Life in Elizabethan England

the Bard Life in Elizabethan England
I was there, I saw it all…

A Grade 9 Webquest by TaraOrme

You are about to journey back in time to Elizabethan England (1558-1603). You will become a member of that society--perhaps you will be royalty or maybe just a peasant. You may be an unknown citizen or Queen Elizabeth herself. In order to "live" in another time period, you and your partner must learn about the daily life in those times. You will be especially interested in an accomplished young playwright named William Shakespeare and his newly opened Globe Theater. Come, your journey begins...

Prequest worksheet
Before you begin your quest you must complete the prequest worksheet in order to familiarize yourself with the assignment and practice navigating the site. Once your teacher gives you the "ok" you and your partner may begin your journey. Go to Prequest worksheet Now.

Task

You and a partner will be assigned a topic with two roles. Decide between the two of you who will be assuming each role. You will discover that by investigating one topic from two different perspectives that you will have a better understanding of the people, places and events of Elizabethan times. As you research, you need to keep in mind that you will be teaching the class about your topic.

Topics and Roles

Topic 1: Design of the Globe Theatre

Roles: Actor and Richard Burbage (one of the owners of the Globe Theatre)

Topic 2: Formation of the King’s Men (acting company)

Roles: Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth

Topic 3: Everyday life

Roles: Commoner and Royalty

Topic 4: Attending a Performance at the Globe Theatre

Roles: Groundling and Nobleman

Topic 5: Everyday life

Roles: Man and Woman

Topic 6: Shakespeare’s life

Roles: John Shakespeare (William’s Father) and Anne Hathaway (William’s Wife)

Go to Instructions now.

Process

Once your research is complete, you and your partner will create a visual presentation for the class to teach them what you have learned. You will also hand in an individual, 3 entry personal journal written from the perspective of your character.

Resources

Queen Elizabeth I

http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/.html

http://renaissance-faire.com/Renfaires/Entertainment/Elizibeth-I.htm

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp

Language:

Songs:

http://www.renfaire.com/Language/songs.html

Historical Figures and Events:

http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/elizabethanengland.html

Sports and Entertainment:

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~wew/Tattershall-tb/cards.html

Shakespeare’s Life and Times

http://web.uvic.ca/shakespeare/Library/SLT/intro/introsubj.html

http://Shakespeare.eb.com/shakespeare/esa/660006.html

http://www.bardweb.net/man.html

http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/

Globe Theater:

http://shakespeare.eb.com/shakespeare/ind_globe.html

http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/ln/Globe/siteinfo/faq.htm

http://www.ualberta.ca/~sreimer/shakespr.htm

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/Globe/GlobeTheatre.html

http://www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/oldglobe/oldglobe_index.htm

http://www.allshakespeare.com/globe/

http://www.acslink.aone.net.au/sandhurst/globe/globe.htm

http://zekscrab.users.50megs.com/Cummings/Shakespeare/globe.html#Globe

Marriage/Family/Childhood:

http://library.thinkquest.org/3588/Renaissance/Town/Children.ht

http://www.warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/shakespeare/

http://www.warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/shakespeare/

Elizabethan England

http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/index.html

http://www.renaissance.dm.net/compendium/index.html

http://www.warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/shakespeare/

http://www.warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/shakespeare/

The Elizabethan Stage

http://www.dnaco.net/~aleed/corsets/

Other valuable resources
Your school learning resource centre is also a wonderful source of information.
Claremont Learning Resource Centre

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have completed your journey. You are now ready to plunge into the wonderful work of Shakespeare. As you read the play remember all of the information you discovered here; it will help you to better understand where Shakespeare was "coming from." The beauty and mystery of his characters, his insight into the human psyche and the legacy of his power over the English language are all gifts we are lucky to still enjoy today.

I would like to thank Arlene Lewis (mrsalewis@hotmail.com) on whose work this webquest is based.

Created by and maintained by the Teacher-Librarian.
To contact please email Mrs. Wadsworth