The unit I will be focusing on is a subunit within Romeo and Juliet, and the main focus will be

Act 2 of the play. Within this unit, the class will read and analyze the the six scenes within act
two, create modern translations of the play, and act out scenes to gain a better understanding of
the visual construction of the play. This unit will involve whole-class work, individual work, and
small group work. Starting with Act 2 Scene 1, it will involve gradual release as far as the
students working with the text on their own. Initially, we will read, analyze, and discuss the text
as a class, then specific students will act out Scene 2 and we will continue to analyze and
discuss the text, then students will be asked to create and act out a modern translation of the
infamous balcony scene. Finally, students will be assigned scenes 3-6 and will be put into
groups. They will read modern translations of the text to better understand their assigned scene,
then each group will act out their scene using Shakespeares language. After we have
completed all of Act 2 by either reading it or acting it out, we will review the entire act as a class
and make sure all of the important points have been analyzed and discussed.

This unit will take place directly after act 1 of Romeo and Juliet, which introduced
Shakespeares language, the genre of tragedy, and the background of the story of Romeo and
Juliet. By the time the Act 2 subunit begins, students should have a grasp on the play and what
is going on. Reading and analyzing this play will help students develop close reading strategies
by working closely with the language. In addition, reading this play addresses the following
Colorado state standards:

2.1.b. 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. (CCSS: RL.9-10.3)

2.1.a. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas,
and poems, in the grades 910 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range. (CCSS: RL.9-10.10)

2.1.e. Identify the characteristics that distinguish literary forms and genres

2.2.b. Analyze in detail how an authors ideas or claims are developed and refined by
particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
(CCSS: RI.9-10.5)

2.2.d. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including
the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the
connections that are drawn between them. (CCSS: RI.9-10.3)

In order to make this unit different from Act 1, I collaborated with the drama teacher to figure
out how to effectively have students act out Act 2 in order to gain an understanding for the stage
directions, and to see a visual representation of the play as it was meant to be. Students have
also learned about the setting of Verona, Italy and how the setting affects the play, and the
history of the Elizabethan theater in England, which gives them a global perspective on the
theater. In addition, since the characters in this play are teenagers, it presents the opportunity
for students to make connections to their own lives both with parental authority and the
relationship struggles they deal with or have dealt with in the past.