Keep Calm and Teach English

Talking about Shakespeare and using his works in the EFL classroom can always be risky as we all know how difficult they are to understand without adequate guidance not to mention that the original works feel overwhelming for anyone who is less than a literature student. However there is no reason why we should deprive our students of the pleasure to experience some of Shakespeare's magic that has stood the test of time and is still meaningful today. Romeo and Juliet, Frank Bernard Dicksee (1853–1928), Southampton City Art Gallery The following learning scenario was designed entirely for the e-class (a digital learning platform for the Greek schools) during the quarantine but it can be used in the classroom provided that there is a computer lab available or a classroom with a wireless connection and enough laptops and tablets for the students to work on.  Students are going to learn about William Shakespeare, the greatest English playwright, and why he is so significant. They are ...

"All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's play  As You Like It . The speech ( Act II Scene VII) compares the world to a stage and life to a play, and categorizes the seven stages of a man's life: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, old age and facing imminent death. The man in the poem goes through these stages all expressed in a sardonic and sometimes bitter tone: Infancy: He is a helpless baby and knows little. Whining schoolboy: He begins to go to school and is unwilling to leave the protected environment of his home.  The lover: In this stage he is always sentimental, expressing his love in a silly manner.  The soldier: He is uneasy and hot-headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself even at the cost of foolish risks. The justice: In this stage he thinks he has acquired wisdom. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status and b...

Using Shakespeare's works in the EFL classroom may appear risky as we all know how baffling they can be even to the native speakers. However there is no reason why we should deprive our students of the pleasure to experience some of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets especially when they are read by famous actors such as Alan Rickman and David Tennant. drawing by  sandhyaprabhat The sonnet is a popular classical form of poetry named from the Italian word sonetto, which means “a little sound or song". Traditionally, the sonnet consists of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter. The English or Shakespearean sonnet is usually end-rhymed following the scheme a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g. Here is a simple lessson on Shakespeare's sonnet 130 (My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun) with reading comprehension activities and a writing task where students get to write their own poem. Perfect for Valentine's Day! Target group: Older teens Level...