Book reviews: Teaching Shakespeare in Primary Schools by Stefan and Maureen Kucharczyk

Approaching the teaching of Shakespeare in schools is never an easy task, but this is perhaps even more challenging when it comes to passing on knowledge of the bard to the youngest pupils. Stefan and Maureen Kurcharczyk have written a handy guide with Teaching Shakespeare in Primary Schools that offers some excellent guidance for working with primary school pupils, but it could equally be helpful to those teaching Drama and/or English at secondary level, particularly KS3.

Essentially, the book is split into two parts. The first explores the context and rationale for teaching Shakespeare today. This includes answering the question of why we teach Shakespeare in primary schools and the relevance of Shakespeare in the 21^st century, exploring his plays through reading, drama and writing.