Shakespeare's Biography and Works

by
Sister Emmanuel Dao Phan, Fmsr
Buffalo, New York
WebQuest Description: In this WebQuest, students will explore Shakespeares biography and works. By reading the articles about
Shakespeare through various links, students will comprehend in depth who Shakespeare is and what he has done. Students will also
know some historical events that happened during Shakespeares lifetime. Finally, students will convey their understanding of
Shakespeares biography and/or works by writing one or two paragraphs focused on key ideas. In order to compose well-written
paragraph(s), students will be provided with a brief lesson of the key ideas via a PowerPoint presentation and a rubric. As well,
students will complete a Shakespeare biography quiz to show their general knowledge about Shakespeares biography and works.
Students will submit their paragraphs and completed quiz via email.
Grade Level: 9-12
Curriculum: English / Language Arts
Keywords: Language Arts, Shakespeare, Elizabethan area
Published On: 2009-11-07 15:42:15
Last Modified: 2009-11-07 22:28:25
WebQuest URL: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=37901

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet and playwright. He is known as the greatest writer in the English language
and the greatest dramatist in the arts. His works include 154 sonnets and 38 plays divided in three genres: comedies, histories, and
tragedies. As one of the world’s most popular authors, Shakespeare’s poetry and plays have been translated into
numerous languages. As well, his dramatic works have been performed in diverse countries. Obviously, it is interesting for students to
discover Shakespeare’s history before they encounter any of his plays. By reading the links of Shakespeare’s
biography and works, students will explore Shakespeare’s life and the society in which he lived. Then, students will gain a
better understanding of the plays themselves.  

As you reach this webquest, your task is to identify who Shakespeare is and why he is an outstanding author. To successfully
complete this task, you should keep in mind the provided questions while watching the video clip of Shakespeare. This video clip will
introduce you to Shakespeare’s life and times. Next, you should carefully read the articles about Shakespeare’s
biography and works from the given links. You should save the information while reading each article, considering what impresses
you and what relates to the Shakespeare biography quiz attached at the bottom of the page. In the process of gathering information
regarding Shakespeare’s biography and works via the links, you will discover various lines of inquiry to follow in your written
assignment. This will also prepare you to do well on the Shakespeare biography quiz.  

In order to compose a thoughtful and meaningful response to Shakespeare and in order to complete the quiz successfully, you must
perform three processes: watching, reading, and writing. Watching1.  You should watch the video clip of Shakespeare at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9t11BsE0yk.2.  To gain a general knowledge of Shakespeare’s biography and
lifetime, you should consider the following questions while watching the video clip:  -  When/Where was Shakespeare
born?  -  What major historical events transpired in his lifetime?  -  Who was the Queen during
Shakespeare’s lifetime?  -  Which play does the video clip identify as the first famous play?  - 
How/Why did Shakespeare become an outstanding writer? Reading1.  You should glance at the Shakespeare biography
quiz attached at the bottom of the page.2.  You should read the article on Shakespeare’s biography
at http://www.bardweb.net/man.html3.  You should continue to read the articles on Shakespeare’s works at
http://www.bardweb.net/works.html4.  To familiarize yourself with a Shakespeare timeline summary, you may consult the
following source at http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/summarychart.htm5.  To gain a deeper understanding of
Shakespeare’s biography and works, as well as a timeline of his works, you may visit the following links:  - 
http://www.enotes.com/william-shakespeare/shakespeare-biography  -  http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/    http://www.bardweb.net/plays/timeline.html6.  While you read the articles on Shakespeare’s history, you should
save the information that impresses you and relates to the Shakespeare biography quiz. 7.  Finally, you should gather
information for writing your paragraph(s).   Writing1.  To write your paragraph(s) on Shakespeare’s

biography and/or works based on the key ideas, you should review the Ideas and Content PowerPoint at
http://so024.k12.sd.us/ideascontent.htm#PowerPoint2.  You should compose a message or a main idea based on
Shakespeare’s biography and/or works.3.  Use brainstorming techniques to develop at least three details that support
your message.4.  To create your paragraph(s), including the main idea and details that support your main idea, you may use
the E-chart outline attached at the bottom of this page.5.  You should keep the evaluation rubric in mind as you
compose.6.  Your paragraph(s) should be typed in Times New Roman, 12 font, 1” margins, double-spaced, MLA
format, with your name and the course title and the date in the upper left hand corner.7.  Finally, you must type your answers
for the Shakespeare Biography Quiz attached at the bottom of the page. 8.  After you complete your paragraph(s) and quiz,
please email them to me as attachments. You can name a document as AssignmentName_YourLastName.doc.

