UNIT PLAN RATIONALE “Romeo and Juliet” is the first ...

UNIT PLAN RATIONALE

“Romeo and Juliet” is the first dramatic text typically taught to high school students in

ninth grade. It is usually the first exposure of Shakespeare students will receive. While exposure

to Shakespeare is valuable, this is not why I have chosen to focus on this text for my unit plan.

When students enter high school, they have (maybe unconsciously) embarked upon a

transitional time of their lives. They are being granted more freedoms and given more roles than

their previous middle school environment had provided. But, and I know this was true for myself

during this period, transitioning here is a time when students might be granted with more

freedoms than earlier, but they often desire more than they are given. Students want to have more

of a say in decisions being made that affect their lives (and, often, the lives around them as well),

and they are not always listened to. They are too young. They don’t have enough life experience.

They aren’t yet responsible enough.

I want to provide students with a text that has themes relatable to what they too may be

encountering. Where, hopefully, students are not engaged in a love affair between warring

families, they might desire to make more independent decisions despite what their families, or

friends, or even society might be guarding them against. The binding themes that encompass the

binding essential questions (given at the beginning of each lesson) for this unit include: having a

voice vs. being oppressed, knowing/guessing at right and wrong, independence vs. dependence,

and being a part of a society vs. standing apart from society. The way I have addressed each of

these concepts is to come up with individual (for each lesson) essential questions that fall in line

with these different themes. Some lessons address multiple themes while some address only one.

I’ve provided the themes here only, but the individual essential questions are provided at the start

of each lesson.

At the end of the unit plan, I want students to leave with not only an understanding of the

events and characters within the play, but with the knowledge that they are not alone in their

need for independence. I also want students to leave with feeling and knowing that what they

have to say is important. I have included within my lessons several activities that involve

discussions and group work—I want students to practice sharing ideas in a classroom where such

involvement is not only allowed, but is encouraged. “Romeo and Juliet” is a text that can be used

to exhibit several different lenses in regards to adolescence and understanding. It is appropriate

for this changing age group, and I feel my unit plan addresses my binding themes in a unique—

but still structured—manner.

Now, in regards to teaching “Romeo and Juliet,” I understand that it is near-impossible

(or, at the very least, strongly discouraged) to throw a group of ninth graders into reading such a

text without a background on Shakespeare and the language used within the play. So, I would

like to note that before my unit plan is implemented (my fifteen lessons), the students should

have already been introduced to such language. For approximately two weeks before my first

lesson begins, students should be learning the background behind the play and practicing

comprehension of Shakespearean English. They should be provided with a great deal of

scaffolding so that when they are officially introduced to the text, they are not completely caught

off-guard with attempting to dissect and understand it.

A final comment I would like to mention is that my unit plan involves the final

summative assessment to be in the form of a project. I provide students with the guidelines,

rubric, and even time to work on the project during the course of my lessons. But, the actual

project will be due/shared with the class after my unit plan’s three weeks are complete. My

fifteenth lesson involves small-group discussions centering on the play as a whole (and any final

discussion questions/comments/concerns students might have). Their homework for the weekend

is to complete their project. It will be due (and shared with their classmates) on Monday. Below,

I have provided my calendar that I followed in regards to my lessons, which might make it easier

to see how I have laid everything out. The blue indicates homework, the yellow indicates a

scene watched from the 1996 “Romeo and Juliet” film rendition, and the green indicates the

scenes from the play being read during the class period. My general activities are not

highlighted, but are indicated as well.

SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Writing prompt

Privilege walk

Follow-up exit ticket prompt

HW: Bring in NB & obtain “R&J” text

Set up NBs (worksheet with prompts)

Show ActI:I from 1996 movie 0:00-13:35

First NB prompt – scaffold

HW: Bring in “R&J” text

Act I:I-II scaffolded read-aloud

Introduce unit project (worksheets)

HW: NB work if unfinished

Act I:III

Character distinction activity (posters)

HW: NB work

Act I:IV-V

Add to character posters

Time to work on NBs

HW: NB work, bring NBs next class with answered prompt ready to discuss

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Fishbowl discussion

HW: Act II:0-I, NB work

Act II:II

Section Activity

NB check

HW: NB work

Section presentations

Act II:II-IV

HW: NB work, Act II:III-IV if unfinished in class

(If unfinished: Act II:III-IV)

Project/catch-up day

HW: NB catch-up, Act II:V-VI

Act III:I-III

HW: NB work, bring NBs next class with answered prompt ready to discuss

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Prompt

persuasion day

HW: NB work

Act III:IV-V,Act IV: I-II

HW: NB work, readings if unfinished in class

Act IV:III-V

If time, work on kids’ HW reading/NBs in class

HW: NB work, Act V: I-II

Act V:III

Finalize character posters (keep hanging up)

HW: finalize NBs, bring NBs next class ready to discuss questions from final prompt

Collect NBs

“R&J” small-group discussion activity

HW: projects due Monday

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

DAY ONE – UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

What does it mean to be privileged? Can we determine how privileged we are? Is equality

possible in our society? Who is oppressed in the world around us? Why are they oppressed?

What does it mean to be oppressed?

Unit Goals

Students will be able to:

Reflect upon their personal perceptions of privilege/oppression in current society.

Follow spoken directions to participate in a “privilege walk.”

Evaluate the impact of having participated in a “privilege walk” (e.g. what was the importance of this walk?).

Standards Addressed

9.1f) Evaluate impact and purpose of presentation.

i) Give and follow spoken directions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve

problems.

Lesson Objectives/Goals

Students will:

Individually reflect and respond to a writing prompt related to their perception of privilege pre-“privilege walk.”

Participate in a “privilege walk” – they will follow directions and act according to their own personal responses.

Re-evaluate their perceptions of privilege/oppression and reflect upon their participation

in the “privilege walk” by adding to the initial writing prompt.

Materials/Technology Needed

-paper

-writing utensils

-Microsoft PowerPoint (or Microsoft Word)

-projector

Instructional Steps

Introduction/Hook: [Approximately 5-7 minutes]

1. [Guided instruction] Have students split up their paper in half (hamburger-style)—one

half should be labelled “Before” and one half should read “After.”

2. [Independent activity, guided instruction] Display and explain warm-up writing prompt

using PowerPoint (or Word)/projector: Do you think you are privileged in our current

society? Why?

a. The warm-up should be conducted under the “Below” heading on students’

papers.

Learning Activities

1. [Guided instruction, approximately 5-7 minutes] Explain “privilege walk.”

a. Talk through a couple of examples of phrases used for the walk (e.g. “Take a step

forward if you are a white male.”).

b. Explain to students that if they feel uncomfortable at any point and are unwilling

to answer any particular question, they do not need to take a step. (If any

student(s) uncomfortable with walk basis, they may sit out of activity. See

“Differentiation of Instruction” for activity to use for those sitting out of

“privilege walk.”)

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 2-3 minutes] Bring students outside (or into

gym/common area).

a. Set up students into large circle (teacher participates too—stands within circle as

well).

3. [Group activity, guided instruction, approximately 20-25 minutes] Lead students in

“privilege walk.”

a. Read each statement twice and allow students to take a step forward, backward, or

remain unmoved (see list of statements at end of plan).

b. After all statements have been read, have students look around to see where they

are in the circle in relation to classmates and teacher.

