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**Rationale for Individual Unit Plan:** I am choosing to do Romeo and Juliet for my Unit Plan. I first thought of this topic when it came to our collaborative lesson plan, and still see many important aspects of this Shakespearian play as a good reason to teach to high school students. There are many reasons to teach Romeo and Juliet, the first being that it is an ultimate classic. It is hard to get through English classes without knowing the background/story of Romeo and Juliet, so I think this is a great foundation for students. Romeo and Juliet offers many teachable moments - you can choose to concentrate on the relationships between two characters in love, or even familial and social aspects that are extremely prominent throughout the play. My unit plan will focus on 11th grade students in a high school setting. I think this is a great age to teach this play because many students may be experiencing the type of situation that Romeo and Juliet encounter. This is something that the students will be able to easily relate to and understand on a similar level. This brings up the topic of R&J being a timeless play - it is able to relate to adolescents at any decade, and is something that they will be able to learn from and appreciate. Another thing that R&J lends itself towards is the use of figurative language. Even though the language in the play will be difficult for students, there are great textbooks that can be obtained that have very helpful side notes or even translations. Because the language is not easy, it will definitely be a time consuming play to read - which is why I have decided to only stick to this one topic. After completing the reading and comprehension of R&J, students will come away with a feeling of accomplishment and pride for being able to master a difficult text. Another reason why this play appealed to me for a unit plan is because there are many different mediums that can be used to teach the students. This play lends itself to the opportunity of acting out parts of the play, writing your own soliloquys and viewing multiple movie clips. These different aspects will be able to reach lots of students on different levels, and appeal to students who learn by doing or who are visual learners. Some of my guiding questions will be something to this effect: 1. Do you believe in the power of fate? Why or why not? 2. How do social stigmas separate people?  To check for understanding and comprehension of R&J, I will give my students a choice of two mediums of which I will assess:
 * Summative Assessment Plan:**

Option 1:

Students will be asked to write an essay that has to do with not only the intimate relationship of R&J, but also the familial structures and why there was so many problems with the love between the two characters. I will ask the students to bring in their own personal experiences in which they can or can not relate to the play, and then comment on how this play is timeless - how is it that we can read this play decades later and still come away with an understanding of how the different social stuctures were of importance? I want them to reflect on whether they believe this is still prominent in modern society, or if we have gotten away from the social structures that may or may not define our lives. I also want the students to incorporate at least 3 quotations from the novel that back up their opinions and point of views. The paper will be 3-5 pages in length.

Option 2:

Students will take a test that has mutiple choice questions relating to the language and nut and bolts of the play to check for understanding of Shakespearian language. There will also be fill in the blank questions that will have definitions of different literary terms (such as soliloquy). There will be a few short answers that will touch on the aspect of familial and love relationships and how the students were able to come away from the play with a deeper understanding of the time period and how it may or may not relate to our modern society.

Standards Met:

1.3.11

Analyze the effectiveness, in terms of literary quality, of the author’s use of  literary devices.

· Figurative language (e.g.,  personification, simile, metaphor,  hyperbole, irony, satire).

1.4.11

Write complex informational pieces (e.g., research papers, analyses, evaluations, essays).

· Include a variety of methods to

develop the main idea.

· Use precise language and specific

detail.

· Include cause and effect.

1.5.11

A. Write with a sharp, distinct focus.

· Identify topic, task and audience.

· Establish and maintain a single

point of view.






 * FINALIZED UNIT PLAN:**



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