Product Description

Excellent resource for teaching or directing Shakespeare. Great ideas for different teaching methodologies and plenty of across-the-curriculum activities. You, your colleagues, and your students will enjoy the clever means of incorporating math, science, art, journalism, music, social studies, physical education, and social issues into the study of Shakespeare.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #791218 in Books
• Published on: 1992-03-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Review
"Recommended for use with fourth-grade and up (though it can be used with younger students…While the authors recommend using this resource in conjunction with Five Star Publications' Sixty Minute Shakespeare series, the suggestions may also be used in any program designed to introduce Shakespeare to students ranging in age from elementary to high school, or a mixture of ages." "The tone of the book is enthusiastic and encouraging, the suggestions are realistic, and the activities are doable. Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach is an excellent resource for any teacher setting out on the grand adventure of bringing Shakespeare's timeless plays to life." --Eclectic Home School Online

Thanks so much for the Sixty Minute Shakespeare Series news release. I discovered the scripts about 5 years ago. As our Education Outreach department at Colorado Shakespeare Festival is dedicated to enlightening teachers and students (and the community at large) about Shakespeare s works using a hands-on philosophy I have found the Five Star Shakespeare Collection an incredible resource. Whenever teachers are looking for a truncated script, or help with opening up Shakespeare to their students, I refer them to you... I have also listed the web page for your series on our website at: www.coloradoshakes.org/education/resources.cfm#script. Thanks to you and Cass Foster and Lynn G. Johnson for these terrific tools! Melinda J. Scott, Education Director --Colorado Shakespeare Organization

The book is an amazing introduction to the Bard, his works and environment...a way to overcome literacy and dramatic stage fright that can open many doors..." R. Thad Taylor, President Shakespeare Society of America, Inc. Los Angeles, CA --Shakespeare Society of America, Inc.

About the Author
Cass Foster, author of The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series, Shakespeare for Children: The Story of Romeo and Juliet, and the co-author of Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach has been involved in all aspects of theatre for over thirty-five years. He is the director of a theatre program at a small college in central Arizona. Cass directs productions and stages fights for theatres and universities throughout the country. He earned his bachelor s degree in Drama from the University of Washington in Seattle and his Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Besides his obvious involvement in the field of Shakespeare, Cass is particularly interested in the development of new plays for young audiences.

Customer Reviews

..."the Five Star Shakespeare Collection an incredible resource"
As our Education Outreach department at Colorado Shakespeare Festival is dedicated to enlightening teachers and students (and the community at large) about Shakespeare's works--using a "hands-on" philosophy--I have found the Five Star Shakespeare Collection an incredible resource. Whenever teachers are looking for a truncated script, or help with "opening up Shakespeare" to their students, I refer them to you...(Five Star Publications - Arizona)

Melinda J. Scott, Education Director
Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Provides basic tools to introduce children to Shakespeare
Do you work with children to whom you'd love to introduce Shakespeare's work but are uncertain how to go about it? Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach may be the answer to your dreams. According to Foster and Johnson, "These methodologies work with teachers that have had absolutely no experience with Shakespeare. Nearly every teacher we have observed began with a great deal of anxiety and doubt. In most cases both those elements were eliminated after the first session..." The authors provide simple and straightforward guidance for introducing Shakespeare to children as young as second grade all the way through high school. This book is meant to supplement Cass's other quality books, Shakespeare for Children and The Sixty-Minutes Shakespeare series, though they can be applied to any classroom introduction to Shakespeare.

Foster and Johnson clearly have put great thought and care into providing educators with all the tools they need to introduce children to the Bard. Furthermore, the authors provide the information in brief snippets highlighting the most important elements in a way that won't feel overwhelming. Background on the Middle Ages, the English Renaissance, Elizabethian England and theatre, and a biography of William Shakespeare are supplied in 1-2 page, bite-sized pieces. In the core of Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach, the authors provide lesson plans for six days reading the play, including discussion questions, that include plenty of options for finding the best fit for your group. In addition, there are wonderful theatrical warm-up activities and a great variety of Shakespeare-themed activities that draw from all the strands of the curriculum, such as writing, music, art, social studies, and science. For example, there is a writing exercise in which the students pretend they are a newspaper reporter on assignment to interview a person from Shakespeare's time, such as a character from the play, a stagehand at the Old Globe in 1603, or Shakespeare himself. Or for science/health, the authors suggest that teachers can use a discussion of the death scene in "Romeo and Juliet" to segue into a lesson on CPR.

When you're feeling ready to get your production up and running, Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach provides succinct suggestions about casting, rehearsing, scenery, costumes, and even how to promote your production in the local press. Foster and Johnson understand what an endeavor it can be for a teacher to begin a new area of study and especially to commit the time and energy to mounting a production. They counsel, "You are a pioneer and unfortunately all too many of us in education are much too comfortable staying with the same lesson plans, lectures, exams and expectations. Preparing for this unit will take a fair amount of time and commitment but your willingness to explore this realm will reap far-reaching and far-lasting rewards."

When you're contemplating whether to teach or not to teach Shakespeare, feel free to go ahead and teach! This book will guide the way.

Quill says: Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach provides the basic tools for anybody (even you!) to introduce children to Shakespeare's great works.

A Good Beginner Text
I found this book rather simplistic. I bought it to teach Drama and I think it is probably more appropriate to English. It gave me one or two ideas but the rest of the activities were ones I use already or ones that weren't really appropriate.
I would recommend this book to a beginning teacher of Drama or English.