Resources for Teaching the Works of William Shakespeare

*This post has been updated in February 2021

From the 15th to the 21st March 2021, why not celebrate the great English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare? Shakespeare Week is a fantastic celebration of this renowned literary pioneer. Moreover Shakespeare Day, celebrated on the 23rd of April each year, is another perfect opportunity to place Shakespeare at the centre of your teaching. 

Shakespeare Week and Shakespeare Day are brilliant opportunities for schools, home-schooling parents, and Shakespeare enthusiasts alike to celebrate William Shakespeare’s life and his works. There are plenty of resources out there for teachers and parents to plan some fun and informative lessons; here is a list of our top resources to make lesson planning easy.

The Royal Shakespeare Company

The Royal Shakespeare Company have produced Activity Toolkits for some of the most commonly taught Shakespeare plays including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet. These interactive activities are 15 minutes long with the option of additional learning and are described as “ideal for remote learning tasks, as an extension to classroom or online work or for use as part of a blended curriculum”. The activities also include video clips from RSC actors, which really bring learning to life.

Also available with the RSC are further interactive resources and key facts, key scenes, and pictures from past productions in the Shakespeare Learning Zones which are great resources for teachers. 

Shakespeare’s Globe

Take a virtual tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Take a peek backstage, inside the musician’s gallery and view the stage as if you were standing in the yard. The tour is packed with great facts for any English or drama student to be impressed by. 

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Did you know the word “alligator” was created by Shakespeare and we can also credit the term “it’s raining cats and dogs” to him too? Me neither! Discover other words that the genius invented using Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s downloadable activity worksheets suitable for English language learners and adult learners. You can also find a huge range of other teaching resources on their website catering for a variety of age ranges.

The British Library 

The British Library have some interesting learning packs available for students aged between 14-18 years with modern and topical themes including mental ill health, gender and marriage, making for interesting lessons and contemporary discussions. 

Primary Resources 

Teaching Shakespeare is not just reserved for secondary education and upwards; there are plenty of resources to encourage younger children to take an interest in the works of Shakespeare. 

Shakespeare Week have a great resources section with arts and crafts ideas, quizzes, information on every-day life in the Tudor period, activities and video resources. This really could be your one stop shop for celebrating Shakespeare Week or Shakespeare Day in your primary school!

The BBC also have a fantastic range of Shakespearean resources for younger children which includes humorous video clips and captivating quizzes.

Do you have any tips for teaching Shakespeare or perhaps you have found some fantastic resources? Share these with us on Twitter @kentschooljobs; this will allow us to support other educators and encourage young people to love literature as much as we do!

Shakespeare’s renowned catalogue of work includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems and a number of other poems. Find out more about the man himself and his famous works in our blog “Tell Me More About… Shakespeare”.