Presentations

Last class, I handed out information on presentations.  These will take place on Friday June 8th.

We then spent time watching Act III scene iii, right through to Act IV scene iii, and we discussed all the vital plot elements which occur in these scenes.  We concluded with a discussion about how the relationships affect the decision making of Romeo and Juliet.

Synthesis Paragraph Writing

We spent last class writing synthesis paragraphs for practice, on the topic of Romeo and Mercutio's characters.  Students were asked to compare/contrast their characters, and to write one paragraph, using textual evidence as support.  I read and responded to these paragraphs, highlighting on a Provincial Exam Rubric the feedback appropriate to each paragraph.  Today, we reviewed strengths and areas for improvement on these paragraphs.

We also spent time looking at the poetic devices used in Act III scene ii, in an attempt to review these elements before the exam.

The Balcony Scene

We have spent the past two classes analyzing who is more enthusiastic and eager about the relationship by the end of Act II, scene ii - Romeo or Juliet?  We gathered evidence from the balcony scene, and last class, we created a model synthesis paragraph, together, labeling all the parts of synthesis writing.  We will use this model piece the next time we do synthesis writing, so that students are able to refer to it, to remember all the features.

Act I Summary

Last day, we reviewed the events of Act I, specifically focusing on the relationships that have developed thus far.  We talked about the nature of Romeo and Juliet's relationship, whether we believe Romeo's and Juliet's parents to be supportive of them, and whether we consider Benvolio a good friend to Romeo or not.

I asked students to do a character analysis for either Romeo or Juliet, focusing on the events of Act I, where they were to select three lines/sections from the play to capture the essence of the character's mindset.  Then, I asked students to consider the "modern mindset" of the character, and to create a text message that the character would likely send to describe what has happened to him/her so far.

Students will be given an opportunity to complete this assignment on Thursday in class.