Hamlet by William Shakespeare- read and identify the historical context on a text.

Start by explaining that Shakespeare is a lot easier than children realise, and by telling them they are going to be finding out about a ghost story.
Read out the extract for the starter, and give each child a slip of paper with the lines on. Take children to an open space and have them march around like guards, calling out the lines when they meet each other. Add a few children in netball bibs who are the ghosts, and guards must speak the new line to them.

Then the PPT walks through the first scene, translating sections of the text with a summary and an image. Children really repond to this part of the lesson.
I have also included an abridged script which you can use in the lesson.

You could have children write a modernised narrative or playscript, or translate parts of the text, or create a mind map of different ideas of how it would be different.

I have taught this lesson a few times, and everytime I have had great results, even from my most less able children. They love the horror element and being able to boast and say that Shakespeare is easy, and that they are experts at reading Shakespeare!

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