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 2 minutes] Bring students back to classroom.

5. [Independent activity, guided instruction, approximately 5-7 minutes] Display and

explain second prompt using PowerPoint (or Word)/projector: How do you feel about

where you were placed during the privilege walk activity? Did this activity surprise you?

Why?

a. This prompt should be written under the “After” heading on students’ papers.

b. Collect papers when students are finished.

6. [Guided instruction, approximately 2 minutes] Give brief introduction to “Romeo and

Juliet” in relation to activity.

a. Explain that the play represents two individuals who rebel against their positions

in society and what happens as a result. Explain that the play is a stark

commentary on oppression and figuratively being without a voice.

b. Remind students to bring in a copy of the play for Wednesday. Also remind

students to bring in a notebook for next class (tomorrow—Tuesday).

Differentiation of Instruction

This lesson should be accessible to most students. If students are not comfortable with

participating with the “privilege walk,” they will be instructed to come with the class and watch

the process. They should listen to the different statements, watch the students move/remain

unmoved, and imagine where they would fit into the circle if they were also taking steps. They

will respond to the ending writing prompt as though they participated in the “privilege walk.” If

students are unable to participate for other reasons, accommodations should be provided and

alternate assignments assigned.

Assessments/Rubrics

Students will turn in their “Before”/“After” writing prompts as an exit ticket that will be graded

for participation. If the students have responded to both prompts, they will be given full credit. If

students do not turn in their exit tickets or do not turn in completed prompts, they will not be

given credit for the assignment. Partial credit will not be awarded.

Materials/Worksheets Employed

Below is the list of statements asked for the “privilege walk”:

If you are a white male, take one step forward.

If you were born in the United States, take one step forward.

If English is your first language, take one step forward.

If you grew up in an urban setting, take one step backward.

If you feel good about how your identified culture is portrayed by the media, take one step forward.

If you studied the culture or the history of your ancestors in elementary school, take one

step forward.

If you have ever felt unsafe walking alone at night, take one step backward.

If you came from a supportive family environment, take one step forward.

If there have been times in your life when you skipped a meal because there was no food

in the house, take one step backward.

If there were more than 50 books in your house growing up, take one step forward.

If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke or statement you overheard related to your race, ethnicity, gender, appearance, or sexual orientation, but felt unsafe to confront the

situation, take one step backward.

If you ever had/currently have employees (e.g. maid, gardener, etc.) in your household,

take one step forward.

If you are encouraged by your parents to attend college, take one step forward.

If you lived in an area where you were able to play safely and unsupervised outside, take one step forward.

DAY TWO – UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

What purpose does film serve? How do film and literature differ? How are predictions made?

Why are predictions important?

Unit Goals


Employ a reading strategy for “Romeo and Juliet.”

Practice making predictions about a text.

Standards Addressed

9.2a) Analyze and interpret special effects used in media messages including television, film, and

Internet.

b) Determine the purpose of the media message and its effect on the audience.

9.4m) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.

9.6a) Generate, gather, and organize ideas for writing.


Students will:

Set up notebooks based on a list of prompts related to particular scenes.

Watch Act I:I of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 version of “Romeo and Juliet.”

Make predictions about Shakespeare’s play based on Act I:I as depicted in the film

rendition.


-DVD of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 version of “Romeo and Juliet”

-projector (hooked up to computer with DVD playing capabilities)

-class set of notebook prompt worksheets (one per student)

-Elmo projector

-loose-leaf paper

-tape

Instructional Steps


1. [Independent, unguided instruction] Display warm-up on projector for students: Please

pick up from front of classroom one worksheet and attach with tape to the inside cover of

your notebook (that you brought in for homework). For those who do not yet have a

notebook (which you should obtain for next class), along with the worksheet, pick up one

piece of loose-leaf paper.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately [5-7] minutes] Explain notebook prompt reading

strategy.

a. Students will be using the prompt worksheets as a guide. One column lists the

readings (or for the first case, viewing) and the other column lists the prompt

students need to answer in their notebooks. There are directions at the top of the

worksheets, and there are open prompts for some readings. Students should

understand that for these open prompt days, they should still write questions,

comments, etc. about the readings.

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 2-3 minutes] Use the Elmo to instruct and show first-

hand labelling of notebook pages.

a. Pages should be labelled based on the scenes read for the particular days (e.g. the

first page of the notebook will say Act I:I (Film)).

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Explain that the first prompt will be

written on the first page of the notebook under the heading “Act I:I (Film),” and that this

particular scene will be shown.

a. Students should be told to be thinking about how to answer the prompt while they

watch the film rendition. If they need to, they can take a couple notes at the top of

the notebook page.

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 14-15 minutes] Use DVD and projector to show Act

I:I of 1996 version of “Romeo and Juliet.”

6. [Independent, unguided instruction, approximately 15-20 minutes] Give students time to

work on their prompt for the day.

a. Because this is the first prompt, having this time in class is permitted in order for

students to clarify prompt requirements and ask questions regarding what is

required of them.

b. What is unfinished during this time should be assigned as homework.

7. [Guided instruction, approximately 10-30 seconds] Remind students to bring in a copy of

William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” tomorrow.


For those who need accommodations in relation to the prompts, the length requirement may be

adjusted (e.g. half page of writing instead of one page). Scribes may be employed for those with

such accommodations. Any other accommodations that may arise may be put into place as

needed.

Assessments/Rubrics

There is no assessment to be employed during this class period. The notebook prompts will be

checked twice during the course of the unit. There will be one notebook check in approximately

one week, and they will be turned in at the end of the three weeks.


DAY THREE – UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

How do we express emotions? What does it mean to be a member of a family? How does

conflict come about? What can be the result of conflict? Can conflict be resolved?

Unit Goals


Participate in an oral reading/silently follow along with an oral reading

Comprehend the overall message within a text

Gain an introductory recognition of characters within a text

Standards Addressed

9.4a) Identify author’s main idea and purpose.

b) Summarize text relating supporting details.

m) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.


Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act I:I-II

Answer reading comprehension questions while reading

Begin to familiarize oneself with characters in Act I:I-II using a character list

Understand the overall content and message in Act I:I-II


-class set of final project worksheets (one per student)

-class set of final project rubric guideline worksheets (one per student)

-class set of “Romeo and Juliet” character lists (one per student)

-Elmo

-projector

-“Romeo and Juliet” text

Instructional Steps


1. [Independent, unguided instruction] Allow students to complete the “warm-up,” which

should be projected in the front of the room (or written on the whiteboard):

Pick up one copy of the Character List at the front of the room. Then, open your copy of

“Romeo and Juliet” to Act I, Scene i.

Note: If you do not yet have a copy of the play, please obtain one for tomorrow (or speak

to me after class about borrowing one of my copies) and today find a partner to look over

his/her copy for class today.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Display family tree worksheet on screen

using Elmo and briefly go over characters (e.g. “Romeo is a Montague, Juliet is a

Capulet…”).

a. Keep worksheet on screen during scaffolded reading.

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds] Have students volunteer to read for the

different characters for Act I:I-II.

a. If students do not volunteer for all roles, teacher will read the other roles.

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 30-40 minutes] Read/scaffold Act I:I-II in “Romeo

and Juliet.”

a. Pause readings to ask comprehension questions (e.g. “What is Romeo implying

here?”) and clarify content that might be confusing to students (e.g. “What do you

think it meant to ‘bite your thumb’ at someone? Allow me to explain…”).

