The Tragedy ofRomeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareDay-by-Day Guide1

March 24th Day 1:  Intro, Pinterest board

March 25th Day 2:  Library Day:  4th Quarter book project--book talks!

March 26th Day 3:  Choral reading: prologue

March 31st Day 4: Act 1 scene 1 (1.1) “Civil Brawls”—whole class either acts or directs 1.1. Participation points—acting/directing 25 points

SBA Testing Week Day 5: Finish 1.1/ discuss 1.1 and write up a bulleted list of the main events of 1.1. Begin “O Brawling Love”—viewpoints on love and marriage/ characterization activity

April 7th Day 6: “I Dreamt a Dream Tonight” --Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech

April 8th Day 7: Elizabethan dance & Mask making for Capulet’s feast. ½ the class will be spent making masks, and the other ½ the class will be spent learning Elizabethan dance moves.

1 Dates are subject to change.

April 9th Day 8: “And Then We Masked” Performance of 1.5—today students will:Read, take notes, discuss, set up, plan everything to do with 1.5

April 10th Day 9: “And Then we Masked” day 2—today we will se performances of 1.5, food? Prizes for the best masks!

April 11th Day 10: “Passion Lends Them Power” Act 2 prologue—in groups of 7 students will either act out the prologue or perform the prologue by setting it to a rhythm, rehearse.

April 14th Day 11: “Passion Lends The Power” Day 2—performance of prologue. Act 2 performance evaluation 30 points.

April 15th Day 12: Praiseworthy Promptbooks—students will make notes than an actor would use. For example students will mark the entrances, exits, and all movements. Homework: read 2.2 and summarize the action in a postcard.

April 16th Day 13: Praiseworthy Promptbooks day 2—students will each complete one mini promptbook for 2.2. You will be graded for 1) a neat, logical set design, complete, thoughtful notations, and evidence of a clear understanding of the scene and its characters.

April 17th Day 14: “What Satisfaction Canst Thou Have Tonight?”—The balcony scene on film. Today I will be collecting promptbooks (40 points).

April 18th Day 15: Shakespeare’s Language Tricks—today we will be moving from the big picture to the individual word. By the end of this lesson you should be able to recognize and analyze some of the language tricks Shakespeare uses. Handout: Shakespear’s Language Tricks (20 points).

April 21st Day 16: More Language Tricks—today each group will get a passage and practice identifying the language tricks on your own. Also, your group will come up with an opinion on why the specific trick enhances the passage for our group. Homework: read 3.1 and write a summary of the scene in a “lazy sonnet” form.

April 23nd Day 17: Tableaux Vivants for 3.1 –today you will be creating living pictures to recreate the scenes from Shakespeare. Handout: Shakespearean Snapshots.

April 24rd Day 18: Tableaux Vivants for 3.1 Day 2—rehearse and then perform. (40 points for the Shakespearean Snapshots). Homework:

make a chain-reaction diagram of the major events that led to disaster in Romeo and Juliet.

April 25th Day 19: A Word Study of 3.2—today we will study the word night in 3.2. We will pril tricks. Homework read through 3.3-3.5 and summarize the scenes.

April 28th Day 20: Cutting the Script—today we will go over 3.3-3.5 and make decisions about eliminating lines/parts without ruining the script.

April 29th Day 21: Cutting the Script Day 2—finish yesterday’s lesson. Watch how the director Zeffirelli cut this part of the script.

April 30th Day 22: Subtext—today we will learn about the idea of subtext by taking a look at another Shakespearean play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

May 1st Day 23: More Shakespearean Subtext—today we will continue our study of Shakespearean subtext looking at 4.1 & 4.2

May 2nd Day 24: “Cold Fear,” Imagery & Looking for Multiple Causes—today will be journal writing, focused listening, scene setting, discussion and a little role-playing.

May 5th Day 25: “Fortune’s Fool” or The Fate Debate—today we will have a discussion of the role of fate in Romeo and Juliet. Also, we will read 5.1 & 5.2 and watch 5.3.

May 6th Day 26: A Close Study of Romeo’s Last Speech—today we will do a close reading of Romeo’s final speech.

May 7th Day 27: Acting Companies

May 8th Day 28: Acting Companies

May 9th Day 29: Acting Companies

May 12th Day 30: Performance.