Experience Shakespeare, Simplified!
a new course in our "Teaching Language Arts to Mastery" Series!
Learn how to ditch the boring, over-complicated, forgettable way of teaching Shakespeare, even if you don't know anything about it!
Was learning Shakespeare painful for you?
The conventional way to teach Shakespeare is often too analytical, too complicated, and so boring that many kids just want it to be over as quickly as possible. Ask most graduates what they know about Shakespeare and you'll find that it is commonly referred to as that part of language arts that they want to forget! At the Simple Scholar, I've curated resources and tools, and created guides to help you teach Shakespeare in a more engaging way, even if you don't know anything about the topic!
Have you ever misquoted a line from Shakespeare, quoted the wrong play, or just felt inadequate talking about it?
Have you ever found yourself standing amidst a group of Shakespeare fans and you just don't have anything to contribute to the conversation?
Have you tried to watch the plays - whether at a theater or the movies - and just couldn't follow along?
As a homeschool parent, have you dreaded teaching high school language arts because of the things you don't know or don't remember?
Why is Shakespeare so frustrating for so many? Is it the old English language? Is it the poetry? What's the difference between a poem and a sonnet?
If you’ve wrestled with these questions, you are not alone. I've been through all of it and so have thousands of parents who have worked with me!
At The Simple Scholar, our motto is that simplifying does not mean dumbing something down. It means that we take away the conventional approach of "keep seats in chairs for 180 hours" and we teach the best parts in creative ways so we can help our children master the subject at the highest level.
Shakespeare, Simplified!
I've chosen seven of Shakespeare's tragedies and simplified them for you in a format that anyone can apply and walk away with confidence that they finally "get" Shakespeare! The course is entirely online and each module has a teaching guide that allows you to choose to teach a quick overview, or go deeper. I've even provided ideas to extend into other subject areas such as history, art, music, math, philosophy, and more.
Here’s What You’ll Get With the Course:
The course consists of 8 self-paced modules. You have access to all the modules and can skip around if you like, but it is more effective to take one module at a time. Some parents do one module a week, while other parents take advantage of the extension ideas and do one module per month. It's a flexible way to decide if you want to go further with Shakespeare or simply equip your kids with a basic understanding.
the PLAYS
The first module is all about William Shakespeare, his history, and his life. Then, we showcase some of Shakespeare's tragedies to get a thorough, yet simplified discussion into each play. We will cover Oedipus Rex, Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. I'll give you resources to download the e-books for free in just about any tech format, or you can get copies of the plays at your local library. For each module, I've included 1-2 videos that are effective in getting the main points across.
GUIDES, WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIES AND MORE
Each module has a downloadable packet and instruction guide for the parent with a list of how to approach the module, my personal prelude with suggestions from how I taught the module to homeschool groups, and optional links to explore specific things mentioned in the module.
The packet also includes printable quick notes, worksheets with answer keys, activities that engage your family in fun and creative discussion, and a final Mastery Check with answer key.
more on language arts
The Shakespeare, Simplified! course is an addition to our Teaching Language Arts to Mastery Course. So when you enroll as a Premium member, you get access to that course as well as ALL of the courses at The Simple Scholar. Our courses give you everything you need to ditch grade level "busy work" and teach every subject to mastery. This approach works exceptionally well for struggling learners - learn more about mastery here.
Dianne (Didi) Kelley - author, speaker, and mentor - has helped to inspire and empower thousands of home educators for two decades, by simplifying some of the most daunting home education topics.
About Me...
People know me as the "bootcamp girl", from many years of designing training programs which accomplish specific goals, without any unnecessary fluff. "The Simple Scholar" is a compilation of nearly 20 years of teaching parents how to provide a superior home education for their children. In 2003, when I began homeschooling I was hard-tasked to learn these things, but developed easier ways to meet the same - or better - end goal. As a result, I have a deeper, more passionate interest in serving this community and love to share the simpler ways.