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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Unit Lessons, Activities and Notes

*Meant for grade 9 English Literature

Romeo and Juliet (1996) Trailer. Dir. by Baz Luhrman, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes

About This Unit

Romeo and Juliet is traditionally taught to grade 9 students. It is a great introductory piece to studying Shakespeare. I like to approach this unit with modernizations of the play including Baz Luhrman's 1996 film, which uses original language in modern settings, and West Side Story, which uses modern language, settings, and characters. The first week of the unit is spent studying historical and cultural context of Renaissance life including religion, politics and other literature. This unit has two formal assessments; one is a group research project on Renaissance culture and the other is a compare and contrast essay. In my experience, students are always hesitant with Shakespeare, but end the unit with a thorough understanding and have fun in the process. 

West Side Story (1961) Trailer. Dir. by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer

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