What's included
12 live meetings
10 in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will be expected to read one Act per week and complete guided reading questions that will enhance class discussion and student comprehension. There is also a culminating assignment that students will need to complete over the course of the final 3 weeks of class.Assessment
Assessment is informally assessed by student preparation and participation in class, discussion and culminating assignment. Formal assessment and a letter grade can be provided upon request prior to the second week of class.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 11
During this 6 week course, students will read and discuss on of Shakespeare's most famous plays! Not only will students read the play, they will also read aloud during class and act out various parts of the play, strive to understand the motivations of the characters, expand their vocabulary as we make lots of mistakes using Shakespeare's challenging language, and enjoy the experience as we marvel at one of the most famous tragedies! While no experience with Shakespeare is necessary to engage with course material or content, students should be comfortable with reading and sounding out words, and attempting to use the words during read aloud in class. No learner will know every word in a Shakespearean text, but students should be at about a 6th grade level or above in reading ability, and have access to a dictionary in order to benefit from the class. Discussion and interaction are required elements of this class and students are STRONGLY urged to use their cameras and microphones in order to receive the full benefits of this class. **********PLEASE READ************* Outschool has recently changed its policy regarding class cancellations. We know how disappointing canceled classes can be for learners, so we too are amending our policy. In the past we have waited for late enrollees, of which we have had MANY! Unfortunately we can no longer do that. IF enrollment falls below 3 students, we will push the class back a week. When other sections are available students will have the option to transfer to another class. **********PLEASE READ************* Outschool has recently changed its policy regarding class cancellations. We know how disappointing canceled classes can be for learners, so we too are amending our policy. In the past we have waited for late enrollees, of which we have had MANY! Unfortunately we can no longer do that. Instead we will evaluate class enrollment for ongoing classes on teach Sunday at 5pm Eastern. IF enrollment falls below 3 students, we will push the class back a week. When other sections are available students will have the option to transfer to another class. Full refunds will be provided for learners who cannot attend the newly scheduled class time. Partial refunds for missed classes are NOT available. If a student must miss class, the recording is available to view at their convenience. All other refunds will be provided as per the Outschool Limited Refund policy (see below). If for any reason the class does not meet your expectation, you have the confidence of knowing that Outschool has a Happiness Guarantee and will provide a refund upon request via their Customer Support. Transfer requests within 24 hours of a scheduled class will NOT be approved. At that point it is too late to reschedule the class, and it is unfair to other families who may have enrolled thinking there were multiple learners enrolled. Instead students will be encouraged to watch the video of the class. Thank you for understanding, and for your loyalty. We will spend a total of 12 days reading, discussing and learning about Shakespeare's epic love story: Week 1: Background on Shakespeare, characters in the play, Acts 1 read aloud Week 2: Act 2 read aloud Week 3: Act 3 read aloud, introduce culminating project/activity Week 4: Act 4 read aloud Week 5: Act 5 read aloud Week 6: Concluding discussion and culminating project/activity We WILL read the entirety of every scene when possible during class. We will also supplement with video clips from the 1995 film version to boost student understanding of the material. Each week will include the introduction of vocabulary that students will encounter, the analysis of literary devices like symbolism, metaphor, hyperbole, and theme, and comprehension questions and discussion. A culminating assignment will be presented by students during the final week to assess students, students will have several options from which they may choose to complete this assignment based upon their individual learning style and family learning philosophy.
Learning Goals
Students will:
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work.
Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
This is a teen love story that sees the teens married, consummate their marriage, rebel and runaway from home, and ultimately commit suicide. Students should be mature enough to read and discuss the content.
Video clips from the 1996 film with Leonardo DiCaprio are used after reading several scenes, and this version includes modern forms of gangs and gun violence. The film is rated PG-13, thus the minimum age for this class.
Supply List
Each student needs a copy of the play that includes Act, Scene and Line numbers.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
1 teacher has a teaching certificate
Ohio Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
1 teacher has a Graduate degree
Master's Degree in Education from Lourdes College
1 teacher has a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Auburn University
I have taught this in a brick in mortar classroom MANY times where students have read aloud, acted it out, watched the movie, and participated in discussion that deepened their understanding of the content. The decisions and risky behavior in which Romeo and Juliet engage are discussed in the form of long term consequences due to rash decisions in the face of angst and perceived adversity.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$150
for 12 classes2x per week, 6 weeks
50 min
Completed by 6 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-17
3-9 learners per class