RAR #06: Why Shakespeare Matters, a Conversation with Ken Ludwig
Are you intimidated by Shakespeare? Do you wonder how you can introduce the bard’s work to your kids if you aren’t all that familiar with it yourself? Ah yes. You’ve come to the right place. :)
I am a huge (HUGE!) fan of Ken Ludwig‘s book, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare (now available in paperback!) and I invited him onto the show to inspire and encourage you.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- how Shakespeare helps our children to be more human
- his thoughts about watching a movie or see a performance before reading a play
- his favorite adaptions we can share with our kids
Links from this episode:
- How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare Website the site with audio clips of the passages Ken suggests and other helps to get you going!
- Ken Ludwig’s website: kenludwig.com
- Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb ( FREE audio version!)
- FREE audio versions: Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, and the Children’s Shakespeare)
- The Shakespeare Library by Wendy Greenhill- Ken recommends the whole series; these can be hard to find, but here’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to get you started…
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
![The Young Person’s Guide to Shakespeare: [Book-and-CD Set]](https://readaloudrevival.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/51QVPZ5E70L.jpg)
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I have started listening to your podcasts and decided to go all the way from the beginning! I love this one on doing Shakespeare with your kids. Can’t wait to try! Thanks!
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Ive always been intimidated by Shakespeare but i love reading it to my kids as they always ask questions like what does that word mean? And did people really talk like this in the past? Its always fun to tell old stories around bedtime and Shakespeare”s are some of the best!
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I have been listening to your podcast from the beginning and while I’ve loved every episode so far, I especially loved this one! Our small high school put on two Shakespearean plays while I was there: during auditions, I was called back for Juliet, then Romeo, and finally cast as Benvolio (no kissing + fencing lessons = win!), and while I can’t say that that experience turned me into an avid reader of Shakespeare, it definitely gave me an appreciation for his language and a sense for what his plays sound like when acted out (rather than read silently).
I loved listening to Ken Ludwig’s tips on introducing kids to Shakespeare and would love to introduce his book into our home school curriculum for next year. Thanks for another wonderful episode, Sarah!
Oh man, your bit about the no kissing + fencing = win almost made me spit my tea. :) The other people at the cafe are wondering why I’m snorting. lol
My work here is done :)
First, let me just say how AWESOME your podcasts are! Even my hubby listens to them! :) We’ve always highly valued reading aloud (it’s waxed & waned through the years following pregnancies & sicknesses) & your podcasts are inspiring!
Recently, our oldest daughter had to read Henry V & she hated it. My husband told me that he didn’t like that she was so opposed to Shakespeare & that we needed to change that & prevent it with our other children. I had no idea how to do this because I never studied Shakespeare till I heard your podcast! I’m sitting with the book in hand & we are all (8 littles) getting started Monday. Exciting!
I’d love to hear how you tackle this with teaching multiple ages. (I’ve got children ages 13-9 months.) Get practical! :)
Sarah, I am SO VERY happy to have discovered your blog. I have been reading past posts about planning & routine & rest & canNOT wait to begin the fall with my 4 & 2 year olds. Your words are encouraging & your podcast is just….SPECTACULAR. I have always had a passion for lit & since becoming a mom – kids lit! I so look forward to naptime where it can be just me, a pile of laundry, & your podcast ;) I also just got Ludwig’s book in the mail & I can’t wait to start it. Hope to get your ebook soon. Cheers!
The last two episodes I’ve had a hard time downloading in my iTunes podcast app. Other podcasts are downloading fine. I was wondering if anyone else was having this problem.
Thank you, Sarah! I preordered the book a while ago, and it just came, so this is perfect.
Also wanted to say: God bless you! Putting yourself out there, sharing your work and thoughts with us all- it’s a brave thing to do and a blessing to so many.
When you feel discouraged, remember that there are thousands and thousands of readers out there that you are reaching and helping. Sometimes it can seem as though quite often it is the critical ones who pipe up the loudest. Well, whatever to them! Even Jesus had critics.
The rest of us appreciate all you share.
Hi Sarah,
Have you ever read Susan Wise Bauer’s review of Ken Ludwig’s book?
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323623304579059253562750162
I would be interested in your thoughts on it. I’m a bit torn as to what to do now…
Thanks!! I look forward to hearing from you!
Oh goodness. I hadn’t seen the passage she mentions in her review. I’m going to look into that (we are out of town right now so I don’t have the book in hand) and then I’ll get in touch with Ken and see what he says about that…
Great! Thanks so much. I really appreciate you looking into it.
