School of Theatre > For educators > In your classroom > Shakespeare

Shakespeare

Engage your students with the classic works of Shakespeare through interactive exercises. This workshop introduces students to the playwright’s world, language and plays. Examine the connection that exists between the stories of Shakespeare’s plays, the world in which he lived and present day. Students study iambic pentameter, scansion, verse and prose through Shakespeare’s texts. Berkeley Rep Teaching Artists will modify curriculum based on students’ grade, level of experience and teacher feedback. The Shakespeare workshop is offered as a one- or three-hour workshop.

Note: These workshops can be modified to accommodate a specific play from Shakespeare’s canon.

program benefits

Provides strategies for understanding and speaking Shakespeare’s text.
Introduces students to Shakespeare’s world.
Introduces the basics of Shakespeare’s language with emphasis on iambic pentameter.
Students develop skills necessary write short poems.
Provides an avenue for creative expression and increased self confidence particularly through public speaking.
Exposes students to multiple modalities of learning and expression.
Offers flexibility of curriculum for students with learning and physical disabilities.

To bring a Shakespeare workshop into your classroom, please complete the registration form. We will contact you to confirm your scheduling once we have received all necessary registration information.

workshop dates

September 2012–May 2013

workshop length

One- or three-hour sessions

maximum class size

30 students / 1 teaching artist

grade level

Grades 6–12

workshop costs

First one-hour workshop—FREE * (one hour per public school)
Additional one-hour workshop—$75/hour
($60/hour educator discount **)
Three-hour session—$60/hour
($55/hour educator discount **)
Title I discount—$55/hour
Non-public schools—$75/hour

* Limited to one free teaching hour per public school in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties. Based on availability of Berkeley Rep School of Theatre staff. Limited to 30 students per classroom. Must sign and agree to Berkeley Rep School of Theatre booking agreement.

** Must be paid by personal check or credit card for use in educator’s own classroom.

*** Due to high fuel costs, schools located over 50 miles away from Berkeley Repertory Theatre may be charged an additional transportation fee.

Register now

new concepts and vocabulary introduced

Adaptation
Aside
Comedy
Conflict
Dialogue
Elizabethan theatre
Iambic pentameter
Monologue
Objective
Playwright
Script
Sonnet
Stage direction
Statues
Status
Subtext
Tableau
Tactic
Theme
Tragedy
History (as a play type)

content integration

All of the subjects below are integrated into the Shakespeare curriculum. Depending on grade level and number of bookings, some subjects are explored further than others.

all standards covered

Grade level 6–8 VAPA Standards: Grade 6: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1; Grade 7: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 4.2; Grade 8: 1.1, 1.3, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2
Grade level 9–12 VAPA Standards Covered: Proficient: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2 2.3, 4.2; Advanced: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.4, 4.2

key standards

Visual and Performing Arts, Theatre

Development of the Vocabulary of Theatre

Use the vocabulary of theatre, such as action/reaction, vocal projection, subtext, theme, mood, design, production values and stage crew, to describe theatrical experiences.

Comprehension and Analysis of the Elements of Theatre

Identify how production values can manipulate mood to persuade and disseminate propaganda.

Creation / Invention in Theatre

Use effective vocal expression, gesture, facial expression and timing to create character.
Write and perform scenes or one-act plays that include monologue, dialogue, action and setting together with a range of character types.

Connections and Applications

Use theatrical skills to communicate concepts or ideas from other curriculum areas, such as a demonstration in history or social science of how persuasion and propaganda are used in advertising.

Derivation of Meaning from Works of Theatre

Explain how cultural influences affect the content or meaning of works of theatre.

English Language Arts

Writing

Use a variety of effective and coherent organizational patterns, including comparison and contrast; organization by categories; and arrangement by spatial order, order of importance or climactic order.

Listening and Speaking

Select a focus, an organizational structure and a point of view, matching the purpose, message, occasion and vocal modulation to the audience.
Use effective rate, volume, pitch and tone and align nonverbal elements to sustain audience interest and attention.

Comprehension

Analyze oral interpretations of literature, including language choice and delivery, and the effect of the interpretations on the listener.
Paraphrase a speaker’s purpose and point of view and ask relevant questions concerning the speaker’s content, delivery and purpose.

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