Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare Book Club
In this 5-week book club, students will read and discuss Shakespeare's tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet
Janelle Fila
Average rating:
4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
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What's included
5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will read one act a week on their own time in. Each act contains 3-6 scenes. Each week, students will have access to 3-6 new videos and a corresponding worksheet with vocabulary definitions, discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. There is a Kahoot! review quiz and optional supplemental activities.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Grading
Please let me know if you would like a grade for this course.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's tragedy about two star-crossed lovers, forced to a tragic ending by a stubborn family feud. Shakespeare's play is required reading for a lot of high school students. It is the perfect story for group discussion and analysis because Shakespeare's language and word choices can be hard to appreciate and understand when reading alone. Students will read one act a week on their own time. Each act contains 3-6 scenes. A separate video will discuss each scene the student reads. I will also post a summary of each scene and a worksheet with vocabulary definitions to important words and phrases within the scene. I use the worksheets to address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each scene. The worksheets may also have space for short discussion questions and fill-in-the blank answers. Weekly Schedule Breakdown: This is a self-paced class. Students will receive access to videos that discuss a different assigned scene. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, social issues, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. Students will receive a scene summary paragraph and a corresponding worksheet with vocabulary definitions, discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers for each day. For weeks that have less than six scenes to read, students will have access to an optional Romeo and Juliet themed activity. Finally, Students are assigned a one-two page writing assignment focused around that week's act. I also post a link an online Kahoot! trivia game for the students to further immerse themselves in this week's reading before we move onto a new act the following week. Weekly, students will have access to: 3-6 videos, scene summaries, vocabulary and supplemental worksheets 1 one-two page weekly writing assignment to gauge the reader's understanding of their previous reading 1 Kahoot trivia game as needed: supplemental activities
Learning Goals
Week One: Prologue and Act 1 (Scenes 1-5)
Week Two: Act 2 (Scenes 1-6)
Week Three: Act 3 (Scenes 1-5)
Week Four: Act 4 (Scenes 1-5)
Week Five: Act 5 (Scenes 1-3)
Syllabus
5 Lessons
over 5 WeeksLesson 1:
Act 1 Prologue and Scenes 1-5
Video lessons, worksheets, a writing assignment, and Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 2:
Act 2 Scenes 1-6
Video lessons, worksheets, a writing assignment, and Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 3:
Act 3 Scenes 1-5
Video lessons, worksheets, optional activity, a writing assignment, and Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 4:
Act 4 Scenes 1-4
Video lessons, worksheets, optional activity, a writing assignment, and Kahoot! review quiz Other Details
Parental Guidance
From commonsensemedia.org: Parents need to know that Romeo and Juliet is often the first Shakespeare play that middle- or high-school students read. It's a tragic, romantic story about two young lovers who get caught in the crossfire of their parents' conflict. Shakespearean language can be challenging to read, especially at first, and newcomers would do best with a well-annotated edition that explains difficult words and constructions. Romeo and Juliet includes a little inappropriate sexual content and profanity. There are a few very violent scenes in which major characters are run through with swords. Both of the main characters commit suicide at the end of the play.
Supply List
The students will need their own copy of Romeo and Juliet to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have when completing the writing assignments. I use a well-annotated edition that explains difficult words and constructions in class, but students may want an annotated edition for their own reading as well.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have a Master's degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years before teaching full-time on Outschool for multiple years. Currently, I also work as an English adjunct professor. I have been blessed to discuss Shakespeare in the classroom multiple times, including my own high school reading experience! My high school English teacher was obsessed with Shakespeare and taught me the importance of understanding these often tragic plays. I learned a lot from her enthusiasm and hope to pass that passion on to my own students. I have read this play multiple times, but I learn something new every time I am exposed to this story. It is an excellent book to discuss because there is so much language and subtext to analyze. I am excited to read it alongside your student to see what emotions and feelings Shakespeare's writings stir up for them.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$14
weekly or $70 for all content5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 12 learners
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Ages: 13-18
