romeo and juliet eighth grade curriculum planner …elasps.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/70812180/romeo...

Springfield Public Schools 2013-14

Romeo and Juliet

Eighth Grade Curriculum Planner

Preparing Students for Shakespeare’s Play

CCSS Addressed

• RI.8.1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says

explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

• RI.8.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,

connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone,

including analogies or allusions to other texts.

• W.8.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

• W.8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are

appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Prior to Attending the Play – Consider the activities that are the best fit for your students

1. Activate Prior Knowledge

• Quick-write: Have students write about what they already KNOW about Shakespeare and

the play, Romeo and Juliet.

• Share together quick-writes as a class to assess what students know using the

“ KnowWhyQuestionLearn” chart. (Give all students copies, put it on the document

camera, Smartboard, or hang a poster to record responses.)

• Show pictures/video clips of Romeo and Juliet and discuss movies that have been made

about Romeo and Juliet— Gnomeo and Juliet (2008), Romeo and Juliet (1996- Leonardo

Dicaprio and Claire Danes), Romeo and Juliet (1968), West Side Story (1961).

2. Build Background for Students - work with students to answer this question: WHY should students

learn about the works of Shakespeare?

• Fill out “Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide”.

• Read a brief history of Shakespeare and/or Romeo and Juliet (see Literature Charts handout-

page 1 only, available at: http://www.litcharts.com/lit/romeo-and-juliet)

• Revisit “KWQL” and “Anticipation Guide”.

3. Introduce the characters in Romeo and Juliet.

• Briefly introduce characters and indicate how they are related (see character list and

description handout).

• Students could complete the “Character Relationship Map.”

4. Assist Students in Understanding Shakespearean language

• Listen to an excerpt of play. Shakespeare’s works were written to be performed.

• Discuss the differences between Shakespeare’s language and today’s language.

• Translate the meaning of the lines from Romeo and Juliet using vocabulary translations and

“Matching Shakespeare’s Words to Our Own.”

o This activity may be done individually or in teams by cutting up each line from the

worksheet for teams of students to translate and then identify by matching with

the translation. Classes could use the Kagan activity “Think-Write–Pair-Share.”

o Be sure to give each group/individual a list of the word translations.


5. Revisit “KWQL.”

• Determine the questions student still have before viewing the play.

• Determine a focus for the viewing.

Follow-Up after the Play

1. Revisit “KWQL” chart

• What did you LEARN?

• Were your questions answered?

2. “RAFT” writing assignment (See handout)

• Use “RAFT” to write a persuasive letter

Resources to support additional learning:

• Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet “KWQL chart”

• “Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide” key

• “Why Study Shakespeare?”

• “Romeo and Juliet Characters Guide”

• “Romeo and Juliet Character List”

• “Romeo and Juliet Character Relationships” and key

• Romeo and Juliet Follow-up “RAFT” Writing

References

http://masuk-language-arts.wikispaces.com/Romeo+and+Juliet

http://www.dukeofdefinition.com/Romeo_and_Juliet_letter.pdf

http://www.litcharts.com/lit/romeo-and-juliet/background-info

http://www.folger.edu/

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/whystudyshakespeare.html

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1162/CharacterList.pdf

www.absoluteshakespeare.com

http://www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom


Name: Date: Class #_

Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet

KWQL Chart

What do I already

KNOW about

Shakespeare and

Romeo and Juliet?

WHY should I know about

Shakespeare? QUESTIONS I have

about Shakespeare and

Romeo and Juliet.

What did I LEARN about

Shakespeare and Romeo and

Juliet?


Name: Date: Class #:

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide

Directions: Before reading the paragraph description about Shakespeare and his play Romeo and Juliet, read each statement in the

middle of the chart below. Under the column, “Before Reading,” place an X to indicate if you agree or disagree with the statement.

Read the Shakespeare description, and then repeat the same process as before under the column, “After Reading.”

