A foolproof, enormously fun method of teaching yourself and your children Shakespeare
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare
by Ken Ludwig
Introduction by John Lithgow
“Ken Ludwig’s enthusiasm for Shakespeare in his lucid, accessible, and inspiring book How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare is a rare treat. I highly recommend the book to all who have a love of language and history.”—Sir Derek Jacobi, CBE
An exciting guide to helping everyone fall in love with the works of William Shakespeare, adults and children alike.
From Jane Austen to Hamilton, many of the best known works in the English language have been inspired by Shakespeare’s stories, characters, and themes. In How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig provides you with the tools you need to understand Shakespeare for the first time.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Ken Ludwig developed his methods while teaching his own children, and his approach is friendly and easy to master. It begins with the memorization of short passages from Shakespeare’s plays. It then continues with an exploration of Shakespeare’s life and times, and provides an exposure to the cultural references that children will use for years to come.
Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which Shakespeare wrote.
From Ken Ludwig:
”It is clear that knowing Shakespeare will make our children better readers and writers. It will give them academic confidence and success for the rest of their lives. Also, on a practical level, it will help them succeed as students, empowering them from their early years right through high school and college. Most importantly, it will make them more moral human beings as they begin to see the world through a Shakespearean lens.”
Praise for Ken Ludwig’s How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare
“How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is an inspired and inspiring book. It’s also a deeply rewarding one that will bring a great deal of pleasure to many parents and children. Ken Ludwig, a wonderful playwright, proves to be a superb guide to Shakespeare as well.”
—James Shapiro, Author of Shakespeare in a Divided America and Contested Will
“I wish someone had given this book to my parents. It would have made a life-changing task downright fun. Ken Ludwig is a smart, congenial and inventive guide, and everywhere in this remarkable book he takes the strangeness out of Shakespeare’s work and leaves the enchanting mystery. A book for all lovers, and potential lovers, of Shakespeare.”
—J.D. McClatchy, Yale University
“Ken Ludwig’s enthusiasm for Shakespeare in his lucid, accessible, and inspiring book How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare is a rare treat. You and your children will be transformed by the magic and mystery of Shakespeare and his stories in an instant. I highly recommend the book to all who have a love of language and history.”
—Sir Derek Jacobi, CBE
“I have been in [Ken’s] home. His children really do know Shakespeare. Read the book and you’ll see why. It’s scholarship dancing around with fun.”
—Hal Holbrook, Tony and Emmy Award winning actor
“If you love the English language in its most exalted form, if you love children and love life, you will love this book. A delight from first page to last.”
—Rocco Landesman, Theater Producer and Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
From parents and homeschoolers
“How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare is a one-book stand alone curriculum. It’s a curriculum keeper, which means it spans multiple ages and can be used over and over again each year.”
—Tina Robertson, Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus
"This book is a busy homeschooling mom's best bet for helping kids fall in love with Shakespeare. Ken Ludwig becomes a trusted mentor and guide as we set out to introduce Shakespeare to our kids - even if we don't have much experience with the bard ourselves. It has been transformational for our family. I cannot tell you the joy it brings me to hear my 8-year-old rough-and-tumble son recite (rather deftly, I might add) a selection from A Midsummer Night's Dream. … All of my kids are just eating it up, and I am too."
—Sarah Mackenzie, author of Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace and creator of Read-Aloud-Revival
“To say that this book changed my life, and the lives of my kids, would seem like an overstatement. But it’s not. Really. Shakespeare and children go together brilliantly.”
–Colleen Kessler, Raising Livelong Learners
“This book makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone. No other resource will have your kids learning and enjoying Shakespeare like How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.”
—Heather Woodie, Blog She Wrote
“Mr. Ludwig takes great care to define words that children may not know, and to explain the meaning behind each passage. He has an amazing ability to describe the characters and make them come alive–just what we need to truly enjoy Shakespeare’s works!”
—Judy Hoch, Contented at Home
“What I love so much about his book is that he really makes memorizing Shakespeare easy and approachable. He takes all of the work (and the fear) out of it and makes it easy to just step right in and do it!”
—Karyn Tripp, Teach Beside Me
“This book is an adventure for children and parents. You do not need to have any background in Shakespeare to enjoy this book.”
—Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley, My Little Poppies
Photos by Amanda Woods.
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Shelf Talker
Poster
Quotation Sheet
- Passage 1-5
- Passage 6-10
- Passage 11-15
- Passage 16-20
- Passage 21-25
- Passage 26
- Bonus Passage
AUDIO CLIPS
Listen to the Shakespearean passages from the book below from actors Sir Derek Jacobi, CBE, Richard Clifford, and Frances Barber and follow along in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.