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 5-10 minutes] Pass out final project worksheets and

final project rubric guideline worksheets and discuss briefly what students will be doing.

(These should be passed out when there is five minutes left in class or when the class is

finished reading for the day. If reading is not finished, it should be assigned as

homework.)

a. Advise students to look over options and be thinking about what they want to

do/which scene(s) they might include in their project.

b. Also remind students that the rubric is an important resource—they should keep

all rubric guidelines in mind when they are creating their project.

6. [Unguided, independent instruction, any time left in class] Allow students any leftover

time to work on their notebook prompt that will otherwise be homework.


I tried to cater this lesson plan so that accommodations are not needed for the majority of

students—it is a read-aloud, and only students who choose to volunteer are in charge of actually

reading the parts out loud. Accommodations may be provided in the case of the final project—

and these accommodations will depend on what the situation is. The length may be shortened, or

the project itself may be changed in some aspect. If any other accommodations do need to be

provided, this can be accomplished as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

There is no assessment to be employed during this class period. The notebook prompts will be

checked twice during the course of the unit. There will be one notebook check in approximately

one week, and they will be turned in at the end of the three weeks. The rubric for the final project

is being provided. This will be used at the end of the unit as a summative assessment.


1. 2.

3.

DAY FOUR – UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

How do we stand out as individuals? What makes us unique? When is it important to remember

something? What is worth remembering?

Unit Goals




Participate in a character distinction class activity o Differentiate between characters within a text

Standards Addressed

9.1i) Give and follow spoken directions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve

problems.

l) Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work.



e) Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting,

tone, point of view, and theme.



Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act I:III


Understand the overall content and message in Act I:III

Use current and previous understandings from readings to participate in a character distinction activity


-projector

-white construction paper

-colored utensils (e.g. markers, colored pencils, etc.)


-Elmo

Instructional Steps

Introduction/Hook: [Approximately 30 seconds -1 minute]



Take out your Character List worksheet (from last class) and open your copy of “Romeo

and Juliet” to Act I, Scene iii.

Note: If you still do not yet have a copy of the play, please obtain one for tomorrow (or

speak to me after class about borrowing one of my copies) and today find a partner to

look over his/her copy for class today.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 1 minute] Display copy of the Character List

worksheet on the front screen using the Elmo.

a. Explain to students that they should still be using their own worksheet to

remember who is who in the play, and that this will be important later in class

during an activity.


different characters for Act I:III.


4. [Guided instruction, approximately 10-15 minutes] Read/scaffold Act I:III in “Romeo

and Juliet.”

a. Ask reading comprehension questions during scaffolding. These might include

“How old is Juliet?” and “What has the Nurse done for Juliet during her life?”

Also be sure to clarify to students about what is occurring during this scene that

they might be confused (or actually expression confusion) about.

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds] Explain to students that they will be

conducting an activity to help remember/recall characters in the play.

6. [Guided instruction, approximately 4-5 minutes] Display activity instructions on front

screen and go over instructions with class: There are so many characters in “Romeo and

Juliet” that it can be difficult to keep everyone straight. Your role: With one partner,

choose a character from the list below. You will create a poster illustrating the character

you chose. Along with an illustration of the character, you will need to provide facts

about the character beside its picture. Who is this? (Write the name BIG.) Why is this

character important? Is the character a Montague or a Capulet? How can we remember

this character easily? Answer all questions that might be important. When you have

chosen a partner and a character, tell me, so that I can make sure we don’t choose the

same characters.

a. This will involve allowing students to pair up, and then having students raise their

hands in order to claim particular characters they will be focusing on. (Teacher

should cross out names of characters as they are chosen—see character list under

“Materials/Worksheets Employed.”)

b. Remind students before they get started that they should write large enough for

their text to be seen if the poster is hanging on the wall.

c. Note: for Lady Capulet/Capulet and Lady Montague/Montague, students will

have to do both on the same poster (two in one—neither one should have a great

deal of information to put onto poster).

7. [Unguided, partner activity, approximately 15-20 minutes] Have students work on the

character distinction activity.

a. Tell students beforehand how much time they have to work on posters (the hope

here is that students will be completely finished when time is up).

8. [Guided, partner activity, approximately 8-10 minutes] Have students (very briefly)

show/explain their posters to class. Students should give posters to teacher when finished

with them.

a. Posters will be hung up by teacher when finished. This is an ongoing project, so if

something needs to be added to posters, they should be easily accessed (and easily

reattached to wall). There should also be extra room on wall for posters of other

characters that are introduced as readings continue.

9. [Guided activity, approximately 30 seconds] Remind students that they should be

completing their journal prompts according to the list of prompts they were given on

Tuesday (this is their homework). Tell them that their first notebook check will be next

Tuesday.

a. If any students were absent, have extra copies of the prompts (instruct students to

tape the prompts to the inner cover of their notebooks).


I chose to make the character distinction activity one that takes place within partners so that if

there are students that need extra scaffolding or another person to help explain directions to

them, they will have this in the form of a classmate. I too will be walking around during this

portion of the class helping students who are confused, have questions, etc. The directions are

also given to the students in a couple of different forms. It is displayed on the screen while they

are working, and I go over the instructions with the class when I introduce it as well. The reading

at the beginning is scaffolded to ensure that students comprehend what is being read (and it is

read aloud and in a group for those who may struggle with reading on their own as well). If any

other accommodations need to be made, these may occur as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

This is an informal formative assessment that is ungraded. The purpose of this activity (besides

aiding with the recognition of characters in the play) is to see that all students comprehend what

is being read in class. I am looking primarily at information provided on posters. If the character

is introduced along with his/her family (Montague or Capulet) and there are a few (2+)

identifying facts/features listed/displayed, then it will be clear to me that students are

understanding the content/characters in the play. If, for any particular reason, students have a

poster that has incorrect information, I aim to discover (and help students correct) the wrong

information before they go to explain the poster in front of the class.

Materials/Worksheets Employed For the character distinction activity, here is the list of characters the students can choose from

(these are the characters that they have been introduced to within the first three scenes of the

play): Sampson

Gregory

Balthasar

Abraham

Benvolio

Tybalt

Capulet, Lady Capulet

Prince

Montague, Lady Montague

Romeo

Paris

Nurse

Juliet

DAY FIVE – UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

How do we stand out as individuals? What makes us unique? When is it important to remember

something? What is worth remembering? How do we know what is right and wrong? Does

society determine what is right and wrong for us?

Unit Goals




Distinguish between characters within a text o As a continuation of last class.

Standards Addressed


problems.








Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act I:IV-V


Understand the overall content and message in Act I:IV-V

Use current understandings from readings to add to character distinction posters


-projector


-colored utensils (e.g. markers, colored pencils, etc.)

Instructional Steps

Introduction/Hook: [Approximately 30 seconds-1 minute]



Take out your Character List worksheet (for your reference—you may also use the

posters we created last class for reference) and open your copy of “Romeo and Juliet” to

Act I, Scene iv.

Note: If you still do not yet have a copy of the play, please obtain one for tomorrow (or

speak to me after class about borrowing one of my copies) and today find a partner to

look over his/her copy for class today.

Learning Activities


different characters for Act I:IV-V.


3. [Guided instruction, approximately 25-30 minutes] Read/scaffold Act I:IV-V in “Romeo

and Juliet.”


