I am sure by now that anyone who reads this blog (or knows me in real life), knows how much I ADORE William Shakespeare. I attribute this love of the bard to my high school AA English AND Shakespeare teacher, Mr. Heck. In fact, I took his Shakespeare class twice because I loved it so much. He loved Shakespeare and he was so funny and enthusiastic in teaching the topic that I embraced Will, too.
I really want my kids to be familiar with & love Shakespeare. We have covered a number of plays over the last couple years, and we use paper dolls, toys, and Barbies to act out the scenes. We have also done a rendition of “King Lear” by playing the parts ourselves. Good times!
On the Ambleside Online mailing list, someone mentioned a set of great DVD’s called “Shakespeare: The Animated Tales.” I looked it up on Netflix and I was hooked. Now that we know about this great tool, we typically watch the play first (if available), and then read the play and act it out afterward (it’s a children’s version we read). Shakespeare is performance art, so I feel that people – especially children – best learn to appreciate Will’s genius when they see it acted out.
I haven’t been able to justify the $72 price for buying the set when I can just get the disc I need from Netflix at any time, but I really, really want it. Maybe some day soon. I can see myself watching these 30 minutes animated tales over and over again. They are well done, they pace nicely, and my kids can make out the major plot points. What more can I ask for?
Someone has been putting them on youtube, so if you are interested in a little peek….enjoy!
(I especially enjoy the puppetry, so I chose Twelfth Night, one of my favorite plays!)
Thanks for the idea. I have been struggling to help my first-grader understand Shakespeare. We are using the book “Tales from Shakespeare” by Charles Lamb. I think it is an excellent book but he struggles to understand it it . I like your idea of acting it out and also using the movies.
Do you read just one section of the story and then act it out or do you read through the entire story and then on another day act it out and then maybe watch the movie on yet another day??? I could use some help in this area. Thanks a bunch!
First, I would recommend switching to “Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare” by Edith Nesbit. They are a bit easier to understand, and you can listen to them for free on librivox.org.
When I read them (because we have Lamb, too), or listen, I stop frequently and make sure the kids are following and we act out as we read. It generally takes 45 minutes to read one play because of all the stopping and acting we do. I make sure they understand the key plot point and help summarize the action. So we read a bit, then act it out, then read a bit more, and so on.
Having the DVD’s helps alleviate some of that since they are already familiar with the play.
Thanks so much. I’ll try the other book.
Wow what an incredible find! I am definitely going to use these!!!
Hello, this is Rebecca Kochenderfer from Homeschool.com. I so enjoy your blog. Thanks for the great Shakespeare suggestion. I want to do a Shakespeare unit with my 16 years olds, but wasn’t sure where to start. I don’t have that much experience with Shakespeare myself. I think I’ll start with the animated version you recommended. Then watch well-made movies, then have the girls pick out scenes to act (they’re actresses), and watch modern inspired versions of Shakespeare (like Bride and Prejudice, etc). Since we are living down in Los Angeles right now, we can go see a live performance too. Such fun! I, too, want my children to grow up understanding and loving Shakespeare’s works. Does it sound like I have a good plan? Do you have any other suggestions or resources for me? Thanks for all you do for homeschoolers. Warmly, Rebecca
I LOVE Shakespear but my 6 yr old can’t seem to follow along. We have Lamb’s book but have not been able to find Nesbit’s at our used book store. These videos look fantastic and I am going to see if my library can get them. Thanks for sharing!