Ideas for Teaching British Literature

Revive the works of Shakespeare with a fun lesson plan.

British Literature has a reputation for being a boring subject. It can be difficult to teach a compelling lesson when students are predisposed to dislike the subject. Establishing creative lesson plans using a variety of different interactive games and activities can help spark your students' interest in learning more about British Literature.

Old English Warm-Up

Have a warm-up when you begin teaching British Literature to your class. Continue this warm-up daily to help get your students in the mood for in-class readings or discussions. Begin by introducing the students to basic Old English. Write common words and phrases on the blackboard. Take five or ten minutes of class time and ask students to speak exclusively in Old English; they may speak on any topic they like, provided it is classroom-appropriate discussion. If you find your students are hesitant to speak in Old English, bring in lyrics of popular songs that are appropriate for a school setting and ask students to help translate the lyrics into Old English.

Skits

Encourage your students to develop their own creative interpretations of the works you read in class. These could be traditional or modern interpretations on the readings, depending on what the students feel most comfortable with. Modern interpretations can be done in Old English, or the students can update the language to reflect modern English. Ideas for modern interpretations can be modeled on popular television sitcoms or movies, or the students can pretend to have literature characters guest star on a talk show, compete on a reality show or advertise a product or service in a commercial. Keep the assignment as open-ended as possible to encourage diverse and creative performances. Allow the students to perform their interpretations in class.

Games

Use games to help reiterate the content you have read in class. For instance, you can play trivia games. Divide your students into teams to compete against each other in answering the most questions correctly. Or place a sticky note with a certain literature character's name on each student's forehead; students will be able to see everyone's character except their own. Now go around in a circle and allow the students to ask yes or no questions about their character; the first student to correctly guess his character wins the game.

Performance Field Trips

Take your students on a field trip to see a live, professional performance of one of the works you have read in class. Investigate the performance schedule for local playhouses and try to find a play that matches your curriculum; look for performances of popular works like "Hamlet" and "Macbeth." Ask about group or student discounts to lower the total cost of tickets; either raise funds as a class or ask each student to bring in enough money to purchase a ticket. Try to arrange a question-and-answer session with the actors after the performance so your students can learn more about how the two-dimensional lines of a play, for example, are interpreted and translated onstage.

References

• huffenglish.com; Teaching British Literature