Romeo and Juliet Unit Plan

Here is a link to a unit outline with objectives and activities for Romeo and Juliet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj8cVgxQ-YtCdFRjeXJfUEtuYndQQUZTYVVOVDlEQmc&usp=sharing 

Sample activity:

As You Like It in the Classroom

As You Like It

Themes for Small Groups:

• Pastoral
• Deception
• Poetry
• Love vs. Infatuation
• Marriage

Write Ups:

The pastoral setting is prominently featured throughout the play. Can you think of modern examples of this? How does the pastoral work in general and in As You Like It? What is the appeal?

Have you ever pretended to be someone else to get information on/from another person? How did this work for you? How did this work in the play?

Pick a couple from the play and analyze their relationship. Are they actually in love? How can you tell? Use direct quotes/close readings to support your claim.

Fun Resources:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/apr/lowres/aprn80l.jpg

http://www.sccenglish.ie/2009/10/as-you-like-it-on-wordle.html

Lego Shakespeare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18F8MNsx3Uc

Could also have students create their own pastoral and journey to accompany it.

The Tempest in the Classroom

The Tempest

Themes for Small Groups:

• Isolation
• Colonialism
• Otherness
• Power
• Dictatorship
• Language

Write Ups:

Has someone ever taken something you believed to be yours? How did this play out? How is this shown in the Tempest?

The Tempest acts as a play within a play. Can you think of other plays/movies/books where this occurs? Discuss the purpose.

Have you ever felt outside of a group or othered? Describe your experience. How does this relate to Caliban's?

Have you ever judged someone based on the way they talk? What assumptions did you make? How is language in the play used for a similar purpose?

Fun Resources:

http://pinterest.com/pin/384213411930374177/


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcVENt9fJcyfnv1_t8Ixo0dm8ZbCG7bslX3SkneJMhVKTrwRZ3Ea2cimPV2-t81AS9RoocVJej27WBHuZd59UB_GuT03_C7ruY09Tkd8tQ5u0LQRjcpUKNagYxdlouHgiuJl93prUgWc/s400/tempest.jpg


(Not exclusively The Tempest, but wanted to include somewhere.)
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqx1trc0dV1qbvyrlo1_500.jpg



http://shakespeareanryangosling.tumblr.com/post/29566389398

Merchant of Venice in the Classroom

Merchant of Venice

Note:

As teacher it is not just important to build content knowledge but also shape students as members of society.

For this case it may be a good idea to pair up with any diversity organizations in your building and spend a class or two working on acceptance and diversity.

Write Ups

Journal on best way to persuade someone into a new way of thinking.

This could be followed with a class discussion for tie-ins to the play and lead into ideas for writing persuasive essays.

Should people be allowed to purchase on credit? Why or why not? Use examples from the play to support your argument.

 Has there been a time in your life where you part of a minority? Did you keep your original position, as Shylock does, or did someone or something make you see things differently? Describe in detail.

Fun Resources:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFe_2ng5MStIWKUH83xtniV6dXIlAseM2zvZpePfzvBACQz_Geq4qu-PxYpEcve0qvk3NI6wZu9xmY08gRGVWREqi5mitR59SJ6NaBClFloEAai7nTbEJ8392sDXp1-rreJiht5ZtxCvQ/s640/comic+15.jpg


https://www.google.com/search?q=merchant+of+venice+comic&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=gzR8UYHaHaW02AXMwICYAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=682#imgrc=nA1aGnkyXYTjoM%3A%3BmsaAq_Y6W2u2PM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cartoonstock.com%252Flowres%252Fsea0724l.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cartoonstock.com%252Fdirectory%252Fm%252Fmerchant_of_venice.asp%3B400%3B391
http://www.sccenglish.ie/2009/12/merchant-of-venice-on-wordle.html



http://stevensmallory382.blogspot.com/2012/01/merchant-of-venice.html?showComment=1327337566811#c5885656699202628333

Macbeth in the Classroom

Possible small group topics:
Themes

• Political Greed
• Morality
• Criminal Justice
• Regret
• Gender Relations

Write Ups:

Is murder, or some other less extreme measure, wrong in the case of preventative protection? Think in terms of today's political world. Is it ever okay to take action to remove a possible threat in order to maybe protect the greater good? Where is this line drawn? How does Macbeth address this topic?

Have you ever felt pressured into doing something you weren't sure was a good idea? Describe your experience and the fall out in detail. How is this shown in Macbeth?

Gender relations are prominent throughout the play. Do you believe there is a way women are or should be or a way that men are or should be? Do these two have any overlap? How does Macbeth address this question

Selections from The Scottish Play comics:





















http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=262
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5NSFS11GQflI-g8X6Pw4YvNxJYuBqQkg9sUrne0wWezeTLlSa
http://trippinglyonthetongue01.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/macbeth-word-cloud-2.jpg?w=540
http://mentalfloss.com/article/24722/out-damned-spot

King Lear in the Classroom

Different Writings on King Lear for Students:
Narrative:
Have you ever felt wronged out of something rightfully yours? How was the situation resolved? How is this shown in King Lear?

Research Argumentative:Can a person with an unstable home-life be a ruler? (Could a divorcee be president?) How does King Lear address this?

Argumentative Free-Write (Journal): 
Do you believe our actions decide our fate or our fate our actions? How does the play address this question?

Sight and blindness are a motif throughout the play. Are sight and clarity interrelated? Could one's perception increase if they are blinded?
"I have no way, and therefore want no eyes;

I stumbled when I saw: full oft 'tis seen,Our means secure us, and our mere defectsProve our commodities. O dear son Edgar,The food of thy abused father's wrath!

Might I but live to see thee in my touch,I'ld say I had eyes again!"

http://shakespeare.inkskratch.com/comics/Spread-Lear_02.jpg

Other Ways of Engagement:Allow students to journal about topics that they find intriguing. Afterwards allow them to form groups to discuss their different close readings.

Some examples of possible topics include:
WomenPolitics
Philosophy
Greed

Fun Links:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGaPZTDFa1k/UKz35E8eOsI/AAAAAAAAAvE/LnEgwwPIqhE/s1600/TRAGEDIES+2.jpg

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/193039/193039,1255411656,1/stock-photo-a-word-cloud-based-on-shakespeare-s-king-lear-38755855.jpg

http://blog.iqmatrix.com/wp-content/gallery/shakespeare/king-lear-quotations-william-shakespeare.jpg
Audio book with closed captioning for following along:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA27Q5ZIhO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ0CsVHjltM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSBkjnVoLgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqhRfRg0MM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jStYMbbbltw

60 second recap of characters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcuqmO_VCOw
Video SparkNotes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptXr7LKylpg