(Teacher, School, Grade and Subject)

Unit # Theme: How do we use modernization of texts as a means of interpreting and understanding/comprehending difficult text such as Shakespeare?

Michelle Forbush, Chelsea Courtois, James Heslip

Estimated Duration

13
Students often grapple with Shakespearian and similar texts due to their inaccessibility. Language is a major barrier, and can seem alien to students who are not familiar with it. The purpose behind engaging in these texts, despite their difficulty, is to develop cultural literacy and appreciation for the timeless nature of comedy, tragedy and histories prevalent in the works of Shakespeare. As Smagorinsky states, literature often deals with common human experiences, about the pressures, changes, dilemmas, aspirations, conflicts, and so on that make growing up (and being grown up) such a challenge, (loc 3164). It is important for students to learn and appreciate the Shakespearean text Romeo and Juliet for this. Not only the former, but also because of the cultural significance and high position in the literary canon the text holds. Shakespeare has an international significance, in addition to being necessary for any college-aspiring student. In addition, students who are not taking a path that would have them cross paths with shakespearean works will be exposed to the elements of his literacy prevalent in contemporary culture. The unit on the text of Romeo and Juliet aspires to work with our theme of using modernization for comprehending texts. We believe with the vast amount of resources available on the text itself and modern adaptations students will be able to gain understanding of ways changing the text to fit modern situations can aid in understanding. Through the process of picking through language and working as a classroom team to dissect important information, students will go through a learning process of modifying text in attempts of making it more understandable and relatable to them. This is important for all of our students, as it produces in our students a skillset which allows for the searching through of any text for important information and honing in on the important information necessary to completing these tasks. For the text of Romeo and Juliet specifically, we chose to make modernization our concept because we believe the themes within the text are timeless. We believe students, through the process of changing the text in ways that make it more understandable to modern audiences, will be able to better relate to the concepts of love, hate, mortality, love, fate, and folly prevalent throughout the work. Through this process of modernization students will be engaging in mental processes that allow the text to be more accessible and enjoyable on multiple levels. We have our unit plan structured specifically to accommodate the knowledge students will enter the unit with. We will begin our unit with an overview of Shakespeare and gain familiarity with students experiences. Due to our unit tie-in with modernization we will figure out modern adaptations of Shakespeare's texts students are familiar with. In our second lesson we have students working with the prologue and act one so they can progress from familiarization with the bard to familiarization with our units main text, Romeo and Juliet. In our third lesson plan we have students gaining familiarity with theatre and stage direction. Our fourth lesson plan gives students ideas of how to break down speeches. This will aid in their ability to break down and modernize text eventually. In addition we have students drawing in this lesson to introduce a bit of diversity in learning styles. Our fifth lesson plan also works to introduce students to concepts of modernization. We chose this point to explain to students our definition of modernization (included in handout) and hone in on a smaller piece of what students will be expected to complete in the end. Our intention is to introduce our final assessment to our students at this point so they know what they are building towards and what their unit goals are. Lesson six we have students focusing on specific language devices. Students have at this point already worked with modernization and larger textual breakdown and now we are trying focus on specific language choices. This prepares students for later lessons, like lesson plan eight when they need to choose specific lines as evidence for assertions and, furthermore, lesson plan nine when students need to start to individually get to point of selecting their characters lines for performance. Lesson ten works more on the stage directions. Lesson nine touched on them, but in lesson ten we are building on this knowledge. In lesson eleven we focus on the character lines in terms of character development, which makes more sense at this point in the unit because students have been able to see more development. Once we get to lesson plan twelve we begin to prep students more for our final assessment. Lesson twelve focuses on setting. Lesson thirteen makes a progression to focusing on story line. Lesson fourteen focuses on the editing process. Students will prep for the final assessment and peer edit to gain experience and feel comfortable with project. Our last lesson plan is our units final assessment. During this time students will be evaluating the context of the play as a whole and performing their present-day interpretations. As a whole, our lessons and activities aim to include a variety of techniques catered to needs of all types of learners. From the beginning we have a lot of group work suited to performing to get students used to what they will be doing in their final assessment. We also have some individual work for activities like the insult activity in lesson six. Our unit is heavily rooted in discussion and group work because through discussion we want to make sure our students are hitting at the major ideas in the texts, and the group work we think is a good way for students to learn from each other and work towards being able to create their own product after assessing a major literary work.

(Unit Rationale)

Unit Goal

Students will be able to use modernization to aid with comprehension and appreciation. First, we will guide our students to understand the concept of modernization. Then, through the use of our major unit text, Romeo and Juliet, students will learn to apply this concept to their own work and develop deeper understandings of any texts they are working with. Students will be able to answer questions like, What is modernization? What is the purpose of modernizing texts? In what ways can modernization enhance our appreciation of texts? Students will also be able to pick at the major themes of the texts within the unit. In the end, it is our goal to have students successfully synthesize information from our text and adapt it to fit the needs of their own textual adaptation. We aim to enhance students abilities to improve comprehension and evaluation of texts, as well as their ability to create their own text using those concepts from the original texts.