Before Reading Statements about Shakespeare

and Romeo and Juliet

After Reading

Agree Disagree Agree Disagree

Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to become an

actor and playwright.

Shakespeare co-owned the Globe theater in London.

Shakespeare was a college graduate.

Shakespeare was born and died in London, England.

Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway.

Shakespeare died a very poor man.

Shakespeare was a member of the King’s Men theater troupe

adopted by King James.

Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after.

Romeo and Juliet was totally Shakespeare’s story idea.

Romeo is sent away because he kills Juliet’s cousin.

Romeo and Juliet are married in the play.

Romeo and Juliet’s families were great friends.

Juliet is 16 years old.

The play, Romeo and Juliet, is considered a tragedy.

The setting of Romeo and Juliet was during the Renaissance in

Verona, Italy.

Retrieved at: shakespearonline.com


Key for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide

Directions: Before reading the paragraph description about Shakespeare and his play Romeo and Juliet, read each statement in the

middle of the chart below. Under the column, “Before Reading,” place an X to indicate if you agree or disagree with the statement.

Read the Shakespeare description, and then repeat the same process as before under the column, “After Reading.”

Before Reading Statements about Shakespeare

and Romeo and Juliet

After Reading

Agree Disagree Agree Disagree

Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to become an

actor and playwright.

X

Shakespeare co-owned the Globe theater in London. X

Shakespeare was a college graduate.(possibly completed grammar school)

X

Shakespeare was born and died in London, England. (Stratford-upon-Avon)

X

Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway. X

Shakespeare died a very poor man. (very rich man) X

Shakespeare was a member of the King’s Men theater troupe

adopted by King James.

X

Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after. (died of a double suicide) X

Romeo and Juliet was totally Shakespeare’s story idea. (Not totally) X

Romeo is sent away because he kills Juliet’s cousin. X

Romeo and Juliet are married in the play. X

Romeo and Juliet’s families were great friends.(enemies) X

Juliet is 16 years old. (13 years old) X

The play, Romeo and Juliet, is considered a tragedy. X

The setting of Romeo and Juliet was during the Renaissance in

Verona, Italy.

X

Retrieved at: shakespearonline.com


Why Study Shakespeare?

Retrieved and adapted for use at:

http://www.meridianschools.org/PMS/Staff/Bromley/AssignmentsInformation/William_Shakespeare

[2 printable].pptx

The Reasons Behind Shakespeare's Influence and Popularity

Ben Jonson anticipated Shakespeare’s dazzling future when he declared, "He was not of an age, but

for all time!" in the preface to the First Folio. While most people know that Shakespeare is, in fact,

the most popular dramatist and poet the Western world has ever produced, students new to his work

often wonder why this is so. The following are the top four reasons why Shakespeare has stood the

test of time.

1) Illumination of the Human Experience

Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent

verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity. If you cannot find words to express

how you feel about love or music or growing older, Shakespeare can speak for you. No author in the

Western world has penned more beloved passages. Shakespeare's work is the reason John Bartlett

compiled the first major book of familiar quotations.

Here are some examples of Shakespeare's most popular passages (hot linked to excerpts on

Shakespeare Online)

• “All the world’s a stage,” As You Like It, (2.7.139)

• “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” (Sonnet 18.1)

• “We band of brothers,” Henry V, (4.3.43)

• “The green-eyed monster,” Othello, (3.3.190)

• “What's in a name?” Romeo and Juliet, (2.2.45)

• “Now is the winter of our discontent,” Richard III, (1.1.1)

• “If music be the food of love,” Twelfth Night, (1.1.1)

• “Beware the ides of March,” Julius Caesar, (1.2.17)

• “We are such stuff/as dreams are made on,” The Tempest, (4.1.156-157)

• “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” Hamlet, (1.4.90)

• “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet, (3.1.64)

