Romeo and Juliet: The Balcony Scene (Act 2, Scene 2)

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Lesson will help struggling readers to comprehend figurative language and overall meaning in the famous balcony scene.

A lesson plan for grades 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• identify and interpret figurative language (Metaphors and similes)
• understand how figurative language affects the reading of a given text
• learn how to use figurative language effectively.

Materials/resources

• Annotated handout of Romeo and Juliet text (Act 2, Scene 2)
• 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann version) forwarded to the balcony scene
• 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet (Franco Zeffirelli) forwarded to the balcony scene
• Paper/pencil per student
• Pictures of a girl and flower
• Markers
• Index cards with figurative language from Romeo and Juliet

Technology resources

• Overhead Projector
• TV and VCR/DVD player

Activities

1.     Begin class with a journal entry. Give the students ten to fifteen minutes to come up with a half-page response. Before the big balcony scene, there are a number of topics that will work to set the scene. Write the following on the board. Explain their assignment. 

o        Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?

o        Describe your ideal mate. What qualities would you be looking for when choosing a partner?

2.     I will tell the students to turn to the person next to them. Allow the students to discuss amongst themselves their responses (5-10 minutes). After they discuss amongst themselves, discuss as a class with the teacher guiding instruction. Introduce Act 2 Scene 2.

3.     The students will be given copies of Romeo and Juliet that I have annotated. There will be definitions of difficult words and underlines of important phrases. They will also receive a modern English version of the text. The students will be given 5 minutes to read the modern English translation of the text (very short).

4.     Ask for volunteers to read Act II scene ii of Romeo and Juliet. Place the volunteer reader—Juliet—on a chair or desk to help the students get a sense of the spatial dynamics. At this point, I am not really analyzing text so much as explaining what’s going on as they read. I will stop the reading at difficult places and explain/clarify. I will have the annotated text up on the overhead too. As we go along, I will write down more notes so the students can see it too.

5.     After reading the text once. I will point out that Shakespeare uses a lot of figurative languages in his writing of the scene. I will ask if the students know what the definitions of simile and metaphor are. Students will be taking notes. For example, I will write down on the board.

SIMILE

“She is pretty like a flower.”

-Here, I will have a picture of a girl and a picture of a flower.

-I will stick the picture of the girl on first and then, write down “like” or “as” beside it.

-On the other side of “like” or “as,” I will stick another picture of a flower.

-I will ask the students: Why don’t we just say, “She is pretty” instead of “She is pretty like a flower”?

-I will give the definition of a simile on the board.

Can you think of any other metaphors or similes that you know?

-Similarly, I will do this for metaphors with pictures by putting “is” in between the pictures.

6.     I will ask everyone to take out a piece of paper and write down one metaphor for school. (School is….) And a simile for love (Love is like…). Ask students to share with the class. Ask them to explain why they chose that metaphor or simile.

7.     Now it’s time to look for specific literary devices. At this point, we will watch two different versions of the movie. By now, the students have a general idea of what’s going on in the text. The text and the lines in the movie are exactly the same; so the students can follow the reading as they listen/watch the movie clip. The students will be asked to pick out metaphors and similes from the text as they watch the movie clips.

8.     I will ask the students to get into groups and share their findings, and discuss what each of the metaphors and similes do to heighten the emotion and passion of the scene. They will have to find eight uses of figurative language as a group together. As a class, we will discuss these findings and give clarifications where they are needed.

9.      Group Activity Charade:

-Each group will get a line of figurative language from the balcony scene, written on an index card.

-Each group has five minutes to plan how they will represent the lines through body movement and action.

-The other groups will have to guess what line that the presenters are acting out (without words)

-When the audience has finished guessing, the group has to go up and write the line that they acted out on the board.

-Discuss with students on the power of images (through metaphor and simile) that Shakespeare uses in that particular line. Ask students to explain why figurative language makes the scene more powerful. 

Assessment

-Writing: The student will be asked to write a paragraph with two metaphors and two similes. The student will have to explain why they used the specific figurative language, and what effect that they had on their writing.

