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Why is English Language Day celebrated on 23rd April? This day was chosen because it is thought to be Shakespeare’s birthday, and the anniversary of his death! Well, except for being English language’s most famous playwright, Shakespeare also has a huge impact on modern-day English. But we all know that teaching Shakespeare to students takes a bit of courage! That’s why E-planet is here to help!

Happy English Language Day!

Our English Language Journey

Beginners / Young Learners & Teens

What are the rules of your English classroom? Help your students celebrate English Language Day, improve their vocabulary skills, and create a unique ‘English Classroom Rules’ poster with this helpful worksheet from our Voices 4 series.

Download it here: Our English Classroom Rules.

www.eplaneteducation.com



Discovering Shakespeare's World

Pre-intermediate, Intermediate & Upper-intermediate / Teens & Adults

Begin by piquing your learners’ interest. Tell them to imagine that you’re a very famous Briton! Get them to ask you Yes/Νo questions until they guess who you are (William Shakespeare). Alternatively, write an anagram of ‘William Shakespeare’ on your classroom board and have a race to see who can work out the name first!

Then you can get the class talking! Ask your students:

• What do you know about William Shakespeare? What comes to mind when you think of him?




• When was William Shakespeare born?




• Do you know any of his plays? Can you name at least two or three of them? Which one is your favourite? Why?

Now you are ready to use the following materials:

The British Council, in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, has created the Shakespeare Lives schools’ pack, especially designed to encourage all students discover the amazing world of Shakespeare. Throughout the pack, you can find a variety of participative activities for children and teenagers.

For further exciting resources, why not visit the Teach Shakespeare site of the world-renowned Shakespeare's Globe Theatre? You can search for high quality resources to help you teach Shakespeare by play, theme, language, or character, and you will also discover useful lesson plans.

The 5-minute task: At the end of the lesson, set a timer and ask students to record their ideas and thoughts. This activity allows students to reflect on learning and build writing skills – plus you’ll get a window into their understandings! Here is a prompt you can use to get students writing: ‘What would you say was the most surprising and unexpected thing you learnt in today’s class?’.