Romeo & Juliet Lesson 1: Shakespeare's Life and Times - Lesson Plan

The first lesson in a series on Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' is designed to equip students with effective research skills. The learning objective is to understand how to research a subject thoroughly using various tools and techniques. The lesson aims to assess students' progress through tasks such as 'Definitions of Sources' and activities that involve highlighting key information. By the end of the lesson, students are expected to demonstrate a range of understanding of research skills, from basic to detailed, depending on their starting point.

The lesson is structured with differentiation opportunities, allowing for the PowerPoint to be edited or adapted and tasks to be selected or personalised to cater to different learning needs. A balance between teacher guidance and independent learning is encouraged. The session kicks off with a 10-minute 'Where do I Look?' starter activity, followed by the main teaching activity which lasts 40 minutes. This includes a quick 'Finding Information Fast' exercise, a deeper look into 'Definitions of Sources', a discussion on skimming, scanning, and highlighting techniques, and a paired highlighting task with an extension for those who finish early. The lesson concludes with a 10-minute plenary where students give feedback to a partner or the group, discussing their highlighted findings and the decision-making process behind determining whether the information pertained to Shakespeare's personal or professional life.