“Who is Romeo still in love with?” and “Is it a bad thing that Romeo is falling in

love with Juliet? What’s ‘bad’ about it?” Also be sure to clarify to students about

what is occurring during this scene that they might be confused (or actually

expression confusion) about.

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 1 minute] Have students get back into the partners

they had during yesterday’s class. Hand out the posters from last class to each group

(ensure that these are not the same posters that the partners created—they should be given

someone else’s poster).

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 2-3 minutes] Explain to students that with their

partner, they will be adding at least one additional fact about the character to the poster

they have been given based on happenings in today’s scenes (if their character did not

come up in these two scenes, see if they can still add something to the poster based on

what they know from the first three scenes that the initial partnership did not include on

the poster).

a. Display these instructions using the projector on the front board: With your

partner from last class, add at least one additional fact about the character on the

poster you’ve been provided with based on what you now know about him/her

from today’s class reading. If your character did not appear in scenes iv or v, try

to add a detail that wasn’t included by the original creators of the poster (based

on the first three scenes).Turn in the poster up front when you are finished. If you

are finished early, work on your notebook prompt for next class. IMPORTANT:

Bring your notebook (and finished prompt for today’s scenes) in next class for

the class activity. This is vital for the class period. 6. [Unguided instruction, approximately 10-15 minutes] Allow students time to work on the

posters and then, if they finish early, time to work on their prompt.

a. Remind students at the end of class to bring in their notebooks and finished

prompt for next class. Tell them this is important and will be checked for a

completion grade.


As conducted yesterday, today’s continuation of the character posters involves partners, so that if

there are students that need extra scaffolding or another person to help explain directions to

them, they will have this in the form of a classmate. I too will be walking around during this

portion of the class helping students who are confused, have questions, etc. The directions are

also given to the students in a couple of different forms. It is displayed on the screen while they

are working, and I go over the instructions with the class when I introduce it as well. The reading

at the beginning is scaffolded to ensure that students comprehend what is being read (and it is

read aloud and in a group for those who may struggle with reading on their own as well). If any

other accommodations need to be made, these may occur as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

There is no assessment for this particular class. The notebook prompt for next class will be

checked (and this is explained to students in class today), but next class only that prompt will be

checked for completion—it is not a full notebook check day.

Materials/Worksheets Employed N/A

DAY SIX – UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Does society ever constrain us from doing what we want to do? How does society limit us? Are

rules important? What function do rules serve in society? Should we care about what others think

of us? Do we ever find ourselves judging individuals?

Unit Goals


Participate in a small discussion

Ask/answer questions based around a common theme

Standards Addressed

9.1c) Illustrate main ideas through anecdotes and examples.

d) Use grammatically correct language, including vocabulary appropriate to the topic, audience,

and purpose.


problems.

j) Use a variety of strategies to listen actively.


Students will:

Engage in a fishbowl discussion with classmates

Discuss questions and beliefs held by classmates

Act respectfully towards classmates within and outside of a fishbowl discussion


-projector

-class set of Fishbowl discussion worksheets (one per student)

-hat filled with scraps of paper with discussion questions written on them

Instructional Steps

Before students come in, the class should be arranged in concentric circles. There should be a

clump of five desks together in the center of a larger circle consisting of the rest of the desks.

Introduction/Hook: [Approximately 5 minutes]


should be projected in the front of the room (or written on the whiteboard): Take a seat

wherever you’d like. Pick up the worksheet at the front of the classroom and read it over

it quietly. While you read over it, I will be coming around to check your notebook prompt

from last night – please have your notebook open on your desk to last night’s prompt.

a. While students read over worksheets, teacher should check students’ notebooks to

make sure notebooks have been completed.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 5 minutes] Explain fishbowl discussion activity to

students.

a. Everyone in the class will have a chance in the middle, where there will be a

group of five students engaging in a discussion for approximately 8-10 minutes.

The four students in the discussion will be graded based on their participation (see

rubric under Materials/Worksheets Employed). Requirements of students should

be established (they are listed on the worksheet, but they should be reread).

b. The discussion itself will be based on the questions students answered in their

notebooks (the prompt checked during the warm-up) and students are allowed to

have their notebooks with them while they are discussing.

c. If the discussion becomes repetitive or students run out of things to talk about,

there is a hat filled with questions that students may pull and ask to continue the

discussion (see the full list of questions in the hat under Materials/Worksheets

Employed).

d. Students who are not in the present discussion must be respectful to their

classmates discussing. If they are talking/being a distraction, they will be docked

points from their own discussion.

e. Teacher should answer any questions students might have.

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 1 minute] Have students number themselves off to

determine their time in the discussion seats. (This will depend on the class size. For

instance, if there are twenty students, students should number themselves one to four—

those who are ones will be in the desks first, twos are second, etc.)

4. [Unguided, group discussion, approximately 30-35 minutes] Begin fishbowl discussion.

a. Time for fishbowl should be determined based on number of groups that need to

be in the center of the discussion. If there are four groups, they should be required

to stay in the discussion for eight minutes. If there are three groups, the time

should be increased to ten minutes.

b. Groups may have a desk added or taken away from it based on number of

students in the class (e.g. if there are 22 students in a class, two groups may have

an extra desk creating a circle of six desks in the center).

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds-1 minute] Explain homework.

a. Students will be reading Act II:0-I (explain that this is short) and completing a

“FREE ENTRY” notebook prompt. They should bring their notebooks for the

notebook check next class.


Because students were given the discussion question as a prompt for the weekend, they should

come to class with ideas ready to discuss. Also, the purpose of the hat full of discussion

questions is not only to aid with the discussion, but allows students who might not be

comfortable to discuss with classmates a free statement. If they would like to participate, but do

not know what to say or add to the discussion, they can choose a question from the hat, and

participate in this way. If additional accommodations need to be made for students, these should

be allowed and tweaked as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

For the initial notebook check at the beginning of class, students will be given credit or no credit

for the prompt. If the prompt has been answered in full, they will be awarded credit. If a

notebook is not present or if the prompt has not been answered completely, they will not be

awarded credit. For the fishbowl discussion, the rubric is below:

5 4 3 2 1 Participation Participated at least

twice in fishbowl.

Participated once in

fishbowl. N/A N/A Refused to

participate in

fishbowl

discussion.

Listening Clearly listening to

classmates—

participation reflects

this (e.g. student

responds to another

student or adds to a

student’s statement).

Actively listening to

classmates, but speaks

off-topic once or

statement made is

completely unrelated

to previous students’

statement.

Actively listening to

classmates, but speaks

off-topic twice or two

statements made

completely unrelated

to previous students’

statement.

Does not seem to be

listening to students in

discussion. Speaks off-

topic on more than two

occasions.

Refused to

participate in

fishbowl

discussion.

Etiquette Did not interrupt/took

turns speaking,

refrained from talking

outside of circle, and

altogether treated

classmates with

respect.

Otherwise treated

classmates with

respect, but

interrupted/didn’t take

turns speaking/spoke

outside of circle once.

Otherwise treated

classmates with

respect, but

interrupted/didn’t take

turns speaking/spoke

outside of circle two-

three times.

Repeatedly

interrupted/refused to

take turns speaking,

spoke and caused

distractions outside of

circle, and did not treat

classmates with respect.

