ESL WORKSHEET - Shakespeare

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Updated Lesson)

LinguaHouse

Oct. 23, 2024

Level: Pre-Intermediate (A2-B1)
Type of English: General English
Tags: British Culture; Celebrities and Historical Figures; Entertainment; Video Talk
Publication date: 10/23/2024

This slightly updated dialogue and video-aided lesson looks at the life and works of William Shakespeare. The worksheet focuses on listening comprehension, discussion and vocabulary development. (by Stephanie Hirschman)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/watch the video in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/watch the video in British English.

AUDIO/VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Narrator: William Shakespeare was one of the greatest and most famous English writers. He wrote at least 30 plays and introduced many new words to the English language. Strangely, he was born and died on the same date - the 23rd of April, so many people remember him and his work on this day.
Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He had five brothers and sisters, and his father was an important man. Shakespeare learned ancient languages at school, as well as poetry and history. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway, and they had three children.
Shakespeare and his family moved to London, and he worked for a theater company as an actor and writer. Shakespeare wrote many popular plays for the company to perform, including the famous Romeo and Juliet. Juliet was played by a man, as women were not allowed to perform on stage.
In 1597, Shakespeare’s theater company had a problem. The company owned the theater building but not the land that it was built on. When the owner tried to sell the land, all the actors in the company decided to move the theater building to a new place across the River Thames. They called their new theater “The Globe”.
The Globe became the best theater in London. 3,000 people could watch plays there - but most of them had to stand. There was a special stage with scenery and musicians played music and made sound effects during the plays. They even had a cannon.
Shakespeare continued to write. His plays from this time were more serious, including Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth. Kings and queens asked for his plays to be performed for them. He also published a book of poetry in 1609.
Shakespeare became very rich and bought a large house in Stratford for his family. He retired to Stratford and died on his 52nd birthday in 1616.
The Globe theater was destroyed in a fire in 1613 - probably started by the cannon. It was rebuilt but closed again in 1642. However, in 1997, a new Globe Theater was built on the south side of the Thames. The new Globe is built in the same style as the old one, but with some changes to make it safer and more comfortable. People continue to enjoy Shakespeare’s plays here.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/william-shakespeare. Accessed on October 25, 2024. © 2008–2024 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.