2) Great Stories

In the introduction to her famous retelling of Shakespeare’s stories, Marchette Chute summarizes

one of the reasons for Shakespeare’s immeasurable fame:

“William Shakespeare was the most remarkable storyteller that the world has ever

known. Homer told of adventure and men at war, Sophocles and Tolstoy told of

tragedies and of people in trouble. Terence and Mark Twain told comedic stories,

Dickens told melodramatic ones, Plutarch told histories and Hand Christian Andersen

told fairy tales. But Shakespeare told every kind of story – comedy, tragedy, history,

melodrama, adventure, love stories and fairy tales – and each of them so well that


they have become immortal. In all the world of storytelling he has become the

greatest name (Stories from Shakespeare, 11).”

Shakespeare's stories transcend time and culture. Modern storytellers continue to adapt

Shakespeare’s tales to suit our modern world, whether it be the tale of Lear on a farm in Iowa,

Romeo and Juliet on the mean streets of New York City, or Macbeth in feudal Japan.

3) Compelling Characters

Shakespeare invented his share of stock characters, but his truly great characters – particularly his

tragic heroes – are unequalled in literature, dwarfing even the sublime creations of the Greek

tragedians. Shakespeare’s great characters have remained popular because of their complexity; for

example, we can see ourselves as gentle Hamlet, forced against his better nature to seek murderous

revenge. For this reason Shakespeare is deeply admired by actors, and many consider playing a

Shakespearean character to be the most difficult and most rewarding role possible.

4) Ability to Turn a Phrase

Many of the common expressions now thought to be clichés were Shakespeare's creations. Chances

are you use Shakespeare's expressions all the time even though you may not know it is the Bard you

are quoting. You may think that fact is "neither here nor there", but that's "the short and the long of

it." Bernard Levin said it best in the following quote about Shakespeare's impact on our language:

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your

salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is

father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if

you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast

and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have

knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on

ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short

shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's

paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as

good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and

baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the

game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the

crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop)

without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you

have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send

me packing, if you wish I were dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the

devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut,

tut! for goodness' sake! what the dickens! but me no buts - it is all one to me, for you are quoting

Shakespeare. (The Story of English, 145)

For a list of authors who have named their books after lines from Shakespeare, see Shakespeare's

Impact on Other Writers.


References

Chute, Marchette. Stories from Shakespeare. New York: World Publishing Company, 1956.

Levin, Bernard. Quoted in The Story of English. Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil.

Viking: 1986).

Mabillard, Amanda. “Why Study Shakespeare?” Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.

< http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/whystudyshakespeare.html>.


Major Characters in Romeo and Juliet

Use the following characters to fill in the Romeo and Juliet “Character Relationship Map.”

The Capulets

• Juliet Capulet – a 13 year old girl

• Lord and Lady Capulet – Juliet’s parents

• Count Paris – the man Juliet’s father wants her to marry

• Tybalt – Juliet’s cousin

• Nurse – Juliet’s nurse, who has taken care of her since she was a baby.

The Montagues

• Romeo – a young man, probably about 17 years old

• Lord and Lady Montague- Romeo’s parents

• Benvolio Montague – Romeo’s cousin

• Mercutio – Romeo’s best friend

• Friar Laurence – a priest and friend of Romeo

• Rosalind – Romeo used to lover her, but she did not love him


Romeo and Juliet Characters Guide

Retrieved at:

http://absoluteshakespear.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/characters/characters.htm

Escalus: The Prince of Verona, his continued annoyance with the ongoing feud between the

Capulet and Montague families leads him to warn both families that further fighting between

the two will be punished by death. Escalus is also responsible for banishing Romeo from

Verona after Romeo killed Tybalt, an act of mercy on the Prince's part. At the end of the play

when both Romeo and Juliet are dead, Escalus tells the two grieving families they are largely

to blame for this tragedy in addition to his own lack of intervention to stop the Capulet /

Montague feud... (Lines 281-295)

