissance for more ideas and topics for hands-on learning.

Although there is debate about Shakespeare’s exact date of birth, we do know he was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a town in a farming area.

His mother, Mary, was the daughter of a local farmer. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool trader with a large family house.

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

And Shakespeare lived during a remarkable period of English history.

The life of William Shakespeare is surrounded in mystery due to the lack of records from that time.

Elizabeth I became the Queen of England in 1558.

During her 45-year reign, London became a cultural center where learning and literature thrived.

Also, I share a few of the ideas we did at our co-op. There are just some activities that are way more to do with a group.

Especially if you have a tough subject to teach, gather families together and use the creative brain of those families in your group.

BOOKS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

Next, add a few of these books that will get you started on your unit study.

And where possible, I prefer living books over textbooks to teach with.

6 Books About Shakespeare For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add one or two of these books to your unit study or learning day.

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Tales from Shakespeare (Wordsworth Children's Classics)

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb was written to be an 'introduction to the study of Shakespeare', but are much more entertaining than that. All of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, comic and tragic, are retold in a clear and robust style, and their literary quality has made them popular and sought-after ever since their first publication in 1807.

This edition contains the delightful pen-and-ink drawings of Arthur Rackham.

Favorite Tales from Shakespeare

Retellings of the exciting stories of Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet are augmented by full-color illustrations

Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare

Nobody knows exactly when or why William Shakespeare left his boyhood home of Stratford-on-Avon for the great city of London, but it didn't take long for him to make a name for himself. His plays are now performed almost every day in just about every part of the world; even people who've never seen them use words and phrases he introduced into the English language.

How did a man from an unremarkable family create a legacy that the world, even 400 years after his death, has never forgotten? There will always be unsolved mysteries about Shakespeare, but what we do know of his life, his times, and his theater makes for a very dramatic story.

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare

Ken Ludwig devised his friendly, easy-to-master methods while teaching his own children. Beginning with memorizing short passages from the plays, his technique then instills children with cultural references they will utilize for years to come. Ludwig’s approach includes understanding of the time period and implications of Shakespeare’s diction as well as the invaluable lessons behind his words and stories. Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which the Bard wrote.

Romeo and Juliet

Joining Bruce Coville's earlier prose adaptations of Shakespeare's plays is this picture book treatment of the Bard's most popular work ever. The tender story of the young star-crossed lovers from warring families, Romeo and Juliet has moved audiences to tears for four hundred years. And Coville tells it in a way that will surely whet the appetite of young audiences, who will then find even greater enjoyment in the original. As with his earlier adaptations, Coville expertly combines his own dramatic language with key lines from the play. Dennis Nolan, who illustrated Coville's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, contributes stunning paintings, including a gatefold of the famous balcony scene. In addition to A Midsummer Night's Dream, which Publishers Weekly called "A first rate entree to the Bard," Coville also retold The Tempest and Macbeth. Of the latter, School Library Journal said, "Coville's muscular sentences, full of dramatic word choices, make this a good read-aloud." Both Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream were honored as ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults.

Next, look at some of these fun ways to incorporate history and geography into your Shakespeare unit study.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 1

Queen Elizabeth I ruled from 1558, until her death on March 24, 1603, marking the Elizabethan era.

She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Queen Elizabeth also recognized the importance of the arts to the life and legacy of her nation.

She was fond of the theater, and England’s greatest playwrights.

  • Salt Dough Map of England gets your kids involved hands-on.
  • The Globe Theatre, built in 1599. Make your own globe theater stage
  • Learn about the fashion of the Elizabethan period. Fabrics like velvet, silk and brocade. The wealthy wore extravagant clothing. A ruff is a collar that is large and comes around the neck.How to make a paper maché Elizabethan ruff
  • Make a Tudor Rose and learn what is symbolized. Takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and five red outer petals to represent the House of Lancaster.
  • Research the contributions of England’s maiden queen then create a 3-D portrait.
  • This was the Age of Exploration. Research Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. Look at how to make a Sir Francis Drake Ship.
  • Another fun twist on geography is to make a map of places where Shakespeare’s plays take place. For example, Macbeth took place in Scotland and some in England, Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy and A Midsummer Night’s Dream took place in Athens.

NATURE & SCIENCE SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 2

Also, study a list of plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays.

For example, learn about roses.

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

A rose symbolizes love and beauty.

And think about the line “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” from the play Romeo and Juliet.

Here are some more examples and research about what they mean.

  • Hamlet – Holly, Violet, Daisy, Fennel, Willow, Cypress
  • The Winter’s Tale – Marigold, Mint
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Pansy, Cowslip
  • Romeo and Juliet – Rose, Briar, Basil
  • Make a homemade candle
  • Plant a mini herb garden planting thyme, rosemary and lavender as used during the Elizabethan period.
  • The clothes had to be dyed as well as using berries for ink. Look at this post for how to dye fabric from berries and vegetables and How to Make a Quill and Berry Ink.

