The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 19.0383 Tuesday, 8 July 2008
From: Hardy M. Cook <
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Date: Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Subject: Five-year-olds to Study Shakespeare
From THE GUARDIAN ONLINE
Five-year-olds to study Shakespeare
Natasha Gilbert
Monday July 7, 2008
EducationGuardian.co.uk
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2289554,00.html
School children as young as five will be introduced to the works of William
Shakespeare, under a new government initiative for English schools.
Under the scheme, launched today by Jim Knight, the schools minister, schools
will receive a booklet of tried and tested ideas for teaching the Bard's work to
children aged five to 16. Primary schools will also be offered a free DVD of the
animated tales of Shakespeare.
The government has also provided ?1.5m to enable some secondary school pupils to
see a live Shakespeare performance.
The teaching materials, called Shakespeare for All Ages and Stages, were put
together by experts from the Globe theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and
the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, in collaboration with teachers.
Knight said it is important that Shakespeare's work is a protected part of the
curriculum.
He said: "Shakespeare is the most famous playwright of all time. One of our
great Britons, his work is studied all over the world. It is fitting then that
his work is a protected part of the curriculum in the country he came from."
[ . . . ]
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From: BBC News Website
Shakespeare 'for five-year-olds'
By Hannah Richardson
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7490360.stm
Primary school children as young as five are to be given an early insight into
the work of William Shakespeare.
A government initiative will see schools in England being sent a support package
including DVDs of adaptations of his plays in its original language.
Guidance in the form of a booklet called Shakespeare For All Ages and Stages
will be sent to all schools.
Schools minister Jim Knight said the Bard's work should be enjoyed as much as
possible from a young age.
The booklet includes tips on bringing the writing of Shakespeare alive for
children from the age of five to 16.
And pupils in some secondary schools will get the chance of seeing a live
Shakespeare performance.
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From: Times Online
July 7, 2008
Children as young as five to learn Shakespeare Alexandra Frean, Education Editor
Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins of the Royal Irish Regiment became a national
hero in 2003 after he delivered, without preparation or notes, a speech to his
troops in Iraq that was so impassioned and yet so compassionate that it was
afterwards compared to Shakespeare.
Now history has come full circle and students of the Bard are to be encouraged
to study this and other contemporary wartime speeches in an attempt to draw out
modern parallels to key themes of Shakespeare plays, such as Henry V and Julius
Caesar.
The initiative is part of a government drive to ensure that Shakespeare is fully
embedded in the hearts and minds of all pupils from the age of five to the time
they leave school.
A government educational package, put together with the Royal Shakespeare
Company and the Globe Theatre in London will be sent to all schools in England
as part of the scheme. It includes a new booklet of practical teaching ideas and
approaches for use in the classroom called Shakespeare For All Ages and Stages.
Children in the reception year of primary school will be introduced to some of
Shakespeare's best-known plays through watching abridged film versions contained
in a DVD box-set of 'Shakespeare: The Animated Tales'.
In addition, 40,000 students aged 11 to 14 who are taking part in the
government's Making Good Progress testing trials, will have the chance to see a
Shakespeare performance live, thanks to a ?1.5 million government grant.
The project is very personal to the schools minister Jim Knight, a would-be
actor who formed a theatre company with the Oscar-winning film and stage
director Sam Mendes on leaving university. He is determined that no child in
England should grow up without being given the opportunity to develop an
appreciation of "one of the greatest Britons ever".
It is already a statutory requirement that pupils study at least one complete
play by Shakespeare at Key Stage 3 (aged 11 to 14) and at GCSE level (aged 15 to
16). But Mr Knight believes that even very young children can become gripped by
Shakespeare's stories and characters.
[ . . . ]
The booklet, which can be downloaded from the website of the Department for
Children, Schools and Families, has suggestions for helping students to "do
Shakespeare on their feet" through workshops and performances.
*****************************************************
From: Birmingham Post
Shakespeare to be taught to five-year-olds
Jul 7 2008 By Rhona Ganguly
http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-education-news/2008/07/07/shakespeare-to-be-taught-to-five-year-olds-65233-21300252/
Children as young as five will be given lessons in Shakespeare in an attempt to
increase study of the Bard in schools.
DVDs of animated adaptions of his plays will be offered to primary schools
throughout the country as part of a new Government initiative.
In addition teachers will receive a support package including a guidance booklet
with practical teaching advice called Shakespeare For All Ages And Stages.
The initiative has been put together in collaboration with experts from the
Globe Theatre in London, The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
[ . . . ]
**********************************************
From: The Telegraph
New drive for Shakespeare appreciation in schools
By David Thomas
Last Updated: 6:32AM BST 07/07/2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/education/2260926/New-drive-for-Shakespeare-appreciation-in-schools.html
A new drive to increase the appreciation of Shakespeare in a new generation of
students will be unveiled by the Government today.
Pupils ranging from primary to secondary school age will be targeted by a
package being launched by Schools Minister Jim Knight aimed at increasing study
of the Bard.
It includes information on practical, tried and tested teaching ideas for the
classroom plus an offer of a free copy of Shakespeare: The Animated Tales on DVD
for every primary school in England.
[ . . . ]
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