Refused to

participate in

discussion.

Materials/Worksheets Employed Questions for scrap papers in hat:

-Have we ever felt unable to express ourselves at school or at home? Why

-Define injustice in your own words. Do you all agree on the definition? Have you ever

experienced an injustice? Explain.

-Should we care about what others think of us? Why?

-Do we ever judge people for things they do in their lives? When do we find ourselves judging

them? What are they doing to make us judge them?

-Do we always agree with the actions of those around us?

-What happens when we break rules? Are we usually more or less likely to break them again?

Why?

-Who creates rules in society? Why are these rules created?

-What if our society did not have any rules?

-Do we have freedom of expression in our current society? If not, what are we forbidden to

express?

Fishbowl worksheet:

DAY SEVEN: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Can language be fun? How are dialects construed? Do we all speak the same?

Unit Goals


Comprehend the content of a text

Collaborate with one or two classmates on a common goal

Standards Addressed


problems.


9.3b) Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases.

9.4m) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.


Students will:

Understand the overall content and message in a passage from Act II:II

Collaborate in a group/partner activity to produce a single result


-projector

-class set of Act II:II Section Activity worksheets (one per group)

-one of each section passage

Instructional Steps

Introduction/Hook: [Approximately 30 seconds]



Open your notebook to the first page of prompt responses—I will be conducting the

notebook check today!

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 4-6 minutes] Pass out Act II:II Section Activity

Worksheet. Walk students through instructions for the class activity (instructions are also

on worksheet). Allow students to ask questions about activity as they arise. a. Students will be paired up (by teacher) and be looking at passages from Act II:II.

With this partner (threesomes will also exist for some groups), the text will be

translated from the original language of the play into language of the pair’s

choice. The manuscript will be rewritten in the “new” language onto the

worksheet which (if there is time during the present class), the pair will read to the

class.

i. The teacher should pair students together that will work well. Similarly,

low-performing students should be paired with higher-performing

students.

b. The passages are consecutive, so that when they are put in their correct order, the

students can present the entirety of Act II:II to the class in their language.

c. Students are not expected to act out the scene (if they don’t want to), but they will

be expected to stand in front of the class and read their newly-worded passage.

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Pair up students for activity. Tell

students to move to sit beside their partners. Give each grouping one copy of its passage

(see passage sections under Materials/Worksheets Employed).

4. [Unguided, partner instruction, approximately 30-40 minutes] Allow students to work

with their partner (or threesome) on their passage/worksheet. (While students are

working, teacher should be conducting the notebook check (rubric under

Assessments/Rubrics). When notebook check is finished, teacher should circulate around

the room assisting students.)

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Tell students that they will be presenting

their worksheets next class and that they do not need to complete Act II:II’s prompt until

after tomorrow’s class. Also tell students briefly what was noted about notebooks (e.g.

students have been doing a great job completing them, all students forgot to label the

act/scenes, etc.).


The pairing of students for this activity should work to benefit the lower-performing students in

the class. Lower-performers should specifically be placed with higher-performing students. The

desired outcome of this pairing strategy would be that the higher-performers can help the lower-

performers understand the content in an enjoyable way. If I had placed two lower-performing

students in a pair, they might become frustrated or confused with the activity. If there are any

other accommodations necessary, they should be implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

Rubric for notebook check:

3 2 1

Response Length One full page is written for each

prompt.

Half a page is written for each

prompt (or only some pages

have full pages).

Prompt responses are less than a

half page long.

Completion All five prompts up to this point

are answered.

3-4 prompts answered. 0-2 prompts answered.

Relevant Responses correlate with

prompts (the NB prompts are

being followed).

3-4 responses correlate with

prompts.

0-2 responses correlate with

prompts.

Neatness Responses are legible and clearly

marked for which Act/Scene is

related to the prompt.

Responses are legible, but

Act/Scene is not marked.

Responses are illegible.


Eight sections of play (each grouping receives a different section):

Passage worksheet:

DAY EIGHT: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Can language be fun? How are dialects construed? Do we all speak the same? Can language

imply something without it being explicitly said? Can there be true love at first sight? How can

we tell what is wrong/right?

Unit Goals



Comprehend the message of sections from a text in order to comprehend the full message of the whole text

Understand the overall message within a single text

Standards Addressed

9.1d) Use grammatically correct language, including vocabulary appropriate to the topic,

audience, and purpose.


problems.

k) Summarize and evaluate information presented orally by others.






Students will:

Understand the overall content and message from passages making up the entirety of Act II:II

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act II:III-IV


Understand the overall content and message in Act II:III-IV


-projector


Instructional Steps




Take a seat next to your partner(s) you worked with last class. Take out your

“translation” and decide with your group who will be taking the different speech roles in

front of the class. I expect different people to read the different roles. Again, you do not

have to act this out—you just need to read it to the class.

Also take out your copy of “Romeo and Juliet” and open it to Act II, Scene ii.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided/unguided instruction, approximately 20-25 minutes] Have groups come up in

front of the class (one group at a time—in order from the sections from Act II:II) and

read their sections to the class. While their classmates are presenting, those in the

audience should follow along in their plays to see how the language differs (and see if

they can still match the translation to the original text).

a. After each section translation is read, teacher should briefly make sure that

students should understand what occurred in the passage if anything was unclear

(but, the point of having students provide translations is to make sure that all

students are able to understand the play in language that is familiar to them).

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds-1 minute] Have students turn to Act II:III

in “Romeo and Juliet.”


different characters for Act II:III-IV.


5. [Guided instruction, approximately 15-20 minutes] Read/scaffold Act II:III-IV in

“Romeo and Juliet.”


“What does Friar Laurence think of Romeo’s abrupt new love interest?” and “Can

you find any examples of foreshadowing at the end of Scene iii? Why do you

think it’s foreshadowing?” Also be sure to clarify to students about what is

occurring during this scene that they might be confused (or actually expression

confusion) about.

b. This activity should take up the rest of class, and it is likely that the reading will

not be finished by the time class is over. Students do not have to finish the reading

for homework.

6. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds-1 minute] Explain that students do not

have to finish the reading for homework—it will be finished during tomorrow’s class.

But, students should be working on their notebooks—they can complete the prompt

without having finished both scenes. Also tell students to bring their notebooks in for

next class—they will have time to work on them at the end of class.


The presentation aspect of this class occurs in a group in order to benefit those students who may

be unable (or strongly unwilling) to read in front of a class. If they cannot participate, their group

members can read the parts for them. Also, the clarification between presentations is to ensure

that on top of hearing students read the sections in “familiar” language, students are still able to

comprehend what is being told (instead of focusing on the humorous aspects of the presentations

that may be present). Later, the scaffolded reading is oral, which serves to benefit those who may

have problems reading. Any other accommodations that may need to be made will be

implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

Presentation rubric:

3 2 1 Completion The passage presented to the class is

complete—it does not leave out any

character turns.

The passage presented to the class is

mostly complete—there are one or

two sections missing from the

passage, but the overall section

message is clear.

The passage presented to the class is

unfinished and/or disjointed. OR the

passage is not presented to the class.

Participation Group members take turns reading

for different characters in section.

One group member reads for multiple

characters (where there is another able

group member who is not reading

anything).

Group does not present to class.

Professionalism Group members speak clearly/loudly

(and know who is reading which

lines) and stand in front of classroom

while reading. Overall demeanor is

professional.