MATH & LANGUAGE ARTS SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 3

Additionally, here are some fun ways to add a bit of math and language arts to your unit study.

Besides the obvious idea of focusing on a couple of Shakespeare’s plays, look at more ideas to flesh out your study.

  • Talk about the 3 ways of telling time during Shakespeare’s time. Hourglass, sundial, and clocks. Look at this article which has interesting facts about time and how inaccurate clocks were then.
  • Take a twist on math and learn about the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet which is 14 lines and research about iambic pentameter.
  • Too, look at my post How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Unit Study Starters
  • Another fun way to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life is to act out certain parts. We had some teens in our group make a few props like a balcony and costumes and acted out their parts. It was way more fun for our teens.
  • Discuss the shapes of The Globe Theatre to learn about geometry. Build a scale model of it.
  • Learn about the money used during this time. For example, pounds, shillings, and pence.
  • Prepare food of the time and practice math measurements. For example, learn about pottage, bread was popular, meat pies, cheese, beers and ale. Honey was a popular flavoring since sugar was expensive. Look at my post Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.
  • Apothecary was an occupation during Shakespeare’s time. Look at my post Apothecary Salve.
  • And I know not everyone lives near a renaissance fest but I contacted them to get names of folks they used as actors. We had a volunteer “Bard” come and go over with our kids about Shakespeare.

Also, look at some of my favorite sites. They are text retellings.

  • Absolute Shakespeare.
  • Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare.
4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

ARTS & CRAFTS SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY WEEK 4

Finally, look at these fun art and craft ideas during the Shakespeare and Elizabethan period.

  • Look at these fun puppets and coloring pages for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
  • In addition, use simple paper plates, string, paint to make masks of favorite characters from his plays.
  • Make stained glass windows. Look at my post How To Make A Kids Easy Medieval Stained Glass Window and Geronimo Stilton Time Travel How to Make a Medieval Stained Glass Craft.
  • In addition, learn about glassblowing. Look at my unit Glass Blowing lapbook and unit study.
  • And here are some fun dresses for paperdolls. Use them to create your own costume or use them for paperdolls.
  • For older kids interested in fashion of the time look at these model templates they can use to create their own designs.
  • Discover some of the trade crafts of that time. For example, there were playwrights like Shakespeare, quillmaking, costumer, actor, blacksmith, chandler, tanner and shoemaker.
  • Host a fashion contest within your co-op.
4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Last, whether your focus is on poetry, history, comedies or tragedies, look at some of Shakespeare’s works.

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Also, grab my Renaissance lapbook to go with this unit study.

  • Dynamic Renaissance Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Renaissance Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

TRAGEDIES

COMEDIES

  • Antony and Cleopatra
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Macbeth
  • King Lear
  • The Taming of the Shrew
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream

HISTORIES

POETRY

  • Henry VI
  • Richard II
  • 154 Sonnets
  • Venus and Adonis
4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

We add to our unit study as we learn more about Shakespeare.

What hands-on fun have you done?

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Do Unit Studies Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, shakespeare

How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare

April 15, 2016 | 5 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have a fun book how to teach children Shakespeare.

When we had our Renaissance co-op, I was excited to teach about anything from that time period, except Shakespeare.

Thankfully, I didn’t plan the co-op alone and our group brought in a local bard fill-in to teach us about Shakespeare.

It was a huge hit with our high school kids. And until recently, I didn’t think I could repeat the same experience for my younger son.

So I was over the top excited when I received from Ken Ludwig the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.

Psssst! Before I go on too, I wanted to give you a heads up about the giveaway at the bottom so you don’t miss it.

I was compensated for my time reviewing this product, writing this review, and hosting the giveaway. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off.  ALL opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. When I do accept a product it’s because I’m giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here. Now on to the fun stuff!

How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare (The Easy Way) @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is like that bard fill-in we had at our co-op, who translated English from ancient to modern in an animated way to move us and to make sense of the beautiful words painted by Shakespeare.

How Well Do You Know William Shakespeare?

Isn’t that why so many kids and adults can’t stand Shakespeare to this day? I’ll admit it, I was one of them.

No, it’s not Shakespeare’s stirring poetry, which lights a fire in my emotions or feelings that I don’t like. It’s losing the meaning of the words along the way that makes me want to go the other way.

Too, I tend to get harder about my expectations in teaching tools the longer I homeschool and though I had heard about How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare before, I admit I was skeptical.

Free and helpful quotation page in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

However, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare didn’t disappoint and it especially didn’t give me another huge set of useless Shakespearean passages to memorize, but gave me a mighty homeschool tool in my pocket.

Fonts in easy to read format on How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at some of the things that struck a chord with me.

No time is wasted in the outset at explaining why people have a hard time memorizing poems or understanding them. Text needs to be read in an easy format.

When we were memorizing these passages, it’s like you can picture the words on the page because they are broken into chunks. And no this method doesn’t just work for children, but for adults too.

After memorizing passages like this, Tiny won’t read it any other way now.

