Romeo and Juliet

This one of three culminating assignments for Romeo and Juliet  (the other two are a scene performance and an analytical essay).  I include it because it gives students whose gifts may not be in performance a chance to express their responses to the text creatively.  The guidelines are pretty specific.  Students must incorporate plenty of the text into the project.  Even their artistic elements must reflect a clear connection to the text.  The scrapbook contains

The purpose of this lesson is to facilitate a meaningful discussion around Mercutio’s famous “Queen Mab” speech based on the imagery of the scene. The students will be able to recognize and define the element of imagery and the effect it plays on the scene, the characters, and the overall story of Romeo & Juliet. Exploring and discussing this scene through the analysis of imagery will improve students’ future creative writing.

This is a lesson that I used as an introduction to drama.

After Reading Romeo and Juliet I have the students present a group project. We create 5 groups one to represent each act in the play.The group decides which version of the project that they want to do. The choices are to either put on a puppet show, create a skit or come up with a song. Each student must them write an indivudual essay on a character and discuss how the character has reacted to a situation and also tell me how the character has evolved at the end of the story.

I introduce my Romeo and Juliet unit by briefly introducing the history of the Globe Theatre, then teach the sonnet, tragedy vs. comedy, and then the film before I ever have them open the play. I show the first 2/3 of the film (I stop at the "morning after" scene when Romeo is about to leave Juliet's bedroom). My intent here is to introduce my students to the language, the plot, the characters, the clothing and behavior of the times before they enter into the play. I have used this methodology for the past 4 years and it works beautfully as it is the first time my students really are exposed to Shakespeare in any depth. I use the attached film study guide as the students are viewing the movie. Though it is not specifically in chronological order of the movie, it is divided into sectors - The Beginning, The Actors,Scene Analysis, etc.

Like all good ideas that I have, this is stolen from Peggy O'Brien and Company from The Folger Shakespeare Library.  The concept is simple and the effect is always quite a lot of fun.  Use the handout to divide students into 6 groups - they will be given 5-10 minutes to act out, to explicate, to have fun with the line that you will give them (again see the handout).  For instance, one group will act out "You kiss by the book."  Tell me that doesn't sound like fun.  Once they are all ready,  the teacher narrorates the story - pausing at just the right moment for the students to act out their part.  I always tell my students that when group 1 is on - group 2 should be standing and ready (and so on).