Group members do not follow one

aspect of professionalism (speaking

clearly/loudly, knowing which part is

whose, and standing in front of

classroom).

Group members do not act

professionally and do not follow

multiple aspects of professionalism.

OR group does not present to class.


DAY NINE: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Can language imply something without it being explicitly said? Can there be true love at first

sight? How can we tell what is wrong/right?

Unit Goals




Catch up with homework/work on unit project.

Standards Addressed





Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act II:III-IV


Understand the overall content and message in Act II:III-IV

Conduct “catch-up” work


-projector


-legal-size cardstock

Instructional Steps




Open your copy of “Romeo and Juliet” to where we left off last class—most likely Act II,

Scene iv.

Learning Activities


different characters for Act II:III-IV. (This may potentially just be for Act II:IV, based on

how far finished last class.)


3. [Guided instruction, approximately 10-20 minutes] Read/scaffold Act II:III-IV in



“What does Friar Laurence think of Romeo’s abrupt new love interest?” and “Can

you find any examples of foreshadowing at the end of Scene iii? Why do you

think it’s foreshadowing?” Also be sure to clarify to students about what is


confusion) about.

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Explain instructions for rest of class

period.

a. Students will be given the rest of class to catch up, work on their unit projects, or

to work on homework for next class. Homework for next class should be

projected in the front of the room (or written on the whiteboard): Read Act II,

Scenes v-vi and complete the corresponding notebook prompt (FREE ENTRY).

b. Remind students that this catch-up time will probably not happen again, so all

students need to be working. If they are not working, begin to read the next

section (Act II:V-VI) as a class—students clearly have showed that they are

unable to take advantage of time provided of them.

5. [Unguided, independent activity, approximately 25-30 minutes] Allow students to work

for the rest of class on what they need to based on the directions given.

a. Place cardstock at front of classroom (explain to class that this is for the unit

project if any students are working on this).

b. Teacher should be circulating, answering student questions, etc. during this time.


The reading at the beginning of class is scaffolded and read out loud to benefit individuals who

struggle with reading and comprehension. During the unguided independent work time, those

who need scaffolding with which tasks to complete should be aided by the teacher, and

monitored to ensure that work is conducted. If other accommodations are needed for students,

these should be implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

N/A


DAY TEN: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

What does arguing accomplish? Why do we fight? Can conflicts be solved from fighting? How

do we stand out as individuals? What makes us unique? When is it important to remember

something? What is worth remembering?

Unit Goals




Participate in a character distinction class activity

o Differentiate between characters within a text

Standards Addressed







Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act III:I-III


Understand the overall content and message in Act III:I-III

Use current and previous understandings from readings to participate in a character

distinction activity


-projector


-white construction paper

-colored utensils (colored pencils, markers, etc.)

Instructional Steps




Open your copy of “Romeo and Juliet” to Act III, Scene i.

Learning Activities


different characters for Act III:I-III. a. If students do not volunteer for all roles, teacher will read the other roles.

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 30-40 minutes] Read/scaffold Act III:I-III in “Romeo

and Juliet.”


“Why doesn’t Romeo want to fight with Tybalt?” and “Despite Romeo’s desire to

avoid conflict, what has happened? What did Romeo specifically do to avenge

Mercutio’s death?” Also be sure to clarify to students about what is occurring

during this scene that they might be confused (or actually expression confusion)

about.

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 2-3 minutes] Explain what students will be doing for

the remainder of class. Have students pair up with a partner (or, if necessary, pair the

students up).

a. Students will be adding to the character distinction posters with their partners.

Only three characters have been introduced that the students did not make posters

for (Mercutio, Peter, and Friar Laurence), but there still needs to be additional

details added to the already-established posters.

b. Hand out posters that need extra details to partnerships (some groups may be

given more than one poster to work on). Three partnerships should be assigned to

work on the posters for the three new characters.

c. Tell students that they have approximately ten minutes to work—and they need to

finish their work by the end of the period.

5. [Unguided, partner activity, approximately 10-15 minutes] Allow students to work on

character distinction posters.

a. After class is finished, teacher should put posters back on walls.

6. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds-1 minute] Explain homework to class.

a. Students should complete the notebook prompt for Act III, Scene iii and bring it

to class. Tell students that their completing and bringing in their response is

important to the class activity on Monday.


The reading is scaffolded and read out loud to benefit individuals who struggle with reading and

comprehension. The character activity is conducted through partners who can assist each other

(or the teacher can come and help if need be). If needed, the teacher also has the option to choose

partners for students and put together those he/she believes will work best together. If other

accommodations are needed, they may be implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

N/A

Materials/Worksheets Employed Three characters added to character posters:

Mercutio

Peter

Friar Laurence

DAY ELEVEN: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Should we always help others in need? What constitutes as “right” and “wrong”? How are

opinions formed? Are we easily influenced by others?

Unit Goals


Formulate opinions on textual content

Use a text to back up subjective views on text content

Reevaluate opinions on textual content based on classmates’ own views/evidence

Standards Addressed

9.1b) Use relevant details to support main ideas.

c) Illustrate main ideas through anecdotes and examples.

f) Evaluate impact and purpose of presentation.


problems.

k) Summarize and evaluate information presented orally by others.


9.4l) Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support

reading comprehension.


Students will:

Establish opinions based on a question posed in class

Back up said opinions using textual evidence

Reevaluate original opinions based on evidence provided by classmates


-projector

-three signs (“YES,” “YES AND NO,” and “NO”)


-class set of exit ticket worksheets (one per student)

Instructional Steps Before students come in, teacher should put up three signs in classroom (each on a different

wall): “YES,” “YES AND NO,” and “NO.”




Open your notebook to Act III, Scene i-iii’s prompt (this is the prompt you were assigned

to do after last class—it is important to today’s activity). Have your plays ready.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Tell students to make a decision based

on the prompt: they need to decide if YES, the Nurse and Friar Laurence should be

helping Romeo and Juliet, YES AND NO (“YES, but…” or “NO, but...” beliefs), or NO,

the Nurse and Friar Laurence should not be helping Romeo and Juliet.

a. If students are undecided/on the fence, they should be placed in the YES AND

NO category.

3. [Guided instruction, approximately 10-15 seconds] Have students clump themselves

beside the sign that they most identify with.

a. The “YES” sign, “YES AND NO” sign, or the “NO” sign.

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Explain first part of activity to students.

a. Students will be working with those at their sign to formulate (write on a scrap

piece of paper) three reasons as to why they have placed them at this particular

sign. They need their reasons to be persuasive—they will be attempting to

persuade the other groups that their sign is the best sign. Their reasons should

include evidence from the text. They will allocate a spokesperson to read the

reasons when they are finished.

5. [Unguided, group activity, approximately 10-13 minutes] Allow students to formulate

their three points and allocate a spokesperson. Tell students that they are only being given

ten minutes, so they need to work rapidly.

6. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Explain second part of activity to

students.

a. Students will have their spokesperson read their three points. Everyone in the

room will be listening to the different groups and will decide whether or not their

opinions have shifted after listening to the different points made. At the end of the

activity, students will move to stand at the sign they now (or still) identify with.

7. [Guided instruction, approximately 5-6 minutes] Guide students in conducting second

part of activity.

a. Give students 30 seconds-1 minute to make their own executive decision as to

whether or not they should move places.

8. [Guided instruction, approximately 30 seconds] Have students go back to their seats after

they have established their new (or same) sign allegiance.

9. [Unguided instruction, approximately 15-20 minutes] Give students exit ticket worksheet

and have them individually complete and turn in when they are walking out the door.

a. This activity should end the class period, and should allow enough time for all

students. If, for some reason, students do not finish exit ticket, they should turn it

in nonetheless.


a. Students should be working on their final project (or coming up with more

definite ideas for it) and they should be catching up on notebook prompts if they

are falling behind.


Today’s activity is conducted in groups. Students will be working with their peers—they are not

alone in having to think on their feet. Also, students should have already answered the writing

prompt from last class’ readings—they should already have most of their points in this prompt,

and are allowed to look at their notebooks for help with coming up with points in class. If, for

some reason, a student is alone at a sign, the teacher can work with the student to come up with

points. The exit ticket at the end is provided in worksheet form—students will have the exact

questions they need to answer. And, their prompt/points in class will help to determine their

answers to the exit ticket. If any student is struggling with the exit ticket, the teacher should be

walking around and answering questions/scaffolding what needs to be conducted for students

who need extra assistance. Also, if the teacher knows beforehand that the exit ticket will be too

difficult for any particular student, the ticket worksheet may be modified (or the student may just

tell the teacher orally the answers to the worksheet). If any other accommodations are needed,

they should be provided as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

Rubric for exit ticket:

3 2 1

Completion Worksheet is completed fully—

full sentences are used and the

second part has a full paragraph.

Worksheet is partially completed

(most of answers are complete

sentences, but some parts do not

have complete sentences or

incorrect paragraph format).

Worksheet is incomplete.

Supporting

details/quotes

Paragraph has strong supporting

details and/or quotes for each of

the three reasons being

explained.

Paragraph has supporting details

and/or quotes for one-two of the

reasons being explained.

Paragraph does not have any

supporting details and/or

quotes included.

Materials/Worksheets Employed Exit ticket worksheet:

DAY TWELVE: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Do we make our own decisions? How do others influence our decisions? Who can we trust?

Who do we choose to trust?

Unit Goals




Standards Addressed





Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act III:IV-V, Act IV:I-II


Understand the overall content and message in Act III:IV-V, Act IV:I-II


-projector


Instructional Steps



should be projected in the front of the room (or written on the whiteboard): Open your

copy of “Romeo and Juliet” to Act III, Scene iv.

Learning Activities


different characters for Act III:IV-V and Act IV:I-II.


3. [Guided instruction, approximately 45-48 minutes] Read/scaffold Act III:IV-V, Act IV:I-

II in “Romeo and Juliet.”


“Juliet is supposed to marry Paris when? How soon is this?” and “Why is the

Nurse no longer helping Juliet?” Also be sure to clarify to students about what is


confusion) about.


a. Students should finish should finish the reading if it was not finished in class

today. They should also be working on their notebook prompts. Remind them that

there are two prompts that should be answered from today’s reading. But, tell

students that they will also have a small amount of time next class to catch up

with notebook entries.


The reading of the scenes is scaffolded to ensure that students understand the content. The

scaffolding should also aid with moments of confusion related to the language and situations

being expressed. Today’s class covers a great deal of content, but most of the reading should be

conducted in class—this will help with students who do not work well with conducting readings

on his/her own. Also, the readings today are all conducted orally. This should also be beneficial

to students who struggle with comprehension. The teacher should take the role of reading if

students do not volunteer—students should not be told without warning that they are to read (in

case students struggle with reading out loud or have anxiety related to such). If other

accommodations are necessary, they should be implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

N/A


DAY THIRTEEN: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Why do we make plans? Why do people lie?

Unit Goals




Standards Addressed





Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act IV:III-V


Understand the overall content and message in Act IV:III-V


-projector


Instructional Steps




copy of “Romeo and Juliet” to Act IV, Scene iii.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 5-8 minutes] Have students volunteer to briefly

explain what happened in the scenes that were finished for homework (that the class

didn’t get to yesterday).

a. Teacher should fill in the blanks to students’ responses (this is to help those who

did not do the reading for one reason or another).


different characters for Act IV:III-V.


4. [Guided instruction, approximately 30-35 minutes] Read/scaffold Act IV:III-V in



“What has Juliet just done? What is her plan?” and “Is the Nurse acting? Or is she

really unaware of Juliet’s plan?” Also be sure to clarify to students about what is


confusion) about.

5. [Unguided, independent work, approximately 10-15 minutes] Give students time to work

quietly on their notebook prompts and/or work on their homework reading (Act V:I-II).

a. This activity should last to the end of the class period. The purpose for giving

students this time is to ensure that they are keeping up with their notebooks and

readings. Because last class involved much more work, this time to work will be

essential to several (if not all) students. During this time, students may need to

work on past prompts that they have not yet completed.

b. If students are unproductive during this time period, teacher may begin a full-

class scaffolded reading of Act V:I-II.


a. This should also be written on the board, and the reading was explained for the

last instructional step, but students will be reading Act V:I-II for next class and

should continue to work on their notebook prompts. Notebooks will be officially

due on Friday.




being expressed. Also, the readings today are all conducted orally. This should also be beneficial

to students who struggle with comprehension. The teacher should take the role of reading if


case students struggle with reading out loud or have anxiety related to such). The time at the end

of class when students are able to get ahead on work is also a prime time for the teacher to assist

with students who might need more scaffolding/direction with their notebook prompts. If other

accommodations are necessary, they should be implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

N/A


DAY FOURTEEN: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

Does fate exist? Can we change our future outcomes?

Unit Goals




Participate in a character distinction class activity

o Differentiate between characters within a text

Standards Addressed







Students will:

Read aloud/read along to “Romeo and Juliet” Act V:III


Understand the overall content and message in Act V:III

Finalize character roles/impacts in the finishing of the character distinction class activity


-projector


-2 pieces white construction paper


Instructional Steps




copy of “Romeo and Juliet” to Act V, Scene iii.

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 5-8 minutes] Have students volunteer to briefly

explain what happened in the scenes that were assigned for homework.

a. Teacher should fill in the blanks to students’ responses (this is to help those who

did not do the reading for one reason or another).


different characters for Act V:III.


4. [Guided instruction, approximately 20-30 minutes] Read/scaffold Act V:III in “Romeo

and Juliet.”


“What if Romeo had arrived a half an hour later? What may have happened

here?” and “What if Paris had arrived a half an hour later? But, what happened (or

did not happen) here because he arrived when he did?” Also be sure to clarify to

students about what is occurring during this scene that they might be confused (or

actually expression confusion) about.

5. [Guided instruction, approximately 2-3 minutes] Explain next activity.

a. Teacher will pick four students (two partnerships) to complete the task of creating

posters for the final two characters needing to be included (the Apothecary and

Friar John).

b. With the rest of the class, the teacher will quickly go through the posters on the

board. Together, the class will make suggestions for any additional details that

need to be added to finalize the posters (e.g. if a character has died, if a character

had an important moment that needs to be commented/written about on the

poster).The teacher will assign a scribe to write the class’ suggestions on the

posters.

c. When two students are finished with their posters, they should briefly explain to

class what they included on the poster (and class can make additional suggestions

if students need to add something).

