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"Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.
Twelfth Night for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.
Most students will be exposed to the works of Shakespeare, typically in high school. The language and content of the plays is seen as too difficult for younger children but primary children are underestimated as to what they can accomplish given the challenge. The study of Shakespeare has become an integral part of my grade two program at Hamlet School, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
When I first moved to Stratford, I had no intention of teaching Shakespeare to 7 and 8 year olds. Stratford is a beautiful city noted for its Shakespearean theatre and I was interested that the schools were all named after Shakespearean characters. I asked my class, "Who is William Shakespeare?" and "Why is our school called Hamlet?" Their answers were surprising. One thought he was a famous boxer. Another believed he was the President of Canada. A third student responded, "I don't know who William Shakespeare is. I don't know any of the big kids." It was the children's enthusiasm and excitement on making the connection between an historical figure and the name of their school, which led me to continue. Thirty years later I can't imagine teaching anywhere in the world and not introducing Shakespeare. The study provided tremendous growth, particularly in the area of language and communication and evolved into a learning experience of a lifetime. I have endeavored in my books and workshops for teachers to share the excitement of exploring with children, the timeless emotions and ideas of Shakespeare.
The comments of two of my children, written at various times in their daily journals show the lasting impression Shakespeare has had on them.
"Shakespeare is like a big piece of chocolate cake. Once you've started you wish you could go on and on forever, in a non-stopping dream." (Anika, age 7)
"William's incredible words are like a velvet silk coat that rap around his pure thoughts. His pen writes on like all colors of the wind." (Sean, age 7)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Intro to Shakespeare,
By A Customer
This review is from: Twelfth Night : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) (Paperback)
This is one great book. It explains the story very clearly so very young children can understand but still appeals to older children. I think this is a great series to introduce children to Shakespeare. It is so simply written it could be used at bed time, yet it still gets the story very well and is not degrading to the original plays. I highly recommend it.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Skakespeare Is Fun,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Twelfth Night : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) (Paperback)
I like Lois Burdett's version of Twelfth Night because I think it is funny and the drawings are by kids. Lois Burdett's second grade Twelfth Night book is easier to read than Shakespeare's original version. It's a good book for kids who don't know Shakespeare and for kids who like Shakespeare. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the best, I rate Twelfth Night 4 stars because a few of the words, like "thee", are difficult to understand.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny,
By
This review is from: Twelfth Night : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) (Paperback)
This is a very funny play made easy for kids to perform. My kids 6 & 8 years old are performing the play next week and have had so much fun with this book.
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