A recording of Globe Education’s special performance of the play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London has been developed into an MP3 audio file. This was commissioned by National Strategies, who provide professional programmes for early years, primary school and secondary school heads, teachers, practitioners and managers, and can be downloaded free of charge from the internet for use on an MP3 player, iPod or computer and listened to as many times as students want.
The comedy is one of three Key Stage 3 set texts on the national curriculum and the audio file enables students to enjoy many of the benefits of a live performance as well as interviews with the director and the four actors playing the main characters, providing insights into the decisions they make when rehearsing the play
You can download the recording from the DfES Standards website, where there is a dedicated area called Improving the teaching of Shakespeare. It stores Secondary National Strategy resources designed to support teachers in improving teaching and learning across both key stages as well as having materials specifically written to help prepare pupils for the 2007 NC tests. It is available at:
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/subjects/english/shakespeare