Prior Knowledge

Students will most likely be familiar with modern-day adaptations of Shakespeare productions. For instance, students are likely to have had seen Gnomeo and Juliet, Shes the Man, Lion King, Ten Things I hate about you, West Side Story, O, Warm Bodies, or any other works of media which reference or act as adaptations of Shakespeare plays. Students who are not familiar with Shakespeare on any of these levels are likely to at least be familiar with similar works in terms of themes, time period, character traits etc. Our goal is essentially to help students realize they already have a knowledge base of concepts in Romeo and Juliet, as well as other Shakespearean concepts. Our unit is at the beginning of the year and this will be the first time students are introduced to a Shakespearean play in our course. For this reason we give students information about Shakespeare in our first lesson. Our goal is to get students to think about ways in which they are already familiar with Shakespearean texts and get to the point at which they can take the themes/messages they have reaped through viewing/reading/listening of a modern adaption and use those as comprehension tools for other texts.

Unit Assessment

Students will choose a scene from the play (possibly from a selection given to them) and, in a group, will modernize the scene. Text, setting, time period, genre and even character names are all open to change. The project is meant to reflect Shakespeare adaptations the students may already be familiar with. After modernization is completed students will either perform or present their scene. A written form of the modernized scene (complete with stage directions) will be turned in as well. Students will be graded mainly on participation and comprehension

Lesson #

estimate d # of days

Lesson Objective Lesson Assessment SWBAT: Gain and demonstrate a basic understanding of Shakespeare, the time period he lived in and how the theatres of his time worked. Objective:

Requirements Completed before Class

None

Overview of LP (Main Activity)

Introduction to Shakespeare. Background knowledge on Shakespeare, time period, globe theater and theatre in general. Class/Group Discussion

(Benchmarks, Standards or Mastery Codes)

LP1

Assessmen Students will participate in discussion. The will use active listening and engagement along with note taking. t: SWBAT: Gain an understanding of the overview of the text. Objective: SWBAT: See how different reading/voicing exercies increases comprehension LP2 1

None

Cover the Act I prologue; Choral Reading, Class/Group Discussion

LP3

Assessmen Students will participate in activity and and discussion with focus on forshadowing. Active engagement. t: SWBAT: Gain an undestanding of the secene through reading, discussion and acting. Higher understanding of the language None Objective: of the text, as well as functionality of theatre and stage direction will be achieved. Assessmen Studentes will participate in discussion, readings, acting and stage direction. t: SWBAT: Break down and analyze speeches in order to gain higher comprehension of text. Read 1.2-1.4 SWBAT: Use details taken from a speech to draw out pictures. Objective: Assessmen Students will create a drawing of Queen Mab. Handout/Worksheet. Students will participate in discussion, readings, Notes/Journal t: SWBAT: Dissect, understand, and modernize the text. SWBAT: Define and create a modernization of a text.

Cover Act 1.1 Act out scene

LP4

Cover 1.4 the Queen Mab scene. Discuss dreams, drawings, and handout from SSF

Read 1.5

LP5

Week 2: 3 days

Objective:

Look at 1.5. Groups of students CCSS.ELA-will modernize and act out Literacy.RL.9scene. 10.3 CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.1a CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.6

LP6

LP7

Assessmen Students will actively particpate in group work as participation is required of all students. t: Objective: SWBAT: Obtain a better understanding and appreciation for Shakespearean language Assessmen Students will participate in discussion, readings, and group work (insults, family feud, language). t: SWBAT: Gain an understanding of the overview of the text. Objective: SWBAT: See how different reading/voicing exercies increases comprehension. Focus on reading fluency and language familiarity Assessmen Students will actively participate in readings/voicings and discussions. t: SWBAT: Have a better understanding of Shakespearn language. SWBAT: Use modernization and creativity to view Shakespeare in a different light.

None

Barbs from the Barb

Act 2 prologue

Act 2 Choral reading

Read 2.1-2.3

Balcony scene 2.2. Modernize, change, and act out scene.

