Activity 1: Recite the Story Information
- Before and after reading or listening to the story, recite aloud the title and author of the play.
Activity 2: Narrate the Story
- After reading or listening to the story, narrate the events aloud in your own words.
Activity 3: See the Playwright and Poet William Shakespeare
- Study the controversial 'Cobbe portrait' below, which may be a real-life portrait of Shakespeare.
- The portrait contains the Latin phrase 'Principum amicitias!' which means 'The alliances of princes!'
Activity 4: Map the Play
- In the play, Claudius murders his brother, the King of Denmark, to steal the throne.
- Find Denmark on the map of Europe.
- Find the capital city of Denmark and recite its name.
- Point to the location of Denmark on the map of the world.
Activity 5: Can You Find It?
During the week, zoom in to study the painting, 'Hamlet Shows His Mother the Ghost of His Father,' by Nicolai Abildgaard. Find the following:
- Hamlet
- Queen Gertrude
- Ghost of the Old King, Hamlet's Father
- Suit of Armor
- Sword
- Crown
- Spurs
- Flame
Activity 6: Build the Sets
- Color, cut out, and laminate the set items on pages 49-50 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Practice arranging the scenes in your theater.
Activity 7: Study the Order of Events
- Print and cut out Group A of events on page 50 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Using what you know from reading the story, arrange the events in the correct order.
- Glue the group of ordered events to a piece of construction paper.
- Repeat for groups B-C on pages 51-52 of 'Fourth Grade Shakespeare Theater Pages.'
- Keep these event orderings for the next activity.
Activity 8: Act Out the Events
- Use the event orderings from the prior activity, the theater, the laminated characters, and the sets, to act out each group of events.
- The instructor reads aloud events from group A.
- Children build the appropriate set, add necessary characters, and act out the event, moving the characters and inventing their own dialog.
- Repeat for groups B-C.