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    Macbeth Madness at YCIS Shanghai

    School News

    12 Apr, 2013

    10 : 00

    • YCIS Shanghai Gubei Campus took a journey through the oratory tales of Shakespeare during the recent Macbeth Madness day, the aim of which was for students to learn key parts of the famous play through engaging hands-on activities. This event was introduced this year for the first time, but Macbeth Madness may soon become an annual event, based on the success and enjoyment shared by all.


      Students dressed in costume, learnt how to engage in stage combat, visited Dunsinane castle, and invaded Macbeth's castle dressed as Birnam Wood. The English Department teachers arranged numerous activities, and the students enjoyed learning whilst winning points for their teams in the House Competitions. Activity days like this are designed to pique students’ interest in the learning before it begins, and it works – after the fun, the students were eager to return to class and start studying the play!


      Later in the afternoon, students created masquerade masks that could be worn to school the following day, as part of a “free dress day” with a Shakespeare theme. When the masks came off and students returned to their normal studies, they were refreshed, reconnected to the learning, and able to better understand the complicated text of Macbeth.


      Ms Jade Hutchinson, Head of English at Gubei Campus, shared her thoughts on the event, "Through Macbeth Madness, students were given the ability to act upon part of our motto – to align with culture and arts. They experienced the wonder of Shakespeare through kinesthetic, active learning, and were able to appreciate that the essence of Shakespeare's work is so much more than words on a page."