Learning Activity

Shakespeare Reinvented: Multiple Interpretations of the R & J Balcony Scene

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

12

Overview

After reading the Balcony Scene (Act II, Scene ii) of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, students view and analyze multiple interpretations of the key scene in different artistic mediums: a poem, a painting, and a movie clip. Students compare and contrast the various representations of Shakespeare's original scene by utilizing LucidChart's Venn Diagram tool. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.R2

Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts to develop a literal and figurative understanding as appropriate to the type of text, purpose, and situation.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.R2

Vocabulary

  • Literary texts
  • Literal understanding
  • Figurative understanding
  • Text
  • Purpose
  • Situation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Necessary skills to read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Strategies to analyze literary text to develop a literal and figurative understanding.
  • Literary texts have different intended meanings depending on the genre, purpose, and situation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Develop literal and figurative understanding of literary texts appropriate to the text, purpose, and situation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary texts can be understood on both a literal and figurative level.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.1

Read, analyze, and evaluate complex literary and historical texts written from particular points of view or cultural experiences, with an emphasis on works of literature from the British Isles.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.1

Vocabulary

  • Analyze
  • Evaluate
  • Complex literary text
  • Complex historical texts
  • Points of view
  • Cultural perspectives
  • British Isles literature

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Necessary skills to read, analyze, and evaluate complex literary and historical texts.
  • Strategies to identify and describe various points of view and cultural perspectives.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Read complex texts.
  • Analyze elements within complex texts.
  • Evaluate text based on specific criteria provided by the teacher.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Texts written from various cultural perspectives and viewpoints can provide them with valuable information about the thoughts, opinions, and experiences of others in the present and in the past.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.1a

Read, analyze, and evaluate a play by William Shakespeare, including an examination of its contributions to the English language and its influences on other works of literature.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.1a

Vocabulary

  • Analyze
  • Evaluate
  • Examination
  • Contributions
  • Influences

Knowledge

  • Necessary skills to read, analyze, and evaluate a play by William Shakespeare.
  • Strategies to identify the impact of Shakespeare's plays on the English language and other works of literature.

Skills

  • Read, analyze, and evaluate a play by William Shakespeare.
  • Examine a play by Shakespeare and determine its contributions to the English language and its influences on other works of literature.

Understanding

  • The plays of William Shakespeare contributed to the English language with certain figures of speech and terminology and influenced other literary authors.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.7

Compare and/or contrast the perspectives in a variety of fiction, nonfiction, informational, digital, and multimodal texts produced from diverse historical, cultural, and global viewpoints, not limited to the grade level literary focus.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.7

Vocabulary

  • Fiction texts
  • Nonfiction texts
  • Perspectives
  • Informational texts
  • Digital texts
  • Multimodal texts
  • Historical viewpoints
  • Cultural viewpoints
  • Global viewpoints

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies to identify the perspective of fiction, nonfiction, informational, digital, and multimodal texts.
  • Strategies to identify the historical, cultural, and global viewpoints of a variety of texts.
  • Methods to compare and contrast texts.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compare and contrast perspectives in fiction, nonfiction, informational, digital, and multimodal texts.
  • Compare and contrast diverse historical, cultural, and global viewpoints demonstrated in a variety of texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The texts they read will have a variety of historical, cultural, and global viewpoints, which offer a multitude of perspectives on different topics.
  • Similar and different ideas and themes can be presented in a variety of textual formats.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Students will compare and contrast multiple interpretations of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet balcony scene (a poem, a movie clip, and a painting).
  • Students will analyze the multi-media interpretations of the balcony scene utilizing the MMEDIA acronym (Mood, Missing Elements, Emphasized Elements, Diction/Dialogue, Important Details, and Actions of Characters).

Activity Details

***Make sure students have read the Balcony Scene (Act II, Scene ii) from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. (Online text is here.) ***

1. Divide students into groups of 2-3. In their groups, students will review the following interpretations of the balcony scene and analyze them using the MMEDIA acronym on the Note Guide (Teacher may choose to print this and have students take notes on paper or students can make a copy of the Google Doc and complete the notes online):

2. After each of the scenes have been analyzed, students will compare and contrast the interpretations of the balcony scene with each other and the original Shakespearean text by utilizing LucidChart's Venn Diagram template.

  • Students create free accounts at https://www.lucidchart.com/. 
  • After an account is created, students select the Education documents. Then, students select the 4-Circle Venn Diagram template.
  • Groups of students can work together on the same Venn Diagram by utilizing the share feature. After the Venn Diagram template is created by one student, he/she can add collaborators by clicking on SHARE and then ADD COLLABORATOR on the menu across the top of the screen. 
  • Students should label each circle on the Venn Diagram with the following: Movie Clip, Poem, Painting, and Original Text. Then, students can complete the Venn Diagram by placing similarities in overlapping circles and differences in non-overlapping parts of circles.
  • When the Venn Diagram is complete, students should select SHARE and then PUBLISH. The Venn Diagram can be saved as a PDF and printed or emailed to the teacher for submission.

 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

Quick Rubric URL: http://www.quickrubric.com/r#/qr/juliepowell/shakespeare-reinvented--analyzing-multiple-interpretations-of-r-and-j's-balcony-scene

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

31 to 45 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

  • Each student group will need access to a device or devices with internet capability.
  • Check links to ensure they are not blocked on the school network.
  • If students are taking notes on paper rather than in Google Docs, teacher should copy Note Guide for each group.

Digital Tools / Resources

Lucid Chart
https://www.lucidchart.com/

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

julie0830
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