We worked with the BBC to create two Live Lessons on Shakespeare for Primary and Secondary students, alongside a new interactive Shakespeare game with BBC Bitesize.
BBC Live Lessons
In March and April 2016 we worked with the BBC to stream two live Shakespeare lessons into classrooms across the UK.
Shakespeare Unplugged is a 45 minute lesson for primary schools hosted by CBBC’s Katie Thistleton and Karim Zeroual, featuring RSC artists including Justin Audibert, Ken Nwosu, Joseph Kloska, Rina Mahoney and Hannah Young along with Jessica Ransom from CBBC’s Horrible Histories.
The lesson is designed for 7-11 year olds and introduces them to Henry V, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Pupils will discover characters, plots and Shakespeare’s language, as well as get the chance to recreate famous scenes from the plays. Students will also be able to ‘ask the experts’ questions before and during the lesson and a full step-by-step lesson guide will be available in advance to help teachers and students prepare.
Watch Shakespeare Unplugged
Text Detectives is a lesson for secondary schools focusing on Romeo and Juliet and exploring the kinds of clues we look for in Shakespeare’s language to unlock meaning. The lesson looks at the shared sonnet, iambic pentameter and antithesis, devices used in many of his plays.
Using a range of scenes and speeches across one of Shakespeare's most well-known plays - Romeo and Juliet - the lesson introduces fun, engaging activities that students watching remotely can get involved with.
Watch Text Detectives
BBC Bitesize - Which Shakespeare Character Are You?
We have developed a new interactive game with BBC Bitesize aimed at young people aged 7-11. Called Which Shakespeare Character Are You? the quiz introduces users to 37 characters, one from each of Shakespeare’s plays. Co-produced by the BBC and the RSC, the game is a fun introduction to the complete works of Shakespeare, presenting characters from each of the plays and taking children through a series of questions based on character type and preferences. Children can then upload a selfie of themselves as that character, whilst at the same time discovering some key facts about them and the play that they feature in.
Play Which Shakespeare Character Are You?