This is the question: is fourth grade too early to study Shakespeare? Doodle's class is finishing up a unit on the Bard. I don't recall delving into Shakespeare until 9th or 10th grade.
The kids had an assignment to do a Shakespeare scavenger hunt online and put items in a decorated shoebox (pictures of Globe Theater, a swordfight, Shakespeare himself, characters from a play, etc.); the hardest part of the assignment was conducting an interview with someone who had seen a Shakespeare play about their experience. Doodle interviewed me; I chose to speak with her about seeing Hamlet with Tom Hulce at the Shakespeare Theater in DC in the early 1990s; I haven't seen too many plays (except on business trips) since she came into my life.
Doodle really enjoyed this unit, especially the day that the kids spewed Shakespearean insults and compliments at each other, and I don't think the class read anything except short scenes from several plays, so I probably shouldn't be questioning whether they are too young to grasp the content. I probably should just latch on to her interest and take her to the Free for All in DC this summer. I will decide anon.
1 comment:
I think it is great they are at least being introduced to it!! Broadens the mind right?
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