As we can see from pieces such as John Sutherland’s Henry V, War Criminal? and Phyllis Rackin’s Stages of History, Shakespeare’s historical plays lend themselves to much interesting discussion and discourse. Shakespeare’s Henry V especially finds itself at the center of much discussion, being one of his most famous war plays.  

Its content, depiction of war, presentation of Henry V, and several other aspects create a play that can be readily analyzed by an attentive audience and lead to insightful findings about the characters, themes, and ideas highlighted in the play.  

In an English and Language Arts classroom, educators encourage analysis and discussion, leading Henry V and its adaptations to be a beneficial tool to build such skills for students. Furthermore, observing the sources Shakespeare used when writing Henry V can help students to better understand the connection between literature, culture, and history, leading the play and its historical background to be a helpful resource in the ELA classroom.  

With the rise of the internet, it has never been easier to access the sources that Shakespeare used when writing Henry V. With emerging online databases, users have access to view a wide range of historical sources. Due to this ease of access, instructors can also use the sources of Henry V to teach students valuable research skills by creating lessons that revolve around searching for such sources.  

Though there is much potential for the study of Henry V to be beneficial for student learning, students may still have a difficult time finding the sources through databases and connecting such sources with Shakespeare’s Henry V. How can educators most effectively teach and guide students in establishing these connections? How can they present the play and its history in an engaging way for students across multiple education levels?  

This section aims to answer these questions by providing and discussing sample lesson plans for 8th-12th grade level classrooms regarding source study and adaptation in relation to Shakespeare’s Henry V. 

As the grade level of each lesson plan increases, the primary focus deepens in its discussion of these sources in relation to the play, its literary function, and its history. Furthermore, each lesson plan has optional assignments that educators can use or adapt to encourage engaged and active learning in their classrooms. These optional assignments aim to build upon class discussion and engage student interest, as “student interest in the work they are doing has a positive effect on their performance of the task.”1 

By implementing these lessons in their classrooms, educators can effectively teach the themes, literary importance, and historical aspects of Shakespeare’s Henry V in their ELA classrooms, engaging students in active learning and gaining their interest in something that students may initially consider as beyond their reach.