4.25.08

Dear Abby,
I finished Act III in class today, and I get everything, or so says my completed study guide through page 34, with the quotes from Act III, but I still have work to do. My teacher gave us a writing assignment to write a letter as either Romeo or Juliet in which he/she complains and then asks advice. I'm suppose to give advice back as this "Dear Abby" person. Who is Abby any way? Maybe my mom knows. Any ideas on what I can write about?
Sincerely, Overwhelmed-Writer

Dear Overwhelmed,
Writing letters is pretty easy, far better than an essay, don't you think? I suggest you simply consider all the problems that Romeo and Juliet encounter through Act III (as you surely went over in class, ahem...). Choose your character, choose the problem/issue you want to focus on, and the write your letter according to your teacher's requirements. I'm sure you will do well, especially with the advice you will be able to give in the second letter as me.
Sincerely, Abby

4.24.08

We nearly completed reading Act III today in class, with the study guide, of course. Tomorrow students should have completed through question 5 on page 32 of the study guide. We reviewed the problems Romeo and Juliet face with their love, as well as fate vs. emotions ruling their choices and behaviors. Is their no rational act/thinking from teenagers in love?!

4.15.08

Students took a pop quiz on the quotes from Act I, which they worked on yesterday and were to have correctly completed. Then, we showed the the opening of the DiCaprio version of the film, and continued working on the study guide. Page 17 should be completed for the Montagues and Capulets by tomorrow. Please note that Abrams and Balthazar should be Capulets while Gregory and Sampson should be Montagues. Sorry for any confusion.

4.14.08

"Romeo and Juliet" Act II! We read along with the tapes today. P. 24 MUST be done (should have been done in class), as should the study guide p. 25 II, i (and part of ii).

4.11.08

After the spelling quiz (words starting at quiet), we reviewed the questions from I, iii. Then in partners, students read I, iv and v, and did the corresponding study guide questions. They also worked on the remaining quotes for act I on p. 24 of the study guide.
Monday, we'll continue with the reading. Next week, we'll also view portions of the 70s and modern films. Reading in class will include silent, group, whole class, and with the sound tapes.
On Monday, I hope Jose will start 'tagging' the walls for us with Capulet and Montague, too!

4.10.08

Today , students took the quiz on I, i-ii, read iii on their own, with the study guide questions. THEN, we read it aloud, decoding, deciphering, and deciding what we need to do to get the main points, if not all of the content. At the end, we previewed the "DiCaprio" version of the party scene where Romeo first sees Juliet.

4.09.08

Today we read aloud in a circle, with students accepting roles. Finishing act I, scene ii, students are prepared for tomorrow's quiz. Page 23, quotes, are due tomorrow.

4.08.08

Today, simply, was the writing assessment test.

4.07.08

What fun! Today we completed p. 16 in the study guide, read part of act I, scene i aloud, completing the study guide questions as we read. Students are to complete act I, scene i reading and study guide questions for homework, due WEDNESDAY. Tomorrow students will take a writing assessment test.

4.04.08

Whew! Today flew! Students took the spelling quiz, followed by the reading quiz. Next, I read (with dynamic flair and spectacle) the opening of the play, prologue and half of Act I, scene i. We deciphered it using the hints in the textbook margins. It was very successful. Finally, we moved to the computer lab where students hunted on-line for "Romeo and Juliet" sites that were fun; they were to complete the site evaluation form as best they could and write a paragraph summary for two sites.
Before leaving, students picked up a three page article to read over the weekend.

4.03.08

Homework included reading pages 14-15 of the packet, on which there will be a reading quiz on Friday. This is in addition to the spelling quiz.

We spent today playing with language, from Yoda, to Shakespeare! It was fun, and students partnered up to create their own Shakespearean dialogue in class.

4.02.08

"ROMEO & JULIET" is our new unit! We have spent the past few days previewing much of what will be reading. Students have a substantial packet and a textbook for the unit. Monday, students were to complete pages 2,3 of the pre-reading activities. We finished discussing those on Tuesday and moved into the background on Shakespeare and his poetry.

We discussed IAMBIC PENTAMETER (5 "heartbeat" syllables per line) and BLANK VERSE. A text reading assignment followed on Shakespeare's staging. Wednesday, we continued with more on his life, complete with PowerPoint and worksheets. Homework was to construct 5 Shakespearean insults based from page 12 of the packet/guide.