SUBJECT: English
GRAE: High School
TECHNOLOGY: Word Processing, Desktop Publishing

ROMEO AND JULIET

Target Grade/ Subject

Ninth-grade English students ñ average or honors, interested in creative applications of literature. Most ninth-grade students are in the peak of adolescence, fully aware of their bodies and social inadequacy. Romeo and Juliet provides characters who are the same age as my students, but acting very differently. Students would be able to compare and contrast their experiences and use that information for this activity.

SOL's require the study of Romeo and Juliet and basic comprehension of character and writing ability.

Objective

Students in my ninth-grade English class will use knowledge of a character's emotional and psychological motivations in order to write a journal entry from the perspective of a specific character at a specific period of time in the literature.

Materials

· Paper and pen or pencil to write a draft of the journal entry

· Computer with word processing, page layout program, image scanner

· Diskette

Lesson Description

The overall goal of this lesson is to compile individual entries into a magazine/journal type format. Using the play Romeo and Juliet, students will complete this activity having read the first two acts of the play. The teacher will provide an example by which the entire class will learn the expectations of the individual assignment. Begin with Romeo in the scene before the masquerade at the Capulet household, Act 1, Scene 4. Ask students first to summarize this point in the play so that everyone knows the context. Either ask questions to be answered orally or written on paper and then announced. Once the context is established, then ask some general character probe questions about Romeo:

---List the first 3 adjectives that you think of when you think of Romeo.

---What are Romeo's most obvious emotions?

---What motivates Romeo's decisions?

---Does Romeo have any excessive weaknesses?

---What do the characters surrounding Romeo, his family and friends, tell us about him?

From this discussion, the class should start to gather a general understanding about Romeo as a carefully crafted character. From this we would link to the journal exercise, and have the class orally write a journal entry from this point in the play from Romeoís perspective. The teacher should ask someone to start the entry and then follow around the room like stream of consciousness, each student adding a sentence.

This guided practice/modeling should end with an understanding of Romeoís character and a short journal entry, either written on the board or an overhead, encapsuling his consciousness at this point in the text.

Now is the time for independent practice or classwork. Using pieces of paper with character names on each: Romeo, Juliet, Lady Capulet, Capulet, Montague, Nurse, Benvolio, Mercutio, Paris, Tybalt. Three of each may be necessary depending on class size. Arrange students in groups of 3-5 students and different characters for five minutes to share ideas about each otherís character and then seat everyone separately to complete the task. Be sure to write the task on the board. If time allows, collect journal entries at the end of the period. Go to the computer lab the next day to type journal entries. Remind students to edit work as they transcribe it and also to bring pictures of their characters to scan onto their entry.

The teacher must then compile all entries and pictures and print the journal for all students.

Evaluation Procedure

An entry and picture must be submitted in a final form, and the first entry must be completed as a first draft. Grading will be as if it is an essay for one grade; evaluation should involve whether a student included emotional or psychological internalization in addition to plot facts and basic writing skills including grammar and sentence formation. Two more grades will be assigned, passing if completed, for transcription to the word processing document and scanning of the image. A total of three grades will be given, but until it is complete, the essay grade functions as a work in process with potential for improvement with editing and revision.