Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare The State of Michigan has identified this play as an "Anchor Text" for 9th grade (see ELA 9 Michigan Merit Curriculum Course, pg 36).
Mon: (day 11) Is there such a thing as "Love at first sight"? Are decisions based on common good or personal gain? How can potential consequences guide decision making? Can decisions be reversed?
Writing Assignment: Examine the dueling scene with what you have learned about the potentially weak nature of adolescent decision making in mind. Do you think Tybalt, Mercutio, and Romeo reveal weak decision making? Support your answer with evidence from the play.
Tues: (day 12) Discuss the misunderstandings that happen during the fight. What assumptions are made? What could have been done better?
Quick Write: Which character comes closest to behaving according to your own values--Tybalt, Mercutio, Romeo or Benvolio? Why? OR Which character makes the best decisions? Why?
Complete the reading of Act III. Students should mark the climax on their Graphic Organizer and complete the Study Guide for Act III as well.
Big Ideas XX Responsibility XX Conflict XX Resolution XX Choices XX Cultural & historical influences XX Call to action
Focus Questions How may personal decisions affect your family or neighborhood?
Can decisions based on violence or anger have a peaceful resolution?
Which historical figures have made crucial decisions affecting society?
Are decisions based on common good or personal gain?
How do world conditions affect our decisions?
Can decisions be reversed?
How can potential consequences guide decision making?
Essential Questions How do personal decisions impact more than yourself?
Why did Shakespeare write R&J and what social issue does the play address?
Where do these same themes present themselves in today's society?
Wed 4-Mar: (day 13) Writing Assignment: Juliet is torn between her loyalty to her new husband and her grief for her cousin. Have you ever had a situation where you had to choose between your family and a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend? Discuss what you think Juliet should do. Remember that her decision-making powers have not yet reached their adult peak.
Discussion for Act III: Think back to your chart on "Parents Just Don't Understand." Romeo feels that the Friar simply can't understand. How do you feel about this? The Friar has more life experience--does this help him in decision making? What advice does he give Romeo? Does the article on the adolescent brain offer us any insight into this scene?
Thurs: Quiz Romeo & Juliet Act III
Fri: (day 14)
No School
Week 4
Mon: .(day 14) Focus Question #2: Miscommunication can be a big part of our lives. Think about a time in your life when someone misunderstood something you did or said or about a time when you misunderstood someone else. Explain the situation, the complication, and the outcome. In what way would you have handled the situation differently or better?
Read Act IV. Students should mark the falling action on their Graphic Organizer and complete the Study Guide for Act IV as well.
Tues: (day 15) Have students briefly journal or do a Quick Write (See Appendix #7.) in response to the question: · What is suggested when Juliet begins her soliloquy with "Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again." (Act IV, Scene III). What might she worry about?
Have students respond to the following discussion questions for Scene III. 1. According to Juliet, why might Friar Laurence want to poison her? The friar might be concerned about others finding out that he secretly married Romeo and Juliet or to prevent the sin of marrying a married woman to Paris. 2. What fears does Juliet have about awakening from her sleep in the Capulet burial vault? Juliet begins to have fears that she may go crazy, since she is surrounded by the smells and sights of the dead. She is realizing that although she was brave at the thought of the plan; this is reality now.
We will also read "Romeo and Juliet in Bosnia" on page 862-3, to use as a linking text. XXX Compare-Contrast Paper
Media Opening scene from Romeo and Juliet (Leonardo di Caprio version) Six Degrees of Separation (film) Texts R&J stories from other cultures Romiette and Julio Sharon Draper "Romeo and Juliet are Palestinian and Jewish" Carol Rosenburg "Romeo and Juliet in Bosnia" Bob Herbert (editorial) "Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo" CBS Evening News May 10, 1994 (FRONTLINE) "The Telltale Heart" Edgar Allen Poe "Achieving the American Dream" Mario Cuomo Music Lyrics Westside Story score Stephen Sondheim
Wed: (Day 16) Can decisions be reversed? How may personal decisions affect your family or neighborhood? Can decisions based on violence or anger have a peaceful resolution?
Read Act V. As they read, students should mark the conclusion on their Graphic Organizer and complete the Study Guide for Act IV as well. Questions for discussion 1. How is Romeo's premonition of good news ironic? (Irony is a figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words which carry the opposite meaning. ) 2. How is the theme of excessive haste continued in this scene? 3. What has prevented Friar Laurence's message from reaching Romeo? 4. Explain how the Friar might be trying to do his best. Quickwrite: Explain, in your own words, what the Friar reveals in his last speech.
Thurs: (Day 18) Quick Write (Appendix #7.) Explain, in your own words, what the Friar reveals in his last speech. (lines 200-268)
Fri: (Day 19) Now that students have completed the play Romeo and Juliet and experienced the various pieces regarding the teen brain, they should have learned the importance of their decision-making and how the consequences changes lives, now and in the future. Students will now reflect and write about Frontline Episode: "Inside the Teenage Brain." Focus for Viewing: Think about the importance of brain research and essential questions of the unit Frontline: "Inside the Teenage Brain"
Wed- Thurs: (day 20-21) Days 20-21 Apndx 23 Criteria for Multimedia Presentation Days 21 Apndx 14a-m. Romeo & Juliet Study Guide
Have students briefly journal or do a Quick Write (See Appendix #7) in response to the question: How are Romeo and Juliet like the lobsters molting out of their shell? How might the story have ended if they had met at age 25?
Genre Study xxx Elements & structure of xxx xxx Shakespearean drama xxx Elizabethan syntax Literary Elements xxx monologue, soliloquy, aside xxx dialogue between characters Xxx comic relief xxx tragedy xxx plot, structural pyramid xxx character analysis xxx syntax, style, form xxx iambic pentameter xxx blank verse
Literary Devices xxx foreshadowing xxx symbolism xxx figurative language xxx xxx imagery xxx xxx metaphor xxx xxx simile xxx allusion xxx oxymoron xxx dramatic irony Historical/Cultural xxx influence of language xxx archaic language vs. modern language xxx social action xxx social issues
Informational Text xxx characteristics of literary nonfiction xxx historical/political essay xxx primary historical documents xxx speeches Expository Elements xxx Lincoln's persuasive techniques xxx Lincoln's purpose xxx Lincoln's perspective xxx poetic flow xxx pacing xxx emphasis (strong verbs) xxx repetition (refrain) xxx tone (urgent) Organizational Patterns xxx problem/solution xxx cause/effect xxx fact/opinion Features xxx authoritative sources xxx speaker's notes xxx essay structure (past, present, future) xxx media conventions & special effects
