Lesson 6

Lesson Goals

Texts

Materials

Tools

• Romeo and Juliet: Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist

• Romeo and Juliet: Culminating Task Checklist

• Culminating Task Progress Tracker

• Discussion Tool

Reference Guides

• Academic Discussion Reference Guide

Editable Google Docs

• Romeo and Juliet: Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist

• Romeo and Juliet: Culminating Task Checklist

• Culminating Task Progress Tracker

• Discussion Tool

Activity 1: Read

We will examine protocols for academic discussions and establish norms for the Section Diagnostic discussion.

Academic discussions allow for a rich understanding of a variety of viewpoints on texts and topics. They also present opportunities for you to use academic language and new vocabulary, help you practice your listening and speaking skills, and assess whether you are clearly expressing your ideas and claims to demonstrate your knowledge of the text or topic. The academic language used during academic discussions also allows for disagreements to be discussed in a polite, but critical, way.

Academic discussions include the following criteria:

• Listeners ask questions about the speaker’s observations, ideas, and claims. Speakers clearly express their observations, ideas, and claims.

• Listeners ask for evidence to support the speaker’s observations, ideas, and claims. Speakers use evidence from the text to explain and support their observations, ideas, and claims.

• Listeners check their understanding and push speakers to clarify their observations, ideas, and claims. Speakers clarify their thinking to ensure it is valid and based on textual evidence.

• Listeners challenge the thinking of others to establish new ways of thinking. Speakers explain how their observations, ideas, and claims relate to those of others.

For sample question stems that you might use, consult the Academic Discussion Reference Guide.

Activity 2: Discuss

We will participate in the first round of discussion on the Section Diagnostic and take notes in our Discussion Tool.

For this Section Diagnostic, you will be participating in multiple partner discussions. Listen carefully as your teacher gives directions for grouping arrangements.

During each discussion, you will share a claim using your notes on the Discussion Tool, and you will listen to the claim of your partner. During the discussion, make sure to do the following:

• Listen attentively to the speaker’s main points and support.

• Support your ideas with specific textual evidence from the play and details from the films.

• Elaborate and clarify your ideas.

• Select and commit to using one of the following norms for an academic discussion:

  • Ask your partner questions if something needs to be clarified or elaborated on.

  • Build on the ideas of your partner.

  • Respectfully challenge the ideas of your partner.

With a partner, discuss your response to the following prompts:

1. How did Zeffirelli’s choices in Act 1, Scene 5 enhance or detract from the thematic ideas found in Act 1, Scene 5 in the original play?

2. How did Luhrmann’s choices in Act 1, Scene 5 enhance or detract from the thematic ideas found in Act 1, Scene 5 in the original play?

Capture the gist of your partner’s claim and supporting evidence on the second row of Section 2 of the Discussion Tool.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will switch partners and discuss our responses to the prompts.

Once your teacher has directed you to do so, switch partners.

Share your claim with the new partner and listen to their claim. During the discussion, make sure to do the following:

• Listen attentively to the speaker’s main points and support.

• Support your ideas with specific textual evidence from the play and details from the films.

• Elaborate (provide relevant details) and clarify (make clear and comprehensible) your ideas.

• Select and commit to using one of the following norms for an academic discussion:

  • Ask your partner questions if something needs clarification or elaboration.

  • Build on the ideas of your partner.

  • Respectfully challenge the ideas of your partner.

With your new partner, discuss your response to the following prompts:

1. How did Zeffirelli’s choices in Act 1, Scene 5 enhance or detract from the thematic ideas found in Act 1, Scene 5 in the original play?

2. How did Luhrmann’s choices in Act 1, Scene 5 enhance or detract from the thematic ideas found in Act 1, Scene 5 in the original play?

Capture the gist of your new partner’s claim and supporting evidence on the third row of Section 2 of the Discussion Tool.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will switch partners and discuss our responses to the prompts.

Once your teacher has directed you to do so, switch partners.

Share your claim with the new partner and listen to their claim. During the discussion, make sure to do the following:

• Listen attentively to the speaker’s main points and support.

• Support your ideas with specific textual evidence from the play and details from the films.

• Elaborate and clarify your ideas.

• Select and commit to using one of the following norms for an academic discussion:

  • Ask your partner questions if something needs clarification or elaboration.

  • Build on the ideas of your partner.

  • Respectfully challenge the ideas of your partner.

With your new partner, discuss your response to the following questions:

1. How did Zeffirelli’s choices in Act 1, Scene 5 enhance or detract from the thematic ideas found in Act 1, Scene 5 in the original play?

2. How did Luhrmann’s choices in Act 1, Scene 5 enhance or detract from the thematic ideas found in Act 1, Scene 5 in the original play?

Capture the gist of your new partner’s claim and supporting evidence on the fourth row of Section 2 of the Discussion Tool.

Activity 5: Write

We will use takeaways from the discussion to reflect on our understanding of the films and refine our original claims.

Using the Discussion Tool, reflect on the following questions:

1. How do my peers’ claims, evidence, and explanations support or change my thinking?

2. What new understanding have I come to after discussing the films?

Respond to the questions, and, if needed, revise your claim in Section 3 of the Discussion Tool. Complete Section 3 of the Discussion Tool.

Activity 6: Write

We will reflect on our work on the Section Diagnostic and assess our progress toward the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Choose at least three of the following questions and respond to them:

1. How well did you take the necessary actions to prepare for the task?

2. What went well for you during the completion of this task?

3. With what did you struggle during the completion of this task? How did you push through that struggle?

4. How well did you actively focus your attention during this independent task?

5. How well did you develop and use an effective and efficient process to maintain workflow during this task?

6. What would you do differently during the next Section Diagnostic?

Review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about all you have learned and done during this section of the unit. Evaluate your skills and knowledge.

1. How prepared are you to succeed on the Culminating Task?

2. What do you need to do to succeed?

Step 2

Review the Central Question of the unit:

Why do we still read Shakespeare?

Use the following questions to guide a discussion with a partner or small group:

1. What new knowledge do you have in relation to the Central Question?

2. What are you still curious about in relation to the Central Question?

3. What is the relationship between the question and the texts you have read so far? How do the texts shed light on the question? How does the question help you understand the texts?

4. How has your response to the question evolved, deepened, or changed?

In your Learning Log, write your response to Question 3. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.