In this work, the authors bring a blend of clear thinking, playful and inventive practice and straightforward practical advice to bear on teaching Shakespeare in the primary school. The book offers a sound rationale for teaching Shakespeare in primary schools and shows how to engage children with Shakespeare through story.

'This book is clear, approachable, and true. The elegant simplicity of its good guidance is the product of years of practical experience in the classroom. I wholeheartedly commend it to primary school teachers everywhere.' Michael Boyd, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare’s plays are widely regarded as the greatest inheritance in English literature and recent years have seen a growing interest in introducing them to children in their primary schools. In this book, the authors bring a blend of clear thinking, playful and inventive practice and straightforward practical advice to bear on teaching Shakespeare in the primary school. Children who encounter Shakespeare early have the opportunity to become comfortable with the plays, their stories, characters and settings, long before they might become intimidated by their associations with exclusivity and ‘high’ culture. They are also given the chance to become familiar with and absorb his powerful and complex language at a stage when they are constantly encountering new vocabulary. To do this most effectively demands a dynamic pedagogy, one which recognises that the plays are best explored and understood through active, physical engagement. Beginning Shakespeare 4-11 offers a sound rationale for teaching Shakespeare in primary schools and shows how to engage children with Shakespeare through story, through the very best of early years practice, and through his rich and sensual language. It also illustrates how engagement with the plays and their language can have a dramatic impact on children’s writing. And because plays are for performing, there is helpful and practical advice on how to develop the work and share it with the whole school, parents and the wider community. This accessible and comprehensive guide is ideal for teacher trainees and practising primary teachers everywhere.

'This book is clear, approachable, and true. The elegant simplicity of its good guidance is the product of years of practical experience in the classroom. I wholeheartedly commend it to primary school teachers everywhere.' Michael Boyd, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare’s plays are widely regarded as the greatest inheritance in English literature and recent years have seen a growing interest in introducing them to children in their primary schools. In this book, the authors bring a blend of clear thinking, playful and inventive practice and straightforward practical advice to bear on teaching Shakespeare in the primary school. Children who encounter Shakespeare early have the opportunity to become comfortable with the plays, their stories, characters and settings, long before they might become intimidated by their associations with exclusivity and ‘high’ culture. They are also given the chance to become familiar with and absorb his powerful and complex language at a stage when they are constantly encountering new vocabulary. To do this most effectively demands a dynamic pedagogy, one which recognises that the plays are best explored and understood through active, physical engagement. Beginning Shakespeare 4-11 offers a sound rationale for teaching Shakespeare in primary schools and shows how to engage children with Shakespeare through story, through the very best of early years practice, and through his rich and sensual language. It also illustrates how engagement with the plays and their language can have a dramatic impact on children’s writing. And because plays are for performing, there is helpful and practical advice on how to develop the work and share it with the whole school, parents and the wider community. This accessible and comprehensive guide is ideal for teacher trainees and practising primary teachers everywhere.

This book tells the story of the Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed and influential project to transform the teaching of Shakespeare in schools. It examines their approaches to making his plays more accessible, enjoyable and relevant to young people, describing the innovative classroom practices that the Company has pioneered and locating these within a clearly articulated theory of learning. It also provides evidence of their impact on children and young people's experience of Shakespeare, drawing upon original research as well as research commissioned by the RSC itself. Authoritative but highly readable, the book is relevant to anyone with an interest in the teaching of Shakespeare, and in how a major cultural organisation can have a real impact on the education of young people from a wide range of social backgrounds. It benefits from interviews with key policy makers and practitioners from within the RSC, including their legendary voice coach, Cicely Berry, and with internationally renowned figures such as the writer and academic, Jonathan Bate; the previous artistic director of the RSC, Michael Boyd; and the celebrated playwright, Tim Crouch.

Drama Lessons: Ages 7–11 offers an exciting and varied range of tried and tested lessons tailor-made for busy teachers. Drama Lessons: Ages 7–11 emerges from the continuing positive responses to Drama Lessons for Five to Eleven Year Olds (2001). In this book you will find a carefully chosen selection of the best lessons from the original book, plus some exciting new material – a combination of brand new and classic lessons. This new collection introduces Literacy Alerts which identify how the drama activities develop aspects of literacy and suggest additional literacy activities. For each lesson plan, essential resources and timing information are provided. The lessons cover a range of themes and curriculum areas. Full of pick-up-and-go lesson plans, this book will be of enormous interest to specialists and non-specialists of drama alike. All primary teachers, literacy coordinators and teaching assistants should have this book in their hands and it will give all trainee teachers a flying start in their school placements.

Designed for busy teachers, Drama Lessons: Ages 4–7 provides tried and tested lesson plans which will help you to make your drama lessons fun learning experiences. Drama Lessons: Ages 4–7 emerges from the continuing positive responses to Drama Lessons for Five to Eleven Year Olds (2001) and the three book series, Role Play in The Early Years (2004). In this book you will find a carefully chosen selection of the best lessons taken from these four texts, plus some exciting new material – a combination of brand new and classic lessons. This new collection introduces Literacy Alerts which identify how the drama activities develop aspects of literacy and suggest additional literacy activities. For each lesson plan, essential resources and timing information are provided. The lessons cover a range of themes and curriculum areas. Specialists and non-specialists, nursery nurses, teaching assistants and playgroup leaders will find the book easy to use and it will give all trainee teachers a flying start in their school placements.

Shakespeare's plays have long been open to reimagining and reinterpretation, from John Fletcher's riposte to The Taming of the Shrew in 1611 to present day spin-offs in a whole range of media, including YouTube videos and Manga comics. This book offers a clear route map through the world of adaptation, selecting examples from film, drama, prose fiction, ballet, the visual arts and poetry, and exploring their respective political and cultural interactions with Shakespeare's plays. 36 specific case studies are discussed, three for each of the 12 plays covered, offering additional guidance for readers new to this important area of Shakespeare studies. The introduction signals key adaptation issues that are subsequently explored through the chapters on individual plays, including Shakespeare's own adaptive art and its Renaissance context, production and performance as adaptation, and generic expectation and transmedial practice. Organized chronologically, the chapters cover the most commonly studied plays, allowing readers to dip in to read about specific plays or trace how technological developments have fundamentally changed ways in which Shakespeare is experienced. With examples encompassing British, North American, South and East Asian, European and Middle Eastern adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the volume offers readers a wealth of insights drawn from different ages, territories and media.