World English Day on 23 April is William Shakespeare's birthday. See our list of resources below to help you introduce Shakespeare into your primary or secondary English language classroom.
Resources for the primary classroom
See the lesson plans below for you to use in the classroom with primary learners. Click or tap on the title of each lesson plan to go to the materials.
William Shakespeare for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the life of William Shakespeare and some of his achievements through a short animated video.
Twelfth Night for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night through a short animated video. They will watch the video and complete comprehension activities, and then will be guided to think about and discuss the idea of 'disguise' from the play. Finally learners will develop their creative writing skills by imagining and writing about disguising themselves as someone for the day.
Romeo and Juliet for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet through a short animated video. They will watch the video and complete comprehension activities, and then will be guided to think about and discuss the idea of 'family feuds' from the play. Finally learners will develop their speaking skills by role playing a situation where two friends have done something mean to each other.
Much Ado About Nothing for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing through a short animated video. They will watch the video and complete comprehension activities, and then will be guided to think about and discuss the idea of 'deception' from the play. Finally learners will develop their speaking and writing skills by surveying their classmates about the most important qualities in a friend.
Macbeth for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the Shakespeare play Macbeth through a short animated video. They will watch the video and complete comprehension activities, and then will be guided to think about and discuss the idea of 'ambition' from the play. Finally learners will develop their writing skills by thinking and writing about what job they would like to have when they grow up.
Hamlet for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the Shakespeare play Hamlet through a short animated video. They will watch the video and complete comprehension activities, and then will be guided to think about and discuss the ideas of 'revenge' and 'confusion' from the play. Finally learners will develop their creative writing skills by planning and writing a ghost story.
A Midsummer Night's Dream for kids
In this lesson plan, learners will be introduced to the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night's Dream through a short animated video. They will complete comprehension activities and then think about and discuss the ideas of 'dreams' and 'magic' from the play, with the teacher's guidance. Finally learners will develop their creative writing skills by imagining and writing about either a magical dream or a magic potion or spell.
Resources for the secondary classroom
We have several lesson plans for secondary learners of English to help with understanding a range of plays by Shakespeare. You can see the full list of our Shakespeare resources on this page.
A list of some of these is below:
Shakespeare's Hamlet
In this lesson, students will discuss the idea of ‘taking revenge’, and watch a video about Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Students will check their understanding of the plot and characters in the play, and then work together to ask for and give advice to the main character, Hamlet.
Shakespeare's Macbeth
In this lesson, learners will discuss what they would do if they ruled their country, and reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of having power. They will then watch a video about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and check their understanding of the key events in it. Learners will then read a horoscope and guess which character in the play it is about. Finally, they will write their own horoscopes for one of the characters based on what happens to them in the play.
Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
In this lesson, learners will discuss marriage and its role in their society, watch a video about the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing, and discuss some of the play’s main themes. Learners will also imagine that they have the opportunity to interview one of the main characters about their actions and attitudes in the play.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
In this lesson, learners will watch a video about Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. They will discuss what they already know about the play, check their understanding of the video, evaluate different characters’ responsibility for the tragedy in the play, and take part in a group discussion to reach an agreement about who is ultimately responsible.
Shakespeare's The Tempest
In this lesson, students will watch a video about Shakespeare’s The Tempest. There is an introduction activity where students discuss magical powers, they will watch a video and check their understanding of the story, and finally students work in pairs to write a message in a bottle from Miranda, one of the characters from the play.