ALEX Learning Activity

  

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

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Julie Powell
System:Elmore County
School:Elmore County High School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 1952
Title:
Shakespeare Reinvented: Multiple Interpretations of the R & J Balcony Scene
Digital Tool/Resource:
LucidChart
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

After reading the Balcony Scene (Act II, Scene ii) of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, students analyze multiple interpretations of the critical 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 using LucidChart's Venn Diagram tool. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 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.

Examples: short and long prose texts, poetry, dramas
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R2.
  • Literary texts
  • Literal understanding
  • Figurative understanding
  • Text
  • Purpose
  • Situation
Knowledge:
R2. 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:
R2. 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:
R2. Students understand that:
  • Literary texts can be understood on both a literal and figurative level.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 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.

a. 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
Teacher Vocabulary:
1.
  • Analyze
  • Evaluate
  • Complex literary text
  • Complex historical texts
  • Points of view
  • Cultural perspectives
  • British Isles literature
  • Analyze
  • Evaluate
  • Examination
  • Contributions
  • Influences
    • Knowledge:
    1. 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.
    1a.
    • 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:
    1. Students are able to:
    • Read complex texts.
    • Analyze elements within complex texts.
    • Evaluate text based on specific criteria provided by the teacher.
    1a.
    • 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:
    1. 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.
    1a.
    • 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
    ELA2021 (2021)
    Grade: 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
    Teacher Vocabulary:
    7.
    • Fiction texts
    • Nonfiction texts
    • Perspectives
    • Informational texts
    • Digital texts
    • Multimodal texts
    • Historical viewpoints
    • Cultural viewpoints
    • Global viewpoints
    Knowledge:
    7. 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:
    7. 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:
    7. 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.
    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).
      Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
    Phase:
    During/Explore/Explain
    Activity:

    ***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 scene has 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 creating an account, students select the Education documents and the 4-Circle Venn Diagram template.

    • Groups of students can work together on the same Venn Diagram by utilizing the share feature. After one student creates the Venn Diagram template, they 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: 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:
    Advanced 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.
    Variation Tips (optional):
     
    Notes or Recommendations (optional):
     
      Keywords and Search Tags  
    Keywords and Search Tags: analyzing art, compare and contrast, diverse media, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare