The Bard

Teaching Shakespeare in High School: A Resource Hub

Welcome, fellow educators! This page is dedicated to providing a curated collection of resources for teaching the many works of William Shakespeare. As a high school English teacher in public schools, I know firsthand the challenges and rewards of bringing Shakespeare to life for our students.

While the Bard’s complete canon is vast, this page focuses specifically on the plays typically taught at the high school level. You won’t find every single play here, but rather a robust list of materials I’ve personally used, adapted, or found incredibly helpful in my own classroom. I know the struggle is real, if you’ve been struggling to find good stuff!

Consider this your go-to spot for everything from engaging video links to practical handouts, thought-provoking quizzes, comprehensive tests, and even a few fun, creative projects that will get your students excited about Elizabethan drama. This page is currently mostly a collection of useful links, but I have big plans to expand it! In the future, I’ll be updating it with more detailed lesson plans and comprehensive lesson progressions to guide your instruction from start to finish. You just wait ’til you see what’s coming!

So, dive in, explore, and I hope these resources help you inspire a love of Shakespeare in your students! Note: most of the below are **free**

This page is currently being updated.

General A Midsummer Night’s DreamHamletJulius Caesar MacbethOthelloRomeo and Juliet
Resources for general all things The Bard useA Comedy; great for 10th GradeA Tragedy; great for 11th or 12th A Tragedy; great for 9th or 10th Grade A Tragedy; great 9-12th depending on populationA Tragedy; great for 11th or 12th (preferred)A Tragedy; great for 9th
32 Second play versionsRead Online (1)Read Online (1)Read Online (1)Read Online (1)Read Online (1)Read Online (1)
Shakespeare Webquest (1)Read Online (2)Read Online (2)Read Online (2)Read Online (2)Read Online (2)Read Online (2)
Shakespeare Webquest (2)Read PDFRead PDFRead PDFRead PDFRead PDFRead PDF
A & E Video on ShakespeareRead PDF with Modern TextRead PDF with Modern Text

Read PDF with Modern Text (2)
Read with Modern TextRead PDF with Modern TextRead PDF with Modern TextRead PDF with Modern Text
Ted Talk: Why ShakespeareSummarySummarySummarySummarySummarySummary
Ted Talk: How not to hate Shakespeare Study Guide (1)Study Guide (1)Study Guide (1)Study Guide (1)Study Guide (1)Study Guide (1)
Short Bio (1)Study Guide (2)Study Guide (2)Study Guide (2)Study Guide (2)Study Guide (2)Study Guide (2)
Short Bio (2)Graphic Novel VersionGraphic Novel VersionGraphic Novel VersionGraphic Novel VersionGraphic Novel VersionGraphic Novel Version
Elizabethan TermsReader’s Theater Version (1)Reader’s Theater Version (1)Reader’s Theater Version (1)Reader’s Theater Version (1)Reader’s Theater Version (1)Reader’s Theater Version (1)
Elizabethan World ViewReader’s Theater Version (2)Reader’s Theater Version (2)Reader’s Theater Version (2)Reader’s Theater Version (2)Abridged Version (2)Reader’s Theater Version (2)
Watch it (1)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (1)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (1)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (1)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (1)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (1)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (2) *warning: view before showing to students for contentWatch it (2) *warning: view before showing to students for contentWatch it (2)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (2)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (2)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (2)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (3)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (3)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (3)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (3)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (3)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (3)
*warning: view before showing to students for content
Watch it (4) *warning: view before showing to students for contentAudio with imagesAudio with great cast **free on YouTube**Audio with BBC cast really great! **free on YouTube**Audio with excellent cast
**free on YouTube**
Audio with great cast! **free on YouTube**
Summary Video (1)Summary Video (1)Summary Video (1)Summary Video (1)Summary Video (1)Summary Video (1)
Summary Video (2)Summary Video (2)Summary Video (2)Summary Video (2)Summary Video (2)Summary Video (2)
The Globe InfoThe Globe InfoThe Globe InfoThe Globe InfoThe Globe InfoThe Globe Info
Related PodcastRelated PodcastRelated PodcastRelated PodcastRelated PodcastRelated Podcast
Teacher Resource (1)Teacher Resource (1)Teacher Resource (1)Teacher Resource (1)Teacher Resource (1)Teacher Resource (1)
Teacher Resource (2)Teacher Resource (2)Teacher Resource (2)Teacher Resource (2)Teacher Resource (2)Teacher Resource (2)
Teacher Resource (3)Teacher Resource (3)Teacher Resource (3)Teacher Resource (3)Teacher Resource (3)Teacher Resource (3)
Teacher Resource (4)Teacher Resource (4)Teacher Resource (4)Teacher Resource (4)Teacher Resource (4)Teacher Resource (4)
Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (1)Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (1)Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (1)Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (1)Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (1)Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (1)
Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (2) **free**Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (2)**free**Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (2) **free**Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (2) **free**Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (2) **free**Teacher Pay Teachers Rec (2) **free**