Enjoy your time out of town, and thanks for all you do!
I just listened to the podcast, and the first thing I did was go to the book’s website to hear some of the passages. I have to admit, I thought some of the same things Wise Bauer did – that these are not the best example of Shakespeare’s language, nor are they particularly worthy of memorization and internalization. I guess I understand what Ludwig is trying to do – give readers a way of investing in the play – and his method seems great. But the passages are definitely not my favorites. I did order the book, mostly banking on the method and that appendix with 55 more passages; I’m hoping it’s worth it.
To be fair, the passage Wise Bauer quotes does not seem to be one of the passages for memorization; and in the podcast Ludwig says he started when his daughter was 6, but kept going well into high school, and the passages reflect that. Though I agree with WB that we should not replace the Bible with Shakespeare (duh) I think her review is a little hyperbolic. If you are comfortable taking Ludwig’s book with a grain of salt and using your own judgement about what passages to study and memorize, then the book might be a great resource for you. Having said that, I also think that there’s nothing wrong with memorizing and internalizing passages that might not reflect the most…let’s say “noble”….sentiments. Take, for example, Lady Macbeth’s speech (“unsex me…”) – which Ludwig does offer for memorization. Hopefully no child will ever call upon those lines to help steel herself to do evil, as Lady Macbeth does – but that child could call upon those lines to recall how evil causes us to deny our very nature. It might not reflect anything “good”, but it certainly reflects truth, and the language is beautiful. You just don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, you know?
Another great resource for Shakespeare is a series called “Simply Shakespeare”, published by Barron’s. It offers the original text on the left hand page. and a modern translation on the right, side-by-side. My 7th grade daughter used it for Macbeth this year, and it was awesome. (It’s also got all kind of notes for analysis, interpretation, history, etc.) It speaks exactly to what Ludwig was saying about having to learn Shakespearean English like a new language; the ability to read the “translation” right next to the original makes it very easy to approach.
Dear Sarah–
This is truly lovely. Thank you for sharing, and I wanted to say thanks for blogging in general. I’ve shied away from the world of the web for a number of years, but it’s blogs like yours that make me grateful for the internet.
Jenny Rallens
Wow, Jenny- thank you! That means a lot to me. Your work on virtue in the classroom has had a huge impact on me this last year. I really appreciate all you do, and am looking forward to hearing the recording of your talks at SCL this year (I wish I could have been there!).
Sarah,
Thank you so much for this podcast. I was feeling a little apprehensive about tackling this book. However, after listening, I feel much more confident and even excited. I have been homeschooling for 16 years, and it is such a joy to have fresh perspective and enthusiasm. Thank you for contributing to that. In addition, I have experienced my five minutes of fame, giggle, giggle.
Sherry Campbell
I have been doing Shakespeare with my youngest three for a couple of years now. The website with the audio files will be so helpful.
This will be our 16th year of homeschooling, and I still continue to learn new things and find new inspiration. These podcast have been just what I needed to hear this summer. Thank you for all of the work you are doing in the area of inspiring and equipping homeschooling mothers. Keep up the good work.
Another great podcast!
I purchased this book several months ago when you first mentioned it, simply because it sounded good and my own exposure to Shakespeare was very lacking but something I knew I wanted my kids to be familiar with.
About a month ago I finally cracked the book open, and dove right in, using his website to print the passages (and listen to them as well), and then started incorporating it into our “Morning Time” (whether it was morning or not!) with my 4 kids (including my not-homeschooled, 16-yr old son) and we are LOVING it!! They have all embraced the challenge and even my 4 yr. old rushes to be the first to recite the passages. Can’t wait to listen to the podcast!
This is wonderful! Thank you, Sarah, for doing this. We are doing Shakespeare for the first time this year (7th grade!) and I wasn’t sure how to pull it off because I want my boys to enjoy it, I think I’ve found a way:) Bless you!
Can someone comment on how good Ludwig’s book would be for kindle vs hard copy? That is, is it a flip-back-and-forth type of reference where kindle format is going to frustrate me, or is it more of a read-straight-through kind of book? Thanks!
I would recommend a hard copy. I find myself flipping between the appendices and the selections/instructions quite a lot.
I would concur, get the hard copy. I just got mine a couple of days ago and I have really enjoyed flipping back and forth and exploring this book. I had it out as I listened to the podcast and that was so helpful to refer to appendix 3 as it was mentioned. I love my kindle, but this is definitely a hard copy keeper.
Thanks to both of you! I will add the paper book to my wishlist… birthday coming up soon!