background preloader

Exploring English: Shakespeare - British Council

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-english-shakespeare

Related:  ShakespeareUsingCultural elements ^^WritingEnglish

Ten ways in which Shakespeare changed the world Back in 2012, the British Library displayed a rare book that attracted as much media attention as a Gutenberg Bible. It was a mass-produced edition of a text once owned by Nelson Mandela, inked with his pen. Mandela had kept this volume by his bedside for more than 20 years and it had sustained him through his darkest hours on Robben Island. Sometimes he had read aloud from it to his cellmates. It was not scripture, but its sacred characters – from Hamlet to Prospero – had often been a source of inspiration.

Free Reading Worksheets Ereading Worksheets has the best reading worksheets on the internet, and they’re all free. These worksheets are skill focused and aligned to Common Core State Standards. You are free to save, edit, and print these worksheets for personal or classroom use. Many of these assignments can now be completed online. You’re going to like this. Fictional Passages

The Best Shakespeare Videos for the Classroom Here are a few of our favorite Shakespeare videos for the classroom. You can also check out our playlist of favorite Shakespeare videos here (and be sure to subscribe to WeAreTeachers YouTube channel while you’re at it.) Remember to check out these videos yourself before you show them to your students because only you know what will work for the children in your classroom. What’s So Special About Shakespeare? Five habits of effective English language learners What habits should English language learners adopt to help them meet their goals? Martin Sketchley, latest winner of the British Council's Teaching English blog award, gives us his top five. Learning English, or any language, can be a challenging but rewarding experience. To make progress, you need to put in a lot of dedication and effort, but you also need to develop the right habits. Here are five habits that have helped my students achieve their aims.

Shakespeare's last act: a torrent of twisted fantasies Most of us think of Shakespeare as an Elizabethan. It’s almost impossible not to. Try imagining Shakespeare in Love ending with a cameo appearance by Simon Russell Beale as King James rather than with Judi Dench’s Queen Elizabeth. But Shakespeare was as much a Jacobean writer as he was an Elizabethan one, and to forget that is to distort the trajectory of his career and play down the quite different set of challenges he faced in the decade following the death of Elizabeth in 1603. It wasn’t long before he was called to appear in this role, first perhaps as part of the royal procession when James toured his new capital in 1604, and again later that year when a peace treaty with Spain, England’s long-feared enemy, was negotiated in London. Records indicate that Shakespeare and his fellow players were called away from the Globe theatre for 18 consecutive days that August to attend upon the Spanish embassy at Somerset House.

Five digital resources for autonomous English language practice Cristina Cabal, six-time winner of the TeachingEnglish blog award , tells us her favourite apps, sites and browser extensions to make autonomous learning fun. Language proficiency does not happen within a set time. It’s a long process that requires patience, and practice outside of the classroom. One way that teachers can encourage learners to practise language autonomously is to provide resources that are fun and effective. To be or not to be? Prince Charles has the answer in fun sketch! - FluencyOnline.Com Watch Prince Charles join a stellar cast of actors on stage including Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench and Benedict Cumberbatch in a sketch about where to place the emphasis when delivering the lines 'To be or not to be!' from Hamlet. The sketch formed part a program that the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, used to mark the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's passing with this unique event.

No kidding Note : All Viralelt posts share the same structure. Teacher’s notes appear only on How to use Viralelt. This is done to keep “teacher text” to a minimum and avoid repetition. Before showing your students the video, tell them they are going to watch an expert being interviewed on a television news programme. Get the full story from the BBC here. A few days after the video had gone viral the Kelly family were invited back to BBC News to talk about their unexpected, and more than likely unwanted, viral fame. Formal and informal language We use formal language in situations that are serious or that involve people we don’t know well. Informal language is more commonly used in situations that are more relaxed and involve people we know well. Formal language is more common when we write; informal language is more common when we speak.

Related: