I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Relationships

Essential Question:

How did Shakespeare use the play “Romeo and Juliet to portray the moral and psychological weaknes

Bridge:

Point of View

Content:

Elizabethan Theater: Romeo and Juliet

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To connect students to the experiences in their own lives of love, parents, suicide, feuds.

Activity: Class is divided into 4 cooperative groups. Teacher distributes a different topic questionnaire (love, parents, suicide, feuds) to the members of each group. Students first answer the questions alone; then join with other students who answered the same questions. Group leaders chart composite of all answers to be shared with the class as a whole.

LOVE PARENTS SUICIDE FEUDS

These four topics are personally important to you in some unique way. And they were personally important to William Shakespeare, the author of Romeo and Juliet, and to his audience in 16th century England. To understand what you have in common with people who lived 400 years ago, choose one of the following sets of questions and individually answer them. Add as much detail as possible to your new answers.

LOVE

1. What are the different kinds of love?
2. Is love different from friendship? Why or why not?
3. Who are some of the people you love? Why do you love them?
4. Are there responsbilities attached to love? Explain.
5. In what ways, if any, is the word "love" overused? Explain.
6. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?

PARENTS

1. What problems do you live with that your parents created?
2. How are you like your parents?
3. How are you different from your parents?
4. How do your parents respond to your choice of friends? Boy/girlfriends?
5. In what areas do your parents try to restrict/confine you?
6. In what areas do your parents allow you to function autonomously?

SUICIDE

1. Have you ever contemplated suicide? If so, what was the situation that led you to the thought?
2. Have you ever known anyone who contemplated or attempted suicide? What led them to the attempt? As their friend, how did you feel about their suicide attempt?
3. Explain how you think a potential suicide victim feels.

FEUDS

1. What are some instances in which you have been involved in a feud? Explain the source of the feud as well as the two or more parties involved in the feud.
2. What was your role in the feud? Why were you in those roles?
3. Did the group ever "run" you? If so, explain how. If not, explain why not.
4. How was the feud settled? Who or what initiated the settlement?

Assessment: Involvement of students in the questionnaire experience, contributions to small and large groups, and the quality of group reports.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To introduce the Shakespeare play and to enable students to connect their own experiences with the two main characters.

Activity: Students view the Franco Zefferelli production of "Romeo and Juliet." Teacher leads discussion connecting students' own experiences to the characters and plot of the play.

Assessment: Individual student attention and participation in discussion.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To increase student empathy with and understanding of the main characters.

Activity: From their experience with the film, students choose to "be" either Romeo or Juliet. They write a reflective essay including rationale for behaviors, feelings, relationships with other friends and family, problem-solving abilities, and so forth. Teacher conducts class discussion based on students' individual essays.

Assessment: Quality of reflective essays and contribution to class discussion.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To develop student knowledge of literary terms, Shakespeare's life, and Elizabethan theater.

Activity: Students read appropriate chapter in text and readings provided by teacher. Teacher presents necessary vocabulary and reviews necessary information highlighting the life of Shakespeare, the times in which he lived, and the Elizabethan theater.

Assessment: Student notetaking and teacher checking for understanding. Open notes quiz over literary terms.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To read and analyze the play.

Activity: 1. Students individually select parts to read orally in class.

2. Assigned scenes are read for homework.

3. Students answer study questions, dramatic structure questions, and learn necessary literary terms using teacher prepared worksheets.

4. Working in cooperative study groups, students develop complete, accurate answers for all study questions.

5. Each student selects one of the assigned questions and develops a 4-paragraph essay which answers one major study question. The answer must be supported by appropriate quotes from the play.

Assessment: Quality of all group and written work.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To extend the internalization of what has been learned from the play.

Activity: In small groups of 3 to 7 students, each group will create a talk show. It will include a host/hostess, who will develop in-depth questions to be answered by the characters from the play. Questions may relate to the 4 themes, current issues in our time, relationships in the play, and so forth. The student characters must answer the questions in character, using lines from the play to support their positions, as well as experiences from their own lives.

Assessment: Quality of questions and character answers.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To use the play's text as evidence to support or refute an opinion statement.

Activity: Students are given "Response Statements," such as the following:

• Friar Laurence acted irresponsibly in his involvement with Romeo and Juliet.
• Romeo is a weak, immature young man.
• Juliet behaves more rationally and responsibly than does Romeo.
• The nurse treats Juliet with disrespect.
• The Prince ia an ineffective leader because he allows the feud to continue.
• Tybalt, rather than Fate, is the true villain in the play.
• Suicide was the only option Romeo and Juliet had to solve the problems.
• Romeo and Juliet's love is deep and committed.
• Lord and Lady Capulet are as much to blame for Romeo’s and Juliet's deaths as Romeo and Juliet are.
• The tragedy in this play is a result of:

A. An error in judgement.
B. Hatred.
C. The moral and psychological weaknesses of one or more characters.
D. The evils of society.

• Romeo and Juliet were too young to know the true meaning of love.
• Juliet is manipulative and dishonest.
• Shakespeare is a fatalist because he has Romeo and Juliet commit suicide at the end of the play.
• Shakespeare believes that young people's feelings should be taken seriously.

In teams, students find evidence from the play to support or refute their positions, which are presented to the whole class for discussion and critique.

Assessment: Quality of team positions, supporting quotations, and presentation to class. Ability of students to contribute to group effort and to work together.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To develop a presentation that extends and adapts what has been learned.

Activity: Students watch the "Saturday Night Live" segment on Romeo and Juliet. Small groups develop and present their own creative rendition of one scene from the play.

Assessment: Enjoyment and participation in the experience.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: