Unit Portfolio Presentation Penny Archer Romeo and Juliet Unit Portfolio Presentation Penny Archer

Unit Summary Students read Romeo and Juliet and relate it to contemporary life. They research a problem from the play that is still an issue today and collaborate to find a solution. They create a publication or presentation about their solution and share it with an audience.

Curriculum-Framing Questions Essential Question: Is there such a thing as fate? Unit Question: Why is Romeo and Juliet a classic? Content Questions: What is the Globe Theater? Who are the characters in Romeo and Juliet?

Vision for Unit By creating this unit, I want to Try out new methods to make classic literature relevant to my students’ lives Think of ways to involve my students more in the community During this unit, I want my students to Learn ways to connect classic literature to their daily lives Use technology to communicate with different audiences

Project Approaches As my students work on this project, they Connect the play to the real world Collaborate with peers and community members Create a product that shows what they’ve learned Share their learning with a real audience

21st Century Learning Students will develop higher-order and 21st century skills in this unit as they Use the Essential and Unit Questions to guide their analysis of the play to find themes that cross places and times Communicate their ideas to a community audience Reflect on their reading, writing, research, and thinking strategies, and modify and adapt them as necessary Use project assessments to self-assess their work and give feedback to their peers

Gauging Student Needs Assessments Use CFQs to learn Students’ ideas about what a “classic” is Background knowledge of characters and plot of play Assess 21st Century skills Ability to see common elements in classic and contemporary literature

Gauging Student Needs Assessments I can use the information from these assessments to: Focus on parts of the play that students have prior misconceptions about Plan activities in which they will answer their questions Students can use the information from these assessments to: Compare their questions to those in previous units Set goals for how they will adjust their reading style for this kind of literature

Requests for Feedback Need ways to help students understand the play without paraphrasing and summarizing it for them Need help assessing students’ higher-order thinking skills