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Description:

Read it! Act it! Students will enjoy this two-hour, semester-long workshop with Shakespearian coach Heather Sanderson who hails from England and is known for instilling a love of Shakespeare into the hearts of students throughout the Greater DC area. The class will explore a very popular play from Shakespeare's series of histories- Henry IV, Part 1, and analyze its characters, plot, themes and motives.
In this thrilling and poignant coming-of-age story, students will be introduced to a jocular knight, a troubled king, a hot-blooded warrior, a prodigal prince, and a whole host of lovable rabble-rousers.

Students will read various roles, study and act out scenes, practice monologues, and work through the literature while having fun with fellow teens. Theatre games will be used to encourage collaboration, and specially designed improv exercises will be used to stretch teens' imaginations and help them get "in character". The class will use read-aloud and in-class dramatization to decipher the original language, word choices, and to identify humor, mockery, and political intrigue, in this tale of power, honor and rebellion.

The class will work from complete texts (not redacted, abridged, or simplified school versions) to hear and practice Elizabethan lingo. (How did someone of Shakespeare's time hurl insults or woo a woman?) Students will learn how the Bard crafted scenes and conveyed the primary storyline and sub-plots in a tale that has endured for over 400 years.

Instructor Heather Sanderson shares a teaching style based on actions and interactions, developed from years of experience coaching Shakespeare in a way that appeals to students. Her approach brings abstract concepts, complex themes, and difficult language to the students' level, so that they can relate to and appreciate Shakespeare.

Note:All class meetings will be in a virtual classroom, providing synchronous online instruction via videoconferencing for fall semester. At the instructors' option, the class may transition to in-person instruction for second semester as COVID-19 scenarios improve.

Topics in this Series: Henry IV, Part I (Semester 1), Hysterical Scenes and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Semester 2). Continuing students from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Workload: Students should expect to spend 0-1 hour per week outside of class reading sections.

Assignments: Sections will be assigned in class and included in the weekly e-mail to parents/students.

Assessments: Will not be given.

Textbook: The cost of the class text is included in the course fee.

Non-Meeting Dates: This first-semester class will last 13 weeks, and the week off will be announced at a later date.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in English Literature or Fine Arts for purposes of a high school transcript.