LP8

Week 3: 2 days

Objective:

CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.910.2 CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.6 CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.3

Assessmen Students will participate in discussion, readings, and group work. Notes/Journal? Focus on Modernization texts and presentations. t: SWBAT demonstrate understanding of the section through discussion, notes/ journaling and creating tableaux vivants to Objective: understand 3.1. Students will learn which lines are most important in plot/character development. LP9 2 Studetns will fill out graphic organizers perform and partcipate in discussion. Summative assessment at lesson's completion. Assessmen Teacher will collect graphic organizers and look for completion and also evaluate student performances using guidelines in t: handout. SWBAT: Correctly use stage directions while acting

Read 2.4-2.6

Read 3.1 in class. Discuss the fatal flaw and fill out handout

CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.1 CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.4

Read 3.2-3.3

Objective: LP10 1

Students will take time to analyze stage directions paired with words and come up with effective ways to learn to act for final presentation.

LP11

LP12

LP13

Assessmen Students will actively engage in activities that have them practice the stage directions. (formative) t: SWBAT: Dissect, understand, and modernize the text in relation to character lines. Focus on character traits and lines. Objective: Week 4: Answer the questions of who each character is in terms of personality, etc 1 day Assessmen Students will participate in think pair share discussion, graphic organizer completion, readings, and group work. Notes/Journal? Focus on Modernization texts and presentations. t: SWBAT: Dissect, understand, and modernize the text in relation to Setting (including time period), Story, Characters and Objective: anything they may be changing. Focus on Setting. 1 Assessmen Students will participate in group work, discussion and reading. Students are delving deeper into their Romeo and Juliet Modernization Assignment. Notes/Journal? Focus on Modernization texts. t: SWBAT: Demonstrate understanding of the section through discussion, group work, notes/Journal. Dissect, understand, and modernize the text in relation to events in the story, setting, characters and anything they may be changing. Focus on Objective: storyline/events. 1 SWBAT: take part in peer edit Assessmen Students will participate in group work, peer edits, discussion and reading. Romeo and Juliet Modernization Assignment should be getting close to being finished. Notes/Journal? Focus on Modernization texts. t: SWBAT: Gain an understanding of the section through discussion, and group work Dissect, understand, and modernize the Objective: text. Assignment should be finished or close to. Most work should be polishing. SWBAT: Take part in a second peer edit Assessmen Students will participate in group work and discussion. Romeo and Juliet Modernization Assignment should be getting close to being finished. Notes/Journal? Focus on Modernization texts. t:

Read 3.4-3.5

Characterization: handout

Read 4.1-4.2

Students work on final assessment

Read 4.3-4.4

Students work on final assessment and do peer edits

Read 4.5-5.1

Students work on final assessment and do peer edits

LP14

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject)

Living Pictures (Adapted from SSF) LP 9

2 If students finish their handouts early, they are to move to next task and/or start rehearsing. Group activity is fairly structured and students will need every minute they can have with their group. Students are given graphic organizers to walk them through the process of selecting lines and also sufficient exmaples within. Students should be used to acting in class by now. Students are provided with grading rubric. Students might have difficulty figuring out which lines are important for synthesis projects, and problems with working with other students. To help them figure out important lines they will work as a group to decide what makes lines important. To help students working with other students, I will make myself available, closely monitioring students, as well as make group member's individual cpontributions assessed by groupmates. Students might also have trouble creating opening and closing statements, but teacher will provide sufficient scaffolding with graphic organizers and modeling.

# of Days
Students will have an idea of how to recreate scenes as throughout the lessons we will be working on modernization and showing examples of this to students throughout the unit.

Enrichment

Prior Knowledge

Accommodations

SWBAT demonstrate understanding of the section through discussion, notes/ journaling and creating tableaux vivants to understand 3.1. Students will learn which lines are most important in plot/character development.

Lesson Objective

(Anticipated Problems)

Lesson graphic organizers and look for completion and also evaluate Assessment student performances using guidelines in handout.

Summative assessment at lesson's completion. Teacher will collect

(Changes for next time)

(Benchmarks or Standards)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 910 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. Romeo and Juliet Text, Pencils, Shakespeare Set Free Handout on pg. 167 Handout 9, group assessment sheet.

(What worked well)

Materials Needed

Dates

October Handout adapted from Shakepeare Set Free pg 167, handout 9

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject)

Time

Student Learning Task or Activity Journal time: Half students will write summary of 2.4 and half will write summary of 2.5. Students will be asked to plan on sharing their responses.

Day 1: 8:008:05

METHOD Teacher Activity Students will write Teacher takes attendance and walks around to in their journals. ensure students are working. Students will be demonstrating knowledge. Students are recalling important information from text. Students will volunteer responses for summaries of homework scenes. Students will discuss recollections to identify important parts in texts read for homework. Teacher synthesizes students responses on the board. Breakdown of student responses should include the following: 2.4- Romeo is missing. Romeo recieves message that Tybalt wants to fight. Romeo has finally stopped with the Rosaline woe-is-me act, Romeo tells nurse Juliet should come to Friar Lawrence's curch to be married. Who knows this? Nurse and Juliet and Friar only. 2.5- Juliet waits for nurse in Orchard. Nurse tells Juliet to run to Friar Laurence's cell. Nurse talks about wedding night plans. Teacher will prompt students if necessary. For sake of time teacher will go over act 2.6.

