Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Monday, 19 September 2011

English - Shakespeare

We are starting to look at Shakespeare in English.


Shakespeare was very famous in his own time, not only after he died, and he wrote many poems and plays.  His works are still studied by students, even though they were written in old english speech and are difficult to understand in modern times.  Although you can still get the gist of what was going on when you read or listen to them.



Image Source:  wilsonsalmanac.com


I found two books in our small village library:


Much do about Nothing - The Graphic Shakespeare series retold by Hilary Burningham


Much Ado About Nothing (Graphic Shakespeare Series)
and


Shakespeare - The Alexander text of the complete works of Shakespeare (Collins)


THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE : THE ALEXANDER TEXT




Looking at the content page of this book, one can see that Shakespeare wrote so many plays.

Some of these are:

Hamlet
Macbeth
Much Ado about Nothing
Romeo and Juliet
Midsummers-night's Dream
The Winters Tale
King Lear
Othello
Twelfth Night
The Merchant of Venice
A Comedy of Errors
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Two Gentleman of Verona
The Tempest.


Here is a little on Shakespeare:

William Shakespeare  was born in April 1564 in an English Town called Stratford-upon-Avon.  His parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden.

Although William Shakespeare's parents were both said to be illiterate, it is assumed that William attended the King Edward IV Grammar School.  His father had a good standing and was an alderman.   A School's curriculum and the Elizabethan education of children was based on the religion of the ruling  monarch of the time, which varied from Catholic to Protestant during his school years. William Shakespeare, was finally withdrawn from school and education at the age of fourteen in 1578 due to the financial problems being experienced by his father, who was no longer in favour, as he was Catholic. 

To learn more about Elizabethan schools and times - 

William married Anne Hathaway in 1582, at the age 22 years. The next year they had a daughter who they named Susanna.  Two years later they had twins, who were named Judith and Hamnet.  (Sadly his son, Hamnet dies at the age of eleven).

Shakespeare became well-known as an actor, poet and playwright and several years later he joined up with one of the most successful acting troupe's in London: The Lord Chamberlain's Men.

After James I came to rule in 1603, Shakespeare and and his acting troupe were called the Kings Men and they were charged to "freely use and exercise the art and faculty of playing Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Interludes, Morals, Pastorals, stage plays ... as well for recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure."

He retired from the stage in 1613 after a fire consumed the theatre where they were performing Henry VII.  Even so, Shakespeare invested in the rebuilding of the theatre.

He continued to write until his death in 1616.

REF:

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Shakespeare's birthplace:
Stratford-upon-Avon is an area  in Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon.  
The town is a popular tourist destination, as it in the birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare.  It receives approx. 3 million visitors a year from all over the world. The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre, one of Britain's most important cultural venues.  Stratford is close to the Cotswolds.

File:Warwickshire UK location map.svg

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Choices for Life - organised by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA)

Read all about it on:  http://hebridestoday.com/2011/05/western-isles-pupils-make-choices-for-life/

EXTRACT:

Hundreds of primary school pupils from across the Western Isles gathered at the Lewis Sports Centre in Stornoway today (Monday 9 May) for Choices for Life 2011.


Choices for Life, which is organised by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and supported by Northern Constabulary, is designed to provide young people with information and advice on substance misuse.

Almost 800 Primary 6, Primary 7 and S1 pupils from schools across the Western Isles attended a Choices for Life event in Stornoway, where two events were held today. Events have already been held last week in Orkney and Shetland.

Choices for Life delivers an interactive programme of live music and drama and provides young people with guidance on how to resist peer pressure relating to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs, and the benefits of making positive lifestyle choices.

Performers at this year’s events included singer and songwriter Carrie Mac, up and coming boy band GMD3 and London-based rap act, MC Enel. PACE Theatre Group delivered a drama sketch during the live event, and also delivered workshops in a number of primary schools afterwards to build on what pupils learned at the event.

The SCDEA works with police forces, as well as Learning & Teaching Scotland (LTS), NHS Health Scotland and Young Scot, to develop Choices for Life.

All content and material has been developed in line with Curriculum for Excellence. Deputy Chief Constable Gordon Meldrum, Director General, SCDEA attended one of the events held in Stornoway.

He said: “Choices for Life is an integral part of our interventions approach to tackling serious organised crime by reducing the demand for illegal drugs.

“The event provides a fun and interactive experience for young people, but it1s one that comes with very important messages around substance misuse. “Ensuring that young people are well informed about these issues is absolutely vital if we want to make a difference and prevent young people from getting involved with drugs. “We aim to do this through Choices for Life by delivering messages in a positive way, using performance and role models, which pupils can relate to.

The event also provides pupils with alternative lifestyle choices to substance misuse, preparing them for potentially difficult decisions that they might face in future when they make the move into secondary school.” Chief Constable George Graham said: “The main focus of Choices for Life is to provide youngsters with accurate information so that they can make informed choices for themselves about how they should lead their lives.

“It is an excellent vehicle with which to get a serious message across but in an entertaining way. Children are able to relate more easily to the content. “It’s vital youngsters have access to credible advice and information about the risks associated with issues such as substance misuse and peer pressure. We’re confident that the event has an important role to play in the education process. This is the first time I have attended a Choices for Life event and the content and delivery is extremely vibrant and entertaining, with a serious educational edge.”

Choices for Life is visiting Orkney, Shetland and Lewis only this year because these locations were not included in the 2010 series of events. However, primary schools across the whole of Scotland were still be able to participate in this year’s events through a live web stream on Glow, Scotland’s national intranet for schools, during this morning1s event held in Stornoway.

A recording of the event will also be available for schools to view on Glow later.

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Layers of ocean life

This is a fascinating interactive diagram of ocean life by National Geographic.

Have a look: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/10/gulf-oil-spill/gulf-life-interactive