Romeo & Juliet Lesson 4: 'Wherefore art thou Romeo?' - Lesson Plan

In Lesson 12 of the Shakespeare study focusing on "Romeo and Juliet," students are tasked with developing their understanding of Juliet's character through the lens of her relationships with her mother, Lady Capulet, and her nurse. The learning objective is to analyse how Shakespeare crafts Juliet's character and the dynamics of these pivotal relationships. The lesson aims to help students convey varying levels of knowledge about these character developments, from basic to insightful, depending on their grasp of the material.

The lesson commences with a 10-minute starter activity where students read and discuss Act 1, Scene 3, to set the foundation for their analysis. This is followed by a 40-minute main teaching activity, which includes completing a synopsis of the same scene and an 'Introducing Juliet' task that encourages deeper exploration of Juliet's character. For those students ready to extend their learning, an additional task invites them to write a second diary entry for Juliet, reflecting on the events of Act 1, Scene 3. The lesson concludes with a 10-minute plenary session where students provide and receive constructive criticism on their work. The lesson plan also emphasises differentiation opportunities, allowing for the PowerPoint to be edited or adapted and tasks to be selected, omitted, or personalised as needed to cater to different learning needs and to balance teacher guidance with independent study.