Students will share responses and teacher and students will write out specific events that happened on in the homework to make sure everyone is on the same track.

8:05-8:15

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject) Students will break into small groups of 4 or 5 and do a cold read through Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet. Students will chose roles from: Benvolio, Mercutio, Tybalt, Romeo, Petruchio, Citizen, Lady Capulet, Montague, Prince. (Students must choose 2 roles each) Students will gain fluency and understanding of the text as they work though first scene as a group. Students follow along as group members read lines. Students will be practicing verbal engagement text as well as reading for comprehension as they read out loud. Students will listen and participate as classroom dicusses scene. Students will be paraphrasing scene and working as a team to get to the application stage of lesson, during which they will formulate group projects. Teacher will monitor groups going through the texts and instruct students to mark up anything they have trouble with, as they have been doing in the course. Teacher will give studnts handouts for projects. Students will use back of handouts for note taking, if necessary. Students will be provided with a fair amount of scaffolding in handout.

8:15-8:35

Students will engage in full class discussion as together teacher and students work to understand the scene. Students will first be prompted to share anything they may have marked up. Students will then share what they believe the scene's major moments to be.

8:35-8:40

Teacher will facillitate classroom discussion and ask students what they marked up and then what they ffind to be most significant about the scene. Teacher and ensure that students pick out important parts.Teacher is looking for students to give basic summation of scene, which might go something among the lines of:Mercuitio teases Benvolio about his fighting behavior, Tybalt provokes Romeo (teacher asks student to cite specific lines), Benvolio tries to keep peace, Romeo comes just married, Romeo turns cheek to Tybalt, Mercuitio decides to fight and is stabbed by Tybalt, Mercuitio dies, Romeoblames self, Romeo murders Tybalt, Benvolio tells ROemo to runn away, Prince gets upset, L:ady Capulet demands Romeo be killed, Montague argues Tybalt deserved it, Romeo banished from Verona.

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject) Students will be in groups still and listen to explanation about living tableaux project. 3.1 will be divided into 5 sections, one section per group. Each group member will be instructed to complete a copy of the handout and search the scene for one of their characters most significant lines. If there are more characters than group members, students will have to double up. If there are less characters, students will need to write stage directions and be directors and/or present opening/closing remarks Students will complete this handout for homework so tomorrow they will be able to jump into group work and perform at end of hour. Students will take notes as needed and ask questions regarding homework, if necessary. In doing their homework, students with partake in analysis of the scene and work on distinguishing significant portions. Teacher will give students handout from SSF and describe what the group project will entail, answering questions students ask as necessary. Teacher will essentially walk students through detailed handout and give thourough explanation of expectations.

8:40-8:50

Students are instructed to get into their groups and look at the lines other members of their group have Day 2 8:00- chosen to focus on. Students will be instructed to 8:05 select order of when each character should speak.

Students will look at group memebers' character lines and work together to synthesize.

Teacher will continue to walk around and help students with any questions and tell students they will be expected to perform their selections at the end of the hour.

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject) Students will be instructed to spend time organizing stage directions and create opening and closing to accompany its presentation. Students will work on creating opening and closing lines for their performances as well as figure out stage directions. Students will continue to assemble information. Scaffolding provided by handout and sufficient modeling in said handout. Students will go over full script and movements and stage performance. Synthesize Students will perform and take notes on other groups presentations. Synthesize Teacher will continue to walk around and help students with any questions and tell students they will be expected to perform their selections at the end of the hour.

8:05-8:10

8:10-8:15

Students will put final touches on their groups projects and determine who will develop opening and closing statements.

Teacher will instruct students to polish pieces and get one practice performance in. Teacher will remind students they will be expected to take notes on eachother's creative choices as they perform the next 30 minutes of class. Teacher will time the students' performances and make sure all students are respecting eachother. Teacher will evaluate group performances with chart on pg. 166 of (SSF)

8:15-8:45

Each group will have 6 minutes to perform their scenes. Students performing will be permitted to use their handouts and students watching will be expected to fill out reactions to the play itself.

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject) Students will engage in discussion about the performances and share some of their observations of different groups. Students will also fill out group evaluations of their own groups. Students will engage in assessment discussion. During performance students will be asked to justify decisions (as per opening and closing statements and activities included in handout. In the ending discussion, students will be evaluating process. Teacher will take notes on students' commentary and collect group feedback. Students will be asked by teacher about their thoughts on the project itself.

8:45-8:50

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06

(Teacher Name, School, Grade and Subject)

Template authors: Michael Saleeby Timothy Welsh Modified: Matt Kloser 7/06