This document outlines lessons on Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing". The objectives are to understand how to translate Shakespeare's language into modern terms and to analyze the imagery. Students will work in groups to translate passages. They will perform their translations and assess their own and other groups' performances based on criteria like clarity and confidence. The lessons also focus on analyzing how the characters of Beatrice and Benedick are tricked in the play and comparing the tactics used.

1. Much Ado About
Nothing
Year 8
Week 4, Lesson 1 and 2

2. Shakespeare’s language
How many words can you make out of the title:
Much Ado About Nothing
You can only use each letter once.
Longest words win a prize from the Superstar Box!

3. Today’s lesson objective
 To understand how to translate Shakespearean
language to modern day teen-speak.
 To do this, you must analyse the language and
recognise the imagery that Shakespeare used.
 Learning to understand and translate Shakespeare’s
language will help you in Year 9 and in your GCSE
when you will study the play ‘Macbeth’.

4. Your performance will be
assessed.
Your level will be based on the Progression Pathway
level for Speaking and Listening.
 8.4 – Your performance will be clear and relevant
 8.5/6 – Your performance will be confident
 8.7/8 – Your performance will be convincing and
sophisticated

5. What am I expecting?
What was your target from your
last performance?

6. Translating
 You will work in groups of 4.
 You will be required to translate
Shakespeare’s language into teen-speak.
 Don’t try to translate every single word or
sentence – it will take you too long.
 Read longer passages, get an idea of what
Shakespeare was saying – and then write
your own version.

7. Example:
Shakespeare version
Don Pedro:
Come, shall we hear this
music?
Claudio:
Yea, my good lord. How
still the evening is,
As hushed on purpose
to grace harmony.
Your version
Don Pedro:
Yo! D.J. turn up the tunes!
Claudio:
Tonight is the perfect night
to set this trap.

8. Work in your groups
 You are all expected to contribute.
 It is important if you’re not writing, that you are
still being productive.
 Anyone that is off task will be transgressed
and will not have the opportunity to watch the
performances.

9. Performances
 You will perform in groups.
 You will assess your own performance and
the performance of someone in another
group.
 You will use the criteria that we talked about
at the beginning of the lesson to make your
assessment.

10. Much Ado About Nothing
Speaking and Listening – Drama
Performance
 Did they stay in character for the entire performance?
 Did they speak clearly so that the audience could
understand what they were saying?
The best part about your performance was_________
_____________________________________________
______
To make it even better you could __________________
_____________________________________________
______
Clear Confident Convincing

11. Much Ado About Nothing
Speaking and Listening – Drama
Performance – Peer Assessment
 Did they stay in character for the entire performance?
 Did they speak clearly so that the audience could
understand what they were saying?
The best part about your performance was_________
_____________________________________________
______
To make it even better you could __________________
_____________________________________________
______
Clear Confident Convincing

12. Plenary
In your exercise books:
 Write today’s date: Wednesday, May 4th 2016
 Write today’s title: Shakespearean Language – Self
Assessment
 Copy this into your books:
My groups’ performance was ___________________.
I think my contribution was ______________________
because I
______________________________________.
I found this task _____________difficult. The hardest
part was
_______________________________________.
Next time I will try to

13. Plenary
 I thought my own performance was ___________.
 My peer thought that my performance was ____.
 Based on their feedback, next time I will ________.
Then you need to glue in your peer feedback into your
book.

14. Much Ado About
Nothing
Year 8
Week 4, Lesson 3

15. Starter
 Much Ado Wordsearch
 First person to finish gets a prize from the
Superstar box.

16. Lesson Objective
 To understand how the tricking of Beatrice is
similar/different to the tricking of Benedick.
 To be able to analyse Shakespeare’s
language and understand how he creates an
image of Beatrice.

17. Act 3, Scene 1
 We will first watch the scene…

18. Analysing the scene
1. Find out how Beatrice is deceived. Compare
the women’s tactics to those of the men.
2. Sunshine and honeysuckle