Teaching Shakespeare: Easy Go-To Guide with Tips & Resources
Published:
February 19, 2025
Contributor:
Sarah Shelton
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Teaching Shakespeare to upper-grade students (or any age really) can feel overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be! With the right tips, tools and resources, you can make William Shakespeare’s works engaging, accessible, and even enjoyable for your homeschool.
When was Shakespeare Born?
We don’t have the exact date of William Shakespeare’s birth because it wasn’t recorded. There is a record of his baptism, however, on April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. And because babies were normally baptized a few dates after their birth at that time, the date most historians use is April 23, 1564.
When did Shakespeare Die?
Historians do know that William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. And if the date of his birth was correct, he would have died on his 52nd birthday. Even though he died over 400 years ago, his plays and sonnets are still read and performed throughout the world today.
How many Plays did Shakespeare Write?
It depends on which scholar you ask but the range is 37-39. Not all of the plays historians believed he wrote have survived the years which is part of the reason for the dispute.
Regardless of the actual number, William Shakespeare’s plays are timeless classics filled with rich language, complex characters, and universal themes. The study of Shakespeare introduces students to poetic language, figurative language, and literary devices. It is a wonderful addition to your homeschool curriculum -especially in the upper grades.
Reading Shakespeare can provide a deeper understanding of the time period and historical context of his works. Through Shakespeare’s plays, students can explore themes like gender roles, power dynamics, and human emotions.
What are the Categories of Shakespeare’s Plays?
Shakespeare’s plays can be put into three different categories: Comedies, Tragedies and Histories. Here is a complete list by category taken from The Folger Shakespeare Library.
As a bonus, each linked title has FREE teaching resources including a copy of the complete play to either read online or save to your computer.
Comedies
When teaching Shakespeare be sure to include his comedies! hey are lighthearted, often involving love, mistaken identities, and happy endings. These plays focus on humor, wit, and reconciliation. They almost always have a happy ending!
- All’s Well That Ends Well
- As You Like It
- Cardenio – A lost play
- The Comedy of Errors
- Cymbeline
- Love’s Labor’s Lost
- Love’s Labor’s Won – A lost play
- Measure for Measure
- The Merchant of Venice
- The Merry Wives of Windsor
Tragedies
These plays explore themes of human suffering, fate, ambition, and moral dilemmas. These almost always lead to the death or downfall of the main character and teaching Shakespeare wouldn’t be complete without including at least of these epic works.
Histories
The history plays are based on the lives of English kings and significant historical events. teaching Shakespeare histories in your homeschool lessons will allow your kids to explore themes of leadership, power, and the legitimacy of rulers. They are a perfect addition to a history study and a great way to tie in literature with history.
Popular Shakespeare Quotes
When teaching Shakespeare, a fun thing I like to do is to introduce my children to famous quotes and sayings from his plays. They will be amazed by how many phrases and quotes are still used today that originated from Shakespeare.
- “All that glitters is not gold.”
- “Wild goose chase”
- “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
- “I am one who loved not wisely but too well.”
- “Off with his head.”
- “Seen better days”
- “Off with his head!”
- “Good riddance!”
- “As luck would have it.”
- “Love is blind.”
- “Heart of gold”
- “Knock, knock! Who’s there?”
- “What’s in a name?”
- “We have seen better days.”
- “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
- “Though she be but little, she is fierce!”
Teaching Shakespeare’s Plays
Shakespeare may feel intimidating, but you do not have to fear teaching Shakespeare. It does not have to be dry and boring, even with the Old English language. Some of his famous plays are absolutely hilarious! They work great in a family setting where you can read the plays out loud, or listen to audio book readings.
With the many resources available, it’s very easy to help your students gain an understanding of his works in an engaging way.
What Grade Level is Shakespeare best for?
Shakespeare’s works can be introduced to students at different grade levels depending on the complexity of the text and the approach used. I personally like to start teaching Shakespeare in the upper elementary grades, and really start digging into it in Middle School.