Not only does Ken Ludwig give you tips on how to teach it, but he created free quotation pages at his website, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.

Words matter to our kids.

I love Ken Ludwig’s gentle reminders about why I should be teaching Shakespeare in my homeschool day.

Though I would love to shield my kids as long as I can from the world’s woes, the truth of it is that children can relate to the stress of every day life and poetry gives them a way to connect with those feelings.

Look below at the words by Macbeth that Tiny has been mouthing because they opened the way to a conversation about why people get to this point in their life or why they feel life may be that way now.

It was deeper than I wanted to go, but it reminded me of the power of words. Also, it resonated with me because I homeschool to have personal moments with each one of my boys.

Life’s but a walking shadow, . . . It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Hard to understand terms are explained right in the book.

One of my very favorite parts, which is what made me fall in love with How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is that terms and words that we don’t use everyday are easily explained right with the passage.

No hunting and pecking on the internet for the meaning of the word which interrupts the flow of thought and the moment is gone.

Do You Know the Difference Between Poetry And Prose

Useful background information.

Also, background information is given about passages that made learning Shakespeare with Tiny not only enjoyable by him, but by myself also. It is hard to not be moved by words from passages that talk about love and rejection.

Too, it’s not a secret that we love history in our family and history is alive and makes sense through the words of Shakespeare.

For example, in one passage we were reading from Twelfth Night, Cesario says,

“Make me a willow cabin at your gate
And call upon my soul within the house.”

The quick explanation about the willow cabin was that in Greek and Roman mythology the willow tree was a symbol of grief for unrequited love.

The passage and message then becomes full of meaning because it helps to understand the feelings when love or affection is not reciprocated. Fascinating tidbits like this just fill the pages of this book.

Appendix How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Extra help = Enrichment as if the study of Shakespeare is not rich enough.

There are 25 passages that are put in order in the book so that the guesswork is taking out of which passages to begin memorizing. In addition, as you can see above the Appendix is full of added enrichment.

One book stand alone curriculum.

Another very favorite part of using this book is that it is a one book stand alone curriculum.

It can easily be used by a precocious middle school kid or high school teen because it is laid out in a specific order so that you don’t have to guess and like I mentioned, explanations are given. If you are teaching younger children, you’ll love the teaching tips and teacher help.

Also, I have read many tips on the differences between prose and poetry and the teacher in me loved the insightful tips and detailed ways of telling the difference between the two.

Multi-age timeless curriculum keeper.

It is what I call a curriculum keeper, which means it spans multiple ages and can be used over and over again each year.

You won’t regret purchasing this handy, one book stand alone compact curriculum.

Tiny and I have plans to read the rest of the passages in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare and that just might lead us to some hands-on activities or lapbook.

Also, check out my other posts:

  •  Shakespeare Unit Study Starters 
  •  Renaissance Lapbook and Unit Study
  • 7 Budget-Friendly Language Arts Curriculum to Pair with Unit Studies (with printable)

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

 

 

5 CommentsFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: homeschoolanguagearts, language arts, languagearts, poetry, shakespeare

Shakespeare Unit Study Starters

April 9, 2016 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a few ideas and Shakespeare Unit Study Starters. Also, look at my post Shakespeare Unit Study.

Stepping back from our routine of how we normally do language arts, I wanted to teach Shakespeare differently than I had with my older boys.

I have been using the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare with Tiny and we have been loving it. I have a post coming up soon about how easy this book has made it to teach about Shakespeare.

Shakespeare Unit Study Starters @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Teach Your Children About Shakespeare

Today though, I have rounded up some Shakespeare unit study starters that will spark some ideas to make learning about Shakespeare fun and interactive.

tempest

teacher guide

Then of course, if you tie in history with learning about Shakespeare, then it makes total sense to us.

So grab this free teacher guide on Julius Caesar, which has some super helpful teaching tips.

This next idea is plain hilarious, but typical of what interests our kids. From the site Ye Olde Official Shakespearean Insult Kit: “With this handy-dandy SHAKESPEAREAN INSULT KIT,you can have the spleen of The Bard at your disposal! The next time someone cuts you off in traffic, or a clerk behaves rudely, stun them with your lexicographical command of vituperation.” Just click on a pull down menu and a few of these expressions will at least evoke a conversation with your teen about The Bard.

This next site has an online handy reference for learning, which is a good resource for learning about the theatre. The Globe Theatre: A Study Guide.

Also, grab this free 18 page lesson planning guide for scenes from Romeo and Juliet as a way to introduce kids to Shakespeare.
This Did Shakespeare Write His Plays video makes another great unit study starter or at least a debate.

Also, I have this free huge Renaissance Lapbook and Unit Study.

Grab this free Renaissance Lapbook at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then you have to scoot by and check out this huge page about music.

Hopefully, a few of these links will help you to make a great start to studying Shakespeare.

Hugs and love ya,

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2 CommentsFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, History Resources, Other Unit Studies, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Unit Studies Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, language arts, shakespeare

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