Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Don't let Elizabethan English scare you off. Join Chairman Michael Farris as he talks with his guest Deborah Taylor-Hough about making Shakespeare come alive on today's Home School Heartbeat.

Mike:


Debbie, some moms are intimidated by Elizabethan English and want to get a handle on the plot of the play. What can you suggest to get them started?


Deborah:


Well, I recommend reading the story of the play out loud to the kids first. A book like Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare is very helpful at this point. By reading the plot in story form, everyone has an overview of the entire play before they have to wade through the sometimes difficult language of the play itself.


Mike:


How did your kids react to this initial introduction?


Deborah:


Well, we read the story of the "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and my kids thought it was so funny. It's definitely a child friendly story line and after reading the story version, we could hardly wait to see the play for ourselves.


Mike:


Well, it sounds like this piqued everyone's interest. What happened when you actually read the play?


Deborah:


Well, I read the play aloud to my kids, and even though the language was a bit challenging for me at first, I was amazed at how quickly it became almost second nature to me. I even found myself thinking almost in Shakespearean phrases.


Mike:


Debbie, thanks so much. Tomorrow we'll talk more about including Shakespeare in your home school. I'm Mike Farris.