Here’s a general go-to guide of what we recommend to teach and when:
Elementary School
If you are introducing Shakespeare for the first time you will want to focus on simplified versions of Shakespeare’s stories. Many homeschool families like to do this by using story books or retellings such as: Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb or Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbit.
We like to read these in our morning time, or literature time. This will familiarize your children with plots, characters, and themes and introduce them gently to Shakespeare.
Middle School
Start with stories and not just scripts. Focus on the plot and characters and an understanding of them, before tackling the original text. Teaching Shakespeare this way will help the his stories come alive to this age group and spark an excitement about the plays.
We like to use side-by side translations like No Fear Shakespeare to make the language easy to understand. Teens will also appreciate the No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels. The detailed artwork brings the characters and settings to life, making it easier to understand the context and plot of the plays, especially for visual learners.
Age-Appropriate Plays to study in middle school
- Comedies – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing (these are so funny and easier for teens to engage with).
- Tragedies – Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar (these plays are great for students ready for more serious themes).
- History Plays – Henry V or Richard III (these are good plays to introduce if you want to tie in historical studies).
High School
High School is when you can introduce the full-length plays, the analysis of language, themes, historical context and really dive into the material. High Schoolers can be exposed to more adult themes and deeper discussions.
The most commons plays taught in High School are: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, or The Tempest.
4 Fun Ways to Teach Shakespeare to High School Students
- Learn About Shakespearean Insults – Teaching Shakespeare can become a lot of fun when you have a “Shakespearean Insult Battle.” Have your students research his creative insults from his plays and challenge them create their own using old, creative language.
- Compare Modern Movies – Compare the plots of a Shakespeare play to modern movies. For example: The Lion King is inspired by Hamlet, 10 Things I Hate About You is based on The Taming of the Shrew and She’s the Man is based on The Twelfth Night.
- Watch Movies Based on the Original Play – Teens love the 1996 version of Romeo + Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999) or Much Ado About Nothing (2012). West Side Story is the 1960’s modern version of Romeo and Juliet.
- See a Live Play – There are many community theaters and Shakespeare theaters all over the country that have live Shakespeare plays. Many even give discounts to school groups. I like to find the schedule and see if a play they are doing is one we will be studying. It is a great way to close out the school year by seeing a play in action that you just learned about.
Tips for Success when Teaching Shakespeare to Upper Grades
- Start Small – Begin with shorter scenes or monologues rather than diving into an entire play. This allows students to get a taste of Shakespeare without feeling overwhelmed.
- Focus on Themes – Highlight the universal themes in Shakespeare’s works, such as love, ambition, and betrayal. These themes are relatable and can help students connect with the material.
- Use Visual Aids -Graphic novels, illustrations, and videos can help students who are visual learners.
- Emphasize the Fun – Shakespeare doesn’t have to be all serious! Incorporate humor, games, and creative activities into your lessons to make learning enjoyable.
- Act It Out -Encourage students to perform scenes with a script. Provide props and costumes for a fun and immersive experience. This is a great activity for a homeschool group or homeschool co-op, or a large sibling group.
Teaching Shakespeare with Sonnets
When teaching Shakespeare, you can’t forget to teach your children about sonnets. Shakespeare is famous for his sonnets because he wrote 154 of them!
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific structure and rhythm that tells a story. They usually explore themes like love, time, beauty, or mortality. Shakespeare’s sonnets often dive deep into feelings and ideas about love, beauty, and the passing of time. making them timeless and relatable even today.
If you want to read or download his sonnets for FREE, the Folger Shakespeare Library also has those available for you.
Studying a Shakespeare Sonnet Printable Unit Study – This free printable unit study from In All You Do will teach your kids about what is so special about a Shakespearean sonnet. They will also learn about structure, rhyme scheme, iambic pentameter and Old English Vocabulary.
Online Resources for Teaching Shakespeare
In addition to the free resources we’ve listed above, I wanted to share other amazing online resources that I like to use, that can help you in teaching Shakespeare. I really like to piece meal things together and use these resources to create my own Shakespeare unit study.
