We invite your schools to participate in the 2012 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition! In this program, high school students nationwide read, analyze, perform and recite Shakespearean monologues and sonnets in as many as three qualifying stages [school, Branch (community) and national]. Find out more about the Competition.
For those of you who participated in the program last year, we would like to express our deep appreciation for your dedication to this program and your students. You were part of a national effort involving 16,000 students and over 2,000 teachers who encouraged their students to excel at Shakespeare. We hope your school will continue to participate this year.
If you have not yet taken part in our Competition, we hope that you will consider offering this exciting, educational program in your school. As your students read and analyze the Bard’s words, they gain essential critical-thinking and close-reading skills. When they get up on their feet and perform these words, they strengthen their public-speaking skills and self-confidence. You’ll ultimately find your contemporary students come alive through Shakespeare’s timeless works. Find out how the ESU National Shakespeare Competition meets the NCTE’s Standards for English Language Arts - Language Arts Standards Info
To participate in this program, each school must register with their local ESU Branch. A complete list of participating Branches will be posted in early November at http://www.esuus.org/programs_shakespeare_competition_2012.htm.
All the necessary materials to familiarize yourself with the Competition and encourage the participation of your students can be found in our Teacher’s Guide to the ESU National Shakespeare Competition.
ESU National Shakespeare Competition Teacher Handbook
