Shakespeare (Weekly)
See notes on How to Study Shakespeare
Highly Recommended Resource: How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig
The Mater Amabilis Shakespeare schedule now closely follows the suggestions in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.
Suggested plays (others of your choice can be substituted):
Level 2
Level 2 Year One
- Term 1: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Term 2: Twelfth Night
- Term 3: Romeo and Juliet
Level 2 Year Two
- Term 1: MacBeth
- Term 2: Julius Caesar
- Term 3: Henry IV
Recommended Resources:
Re-tellings of Shakespeare plays
Choose from:
- Tales from Shakespeare: Children’s Classics by Charles and Mary Lamb
- Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E.Nesbit
- The Random House Book of Shakespeare Stories by Andrew Matthews [UK Title: The Orchard Book of Shakespeare Stories]
- Leon Garfield’s Shakespeare Stories
- Bruce Coville’s picture book retellings: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and MacBeth (out of print but available in many libraries). Also available on Audible, but without the beautiful illustrations.
Books about Shakespeare
Choose from:
- William Shakespeare: His Work and His World by Michael Rosen
- Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley
Books about plays and teaching notes:
- Shakespeare and Macbeth by Stewart Ross
- Shakespeare Made Easy: The Tempest; Macbeth; Henry V; Julius Caesar; Twelfth Night
Level 3
Year One:
- Term 1: As You Like It
- Term 2: Henry V
- Term 3: The Tempest
Year Two:
- Term 1: Hamlet
- Term 2: The Taming of the Shrew
- Term 3: Love’s Labor Lost
Recommended Resources:
Re-tellings of Shakespeare plays.
Choose from:
- Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield
Enchanted Island: Stories from Shakespeare by Ian Serraillier
Background reading:
- Starting Shakespeare by Eric Boagey
- See our Shakespeare pages for notes on selected plays.
Level 4:
One of the following plays to be studied each term:
- Term 1: Much Ado about Nothing
- Term 2: Merchant of Venice
- Term 3: Two Gentlemen of Verona
See notes on How to Study Shakespeare
Recommended Resources:
Shakespeare Made Easy by Muriel J.Morris
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig
Level 5 Year 1
- Term 1: Twelfth Night (Globe Theatre 2012 Original Practices production)
- Term 2: Henry V (Kenneth Branagh)
- Term 3: Julius Caesar (Marlon Brando)
Watch one live or filmed production per term (recommendations above)
Level 5 Year 2
- Term 1: As You Like It (Globe Theatre)
- Term 2: Richard III (2012 Globe Theatre Original Practices production)
- Term 3: Macbeth (Ian McKellen/Judi Dench)
Watch one live or filmed production per term N
Level 6 Year 1
- Term 1: Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh or David Tennant)
- Term 2: Hamlet (Mel Gibson or David Tennant)
- Term 3: The Tempest (Globe Theatre w/Roger Allam)
Watch one live or filmed production per term N
Level 6 Year 2
- Term 1: The Winter’s Tale
- Term 2: King Lear
- Term 3: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Watch one live or filmed production per term N
