9.1.2 Drama Unit Overview
Texts: Romeo and Juliet( selected scenes); Macbeth ( selected scenes)
Introduction:
In this unit, students continue to develop habits and skills related to close reading, annotation, using evidence, building vocabulary, and participating in structured discussion, and they do so with text that is more qualitatively complex than in earlier units. This may be students’ first exposure to Shakespeare and the format of a play, so instruction will include a focus on Shakespeare’s use of language and on the organization of the play. Students will study the structure of his language and speeches for craft and impact on character development.
Students will alternate reading and viewing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, continuing their study of how authors develop complex characters. They will follow the development of Romeo and Juliet from the time each character is introduced, collecting evidence as to how the two characters develop across all five acts of the play as revealed by Shakespeare’s language and their interactions with other characters. Throughout the reading and viewing of the play, students will examine Shakespeare’s rich use of figurative language, word play, and powerful cadence.
While this unit serves as an introduction to Shakespeare, it does not delve into the world and works of Shakespeare. Students will study both the written text and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film version of the play. Key scenes will be read and analyzed closely, based on their pivotal role in the play and their historic and cultural relevance in the wider range of reading. Luhrmann’s film will address the text between the selected excerpts to allow students to contextualize their close readings. Pause periodically during the film for discussion, returning to the written script if necessary. Some parts of the play will be viewed without reading the script, and others will be read closely without viewing.
For the Mid-Unit Assessment, students will be assessed with a short written response, preceded by structured discussion. Students will consider Romeo and Juliet’s character development throughout the entire balcony scene. Their claim will be supported by evidence from Act 2 Scene 2 as a whole (RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2).
For the End-of-Unit Assessment, students choose either Romeo or Juliet and write an essay that explains how that character changes throughout the play as revealed by the Shakespeare’s language and the structure of the play (RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2).
Literacy Skills and Habits
- Read closely for textual details
- Annotate texts to support comprehension and analysis
- Collect evidence from texts to support analysis
- Organize evidence to plan around writing
- Review and revise writing
Standards for This Unit
| CCS Standards: Reading—Literature | |
| RL.9-10.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. |
| RL.9-10.3 | 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. |
| RL.9-10.4 | Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). |
| RL.9-10.5 | Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. |
| RL.9-10.7 | Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment. |
| CCS Standards: Writing | |
| W.9-10.2 | Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. |
| W.9-10.9 | Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”). |
| CCS Standards: Speaking & Listening | |
| SL.9-10.1b | Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed. |
| SL.9-10.1c | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions. |
| College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading | |
| CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 | Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. |
Unit Assessments
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Ongoing Assessment |
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| Standards Assessed | RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4, RL.9-10.5, RL.9-10.7, W.9-10.2 |
| Description of Assessment | Answer text-dependent questions. Write informally in response to text-based prompts. |
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Mid-Unit Assessment |
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| Standards Assessed | RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2 |
| Description of Assessment | The three-lesson arc will culminate in a brief writing assignment, which comprises the Mid-Unit Assessment. Students will consider Romeo and Juliet’s character development throughout the entire balcony scene. Their claim will be supported by evidence from Act 2 Scene 2 as a whole.Students will respond to the following prompt: How do Romeo and Juliet’s desires, concerns, and fears change throughout their interactions with one another in this scene? |
End-of-Unit Assessment |
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| RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2 | |
| Students choose either Romeo or Juliet and write an essay that explains how Shakespeare unfolds the character throughout the play with evidence referencing Shakespeare’s language and the events of the play. | |