Curricular Resources > 2016 Volume I > Unit 1 (16.01.01) > Section 11

Shakespeare and the Scenes of Instruction

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 16.01.01

Unit Guide

Character and Choice in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Christine A. Elmore

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Bibliography

Books

Aliki. William Shakespeare & the Globe. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1999. Written for children, this picture book introduces the reader to the world of Shakespeare including his life, times, Elizabethan theatre and the Globe.

Bailey, Gerry and Karen Foster. Shakespeare’s Quill . New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008. This delightful children’s book uses a fictional storyline to tell the factual biography of William Shakespeare.

Bany-Winters, Lisa. On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, Incorporated, 1997. This collection of 125 theatre games encourages collaboration and helps children learn more about the theatre and how to be a confident performer.

Bloom, Harold (ed.). William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. This book, which begins with an introduction by Professor Bloom, offers the reader a collection of critical essays on the play, a chronology of Shakespeare’s life, a bibliography and an index to be used for quick reference.

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998. In this tome the well-known critic writes about each of Shakespeare’s plays, offering valuable and compelling insights into them.

Burdett, Lois. A Child’s Portrait of Shakespeare. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd, 1995. This book makes the story of Shakespeare’s life come alive for children. It is written in rhyming couplets, perfect for reading aloud.

Heifetz, Leanne. Love Calls Us to the Things of This World: The Return to Belmont in The Merchant of Venice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1981. A prize-winning and interesting essay published by the Dept. of English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University.

Hilliam, David. William Shakespeare: England’s Greatest Playwright and Poet. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2005. Written for preteens, this biography offers the reader a very spirited account of Shakespeare’s life, the times he lived in and his legacy.

Kelner, Lenore Blank. The Creative Classroom: A Guide for Using Creative Drama in the Classroom, PreK-6. Portsmouth, Hew Hampshire: Heinemann, 1993. This book is a valuable resource full of great ideas to integrate drama into your classroom.

Kroll, Jennifer L. (ed.). Simply Shakespeare: Readers Theatre for Young People. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Teacher Ideas Press, 2003. This collection of 13 scripts, modernized for young readers, are all based on Shakespeare’s plays. For each script there is a summary, presentation suggestions and a character list.

Ludwig, Ken. How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. New York: Broadway Books, 2013. Written by an acclaimed playwright, this book offers the teacher useful tools to help cultivate a love of Shakespeare’s works in children.

Mannis, Celeste Davidson. Who was William Shakespeare. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2006. Written for the intermediate-level student (but perfect for reading aloud to younger students) this book provides us with an engaging window into the life and work of Shakespeare.

Marzano, Robert and Julia A. Simms. Vocabulary for the Common Core. New York: Marzano Research Lab, 2013. A very helpful research-based resource for teaching vocabulary in ways that will enhance a student’s reading ability.

Maus, Katherine Eisaman. Being and Having in Shakespeare. Okford: Oxford University Press, 2013. This book analyzes a number of Shakespeare’s plays within the context of the relationship between what a person is and what he or she has. It includes discussion of The Merchant of Venice.

Nesbit, Edith. Shakespeare’s Stories for Young Readers. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006. Written for preteens, this book offers abbreviated, delightful stories of twelve of Shakespeare’s tales, one of which is ‘The Merchant of Venice’.

Nettleton, Pamela Hill. William Shakespeare: Playwright and Poet. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Compass Point Books, 2005. Written forpreteens, this biography which tells about the Bard’s life and times, is comprehensive and engaging.

Rooyackers, Paul. 101 Drama Games for Children. Alameda, California: Hunter House Inc., Publishers, 1998. A wonderful resource for the teacher, this book offers a collection of drama games that are non-competitive and easy to implement.

Shepard, Aaron. Readers On Stage: Resources for Reader’s Theater. New York: Shepard Publishing, 2004. This is a very useful resource that encourages teachers to use Readers Theatre in the classroom and explains how it can be done.

Sparksnotes Editors . No Fear Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice . New York: Spark Publishing, 2003. This book provides the reader with the complete text of the play on one side and a more simplified version on the other.

Spencer, Theodore. Shakespeare and the Nature of Man. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961. In this text the author examines the intellectual arguments of Shakespeare’s times and their influential impact on Renaissance drama.

Stanley, Diane and Peter Vennema. Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1992. This picture book presents an engaging story of the life, times and theatre of William Shakespeare.

Wilders, John (ed.). Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice: A Casebook. London: The Macmillan Press LTD, 1969. This text includes early criticism of the play as well as more recent studies done by a variety of other authors including Sigmund Freud and E.E. Stoll.k