The Complete Shakespearience

The Complete Shakespearience is your essential resource for teaching Shakespeare in secondary schools, expertly crafted by author Peter Thomas. This comprehensive guide employs innovative drama techniques to engage students, transforming Shakespeare's timeless works into an interactive learning experience. Begin by instilling confidence through practical classroom activities that make Shakespeare accessible and enjoyable, regardless of students' prior dramatic skills. The book emphasizes the importance of Shakespeare as an entertainer and presents a variety of exercises that enhance voice, action, and group collaboration.

Dive into edited scenes from a broad range of plays, allowing students to immerse themselves in Shakespeare's world through accessible, stand-alone performances. These activities not only empower students to appreciate the essence of Shakespeare's dramatic genius but also serve as a foundation for written and oral communication assessments.

Explore the unique chapter on The Screened Shakespearience, which provides insightful guidance for comparing film adaptations and traditional stage performances. Additionally, a dedicated teacher section offers articles enhancing the pedagogical approach towards Shakespeare's writings, enriching secondary English teachers’ expertise.

The included CD supplies adaptable, photocopiable materials designed to streamline lesson planning, making it easier for educators to incorporate scripts into their teaching repertoire. Whether you're looking to enliven your English curriculum or seeking creative strategies for engaging students with complex texts, The Complete Shakespearience is the ultimate companion for inspiring a love of Shakespeare's plays and their relevance in today's world.

Author: Peter Thomas Publisher: Phoenix Education
Bind: paperback


Publication Date: 24-01-2013

The Complete Shakespearience is a practical guide to teaching Shakespeare in the secondary school. Peter Thomas provides a stage-by-stage programme for introducing students to Shakespeare as a living dramatist for a popular audience. Using practical drama techniques for classroom, individual and group work, the book shows how to make Shakespeare’s scriptcraft the basis for satisfying activities which appeal to all students.

Starting from the principle that Shakespeare was an entertainer and impresario, and that his original audience enjoyed theatre as a physical, visual and auditory experience, this book creates a sequence of classroom activities to promote confidence and enjoyment in performances which do not need great dramatic skill but which get to the heart of Shakespeare's dramatic genius. Beginning with a section on building confidence, there are further exercises in voice, action and group practice, as well as reading to appreciate Shakespeare's stagecraft and how his scenarios relate to our 21st century world.

The Complete Shakespearience also offers edited versions of many scenes from a range of plays which can be presented, practised and performed as stand-alone dramatic experiences. In the upper secondary school, these can form the basis for written and/or Speaking and Listening work and lay the foundation for further study.

A chapter on The Screened Shakespearience will serve as a valuable guide to what is available on film and offers ways to explore and compare both film and stage versions of the plays. The section on Shakespearience for teachers provides a section of short articles on aspects of Shakespeare's thought and writing that will develop the subject specialist expertise of any secondary English teacher.

The chapter on assessment is directed at UK examinations but nevertheless has a lot of valuable suggestions which can be applied in any context.

An accompanying CD contains adaptable, photocopiable material from the book which will help teachers create resources and use scripts in the classroom.