Excellent Resources for Teaching Shakespeare to Gifted Students

The study of Shakespeare never grows old: his plays are counted among the greatest works in English literature, he was an outstanding observer and communicator of human character, and he expressed enduring wisdom and wit. Presented appropriately, Shakespeare fascinates students—especially gifted students—who appreciate the opportunity to study and perform his plays. There are a number of excellent resources available to help teachers and parents expose their children to this icon of literature.

The Folger Shakespeare Library is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. It is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare materials. On its website, there is a Teach and Learn section that contains a wealth of information. Teaching resources for K-12 include Shakespeare lesson plans and other materials for teachers, such as audio and video podcasts, a blog, a Teachers' Lounge forum, and an expanding list of web features. The Shakespeare for Kids section of the site offers games, activities, and creative fun. Folger is a strong advocate of performance-based teaching, which is reflected in the resources on their website.

The University of Texas at Austin created Shakespeare Kids, which is designed for young people,  teachers, parents, and administrators who work with students in grades K-8. The value of introducing young children to Shakespeare is discussed, along with ways to approach the subject.

In Search of Shakespeare was developed by PBS. It contains case studies, articles, and quick tips on how to bring Shakespeare to life in the classroom; interdisciplinary lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students; and lots of print and online resources.

Prufrock Press also has a series of books that is designed for teachers of Advanced Placement (AP) students in grades 7-12. Currently, six of Shakespeare’s most famous plays are represented.

A Comprehensive Guide to the Study of Shakespeare

  




















Your Comprehensive Guide to Everything Shakespeare is just what the title suggests—comprehensive. It draws from major websites on Internet that cover the playwright and poet. The guide is divided into the following topics:  

• Cool Shakespeare Facts—Personal trivia, words and phrases that were created by Shakespeare, and information about the Globe Theatre.  
• General Shakespeare Resources—Links to five major sites that cover a multitude of facts and opinions about the famous bard.  
• Links to Every Single Shakespeare Work Online—Plays are divided into the categories of comedy, history, and tragedy. Shakespeare’s poems are also listed. Each link contains the complete work so you don’t have to go to the bookstore or library to get a play or sonnet.  
• Links to Resources that Give Notes/Info/Explanations of Shakespeare Plays—Sites that will help you interpret the writings of Shakespeare.  
• Shakespeare Festivals—A list of Shakespeare festivals (with Internet links) held in the United States and Canada. 

Shakespeare

The writings of Shakespeare never grow old. Shakespeare was an outstanding observer of life and created many immortal characters that profess and embody human nature. His characters often capture traits that are universal. He used rich literary devices, compelling plots, and had an enduring wisdom and wit. He also wrote many unforgettable lines that are imbedded in our culture. He continues to be the most-quoted author in the English language.

There are many resources available to help teach about Shakespeare.

Advanced Placement Classroom Series 

This series, available at Prufrock Press, is designed for the upper level classroom, grades 7–12. The books help teachers motivate students above and beyond the norm by introducing investigative, hands-on activities, including debates, role-plays, experiments, projects, and more, all based on Advanced Placement and college-level standards for learning. These books present background material and activities for teachers for King Lear, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.

The Writing Company  

This publisher has an extensive collection of books, videos, posters, simulations, and other resources on William Shakespeare. You can search by play, type of media, or by grade level (including material for advanced students).

Navigators 

These collections of questions and activities are intended to support group or independent study of selected literary pieces. They are published by the Center for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary. If you scroll to the bottom of the Navigators link, you will see the plays of Shakespeare that are offered: Henry IV, Part 1; Hamlet; Macbeth; Midsummer Night's Dream; Much Ado About Nothing; Romeo & Juliet; and Twelfth Night. These Navigators are designed for students in grades 9–12.

OpenSourceShakespeare 

Complete texts of Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets, and poems can be found here. This site also includes search tools and statistics.

Shakespeare Resource Center 

The purpose of this site is to provide links to aid students in online Shakespeare research. Here you will find Shakespeare’s will, the authorship debate, language, the Globe Theatre, Elizabethan England, and theatre companies, to name just a few.