Language Skills Reading, speaking, writing and listening skills are fully practised and developed through exercises specifically designed for each skill. The text, either whole or partial, is narrated by native speakers on an Audio CD. The text is divided into chapters and contains a glossary at the foot of the page.
The Design The illustrations in each book have been carried out by the most interesting of illustrators, with the conviction that visual ‘comments’ in the text aid the comprehension of a foreign language text. The ELI Readers compel the reader to fall in love with both the stories and illustrations. They are elegant books made up of fine details which surprise the reader: from the type of paper to the font chosen. This particularly clear and captivating design was created to guide the readers in the comprehension of the text and the execution of the activities. FOCUS ON...
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a town in the centre of England. Nobody really knows the exact day that he was born, but people say that it was on April 23rd. He was baptised on April 26th, so it’s possible that he was born on 23rd. However, people probably chose that day, firstly because Shakespeare also died on April 23rd and secondly, because April 23rd is Saint George’s Day - England’s patron saint. Shakespeare’s mother was called Mary and his father’s name was John. John was an important man in Stratford. He was a glove* maker and wool seller. He was also involved in money-lending*. John and Mary’s first two children died before William was born, so William was their eldest son. They had five more children, but one of them also died young.
People don’t know for sure, but William probably went to Stratford’s “petty” or junior school when he was five years old. There he
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An 8-page booklet, full of quotes related to the theme of the volume, which the student can use as a personal diary. A simple but effective way to make the volume less scholastic whilst transforming it into a personal and private object.
London and the Theatre Whatever happened during the lost years, by 1595 Shakespeare was already famous in London. He was an actor for an important theatre group and he had already written some successful plays. During his life he wrote a total of 38 plays – comedies, histories and tragedies. Shakespeare
also wrote hundreds of poems. Shakespeare stayed in London until 1611, when he moved back to Stratford. He died on April 23rd 1616 at the age of 52. He was buried* in Holy Trinity church two days later.
Shakespeare Today If you visit Stratford-upon-Avon today, you can still see a lot of important places in Shakespeare’s life. You can see the place where he was born, his school and the place where he died. You can see Shakespeare plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. You can also visit his mother’s house and his wife’s house. If you go to Holy Trinity church, you can see his grave*.
Task Complete the form with the information about Shakespeare.
Life in Stratford
Booklet
Booklet
We don’t know when or why Shakespeare left Stratford. We don’t know what he was doing before he became a successful actor and dramatist, either. These years (1585 until 1592) are called the lost years. One story says that he killed a deer* belonging to a lord and so he went to London to escape. Another story says that he was a teacher during that time.
Early Years
Francis Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby
Robin Hood
The Lost Years
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
Free downloadable Booklet www.elireaders.com
learned to read and write. Then, when he was seven years old, he went to Stratford’s grammar school. The school day was very long. It started at 6 or 7 in the morning and finished at 5 or 6 in the evening. At school he learned Latin and Greek. He probably left school when he was fifteen or sixteen, which was normal at that time. In the winter of 1582, when he was 18 years old, he married Anne Hathaway. She was 26 years old. Their first child, Susanna, was born less than six months later. Early in 1585, Anne had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet was their only son, but he died when he was only 11.
Name: Place of birth: Date of birth: Father’s name: Mother’s name: Age started school: Age left school: Occupation: Wife’s name: Number of children: Date of death: Where buried: a glove something you wear on your hands to keep them warm money-lending giving people money for a time until they give it back to you a deer
______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ to be buried put in the ground a grave the place in a church where someone’s body is put when they die
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The dossiers provide extra multidisciplinary information on topics related to the historical, geographical and cultural contexts of the volume. In the Classics series, notes about the author complete the dossier.
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