ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES

Without even meeting him/her, your parents flare up in a rage and FORBID you to EVER see the girl/boy again. Although you have always respected and obeyed them, you are angry at your parents for their stubbornness and lack of trust in your judgement.

What do you say or do now?

Will you obey your parents?

Will you explain the situation to the girl/boy?

How would you do so if you could never see her/him again?

*You go to different schools.

*You have no cell phone, email, pagers, etc. In fact, because your parents do not trust you right now, they have grounded you from the phone and they will only let you go to your youth group and church.

After reading and discussing the first two paragraphs, reveal the four questions they will address in their response. Many of the students have actually been through similar situations in their lives, so encourage them to narrate those experiences in their free-writes in a personal, detailed way.

After allowing a few minutes of discussion and clarification, uncover the last portion of the free-write (the part with asterisks). These hurdles are included to make things more difficult for the students to work out their solutions to the problem, so that they feel the desperate, trapped feelings of Shakespeare's tragic heroes before they even meet them.

In order to immerse the students in the historical time period and culture of the Elizabethan Age, students groups research background information on assigned topic(s). After one day in the media center, students present their research findings to the rest of the class.

Assign students roles before reading the drama. (Teachers may want to assign roles for the entire play or to have roles shift with each act so that more students are involved.) Students must practice their lines at home in order to avoid embarrassment and frustration during class reading times. If a student seems unprepared, teacher may want to re-assign his or her part to another reader.

Students complete reading guide (study guide) questions for homework at the end of each Act. These guides serve as checkpoints for understanding and build confidence in the students.

Have students respond to the play both personally and analytically. The log serves as "book talk" for the students; it is a place for them to reflect and respond to the drama. Students note confusion and reactions to the play, personal opinions and predictions, and analysis of Shakespeare's writing through the examination of literary devices he used. The teacher may choose to respond to some entries herself and use peer response for others.

After each of the acts is read, students complete a multiple choice selection test (provided by the textbook publisher) for homework. The next day, students work in groups to compare and debate their answer choices. Students must support their ideas in order to convince their group members of the correct answer. In turn, students need to employ effective listening skills, state their views in a logical, coherent manner, provide relevant and convincing support from the text, and demonstrate awareness of possible counter-arguments of their group.

After the balcony scene in Act II, assign each student to another student of the opposite sex (avoid matching pairs; for instance, if Jenna is expressing her love to Brian, Brian will be expressing his love to a different girl in the class.) Each student will proclaim undying love to their assigned in-class match. Students may write poems, songs, letters, etc. They should present a symbol of their love and use devices Shakespeare used (i.e. extended metaphors, Elizabethan dialect, personification, similes, imagery, etc.) The students immediately recognize their task as one that will be both entertaining and a little scary. All in all, though, the assignment allows students to experience - if only on a peripheral level - the intense emotion Shakespeare's characters felt.

MTV Documentary

To reinforce the ideas that even though Juliet felt trapped - without options - she really wasn't, students watch a twenty-minute documentary produced by MTV that interviews numerous teenage offenders of school violence. The video is tremendously powerful. When we finish watching the video, discuss freely reactions to it. Brainstorm OPTIONS for times when we feel trapped, victimized, or alone. Make direct comparisons to the famous Shakespearean teens - what could THEY have done to prevent such a tragic outcome to the play?

(You could call your social worker or even the courthouse or public library to find out if they have a copy. MTV sent thousands of copies to school systems across the nation.)

Political Cartoon and Censorship Article

Overview:

As a class, read and discuss materials relating to censorship (esp. censorship of Romeo and Juliet). Students write a letter that night for homework in which they address an imaginary opponent regarding censorship. They include support for their opinions as well as counter-arguments for the opposition. They must employ a persuasive tone and include convincing support.

Paideia Seminar -- IV.iii

Big Ideas: courage; determination; fear; choices and consequences; loyalty; love; fate

Opening Question(s)

Which word is the most important in the soliloquy? (follow up with "Why?)

OR Name an emotion Juliet feels in this scene. (follow up with evidence)

Core Questions

What one character is most responsible for leading Juliet to this point?

Some critics/readers would characterize Juliet as weak. Agree or disagree, using the text to justify your opinion.

Closing Question: If you were Juliet, what would you do?

Post-Seminar Activities: Write in your log about a time when you have felt "trapped."

Assign this project one week before the end of studying of Romeo and Juliet so that students can complete it entirely outside of class. The students are given several creative project ideas (such as making movie posters, designing tee-shirts, creating collages for characters, etc.) and instructed to complete ONE. On the due date, they present their work to the class.

Essay - student choice of topics

Discuss one of the play's themes.

Discuss why Shakespeare used dramatic irony in the play.

Discuss how and why Shakespeare reflected Elizabethan culture and society in the play.

Discuss why Romeo or Juliet should (or should not) be considered a tragic hero.

Test

50 question objective test counts as 50% of final test grade, with essay (above) as other 50%.