Shaking it Up: “Actively” Engaging with Shakespeare’s Texts

At this point, we are still legally required to teach Shakespeare at the English 20-1 and 30-1 levels (according to our current) Program of Studies. With that said, many wiser (not always older) folks have approached Shakespeare with intentionality and creativity. This session will focus on bringing Shakespeare’s Early Modern English (Elizabethan) to life with physical and drama-rooted activities. While there is nothing new under the sun, if you are looking for some ways to lighten up the heavy shouldered students in class and have fun playing with language a bit, this session will be helpful for you. We will run through (so yes, active participation is encouraged) a handful of exercises meant to offer students a “way in” to Shakespeare’s heightened texts in the English Language Arts classroom.