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Lesson 1

We will draft a claim that determines a theme in Romeo and Juliet, explain how it is developed, and support the explanation with evidence. We will determine a theme about love, find two quotations to support our analyses, and use a paragraph template to draft our claims.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I recognize and interpret language and sentence structures to deepen my understanding of a theme in Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I determine a theme and explain how it is developed within Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I develop and clearly communicate a meaningful and defensible claim about how a theme is developed in Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2004

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write

We will determine a theme about love from Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet.

Use the following questions to reread and annotate Lines 89-108 from Act 1, Scene 2:

  1. Who is Romeo in love with in this scene?

  2. How does Benvolio say that Romeo can cure his lovesickness for this woman?

  3. What is Romeo’s reaction to Benvolio’s plan?

  4. What personality trait does Romeo’s reaction reveal about him?

  5. What theme is Shakespeare developing about youth and love? Write the theme as a complete sentence on your Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool.

Then, write your responses to the questions in your Learning Log.

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will identify the most prominent lines from this excerpt in Act 1, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet to support the theme we determined in the previous activity.

Reread Lines 89-108 of Act 1, Scene 2. Underline the lines that illustrate the strongest evidence for your previously identified theme about love.

Transfer those lines to your Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool. Be sure to include proper act, scene, and line numbers (e.g., 2.3.10-12).

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will read an excerpt from Act 1, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet to determine how it connects to the theme that we identified in Act 1, Scene 2.

Use the following questions to reread and annotate Lines 51-60 of Act 1, Scene 5:

  1. Which lines from this scene connect to the character trait about Romeo identified in Act 1, Scene 2? Underline the lines.

  2. How do those lines connect to the thematic idea identified in Act 1, Scene 2? Transfer your answer to your Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool. Be sure to include proper line citation.

Then, write your responses to the questions in your Learning Log.

Activity 4: Write

We will use our notes to draft a one-paragraph response to the questions: “What Is A Theme That Is Being Developed In Act 1 Of Romeo And Juliet?” and “How Is It Developed In The Play?”

Reread the Model Claim from the Section 1 Diagnostic. Use its structure as a template to draft your own claim.

Template:

In Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare develops the theme _____ through the characterization of Romeo. This theme is first introduced in Act 1, Scene 2 when Romeo says, “_____” (citation). (Explain how the lines connect to the theme.) Romeo echoes this idea in Lines _____ of Act 1, Scene 5 when he says, “_____.” (Explain how these lines connect to the theme.)