Teaching notes and ideas
Name of resource:
Hamlet barrier game
Age group(s)
Subject(s)
8-11, 12–14, 15–16
English
Topic
Language Level
Hamlet
Beginner
EAL Nexus
Description of resource
 Blank grid numbered 1–6
 Flashcards of characters (provided on PowerPoint)
 Substitution table
Preparation needed
You will need:
 one blank number grid (A4) for each player
 two sets of character cards (one for each player)
 substitution tables for each pair
 something to serve as a barrier between the two players.
You will need to:
 print off A4 copies of the grids
 print off character cards onto card (or onto paper and then laminate them) as 9to-a-page vertical handouts, cut them up to form small flashcards.
 print off substitution tables
Curriculum objectives
 To become familiar with the characters in the play Hamlet, and understand their
relationship with each other
Language/Literacy objectives
Functions
Structures
Describing and
identifying
He/She is …
Deducing
Possessives: Claudius’ wife, Gertrude’s son
I think number 1 is _______ because he is …
Vocabulary
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2015
EAL Nexus
 Names: Hamlet, King Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, Horatio, Queen
Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Fortinbras, the King of Norway
 Family/relationships: friend, son, daughter, uncle, nephew, father, mother,
husband, wife, lover
 Prepositions of place: the top/bottom/middle square, on the left, on the right
This resource could be used:
 as differentiation within class
 as pair work to reinforce/check understanding
Ideas for using the resource
What to do:
This barrier game can be done in pairs, or in groups of four working as two pairs.
 Set up a barrier (box or book) so each player cannot see the other’s grid.
 Give both players a blank laminated grid and a set of picture cards.
 Give Player 1 a substitution table.
 Beginner EAL learners could start off as Player 2, and then play again as
Player 1.
 Ask Player 1 to put one character picture in each square of the grid.
 Next ask Player 1 to use the substitution table to describe the character in
square 1.
 Player 1 should state the number first, and then describe the character using
the table, e.g. ‘Number 1: She is Hamlet’s mother.’
 Alternatively, Player 1 could describe the position on the grid using
prepositions of place, e.g. ‘The top square on the left: She is Hamlet’s mother’.
A version of the grid with descriptions of the position of each square is
provided as a scaffold for this activity.
 Player 2 then chooses the correct character to place in the respective square.
Continue in this way until Player 2 has completed all the squares in the grid.
 Both players can then show each other their grids and check to see if Player 2
has completed his/her grid correctly. Alternatively, Player 2 can describe his/
her grid back to Player 1, e.g. ‘Number 1 is Laertes because he is Polonius’
son’, before revealing the grid to Player 1.
Other ideas for making the best use of this resource
 The substitution table can be used to practise the possessive form orally or in
writing. An element of competition could be brought in if pairs of learners are
asked to see how many correct sentences they can form from the substitution
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2015
EAL Nexus
tables (i.e. correct in terms of relationships in the play as well as grammatically
correct).
Possible extension activities
 Learners could be asked to link sentences using simple connectives using the
substitution tables. E.g. Claudius is both Hamlet’s uncle and Gertrude’s
husband.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2015