-Visual: The student will be asked to draw out two metaphors and two similes as I did on the board. They will be asked to write about the effectiveness of the figurative language they came up with (ex) “Cute as a button”, “She is my sunshine.”

-Auditory: The student will be asked to find two metaphors and two similes in a favourite song of theirs. They will have to print out the lyrics of course. The student will have to explain what effect the metaphors and similes have on their song. Why do the figurative languages make their song more powerful?

 Adapted from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2900

I. Provide multiple means of representation– Recognition Networks

II. Provide multiple means for action and expression – Strategic Networks

III. Provide multiple means for engagement – Affective Networks

        This year, as a student teacher, I have had some struggles with myself about coming up with interesting lesson plans to engage all students. Sometimes, I would stay up into the wee hours of the night trying to look for multiple means of engagement, but I would just stare blankly into my screen thinking, “How do I do this???” It’s been a really hard year in terms of learning about my students’ personal learning styles, their interests, their fears, their strengths and weaknesses. I think I have been educated in very traditional settings, and often times, it’s really hard for me to think outside the box. Basically, this year has been a fight for me to fulfill the UDL guidelines II and III. I’ve been focusing on improving these two areas:

1.   Providing varied ways of interacting with the material.

2.   Providing varied ways to respond.

3.   Enhancing relevance, value, and authenticity.

        As the UDL guideline outlines, my mentor teacher—being an excellent teacher that she is—tries to break me out of the traditional teaching rut. When we were reading “Pride and Prejudice” in class, I would read with the class, or ask for volunteer readers. Then, the students would have to answer some questions regarding content and themes of the book. In order to help my students succeed with their MCAS English section, I sometimes get really carried away with teaching in a style that only emphasizes reading and writing. My mentor is an amazing teacher in that she kept on asking me: “So Jamie, when you are reading or a volunteer student is reading, what are the students DOING? If they are not DOING something, they will fall asleep! And you can’t just keep on lecturing them!!!!”  Or she would say, “Okay, so you taught today. How do you know that each and every kid got what you taught today? Do you know if Dilson got it? What about James? What about Diana?” I learned this year that thinking about each student and his/her learning style is the most important part of planning my lessons, but even now, this is always easy said than done…

It was really fascinating to see how the McGurk effect was at work last Monday when we were watching the movie clip with different types of music. How is it that what we hear can have such a strong effect on what we see? Things were clearer when Dr. Rose explained to us that the mind tries to make sense of everything that we see and hear. If what we hear and see do not correlate with each other, our mind takes what we hear and see and finds an explanation midway.

It was so interesting to see how the emotion we felt through listening to the different music affected what we saw. How does this relate to student learning? I remember in high school, I was taking an AP physics class, and every time I stepped into that classroom, my palms got sweaty, my heart started to pound and I had a hard time concentrating on what the teacher was saying. I did pretty well in the class in the end, but I remember having to talk to myself a few times during class to calm myself down. It’s hard to say what I took from that class. The video clip and music showed me how affect can control the brain. Emotion is such an integral part of learning, and it determines what the students can do in the classroom. At my school internship site, I see a lot of English teachers working hard to create the right classroom atmosphere, develop interesting and accessible lessons, and using multiple representation. Maximizing the comfort level for the students and establishing the right tone of a class is so critical to student learning and their performance.

1. Reflect on your experience using VoiceThread. Consider both the strengths and weaknesses of this tool for your own expression. Use the UDL Guidelines for Action and Expression to frame your discussion.

My experience with the VoiceThread was a very pleasant one. I was excited to learn about 21^st century learners through pictures, audio, words and music. The message about 21^st century learners was made more powerful and urgent, because everything worked together to leave a lasting impression. In that way, I found VoiceThread to be compelling and exciting. However, once I started to write my reflection, I realized that I had forgotten the details of the presentation. What were the three most important things that 21^st students must learn? I wish I had taken notes, so I went back to watch the video again. But I found that it was rather hard to take notes, because the images and words appeared and disappeared so fast. It was also laborious to play and pause so many times to get the information that I needed. The images and sound of VoiceThread draw in the learner, but I felt that there was also a need to see some kind of text—words in front of me that I could refer to.

