While many students approach Shakespeare with dread, Romeo and Juliet is consistently my favorite text to teach ninth graders because there is so much for them to respond to. After all, they are essentially the same age as the play's lead characters! It is my hope that as we read the play, students will begin to see that life as a 14 or 15-year-old isn't too terribly different than it was in the sixteenth century when this play was first performed.
Unit Goals
Reading:
Writing:
- Read and comprehend Shakespearean English.
- Identify the elements of drama.
- Discuss the ways in which the structure of Shakespearean tragedy adds to the audience's sense of tragedy.
- Explain the ways in which poetic language serves to develop characters, setting, conflict and theme.
- Analyze the ways in which writers use irony to communicate both comedy and tragedy.
Writing:
- Acknowledge and develop a legitimate counterclaim.
- Logically and persuasively refute a counterclaim using specific evidence.
Resources:
Much like our reading of The Odyssey, students will complete this reading using a digital text. While some additional homework may be assigned throughout the unit, students' interactions with the text will once again make up the majority of their classwork grades for the unit.
Major Assessments:
Learning Outside the Classroom
With this curriculum unit, we move beyond just explanatory writing and move into argument writing. This is a new skill which will build upon the writing we have already worked on this year, but which students will likely experience some frustration with.
One of the most important skills we develop as humans is empathy, or the ability to see the world from someone else's perspective. Believe it or not, learning to develop an argument can actually help students to build this skill! Our time in class will be spent examining the events in Romeo and Juliet from multiple perspectives, and practicing seeing the reasons behind different characters' feelings and decisions. The next time your student finds themselves in the midst of a disagreement, consider asking them to continue developing their argument and empathetic skills outside the classroom by asking them to explain the reasons that other people may disagree with them.
As always, if you have any questions about the text, the class, or just want to check in, feel free to contact me! My inbox is always open!
One of the most important skills we develop as humans is empathy, or the ability to see the world from someone else's perspective. Believe it or not, learning to develop an argument can actually help students to build this skill! Our time in class will be spent examining the events in Romeo and Juliet from multiple perspectives, and practicing seeing the reasons behind different characters' feelings and decisions. The next time your student finds themselves in the midst of a disagreement, consider asking them to continue developing their argument and empathetic skills outside the classroom by asking them to explain the reasons that other people may disagree with them.
As always, if you have any questions about the text, the class, or just want to check in, feel free to contact me! My inbox is always open!