to Shakespeare Kit contains a list of sayings and phrases we owe to Shakespeare. Sayings such as “One fell swoop” and “Break the ice” all come from Shakespeare. There are so many sayings and phrases that we use today that come from Shakespeare’s works. This makes for a nice, no-prep Shakespeare lesson- as long as you have computers! Phrases We Owe to Shakespeare At the end of the WebQuest, students can then write key words, phrases, facts, and ideas from their research on the board to create a collective Graffiti Wall that other classes can use as a Gallery Walk. You can give them specific criteria such as including at least three websites, writing at least ten questions, and including information about Shakespeare’s life and the specific play of study. They also have fun with the challenge of completing another group’s WebQuest. I find that having them do the work to create the WebQuest takes them through the research process while taking ownership of their learning. In fact, I like to have my students get into groups and create their own WebQuests with questions, websites, and answers- and then have them swap WebQuests with another group to complete. Using a WebQuest will enable students to research information about the life, times, and works of Shakespeare. I find that this strategy helps both with comprehension and character analysis as students begin to read the play. Students can also make a prediction about how Macbeth became so ambitious and what might lead to his tragic end- all before they ever read the play. This sets up the major theme of the play- that ambition leads to corruption but also guilt- and can inspire a class discussion about the consequences of ambition. They will realize that he is #1) going to kill someone #2) conflicted about it #3) does it for ambition. For example, if you are teaching Macbeth, you might start with his “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” soliloquy and have students analyze Macbeth’s tortured mind. By beginning with a famous soliloquy from the play, students can begin to characterize the tragic hero before they begin reading, and they can make predictions either about how the character became that way or what the character might do next. I think it’s usually no secret to students that a Shakespearean tragedy is going to be just that- tragic. Simply have students craft three insults to share with a group and then work together to translate them into modern-day English. That way, this fun activity serves the purpose of familiarizing students with some of Shakespeare’s vocabulary. I like to have my students take this activity one step further and translate the insult into modern-day language, using the dictionary as needed. In short, the way it works is that students select words from three columns to form an insult using Shakespeare’s language.
HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUOTE IN LITERARY ANALYSIS FREE
In fact, there are handouts available all over the Internet for this activity, and you can even find a free copy of my version in the Freebie Library. This is probably the golden standard for beginning any unit on Shakespeare. Be sure to check out the related 20 activities in the Ultimate Shakespeare Introduction Kit for even more ideas and activities! The Golden Standard- Shakespearean Insults But here are ten engaging ways to introduce a Shakespeare unit that will hook them from the first day. it’s no wonder students can be reluctant at the beginning of a Shakespeare unit. There’s the language barrier, the different time period, funny clothing, acting…. Hooking students into Shakespeare can be a daunting task.