Category and Score

Score
6

The writing is
exceptionally clear,
focused and interesting.
It holds the readers
attention throughout.
Main ideas stand out
and are developed by
strong support and rich
details suitable to
audience and purpose.
The writing is
characterized by
clarity, focus, and
control.
main idea(s) that stand
out.
supporting, relevant,
carefully selected
details; when
appropriate, use of
resources provides
strong, accurate,
credible support
a thorough, balanced,
in-depth explanation/
exploration of the topic;
the writing makes
connections and shares
insights.
content and selected
details that are well
suited to audience and
purpose.

The writing is clear,

focused and interesting.
It holds the readers
attention. Main ideas
stand out and are
developed by supporting
details suitable to
audience and purpose.
The writing is
characterized by
clarity, focus, and
control.
main idea(s) that stand
out.
supporting, relevant,
carefully selected
details; when
appropriate, use of
resources provides
strong, accurate,
credible support.
a thorough, balanced
explanation/exploration
of the topic; the writing
makes connections and
shares insights.
content and selected
details that are wellsuited to audience and
purpose.

The writing is clear and

focused. The reader can
easily understand the
main ideas. Support is
present, although it may
be limited or rather
general. The writing is
characterized by
an easily identifiable
purpose.
clear main idea(s)
supporting details that
are relevant, but may be
overly general or limited
in places; when
appropriate, resources
are used to provide
accurate support.
a topic that is
explored/explained,
although developmental
details may occasionally
be out of balance with
the main idea(s); some
connections and insights
may be present.
content and selected
details that are relevant,
but perhaps not
consistently well chosen
for audience and
purpose.

Category and Score

Score
3

The reader can

understand the main
ideas, although they
may be overly broad or
simplistic, and the
results may not be
effective. Supporting
detail is often limited,
insubstantial, overly
general, or occasionally
slightly off-topic. The
writing is characterized
by
an easily identifiable
purpose and main
idea(s).
predictable or overlyobvious main ideas or
plot; conclusions or
main points seem to
echo observations heard
elsewhere.
support that is
attempted; but
developmental details
that are often limited in
scope, uneven,
somewhat off-topic,
predictable, or overly
general.
details that may not be
well-grounded in
credible resources; they
may be based on
clichs, stereotypes or
questionable sources of
information.
difficulties when moving
from general
observations to specifics.

Main ideas and purpose

are somewhat unclear
or development is
attempted but minimal.
The writing is
characterized by
a purpose and main
idea(s) that may require
extensive inferences by
the reader.
minimal development;
insufficient details.
irrelevant details that
clutter the text.
extensive repetition of
detail.

The writing lacks a

central idea or purpose.
The writing is
characterized by
ideas that are extremely
limited or simply unclear.
attempts at
development that are
minimal or non-existent;
the paper is too short to
demonstrate the
development of an idea.

Total Score

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to reflect on Shakespeare’s outstanding abilities as an author. You may also
improve some necessary skills in your learning process, including using technology, reading online materials, and writing
paragraph(s) based on key ideas. I hope this lesson will inspire you to study Shakespeare’s plays as well. 

This webquest was designed in response to an assignment in an Adolescent Literacy class (EDU 637). Since my content area is
English Literature, I would like to practice instructing students in discovering Shakespeare’s biography and works. I hope that
this lesson will help students not only explore Shakespeare’s history in depth, but also develop their skills, including using
technology, reading online materials, and writing paragraph(s) based on significant ideas. Furthermore, the lesson may motivate
students to explore Shakespeare’s plays. The NYS Learning Standards used in this lesson:Standard #1: Students will
read and write for information and understanding. As readers, students will evaluate data, facts, and ideas in informational texts such
as websites. As writers, students will save notes from the websites and select information for writing paragraph(s). Standard #2:
Students will listen and write for literary response and expression. As listeners, students recognize historical and social conditions in
the video clip of Shakespeare. As writers, students use information from the websites to respond to the quiz.
 References:“AIMS six trait analytic writing rubric – official scoring guide. Ideas and content.” Retrieved on
Nov. 5, 2009 from http://www.ade.state.az.us/standards/6traits/IdeasContent.pdf“E-chart outline.” Retrieved on
Nov. 3, 2009 from http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/echart.pdf“A Shakespeare biography quiz.” Retrieved
on Nov. 4, 2009 from http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/quiz/bioquiz.htm Thank you very much for viewing this
webquest!  

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