Year 8 Drama - Shakespeare
- Sallyann Clark
- Sep 18
- 3 min read
Welcome to Week One of your Shakespeare Drama Journey! Over the next 12 weeks, you’ll work toward performing two pieces: one Shakespeare monologue (from Romeo and Juliet) and one Shakespeare sonnet. You'll explore how to act, understand, and express Shakespeare’s language — and if you choose, you'll be ready to take the LAMDA Level 2 Shakespeare Exam by the end.
🎯 This Week’s Objectives
Drama Objectives (KS3 National Curriculum):
Explore the work of a significant playwright
Use voice, movement, and language to develop character
Understand how dramatic conventions communicate meaning
LAMDA Level 2 Shakespeare Objectives:
Show understanding of character, context, and meaning
Demonstrate clear and expressive use of voice
Understand and use Shakespeare’s verse form appropriately
Introduction: Who Was Shakespeare, and Why Does He Still Matter?
William Shakespeare wrote over 400 years ago, but his stories, characters, and emotions still speak to us today. In this course, you’ll explore Shakespeare's language and perform it with confidence, creativity, and your own personal style. Whether you love drama or you’re nervous to start, this course will help you build the skills and confidence to shine.
This week, we’ll:
Discover who Shakespeare was
Explore his language through play
Watch and listen to a famous scene
Start building vocal confidence
Warm-Up: Famous Lines in Silly Voices
Why? This helps you loosen up, build vocal confidence, and get used to Shakespeare’s rhythm. Have a go, no one's watching!
Activity:
Say the following famous Shakespeare lines in silly voices:
“To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (Hamlet)
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Romeo and Juliet)
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (Macbeth)
“All the world’s a stage...” (As You Like It)
“Double, double, toil and trouble...” (Macbeth)
Use these voices:
A whisper
A superhero
A teacher
A robot
A pirate
Record yourself performing two lines using two different voices. Save the clips for your personal portfolio and reflection. You can film yourself or record your voice. Save the clips to a folder named Year 8 drama.
Learning Focus: Who Was Shakespeare?
Go and work through BBC Bitesize: Shakespeare's life and inspirations.
Then in your journl answer:
What surprised you about Shakespeare?
What kinds of characters or stories did he like?
Why do you think we still perform his plays?
Top Tip: Shakespeare didn’t write for fancy people — he wrote for everyone. His plays were full of love, hate, murder, jokes, misunderstandings, and really big emotions!
Task: Explore Your Two Pieces
This term, you’ll work on two performance pieces:
Romeo’s monologue from Romeo and Juliet (Act 2, Scene 2)
Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”)
🎬 Watch these two performances:
Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene.
David Tennant reads Sonnet 18
Listen closely:
How does the actor use their voice?
What emotions do you hear?
What words or phrases stood out to you?
Now try it!
Read the first 4 lines of Romeo’s monologue and the first 4 lines of Sonnet 18 aloud.
Romeo’s Monologue (Act 2, Scene 2 – Romeo and Juliet)
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,Who is already sick and pale with grief,
Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”)
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Then record yourself reading them again — but this time, try:
Slowing it down
Emphasising key words
Adding one gesture or facial expression
🎥 Record both readings and save them. These are your first steps as a Shakespeare performer!
✅ Reflect and Self-Assess
Use this simple rubric to evaluate your first recordings:
Skill | Not Great | Getting Better | Confident |
I can read the lines clearly | 🔲 | 🔲 | 🔲 |
I tried changing tone and pace | 🔲 | 🔲 | 🔲 |
I used some emotion in my voice | 🔲 | 🔲 | 🔲 |
I understood some of what I was saying | 🔲 | 🔲 | 🔲 |
Write or record an answer to this reflection prompt:
"How did it feel to speak Shakespeare for the first time? What would you like to improve next week?"
Extension (Optional):
If you're feeling confident, try to learn the first 2 lines of Romeo’s speech off by heart:
“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!”
What to Keep in Your Drama Folder (or Portfolio)
Your silly voice recordings
Your two spoken performances (Romeo & Sonnet 18)
Your completed self-assessment rubric
Your written or recorded reflection
Coming Next Week…
In Week 2, you’ll learn to translate Shakespeare into your own words and break down what Romeo is actually saying. You’ll also get to act out scenes in modern language and start building your version of Romeo!
