Any KS3 English teachers? Help needed please!

[Ilikefresias]

My y7 child has to watch a 2 1/2 hour version of The Tempest and then write a précis and comment on her favourite character giving reasons why. She complained that she wasn’t understanding it, so we started again and I watched it with her but it’s not a play I’m familiar with and to be honest I struggled too . Are there any websites you would recommend that would give an overview that we could read to help us before watching it again? I’m more than prepared to sit and watch it with her, and talk her through it but I feel like we both need a bit of help in understanding the plot and characters first. I’m an early years specialist, so this is a little bit outside my area of expertise! Thank you !

That's a lot of watching in one go!

There might be an Animated Tales Tempest on YouTube or try Bitesize.

There used to be good abridged books of the plot, too. I'll have a look!

This :

www.amazon.co.uk/Tempest-Young-Reading-3-2-Blue/dp/140950672X/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/261-2284183-3300762?psc=1&pf_rd_p=106f838b-b7d1-46e9-83e0-f70facc857bf&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=Wov0s&pf_rd_r=CHYRN763A5QQ17JZYKJD&pd_rd_i=140950672X&pd_rd_w=eUHeC&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=CHYRN763A5QQ17JZYKJD&pd_rd_r=82cbabcf-9543-4ba5-8038-0d44d525f201

Very easy peasy to aid understanding

No idea why the link is so long!

Thanks Piggy, to be fair it is for all 3 lessons this week ! We’ll have a look at your link and I’ll try Bitesize too. I presume they would have read The Tempest in school so this is an easier introduction at home

Who is your favourite character is a really silly question. Maybe rephrase it: I thought that Caliban was the most interesting character because...

Here's the Animated Tales version: Pretty reliable in terms of an overview.

This might help, too: www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/english-ks2-the-tempest-home/zfskxyc

Thanks Remus, they look helpful links too- I'll be able to support her better now!

This might help as an intro too www.shakespeare.org.uk/education/teaching-resources/active-introduction-tempest/

SparkNotes is brilliant for easy to understand scene summaries: www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/tempest/

Thank you everyone! Making a note of these websites for the future too

www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Shakespeare-Stories-New-Windmills/dp/0435124242/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=leon+garfield+shakespeare+stories&sprefix=leon+garfie&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1591828999&sr=8-4
If you are prepared to buy a book, this one is good because it also contains Garfield’s retellings of ‘Macbeth’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Much Ado’, which are the most likely to be studied Yr 9/ GCSE texts and Series 1 of the ‘Animated Tales’ are these stories. Frankly, Caliban is going to be the easiest character to focus on for this task, as you get a backstory for him, his relationships with Miranda and Prospero and a description of him in the play (and any decent summary). You could also look at the many artistic representations of him online.