Romeo and Juliet Murder Mystery
A flexible schedule class that teaches kids the plot and characters of "Romeo and Juliet," in the context of a detective story where you solve the mystery of the young lovers' deaths.
Paul H. The Shakespearean Student
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(52)
What's included
10 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
The students will turn in their attached handout to receive a small certificate congratulating the detective for solving the case.Class Experience
US Grade 7 - 9
Using a combination of pre-recorded videos, websites, and a Nearpod presentation, students will cover the characters and plot of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The class takes the form of a murder mystery, based on events from Act IV of "Romeo and Juliet," when Juliet fakes her own death. The student(s) will pretend to be a detective, hired by Juliet's mother to investigate her apparent death, and will subsequently learn about her relationship with Romeo. The students will get to follow clues, reconstruct crimes, interrogate suspects, and generally play detective while they write down the ‘suspects,’ establish a timeline, and solve the mystery!
Learning Goals
The activities will enrich the student(s)' understanding of the plot and characters of "Romeo and Juliet" using the format of a murder mystery In addition, the students will learn the methods practiced by detectives, investigators, and forensic scientists when they solve real crimes including toxicology, fingerprint analysis, CSI, and interrogation techniques.
Syllabus
10 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Background on the Game
Through a series of slides, you’ll learn that you are playing the part of a detective, hired by Juliet’s parents to investigate her sudden death. You’ll read her obituary, look at a crime scene photo, and the story so far. You'll also have a pdf case file, which you can fill out with questions that you will answer as the case unfolds. Lesson 2:
Poison Analysis
In a pre-recorded video, The Investigator introduces himself. He is in the middle of doing a toxicology test on the vial found near Juliet’s bed. He explains that most poisons are either highly acidic, or highly alkali (aka, bases). Testing the liquid’s PH will help you determine if the substance is poisonous or not.
In a short simulation via Nearpod, you will test multiple liquids for acidity or alkalinity.
Home Experiment Time- You'll learn how to test substances in your own home for acidity Lesson 3:
Crime Scene Investigation
Using the Nearpod slides and a linked website, you'll figure out what happened to Juliet's cousin Tybalt the day before her own mysterious death. Lesson 4:
Newspaper Article Clue
Read the newspaper and note who was at the party, and what they were doing with Juliet. Other Details
Parental Guidance
Since suicide is mentioned in the play, it is described in class. There are a few cartoon images of fake blood (like on the class poster image), but there are no graphic images or videos of any kind of crime.
Tools used:
- Nearpod
- YouTube
-Google Sites
- Classtools.net
Supply List
-A short handout outlining each activity, which will provide hints in case the student(s) need them, will be provided in PDF and Word format. -Students will also receive a detective case file, that will serve as their notes as they record their discoveries through the mystery. This case fill will also serve as a convenient handout to remind them of the characters and plot of "Romeo and Juliet."
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will refer to text from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but you do not need to have read the play beforehand.
Joined April, 2021
4.8
52reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Mary Baldwin College
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Ashland University
I am a Shakespearean scholar with over 20 years of experience as a teacher, text coach, actor, and IT professional. I designed this project as a summer camp activity back in 2022, and decided to adapt it as an online activity.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$4
weekly10 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Completed by 4 learners
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Ages: 12-15
