William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Lesson plans & other teaching ideas, p. 2

Letters Of Heartbreak Find Some Love In Verona, Italy
This short article (includes link to audio) describes the "secretaries" who respond to letters mailed to Juliet in Verona, Italy. What might your students write either to or from the secretaries?

Mixing It Up with Romeo and Juliet
Students create a soundtrack for the play, selecting a song for each scene.

"O Wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?": The Art of Wooing in Romeo and Juliet
This strategy asks students to compare "pick up lines" from Shakespeare's time and now. Adobe Reader or compatible application required for access to the 4 handouts.

Parenting 101
Students will examine Romeo and Juliet in the context of three excerpts from The Office of Christian Parents: Shewing How Children Are To Be Gouerned throughout All Ages and Times of Their Life. These excerpts deal with instructions for the following: raising a daughter, raising a son, and marriage. Printed in 1616, the anonymous author of the text was codifying these mandates during Shakespeare's lifetime.

Pyramus and Thisbe, Page to Stage
In this lesson, students will read Ovid's story of Pyramus and Thisbe, either in the 1587 translation that Shakespeare might have known or on a modern website. They will attempt to turn the story into a dramatic scene, mimicking Shakespeare's process of turning Ovid's story into drama. Students will also use the lesson to learn about genre, noting that the same story can easily be turned into a tragedy (Romeo and Juliet) or a comedy (A Midsummer Night's Dream).

Redefining Romeo and Juliet: Reclaiming the "Ghetto"
In this blog a teacher asks, "As educators, our role is changing; the power of student production is a necessary tool for critical analysis. How can these tools break down existing assumptions?" His students use Flip cameras to connect the play to their own environment.

"A rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear:" original line or familiar find?
Students examine a primary source document from 1684 that includes many of the same lines found in Romeo's speech to Juliet in 1.5. They compare the texts and discuss the different conception of authorship in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Romeo and Juliet
Reading strategies, including an anticipation guide, guided imagery, and a KWHL chart.

Romeo and Juliet
Prereading activity, act-by-act reading guides, paper and project ideas, and related links.

Romeo and Juliet
This site offers several resources: unit plans, links to related sites, a study guide, and a WebQuest.

Romeo and Juliet
Plot summary, themes, discussion of imagery and style, essay topics, more.

Romeo and Juliet
A variety of post-reading activities.