6. [Guided/unguided instruction, approximately 10-12 minutes] Finalize character

distinction posters.

a. Teacher should hang up all posters when finished.

7. [Guided instruction, approximately 1-2 minutes] Explain homework.

a. This should all be written on the board, but students should finish notebooks.

They are due next class with all prompts completed. The prompt for tonight about

coming up with discussion questions is going to be used for next class.

b. Teacher should answer any final questions students may have during this time.

c. Teacher should congratulate students on finishing the play!




being expressed. Also, the reading today is conducted orally. This should also be beneficial to

students who struggle with comprehension. The teacher should take the role of reading if


case students struggle with reading out loud or have anxiety related to such). The finalizing of

the character distinction activity should also serve as an activity in reading comprehension. It is

to be conducted orally and as a group/partnership to also provide scaffolding for students. The

posters will remain in the classroom to serve as visual reminders to students of the different

characters and their roles/impacts in the play. The posters will not be taken down until the

presentations/unit is completed. If other accommodations are necessary, they should be

implemented as the need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

N/A


DAY FIFTEEN: UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions

What makes something more important than something else? Why do we ask questions?

Unit Goals


Create discussion questions from a text

Participate in a small-group discussion

Standards Addressed


problems.

9.4e) Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot,

setting tone, point of view, and theme.

l) Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support

reading comprehension.



Students will:

Produce discussion questions from the full text of “Romeo and Juliet”

Decide, as a group, which discussion questions they would like the class to address

Take part in small-group discussions

Participate (students will determine the need) in full-class discussion/comment-and-concern-sharing


-projector



-legal-size cardstock (for final project work)

Instructional Steps Before class, desks should be arranged into groups of four. There should be six desk clumps of

four desks each.




notebooks to the final prompt and take turns at your table reading one question from

your prompts that you’d personally like to have discussed. As a group, pick two of the

group’s questions that you all believe the class can benefit from discussing. Write these

two questions on a single piece of loose-leaf paper. When your questions have been

chosen and written down, please stack your notebooks against the front wall of the

classroom—I’ll try to have these graded for you by Monday!

Learning Activities

2. [Guided instruction, approximately 2-3 minutes] Explain class activity instructions.

a. Students will be passing their chosen questions to the table next to theirs (passing

clockwise). For five minutes, the table groups will discuss together at least one of

the questions on the paper. After five minutes is up, the papers will be passed

again. This should continue until papers have reached their original locations (and

then the table group will discuss their own question(s) from the paper).

3. [Unguided, small-group activity, approximately 30-32 minutes] Conduct mini-discussion

activity. Circulate around classroom while discussions are taking place.

a. If need be, teacher may jump into discussions that need scaffolding (e.g. reword

questions to help start discussions, add clarity to discussions, etc.).

4. [Guided instruction, approximately 10-15 minutes] Allow students to ask questions,

make comments/concerns, etc. about “Romeo and Juliet” as a whole.

a. These questions may come from the notebook discussion questions that students

still feel are unresolved/needing to be addressed, etc.

b. Students may also use this time to ask questions about their final project.

c. If still time left over in class, allow students to continue work on final projects.


a. Students’ final projects are due on Monday.

b. This should also be written on the board.


The class activity should work to accommodate students who need scaffolding with the readings.

Having students work together to come up with questions will help students work as a team—

they are not individually being held accountable. Rather, they are being monitored by the teacher

to make sure that they are participating with their groups. If there are any students who are

uncomfortable/unable to discuss with peers, they may have the option of jotting down a response

to the question(s). If other accommodations are necessary, they should be implemented as the

need arises.

Assessments/Rubrics

Rubric for notebooks:

5 4 3 2 1

Completion All 14 prompts up to

this point are

answered and fill the

full page.

All prompts

answered, but 3-5 do

not fill the full page.

All prompts

answered, but

more than 5 do

not fill the full

page.

1-5 prompts left

unanswered.

More than 5 prompts

left unanswered.

Relevant Responses correlate

with prompts (the NB

prompts are being

followed).

10-13 responses

correlate with

prompts.

7-9 responses

correlate with

prompts.

3-6 responses

correlate with

prompts.

0-2 responses

correlate with

prompts.

Neatness Responses are legible

and clearly marked

for which Act/Scene

is related to the

prompt.

Responses are legible,

but Act/Scene is not

marked.

N/A N/A Responses are

illegible.


Final Reflection

“Wow, I didn’t know unit plans take so long,” Kristina reflected.

…Okay, that wasn’t my actual reflection—only part of it. While this unit plan did take a

great deal of time and effort, it has revealed to me more of what an actual teacher must do in

order to create a worthwhile unit for a class. Previously, my experience regarding lesson-

planning has involved creating single lessons that often fit into a broader unit. So, during these

times, someone had already created the unit, and I was just attempting to contribute a single

lesson to it. Creating the full unit here was eye-opening in the sense that I was able to see how

every lesson ties together in some way or another. The binding themes that I came up with were

the driving force behind the individual lessons, and actually having come up with these themes

aided me immensely with having everything make sense as a whole.

The first thing I did in order to prepare myself for the daunting task ahead of me was to

create the calendar I have included in my Unit Plan Rationale. Where this calendar was tweaked

several times as my lessons were being written, it served as a nice (semi-)firm foundation that I

continuously went back to. Writing down general activities on the calendar as well was

extremely beneficial. For me, one of the hardest aspects of writing these lessons has actually

been coming up with the activities themselves. I want the binding themes to be reflected in them,

but I also was constantly viewing myself as a student. I graduated high school less than four

years ago, and I still remember particular activities in my English classes that I loved—along

with activities that I wish I had never had to experience. With this being said, during the course

of my activity-creation, I tried to place myself as a student in my own classroom. I thought to

myself, “Would this be fun? And, Would I understand the content if my teacher taught me in this

way?” If the answer was “Yes!” to both questions, I went for it.

My favorite part of creating this unit plan was the constant thought running through my

mind of “I need to keep this for the future because a) I’m a genius and b) I can imagine myself

actually using this.” Where the first point is debatable, the second point I believe stands. Clearly,

I made the content in these lessons catered toward William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,”

but many of the activities can be used for different texts. Their structures can be used. But, not

only can the activities be borrowed (from myself? Is this still considered borrowing?), but the

rubrics and assessment ideas can be as well. Of course, it is vital to tweak each aspect as it

relates to my own future classroom, students, and content, but as of right now, I already feel

more prepared to create my own future unit plans by having this one sitting in my back

pocket/saved meticulously on both my laptop and external hard drive.

Altogether, I am pleased with the final product of this unit plan. I am excited about the

activities, rubrics, etc. My only concern is that I may have missed something essential for each

lesson plan. I tried to include sub-points in my instructional steps along with additional

accommodations that may have to take place in my lesson that relate to the smaller details that

might be of concern/need to be addressed in the classroom. But, I also know that if I am

implementing these lessons—or, for that matter, if any teacher is implementing these lessons—in

a classroom, he/she/I may have to add additional steps or accommodations that I have not

included in my plan. This is an outline. It is detailed, but there is always room for more to add. I

attempted to address this fact as well in my lessons (for instance, I mentioned that for some days,

there might not be enough time to finish all of the activities—I also gave rough timing estimates

because the classroom situations may change the timing as well). This has been a valuable

experience of creation, and, more than anything, I’m excited to see it as a whole. I finished it!

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