Free Shakespeare Worksheets
Here are a couple of free worksheets to add to any lessons you plan to do about the famous playright.
Grab this free Macbeth worksheet from us to help your homeschoolers think about, identify and record information about the character traits of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo and the witches.
If you are looking for a hands-on activity to add to your lessons then be sure to grab this free Globe Theatre Model Template page from PaperToys. The Globe is where many of Shakespeare’s plays were preformed in London.
Free William Shakespeare Coloring Pages
Grab a portrait of William Shakespeare or one of our Hamlet coloring pages for your older elementary kids with these options:
Shakespeare Lesson Plans
Teach Shakespeare by Shakespeare’s Globe – This website has so much information to teach with. You can search by play, theme, character and language for lesson plans and guides. You can also create a free account and save the resources you find.
Folger Shakespeare Library has free printable lesson plans for teachers that will help you tackle some of the complex subjects easily.
My Shakespeare – is an interactive website with tools for learning about Shakespeare that is completely free for the 2024/2025 school year. The plays that are covered are: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caeser, Macbeth, Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, and Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has free teaching resources for schools and home educators. There are printable worksheets, lesson plans and video summaries that are a great addition to teaching the plays at home.
Study Guides for Shakespeare
Absolute Shakespeare is another website full of resources for Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets, poems and quotes. Here you can also find study guides for many of his plays.
Spark Notes Shakespeare is home to No Fear Shakespeare. You can read the complete text of his plays and sonnets with side by side English translations. These are completely free to read online.
Classic Stage Company – Classic Stage Company has Classic Study Guides for 15 of Shakespeare’s plays. They explore topics such as the language of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan world, and backstage interviews with directors and designers from past productions. Just click each play to download the complete pdf study guide for free.
Play Shakespeare is an ultimate online Shakespeare resource. There are individual synopsis breakdowns for the plays with character lists, scenes, and reviews for each play. You will also find detailed study guides, resources and articles for anyone interested in Shakespeare old and modern versions.
Shakespeare Websites for Kids
Folger Shakespeare for Kids – There are printables for Shakespeare insults, compliments, and quotes on love and friendship. Print out short Shakespeare plays to have your children read aloud from. There are even printable coloring pages.
William Shakespeare Biography for Kids – Learn about the life of Shakespeare, his famous plays, early and late works and some fun facts about the Bard!
Shakespeare Learning Zone – The Royal Shakespeare Company has put together an amazing website full of learning for your kids on some of Shakespeare’s most well known works. There are key facts and scenes from the plays and how the main characters relate to each other.
Shakespeare Online Videos
You can also watch videos of actors and directors working on and performing the specific plays.
PBS Learning Media – Great Performances in Shakespeare includes classroom-ready resources drawn from a range of productions including Shakespeare Uncovered, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Merry Wives, Making Shakespeare: The First Folio, and Hamlet.
Shakespeare’s Globe Virtual Tour – Would teaching Shakespeare be complete without a field trip? If you can’t go in person then take your kids on a virtual tour to explore this iconic open-air playhouse. Look through the theatre in a 360-degree view of its architecture and stage. As you move around, you’ll find clickable spots that reveal interesting facts and videos about the theatre’s history and Shakespeare’s plays.
MIT Global Shakespeare Project – There are free online teaching resources and videos of Shakespeare’s plays being performed all over the world.
Final Thoughts
Even struggling readers can enjoy the beauty and depth of Shakespeare’s plays when the material is presented thoughtfully. Teaching Shakespeare can even become a cornerstone of your language arts curriculum and create some really fun memories for your children.
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Sarah Shelton
Sarah is a wife, daughter of the King and Mama to 4 children (two homeschool graduates) She is a an eclectic, Charlotte Mason style homeschooler that has been homeschooling for over 20 years. She is still trying to find the balance between work and keeping a home and gardens. She can only do it by the Grace of God, coffee and green juice!
