Richard III - Play Script and Reading Comprehension Bundle | Year 5 or Year 6

Two resources perfect for students learning about Richard III by William Shakespeare; a play script written for young performers and a reading comprehension activity.

The play script has been rewritten to be suitable for ages 9 to 14. Richard III tells the story of Richard – a humpbacked member of the royal family who had a deep desire to be king. However, he was fifth in line to the throne with four close family members ahead of him. The play follows the story of his murderous journey to the top, and his eventual demise to Henry at the Battle of Bosworth.

The play script is a mix of modern English with some of the famous lines from the real play mixed in as well. There are 20 speaking roles, and extra characters for up to 25-30 people. Ideal for theater performances or plays, reading activities or guided reading sessions.

The second activity is an Informational text activity with comprehension and grammar questions about William Shakespeare’s popular play, Richard III. The close reading activity focuses on the main storyline of the play and it’s history, and concludes with comprehension and grammar questions. It also contains an extension activity for fast-finishing students. It is aimed at students between the ages of 9-13.

The activities require NO PREP and have a body of text that students need to read through thoroughly; then they can use the text to find the comprehension and grammar answers. All texts then have an extension activity for those fast finishers.

Answers, for teacher use, are on the final page of the document.

Time allowance for each activity (one hour - four hours in total)

5 minutes - read through the text individually.
40 minutes - answer questions using the text as guidance (including extension activity)
15 minutes - Teacher and students go through the text and answers