Romeo and Juliet

9th Grade Literature and Composition

Kathy Britnell and Matt Hoder NCWHS/Unit 5

Author’s Note

This project was designed to provide Secondary English Teachers with a resource for teaching Romeo and Juliet while incorporating the Internet to aid in developing lessons and student activities. The Illinois State Learning Objectives and Standards were used as a guide for preparing this unit. Matt Hoder has taught Secondary English for 3 years and has been trying to find new and exciting ways to teach Romeo and Juliet to his students. He believes the use of the Internet and all of its tools will bridge the comprehension and interest gap between Shakespeare and 9th graders. Kathy Britnell has been a special education teacher in the area of learning disabilities for 26 years. She has taught at all grade levels, and is currently co-teaching with regular education teachers at the high school level. She believes that technology tools can greatly enhance devising lesson plans for a range of student abilities.

Romeo and Juliet is the first introduction to drama for the 9th grade students in the semester-long “Literature and Composition” class. Typically the students would have completed a unit on short stories and would have a general knowledge of key literary elements such as plot, setting, etc. This unit would take approximately 3-3 ½ weeks to complete. Many students feel overwhelmed with the language of Romeo and Juliet and have difficulty appreciating medieval customs that are important to the play. By incorporating Internet tools, interesting Web sites, and making Shakespeare more accessible to all students through modifications of the curriculum, it is hoped that the students will gain an understanding of drama as a literary form, and more specifically, that students will appreciate the contribution of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to universal and timeless literature.

For more information, please contact Matt or Kathy at Normal Community West High School, 309 888-6060 Or email us at: Mhoder50@yahoo.com or britnek@unit5.org

Standards

2.A.4a Analyze and evaluate the effective use of literary techniques (e.g., figurative language, allusion, dialogue, description, symbolism, word choice, dialect) in classic and contemporary literature representing a variety of forms and media.

2.A.4b Explain relationships between and among literary elements including

character, plot, setting, theme, conflict and resolution and their influence on the effectiveness of the literary piece.

2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author's style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.

2.B.4b Analyze form, content, purpose and major themes of American literature and literature of other countries in their historical perspectives.

Illinois Learning Standards http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/

Planning Pyramid What should students know?

Some Students:

Will be able to compare gender differences in Elizabethan England to the 21st century Will recognize and interpret figurative language in Shakespearean Drama Will understand parent/child relationships in Elizabethan England and their contemporary similarities Will identify elements of Shakespearean tragedy

Most Students: Will recognize the customs of Elizabethan England Will understand the most significant biographical information about Shakespeare Will understand drama’s role in Elizabethan society Will learn how Shakespeare “sets” the stage with his use of language? Will recognize fate’s role in the character’s lives

Will understand the consequences of making hasty decisions Will be able to identify and comprehend soliloquy, monologue, foil

character, pun, foreshadowing, and symbolism

All Students: Will understand literary structure of Shakespearean drama Will learn the physical structure of the Globe Theater and how plays were produced Will understand how Shakespeare has influenced modern drama in acting and storylines Will learn characterization of main roles Will understand internal and external conflict in the play:

o Will recognize themes of star-crossed lovers and love versus hate

Will understand literary elements: setting, basic plot, resolution

Teacher Library Resources for locating instructional materials: A to Z Teacher Stuff http://atozteacherstuff.com/ Web English Teacher

http://www.webenglishteacher.com TrackStar http://trackstar.hprtec.org Google http://www.google.com The WebQuest Project at San Diego State University http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html Romeo and Juliet Study Guide

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/romeo.html Romeo and Juliet Teaching on the Web Guide http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/resources/shakespeare/webguide.html Mr. William Shakespeare http://www.shakespeare.palomar.edu/

Learner Activities 1. KidReach On-line Reading Center - http://www.westga.edu/~kidreach/rnjlesson.html Site has books listed by grade level, with sample lesson plans including multimedia lessons, anticipatory on-line guides for students to complete, etc. 2. Shakespeare’s Globe Theater - http://shakespeares-globe.org/home.htm Includes a virtual tour of the Globe Theater.

3. Virtual Renaissance: A Journey Through Time http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/VirtualRen.html An interactive site with wonderful links and references to Globe Theater, Elizabethan culture, etc. Has good visuals and graphics, which can be enlarged, etc. for projects.

4. Rewriting Romeo and Juliet: A Web Quest http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/webquests/shakespeare/index.htm Goal of the Web Quest is to show students that Shakespeare's stories can be transferred to almost any time period, including the Wild West, Mob-ridden Chicago, 50's suburbia, and the 1960 Counterculture.

5. Ye Olde Shoppe http://expage.com/englishivwebquest/

This site asks students to learn about Elizabethan times by designing a business. Many links available. 6. Romeo and Juliet: A Web Quest

http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/webquest/high/LanguageArts/RomeoandJuliet/mainframe.html

One of you will be the Actor and discover what it was like in Shakespeare's day. Another of you will take on the role of Alchemist, determining the extent of scientific knowledge during the period as compared to today. Yet a third will be the historian whose job will be to book a trip to London. Finally, there will be the play critic whose task it will be to critically examine Romeo and Juliet.

7.The Literature Network: William Shakespeare – has the entire play online, and a very good synopsis of the play, information about Shakespeare, etc. Also has some student ratings of the site.

http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/

8. Timeline of William Shakespeare

http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/timeline.htm

9. Romeo and Juliet Web Guide http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/resources/shakespeare/webguide.html Has several activities for students to do, with links included.

Assessment

Resources for locating assessment materials: Scoring Guide for Student Projects http://www.ncrtec.org/tl/sgsp/index.html RubiStar http://rubistar.4teachers.org Electronic Quizzes http://www.funbrain.com http://quiz.4teachers.org/ http://school.discovery.com/quizcenter/quizcenter.html Authoring Software http://www.inspiration.com/ (Kidspiration) http://www.hyperstudio.com Quiz on Biography of Shakespeare

http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/quiz/bioquiz.htm Game Show Presenter (Test alternative) http://www.almorale.com/GSP.html

Modifications Planning for Academic Diversity

For students that cannot read at grade level... Or

If a student has difficulty comprehending the material... Study Guide for Romeo and Juliet http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/romeo_and_juliet.htm Good synopsis, character summaries, etc

If students have difficulty mastering the vocabulary of the unit, some suggestions include...

Romeo and Juliet Study Guide – written by high school students. Language is very readable. http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/romjul.html

If you have students who have difficulty in written expression, then...

Allow students to take quizzes or tests online http://www.funbrain.com http://quiz.4teachers.org/ Word Prediction programs (Co-Writer) http://www.donjohnston.com Brainstorming tools http://www.inspiration.com

If students need test taking practice as a study strategy for mastering the content of the unit, then...

Allow students to take quizzes or tests online http://www.funbrain.com http://quiz.4teachers.org/

If students have difficulty completing homework, one strategy you may wish to consider...

StudyWEB http://www.studyweb.com

Interactive learning: http://www.funbrain.com http://www.puzzlemaker.school.discover.com

If your unit requires students to conduct research, you might want to... Biography of Shakespeare

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biography.htm Very clear, concise biography with very visually “clean” site.