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AcTIvITy 4.2
continued
Shakespeare in School
eventually: at some later time
genius: distinctive character or spirit
My Notes
8 The first uses Shakespeare’s own words, the second translates them into plain English, and the third is a “quick text” version and uses as few words as possible.
9 The firm hopes to print 10,000 copies of each version of its first comic play, Henry V. 10 Macbethshouldbereadynextyearandtherearealsoplansinthepipelinefor
Romeo and Juliet, as well as classic novels including Jane Eyre and Great Expectations.
11 ThefirmhopeseventuallytopublishcomicstripversionsofallShakespeare’splays.
12 Dr. Bernard Lamb, chairman of the London branch of the Queen’s English Society, said: “Pupils may just enjoy the cartoons and not connect it with Shakespeare and they won’t be much of a contribution to education.
13 “I am sure they are already well-versed in cartoon characters and comic strips, so it would be good for them to get away from that and study something a bit more serious.
14 “A lot of the beauty of Shakespeare is in the language more than the plot.
15 Dr. Lamb added: “There is so much dumbing down all round. Students are
unaware of what language is appropriate in different circumstances. I have had students in degree exams using ‘eight’ for ‘ate’.”
16 But Clive Bryant, chairman of Classical Comics, insisted the shortened versions of his plays would give youngster a “leg up” to enjoying the originals.
17 “We want to make Shakespeare as energetic and colourful as Spiderman” he told the Times Educational Supplement.
18 “Teachers tell us they are desperate for something exciting to use in the classroom, but if you ask kids about Shakespeare the word they usually come back with is ‘boring’.
19 “We’re trying to break down the barriers so they can get interested.”
20 Ian McNeilly, director of the National Association for the Teaching of English,
said: “This is a fun way of getting into the stories.
21 “Plays are not meant to be read, but to be seen. The illustrations in these books are an easy way of following what is going on.
22 “The genius of Shakespeare is in the language, but for some students understanding it can be a struggle. It will be useful for teachers to have three different versions of the text.”
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk, August 7, 2007
Second Read
• Reread the article to answer these text-dependent questions.
• Write any additional questions you have about the text in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
252 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6
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