Paris: A young nobleman, Kinsman to the Prince. Introduced to us in Act I, Scene II, it is

Capulet's desire that the young Paris marry his daughter Juliet. Juliet later reveals her

reluctance to be married so early in life rather than a dislike of Paris personally. When Juliet

falls in love with Romeo, Paris is increasingly ignored by Juliet but remains polite, perhaps

ignorant that Juliet does not want to marry him nor that she does not love him. At the end of

the play (Act V, Scene III), he is killed by Romeo, but has his death wish of being placed near

Juliet whom he loved, granted by Romeo. (Lines 73 & 74)

Montague and Capulet: The heads of two houses opposed to each other. Their feud has been

going on for some time, described in the Prologue as an "ancient grudge" (Line 3). We never

learn the cause of it, only that it continues to this day. Montague's son is Romeo, Capulet's

daughter is Juliet. The two heads of their respective households never fight, only it appears do

their servants, nephews and children. At the end of the play each man loses their beloved

child. Montague's role in the play appears to be limited to concern for his son, and his last act

in the play in Act V, Scene III is to raise a gold statue of his former enemy's daughter Juliet.

Capulet's role, however is much greater. First we see him as the wise and charismatic,

charming man who prevents Tybalt fighting Romeo at his party and graciously talks with

various guests, then later as the firm, ruthless father who would see his daughter marry

against her will rather than have his rule questioned...

Romeo: The son of Montague, Romeo is first introduced to us as a sad, melancholic, apathetic

youth. His reason for sadness is universal; Rosaline his love will not return his affections. Not

initially daring, it is his friends Mercutio and Benvolio who suggest he gatecrash or arrive

uninvited at the Capulet party to see Rosaline. There he meets Juliet falling instantly in love.

From this point on, Romeo no longer is melancholic, but dynamic and courageous, risking his

life at the Capulet's house to be near Juliet and later breaking a banishment order which

threatens death for him, to see his Juliet again. Well regarded even by Capulet, his enemy,

Romeo is a thoughtful man, unwilling to provoke fighting unlike the hot-blooded, adversarial

Tybalt, whom he kills. Romeo also kills Paris but in both encounters sought to avoid fighting,

winning only to defend his life. At the end of the play, he commits suicide, rather than live

without Juliet, the ultimate display of loyalty for his love Juliet since his life obviously no longer

had meaning without her...


Mercutio: Kinsman to the Prince, Mercutio displays a fine if disrespectful tongue, especially

towards Juliet's nurse. An unlikely source of wisdom, he tells a depressed Romeo to, "Prick love

for pricking, and you beat love down" meaning Romeo should be rough with love if it is rough

with him, and to regain his enthusiasm for love (Act I, Scene IV, Line 28) . Mercutio meets his

death in Act III, Scene I when he rashly draws his sword on Tybalt who had been trying

unsuccessfully to provoke Romeo into fighting. Famous for the words, "a scratch, a scratch;

marry, 'tis enough" which describe his fatal wound by Tybalt, Mercutio's death results in Tybalt's

death when Romeo avenges the death of his friend (Line 98). It has been argued in some literary

circles that Mercutio was "removed" as he was increasingly stealing the show from Romeo, the

lead character (with Juliet) in this play...

Benvolio: Nephew to Montague, and friend to Mercutio and Romeo, his role in the play is

minor, serving mainly as a friend to Romeo.

Tybalt: Nephew to Lady Capulet, this rash, hot-blooded young man is adversarial and hateful

towards all Montagues, especially Romeo. When he sees Romeo at the Capulet party, his

immediate instinct is to fight, but only the increasingly firm warnings from Capulet to hold his

peace restrain him. Tybalt is slain by Romeo in Act III, Scene I, after he had killed Romeo's friend,

Mercutio. Until this point, Tybalt had failed to provoke Romeo into fighting, but dies when he

finally fights Romeo.

