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Primary

Chaucer Translator

This is a small selection of our resources which have been selected for use in primary schools at Key Stage 2. We are in the
process of adapting these resources to be more suitable for primary schools, so please send any extra suggestions for improvements
to Harriet Truscott (harriet @ caret.cam.ac.uk).

Poetry Workshops See some of the poems from our Primary Poetry Workshops

  • These poems were written by primary age pupils at drop-in poetry workshops at the Cambridge Science Festival, run by poet Richard Burns.
  • Richard asks pupils to explore creative language within a basic writing frame. Some very impressive poems were the result!

  • for KS2 students
    Chaucer Translator Get into Chaucer with these postcards from Middle England!

  • Pupils write messages which are automatically translated into middle English. They can then send the message as an email to a friend.
  • This resource is intended as a light-hearted way to introduce pupils to Chaucer and to middle English.
  • Pupils could be encouraged to think about how far language has changed over the last 600 years, comparing
    which words have remained similar and which words have changed radically.

  • for KS2 studentsan interactive, multimedia resourcea good startergreat for whiteboards
    Shakespeare's Special Effects Try your hand as Shakespeare’s Special Effects expert – version with sound

  • Pupils look at three moments from Shakespeare’s plays, and are asked to decide how they would stage them in the theatre.
  • The resource is designed to be a light-hearted way to encourage pupils to think about Shakespeare’s plays in performance.
  • The students begin by looking at how Elizabethan actors could create a ghost (as in Hamlet or Macbeth), then at how
    they create a special entrance for a King, and then how they would represent a bear on stage (as in The Winter’s Tale)
  • However, students are not expected to have previous knowledge of these particular plays: it is designed to get students thinking more generally
    about how Shakespeare wrote for the theatre.

  • for KS2 studentsan interactive, multimedia resourcegreat for whiteboardsincludes sound
    Shakespeare's Special Effects Try your hand as Shakespeare’s Special Effects expert – version without sound

  • Pupils look at three moments from Shakespeare’s plays, and are asked to decide how they would stage them in the theatre.
  • The resource is designed to be a light-hearted way to encourage pupils to think about Shakespeare’s plays in performance.
  • The students begin by looking at how Elizabethan actors could create a ghost (as in Hamlet or Macbeth), then at how
    they create a special entrance for a King, and then how they would represent a bear on stage (as in The Winter’s Tale)
  • However, students are not expected to have previous knowledge of these particular plays: it is designed to get students thinking more generally
    about how Shakespeare wrote for the theatre.

  • for KS2 studentsan interactive, multimedia resourcegreat for whiteboards
    Interactive tour of the Globe Visit the animated Virtual Globe

  • An animated ‘tour’ of Shakespear’s Globe theatre, designed to introduce pupils to the world in which Shakespeare was writing.
  • Pupils ‘meet’ a range of characters from Elizabethan life, from boy actors playing women’s roles to an African immigrant in the audience.
  • Pupils can discover increasing amounts of information, depending on their level of interest, from a brief introduction suitable for KS2, up to information which would be genuinely useful for University students!
  • There is a quiz which students can fill in as they explore the site.
  • The resource can be used on the interactive whiteboard or with students accessing it individually. However, unless
    your school has a fast internet connections, having 15 computers accessing it at once may cause difficulties, as it is a big file!
  • The resource includes sound, but this is not vital. The low-bandwidth version comes without sound.

  • for KS2 studentsan interactive, multimedia resourcegreat for whiteboardsincludes sound
    Interactive tour of the Globe An Interactive 3D version of Shakespeare’s Globe

  • A 3D version of the Globe Theatre, designed for students to get an idea of Shakespeare’s theatre.
  • This will take a short while to download, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
  • You will need Shockwave to access this resource.

  • for KS2 studentsan interactive, multimedia resourcea good startergreat for whiteboards
    Shakespeare's Insults Insult your friends with Shakespeare’s worst insults..

  • Pupils experiment with creating insults based on Shakespeare’s plays. They combine nouns and adjectives to find the most innovative insult, which they can
    then email to a friend.
  • This resource is intended as a light-hearted way to start students thinking about the way that Shakespeare used language.
  • Possible topics include looking at what words we no longer use today, and thinking about language change; looking
    at how adding adjectives to nouns can make them more descriptive and fun.

  • for KS2 studentsan interactive, multimedia resourcea good startergreat for whiteboards