William Shakespeare: Words for the Stage – Teacher Answers

Teacher answer key

1. Warm-up: answers will vary.
2. Vocabulary: playwright = a person who writes plays; chronicle = a historical account arranged in time order; adapt = to change a work for a new form or audience; exaggerated = described as greater than it really is; influence = the power to affect ideas or behaviour
3. Reading comprehension: 1) 1564–1616. 2) Comedies, histories and tragedies. 3) Earlier stories, chronicles or classical sources. 4) They are often exaggerated. 5) His language and the emotional/political questions in his plays.
4. Grammar: 1) Shakespeare was a playwright who worked in London.; 2) The Globe was a theatre where many of his plays were performed.; 3) He used older stories, which he reshaped for the stage.; 4) His plays explore questions that/which still interest audiences.
5. Listening script: “Shakespeare’s plays were written for performance, not silent reading alone. Actors, movement, costumes and audience reactions all shaped the theatrical experience. Modern directors often change settings or costumes while keeping much of the original language.”
   Answers: 1) Performance. 2) Any two: actors, movement, costumes, audience reactions. 3) Settings or costumes. 4) Much of the original language.
6. Speaking: answers will vary.
7. Something fun: answers will vary.
8. Writing: answers will vary. Encourage students to use details from the lesson and accurate target language.

Puzzle/Game: answers will vary. Encourage students to use lesson vocabulary and explain their choices.

Success criteria: this is a student self-check. No single answer is required.

For open-ended tasks, accept different answers when students can explain or support them clearly.