Mastering literacy, the Shakespeare Way
Dive into interactive activities designed to sharpen your comprehension, analysis, and creative writing. Explore the world of Shakespeare and unlock your full literacy potential with engaging tasks and games.
Our Literacy Activities
We offer a range of engaging activities tailored to boost your literacy skills, focusing on comprehension, critical thinking, and creative expression through the rich world of Shakespeare.
Annotation and Extension
Enhance your comprehension, analysis, and critical thinking by annotating poems for themes, techniques, and author's messages. Then, write a paragraph explaining how language creates meaning.
Vocabulary & Context
Read texts, highlight unfamiliar archaic words, and predict their meanings using context clues. Then, integrate these new words into your own sentences to expand your vocabulary.
Debates with Textual Evidence
Engage in debates using textual evidence to support your arguments on character actions and writing techniques. Develop speaking, debating, and critical thinking skills.
Rewriting Literature
Develop creative writing skills by reimagining classic literature. For instance, rewrite Act 4 of Romeo and Juliet from Juliet's perspective as a diary entry or text message, understanding audience and purpose.
PEEL Method
Master the structure of analytical paragraphs using the PEEL method (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link). Learn to craft cohesive arguments supported by textual evidence, enhancing your grammar and writing skills.
Unlock your full potential
Our activities are designed to help you master vocabulary, the PEEL method, English techniques, and analytical paragraph writing, deepening your understanding of text examples.
Annotation & Extensions
Instructions:
1. Download a PDF of the poem by William Shakespeare
2. Identify which famous poem this is and then annotate!
- The goal is to dot point and brainstorm the key themes, writing techniques, and the authors message.
BONUS HINT: Have a look at the youtube video below for some tips and tricks!
Vocabulary & Context
Task:
Pick any piece written by Shakespeare, and highlight any unfamiliar language not used. Use contextual judgement to try understand the meaning of each word.
The, based on this knowledge, try and give a definition of each Shakespearean word on the Language Table below:
| Shakespearean Language |
|---|
| Foe |
| Woo |
| Dispatch |
| Good morrow |
| I shall see thee anon |
| Perchance |
| Betwixt |
| Nought |
| Aught |
| Wherefore |
HINT: If you're really stuck, have a look at this Shakespearean Dictionary to up your vocabulary!
The Debate of the Century!
Romeo Vs. Juliet
Prompt:
Who really caused Romeo's death?
Was Juliet bad at communicating, or did Romeo just need to check for a pulse?
The goal is to use textual evidence, and writing techniques to support the message towards for or against the prompt.
(This task is to be done with the entire class)
Like and Subscribe Idea!
POV you're Juliet doing a daily GRWM story time
Your Creative Writing Task:
You are to write a transcript then act out as if you are Juliet making a social media post discussing her perspective on Act 4 (before Juliet drinks to potion).
The goal is use your creative writing skills to convey Juliets emotions, motives and perspective when creating this piece. Use writing techniques to help push your text to a sophisticated level.
Then, for those who are feeling brave - post it on the School Portal to get the schools view on what your Juliet is trying to portray!
The PEEL Method
Writing method fit for the best structure for analytical paragraphs
Task:
- Using the PEEL Method, read the below link to a Shakespearean Text.
- (Hint, make sure to be concise, use the PEEL method, have relevant evidence and ALWAYS link it back to your original point!)
- Your limit is 200 words, then submit to your teacher as part of this module!
Macbeth - Act 5, Scene 5
Macbeth is confident that he can withstand any siege from Malcolm’s forces. He is then told of Lady Macbeth’s death and of the apparent movement of Birnam Wood toward Dunsinane Castle, where he waits. He desperately resolves to abandon the castle and give battle to Malcolm in the field.
Enter Macbeth, Seyton, and Soldiers, with Drum and
Colors.
MACBETH
Hang out our banners on the outward walls.
The cry is still “They come!” Our castle’s strength
Will laugh a siege to scorn. Here let them lie
Till famine and the ague eat them up.
5 Were they not forced with those that should be
ours,
We might have met them dareful, beard to beard,
And beat them backward home.
A cry within of women.
What is that noise?
SEYTON
10 It is the cry of women, my good lord.⌜He exits.⌝
MACBETH
I have almost forgot the taste of fears.
The time has been my senses would have cooled
To hear a night-shriek, and my fell of hair
Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
15 As life were in ’t. I have supped full with horrors.
Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts,
Cannot once start me.
⌜Enter Seyton.⌝
Wherefore was that cry?
SEYTON The Queen, my lord, is dead.
MACBETH 20She should have died hereafter.
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
25 And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
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