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KS3 Shakespeare Year 7 Unit – Shakespeare and Elizabethan England (20 Full Lessons)
A fresh, student-friendly introduction to Shakespeare – building contextual knowledge, analytical skills, and creative confidence from the very start of KS3.

This unique 20-lesson bundle takes a bold and engaging approach to teaching Shakespeare to Year 7 students. Rather than starting with a full play, this unit immerses learners in the world Shakespeare lived and wrote in, gradually building the knowledge, vocabulary and interpretive skills they’ll need for successful GCSE study.

Through structured, accessible lessons, students explore:

Life in Elizabethan England and Shakespeare’s theatre

Universal themes like love, power, betrayal and ambition

Key dramatic techniques such as soliloquies, irony, and comic relief

Creative responses including short stories, soliloquy writing and poetry

Extracts from Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Shakespearean sonnets

Every lesson follows a consistent format with:
✔️ A guiding Key Question
✔️ Vocabulary development tasks
✔️ A Focus Zone activity (analytical, creative, or performance-based)
✔️ Final reflection tasks
✔️ Supportive scaffolds and SEN-friendly structure throughout

This scheme doesn’t just study Shakespeare – it helps students understand why he matters, how he wrote, and why his stories still resonate. Ideal for laying contextual and conceptual foundations in Year 7 and setting students up with confidence for KS4.