Unit 2 Lesson 8: Balcony Scene Part II

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Unit 2 Lesson 8

This is the second lesson in a three-lesson arc that focuses on close reading of the iconic balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. The text addressed in this lesson is Act 2.2.52–106.

This passage provides an opportunity for students to explore Romeo and Juliet in conversation with each other. Through a targeted exploration of word choice and figurative language, students will work toward an understanding of how complex characters develop through interactions with each other.

Students will continue working in the groups that were established in Lesson 7, as well as discussing observations with the entire class. For homework, students will continue to read their Accountable Independent Reading texts.

Standards

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.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough evidence 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.

 

Assessment

Quick Write: What can you infer about Romeo and Juliet by comparing their use of language? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Vocabulary

  • bescreened (adj.) – hidden from sight
  • counsel (n.) – private thoughts
  • thine (pron.) – that which belongs to you
  • enmity (n.) – hatred
  • compliment (n.) – a formal act
  • perjuries (n.) – false vows
  • fain (adv.) – gladly
  • peril (n.) – danger
  • cunning (n.) – skill, charm
  • strange (adj.) – reserved
  • light (adj.) – of little weight, shallow, insubstantial

 

Agenda

  • Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4
  • Text: Act 2.2.52–106
  • Homework Accountability
  • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
  • Opening Activity
  • Masterful Reading: Act 2.2.52–106
  • Text-Dependent Questions and Activities
  • Quick Write

Aim: What can you infer about Romeo and Juliet by comparing their use of language?

  • RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4
  • Text: Act 2.2.52–106
  • Homework Accountability
  • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
  • Opening Activity
  • Masterful Reading: Act 2.2.52–106
  • Text-Dependent Questions and Activities
  • Quick Write

Materail:  Free Audio Resource: https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/romeo-and-juliet/id384528334

Learning Sequence:

  1. Briefly discuss your responses to the rereading (2.2.1–51) and the prompt: Choose a specific line from both Romeo and Juliet that demonstrates the emotion Shakespeare is crafting in this scene.
  2. What is Juliet responding to in lines 56–57?
  3. listen to a masterful reading of 2.2.56–111.
  4. read aloud lines 56–62 in your small groups . Discuss: Why doesn’t Romeo know how to tell Juliet who he is? What relationship is Romeo establishing between his name and himself?
  5. read aloud in your groups lines 63–84. Discuss: a. According to Romeo, what power does love have? b. What concern is Juliet expressing in line 70? c. For Romeo, why is Juliet’s eye more perilous than twenty swords? What concern is Romeo expressing? D. What does Romeo prefer to life without Juliet’s love? How does this support your understanding of what Romeo values? E. What extended metaphor is Romeo constructing in these lines? What might this reveal about how Romeo understands his relationship to Juliet?
  6. Read aloud in your groups lines 90-95 and circle repeating words. fain means “gladly.” What does the use of fain in these lines reveal about how Juliet is feeling? Why might she be feeling this way?
  7. compliment means “formality.”  When Juliet says “farewell, compliment” to what is she saying good-bye? What shift might this indicate in her attitude?
  8. Read aloud in groups lines 90–97. Discuss: What concerns underlie Juliet’s requests? What might this reveal about how she understands her relationship with Romeo?
  9. 9.       Read aloud in groups lines 98–106. Discuss:  How does this description inform your understanding of Juliet’s intentions towards Romeo?
  10. Review the text you have just read and circle all the imagery found in Romeo’s lines. Then you will repeat the process for Juliet’s lines. Share: What do you notice about the use of imagery in Romeo’s lines versus Juliet’s lines?

Quick Write: What can you infer about Romeo and Juliet by comparing their use of language? Consider their main concerns in this excerpt

Homework:  Continue your Accountable Independent Reading through the lens of their focus standard and prepare for a 3–5 minute discussion of their text based on that standard.

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