In the future be on the look out for The Gypsy Players and a sequel to The Shakespeare Stealer, known as Shakespeare Scribe . Students create an alternative ending imagining that Widge had decided to steal the play. Students design a program for Hamlet including date, time, characters, and a description of the Globe Theater. Students put themselves in the place of one of the major characters other than Widge and write a journal entry pretending that they saw Widge try to run off with the play, and weigh the consequences of telling on him. Students get into groups and create a form of secret writing and then switch with another group to see if they can decode it.
Students complete a vocabulary worksheet that includes new and difficult words.
Students write a biography of Widge. Students create a timeline of the important events of the story. Students are put into small groups and are responsible for teaching the class one chapter. They will analyze characters, conflicts, and any other issues of importance. A great thematic project for your students would be to read Blackwood's The Shakespeare Stealer and then break your classroom up into four different groups.