I was at first a bit worried about this project, because I thought that we had to record ourselves. For myself at least, I am a much better writer. I can express myself more effectively and compellingly through writing, because I have had the time to carefully reflect on how to order my ideas and thoughts.  I was glad to see that we had different options for expression.

1. Reflect from your perspective as an educator on the strengths and weaknesses of using VoiceThread in the classroom. Using the UDL Guidelines for Action and Expression, make suggestions for how to improve the tool for classroom use by all students.

I can imagine students responding very well to VoiceThread. It is always very hard to engage students or even to hold their attention for more than a few minutes. I can see myself using such technology in my classroom to draw students into what they are learning or to encourage intellectual discussions. I really think that the active aspect of VoiceThread will help students become more engaged and excited about their learning. The profile pictures, words, and audios of the participants really add a sense of community and a cooperative environment. I liked how we could respond to our classmates generally, but I think VoiceThread could be enhanced if we could respond to individuals as well.

If I were to use VoiceThread in my classroom, I think I could incorporate a lot more students into class discussions. Only a few students are comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas during class. Those students who are quiet also have terrific ideas to share, but they never get to shine in class, because they are uncomfortable speaking up in front of their peers. The way VoiceThread is laid out (with the video in the middle and the learners surrounding it) encourages a sense of positive learning community. Everybody has a chance to express their thoughts in varied ways–by audio, video or simply by text.

Also, VoiceThread gives students a chance to be more independent with their own learning. In a sense, the students take charge. They all collaborate and discuss a given subject, yet the teachers are not in charge of how the conversation will flow. Teachers can of course add and enrich their learning, but the ideas and thoughts are that of the students. I can see this being a very positive force in the classroom. 

Please indicate how we can find your comments on VoiceThread. Which VoiceThread did you choose? Which name did you register under?

I chose “21st Century Learners” and I registered as Jamie Lee

             The video resonated with me on many levels. I was very impressed and inspired at the notion of having to constantly learn, unlearn and relearn in the 21st century.  With our technology evolving rapidly and the world become more and more connected, we have to continuously readjust our perspectives, learn new skills, upgrade our knowledge and be open to new ideas. I was inspired by this thought because this skill does not merely require one to be open, tolerant, and accepting intellectually, but also culturally and “humanistically”.
               I cannot agree more that one of the most important skills for the culturally literate 21st century learner is to know how to collaborate and cooperate with global peers. It is also true that he/she has to learn to connect with individuals personally. However, I feel that the importance of cultural literacy comes after the importance of literacy in the simplest sense. A student must be able to understand, read, write and communicate conversantly in their own language first. In other words, I feel that the basic skills—such as critical thinking, reading, writing, problem solving—need to be accomplished on an individual level first, before students can collaborate effectively and contribute significantly in a bigger setting. Perhaps then, it is only right to learn to compete with ourselves first and then to collaborate with others. I feel that true creativity can sprout only from a firm foundation of basic knowledge and skills.
               I feel that the setting of the classroom (in terms of desks and chairs) is very crucial to an effective learning environment. But as a high school teacher, I feel that sometimes creative classroom settings (where we sit in circles or in groups) is not especially conducive to learning. Students tend to lose their focus, their concentration and motivation in a more social setting. There should be a close relationship between a creative lesson and creative classroom set-ups of course, but we must always think about the purpose. What do we want our students to accomplish during that lesson, that class?
              There were many elements of UDL reflected in this video. There were audio, pictures, colored text, and music to enhance our understanding of the subject being discussed. I found the pictures to be especially powerful in sending out its message, and the music made the message more relevant and urgent. Also, the website was a place where a community of learners could gather to collaborate and cooperate to share ideas, perspectives and ideas.

Hi everyone,

I’m Jamie, and I’m very excited to be taking this class with all of you. I’m from Canada, and I’m a masters student in the T.E.P. program. I think this class will be a wonderful tool to have as a future educator, and I’m hoping to gain a lot of practical as well as theoretical knowledge about UDL! See you guys in class!