Friar Laurence: A Franciscan priest, he plays a crucial role in the play by marrying Romeo and

Juliet's in his cell in the hope that the feud between the Montague's and the Capulet's will now

end. A friend of Romeo, he initially does not take Romeo's love for Juliet seriously, remembering

Romeo's obsession with Rosaline. Later he unwittingly plays a part in the two lover's deaths

when he first puts Juliet to sleep with a deathlike potion which fools Romeo into thinking Juliet

is dead leading to his suicide by self-administered poison followed by Juliet's death after her

discovery that Romeo is dead. Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo explaining that Juliet was not

really dead never made it to Romeo. At the end of the play, despite his own admission of guilt

for Romeo's and Juliet's death, Escalus, The Prince of Verona forgives him.

Friar John: Of the same order as Friar Laurence, this Friar's detainment by quarantine in Verona

(Act V, Scene II) leads to Romeo not receiving Friar Laurence's letter of explanation that Juliet

was not really dead, leading to Romeo killing himself in despair...

Balthasar: Servant to Romeo, he witnesses the final moments of Romeo's life at the churchyard

from a hiding place. He later backs up Friar Laurence's explanation of events to Escalus, Prince

of Verona.

Sampson and Gregory: Servants to Capulet, these two men initially try to pick a fight with their

opposites from the Montague family, Abraham and Balthasar in Act I, Scene I, establishing the

feud that exists between Capulet and Montague families by showing that their mutual hatred

even extends to their servants. This fight in a civic space leads Escalus to warn both families that

further fighting will be punished by death...


Peter: Servant to Juliet's nurse.

Abraham: Servant to the Montague family, he is involved in the fight in Act I, Scene I.

An Apothecary: A minor character, he supplies the poison that Romeo uses to end his life. At

first he is unwilling to sell poison to Romeo but later sells it out of necessity against his

conscience.

Lady Montague: The wife of Montague, she worries about her son's happiness in Act I, Scene I.

Later she dies grief stricken that her son was banished from Verona. "Grief of my son's exile

hath stopp'd her breath" Montague later explains (Act V, Scene III, Line 211).

Wife to Capulet: Juliet's mother, we see her as a distant figure in Juliet's life; Juliet's nurse

remembers more about Juliet's childhood than Lady Capulet, suggesting a distance between

mother and daughter. Nonetheless she appears close to her daughter, assisting her husband to

convince Juliet into marrying Paris. When Capulet orders Juliet to marry Paris, Lady Capulet,

falls into line, agreeing with Capulet and betraying Juliet.

Nurse to Juliet: In many ways a surrogate mother to Juliet, she cares deeply for Juliet's best

interests, even encouraging Juliet's dangerous relationship with Romeo in the hope that it will

make Juliet happy. After Tybalt's death, however, Nurse becomes less sympathetic and later

when Capulet orders Juliet to marry Paris; she defends Juliet at first but later pragmatically

suggests that Paris would not be so bad after all...

Retrieved from:

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/characters/characters.htm

Name: KEY Date: Class #:

Romeo and Juliet Character Relationship Map

Source: http://masuk-language-arts.wikispaces.com/Romeo+and+Juliet



Name: Date: Class #

Romeo and Juliet Follow-Up RAFT Writing

Assignment

Directions: Write using the RAFT—Role, Audience, Format, and Topic as listed below.

Role of Writer: Modern Day Romeo or Juliet Audience:

Romeo’s or Juliet’s modern day parents

Format: Persuasive Letter

Topic: Persuade parents that they should end their feud with the neighbors.

Rubric for RAFT Writing on Romeo and Juliet

Written in

correct

voice

Correct

audience is

addressed

Letter

Format is

Accurate

Persuasive

techniques are

used

appropriately

Accurate

Information

is Included.

4-Excellent- well

written

3-Good-a few

errors are made

2-Missing

some

elements

1- Needs

Improvement

Total Score= /25

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