It was the start of term 2 in 2016 and I was preparing the Grade 12 students for our study of King Lear. We read an excerpt from The Little Prince. It was meant to introduce big questions around blindness, appearance, and reality. We used the line, ‘It is only with the heart that one… Continue Reading »
Posts Categorized: Shakespeares-plays/king-lear
Today, June 1st, is the deadline for students to apply to become Lily McKee High School Fellows of the Folger! Like all Folger Education programs, this experience immerses learners in scholarship, performance, literacy, and our collection. Learn more in this throwback post by past fellow Mikaela Ruiz-Ramon from October 2014: Why I Love the High School… Continue Reading »
Teaching one Shakespeare play in a school year can be challenging enough, what with mandated curriculums, standardized testing, holidays, and school activities which take a cavalcade of kids out of class on a regular basis. I choose to do two plays in a year with my senior classes, a tragedy and a comedy. I want… Continue Reading »
Happy New Year, colleagues! This time of year, there’s a tendency to look inward. We reflect. We resolve. And, if you’re anything like me, you wrestle with your resolutions, too. What better time to take a close look at the most introspective moments in Shakespeare: characters’ conversations with themselves? Today we’re highlighting 5 soliloquies—some of… Continue Reading »
By Folger Education Last week, the Folger hosted a book launch for our colleague James Shapiro’s The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606. Shapiro, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and member of the Folger Board of Governors, discussed how the tumultuous events in England in 1606 affected Shakespeare and shaped the… Continue Reading »
By Greta Brasgalla This year, I became the English Instructional Coach at my school. My job includes creating and modeling lessons for a huge English department (we have over 3000 students in grades 10-12). One of the best activities that I modeled was using the prompt book. Of all of the Folger activities, this… Continue Reading »
By Michael LoMonico I recently interviewed Russ McDonald, professor of English at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Russ was a resident scholar at the Folger’s Teaching Shakespeare Institute from 1985-1986, and served as the head scholar from 1988-1994. He is the author of The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents and the… Continue Reading »
The second season of Shakespeare Uncovered begins on January 30th. The Folger has been asked to work with WNET THIRTEEN to create support material for teachers and their students. I’ve been lucky to have seen the series already and want to share some of the highlights with you. Hugh Bonneville and Ralph Fiennes on Performing… Continue Reading »
The epiphanies continue! Today is the anniversary of the death of Irish writer James Joyce, whose famous epiphanies, a century later, still inspire conversation and inquiry. (Plus, did you know that Hamlet was a major source for Joyce, who gave a series of lectures on Shakespeare?) We think it’s fitting, then, today, to offer a second installment of your teaching… Continue Reading »
By Corinne Viglietta We just wrapped up our (exhilarating!) 2014 High School Fellowship, dubbed affectionately by its 16 participants as “Varsity Shakespeare.” Since September, local high schoolers gathered here every Monday to take on big questions and deep learning around Shakespeare and the humanities. They saw productions of King Lear and Julius Caesar and performed… Continue Reading »
