Shakespeare Week is an annual event in the United Kingdom that celebrates the life, works, and legacy of William Shakespeare, one of the most famous and influential playwrights in history. The event takes place over a period of one week in March, coinciding with the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth and death.
The aim of Shakespeare Week is to introduce primary school children to Shakespeare’s plays and to help them develop an appreciation for his work. The event is organized by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, a charity based in Stratford-upon-Avon, the town where Shakespeare was born and where he spent most of his life.
During Shakespeare Week, primary schools across the UK are encouraged to participate in a range of activities and events that are designed to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life for children. These activities might include:
- Reading and performing Shakespeare’s plays: Children are encouraged to read and perform excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays, either in class or in school assemblies. This helps them to understand the language and themes of Shakespeare’s work and to develop their acting skills.
- Creating artwork inspired by Shakespeare: Children can create artwork based on Shakespeare’s plays, using a range of materials such as paint, clay, or collage. This helps them to engage with the themes and characters of Shakespeare’s plays in a visual way.
- Exploring Shakespeare’s life and times: Children can learn about Shakespeare’s life and the world in which he lived through a range of educational activities, such as visits to museums and historical sites, or watching films and documentaries about Elizabethan England.
- Dressing up as Shakespearean characters: Children can dress up as characters from Shakespeare’s plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, or Hamlet. This helps them to engage with the characters and themes of Shakespeare’s plays in a fun and creative way.
- Writing their own plays: Children can write their own plays, either based on Shakespeare’s plays or on their own ideas. This helps them to develop their creative writing skills and to understand the elements of storytelling and character development.
In addition to these activities, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust also provides a range of online resources and teaching materials for primary schools to use during Shakespeare Week. These include lesson plans, worksheets, and videos that are designed to help teachers introduce Shakespeare’s plays to their students in an engaging and accessible way.
Overall, Shakespeare Week is a fun and educational event that aims to inspire a love of Shakespeare’s plays in young children and to help them appreciate the cultural and historical significance of his work.
Learn More
If you would like to learn more about Shakespeare Week and download some of the free resources, please visit the official website for the celebration at ShakespeareWeek.org.uk