YEAR 10 ENGLISH MS CASHA & MS THOM

1. YEAR 10 ENGLISH MS CASHA & MS THOM

2. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT • 3 weeks / 4 classes per week • The entire unit will be delivered and explored using ICT • Focusing on ‘sustainability’ cross-curriculum priority • Discipline-based learning: Level 10 AusVELS, links with English and the Arts (Media / Drama) • Intercultural Understanding: setting up an open environment in the classroom, an online blog that sensitively maps student thoughts, ideas and key skills learnt

3. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT • ISSUE / BIG QUESTIONS • EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE: Romeo and Juliet transcending the period • Key Terms: • Interpretation ∙ Digital ∙ Evolution ∙ Print ∙ Preserved ∙ Sustain ∙ Contemporary∙ • Language ∙ Early Modern ∙ Poetic ∙ • Possible Questions: • How does this play speak to a modern generation? • Does its issues and themes become more apparent if placed in a contemporary context? • Is the move toward digital technology damaging our connection to the past? What are the benefits of using ICT over printed media?

4. FOCUS ON CONTEMPORARY Moving into the 21st century, R&J is a reflection of another century. The language is denotative of radical changes in the evolution of lexicon and terminology, as is often apparent in the idioms and phraseology that we use today. In order for students to understand the play and its language, they will be assigned to modernise the play as a group, using a range of ICT programs. Furthermore, the issue of ‘sustainability’ will allow students to explore the opportunities that are now offered to schools. Students will examine the history of printed media and discuss the importance of modern technology as a learning tool.

5. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT • OVER THE HOLIDAYS: • Read the play – document a short summary of each act. What happens? Who is introduced? What is the purpose of these scenes? • Watch Romeo & Juliet (1968) • Watch Romeo & Juliet (1996) • Note some key differences between the 1968 film and the 1996 film – 4 specific scenes: the balcony, the wedding, Mercutio’s death, the suicide • Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences between texts, including those by the same author or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an author’s individual style (ACELT1616) • ASSESSING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: • Mind maps / Wordle / Class discussion / Thoughts put forward in journal writing • Select, navigate and read texts for a range of purposes, applying appropriate text processing strategies and interpreting structural features, for example table of contents, glossary, chapters, headings and subheadings (ACELY1712)

6. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT • WEEK 1: Introduction • Students will spend time investigating the history behind the writer, and the context of the play, the themes and the characters. • Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots (ACELT1614) • As a class, they will explore the language that has been used, focusing on the effect of iambic pentameter and its purpose as a poetic form. • Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic, humorous and persuasive purposes and effects (ACELA1518) • Students will enact certain scenes to demonstrate their understanding of the play’s content. • TYPES OF ACTIVITIES: Whoosh exercise ∙ Think. Pair. Share ∙ Viewing film scenes – online research • ICT LINK: electronic version of Romeo & Juliet on iPad or Kindle ∙ students interacting with computers

7. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT WEEK 2: Assessment Development - The assignment will draw on ICT and media for students to demonstrate their interpretive skills. Students will reconstruct a scene from R&J in a contemporary setting, with contemporary dialogue, characters, costumes and props. They may use inspiration from any of the cinematic or theatrical examples. Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience (ACELY1816) No two groups will do the same scene. TYPES OF ACTIVITIES: interacting with apps and software that allows students to explore different elements of the play (themes, characters, language) ∙ students will group up and work on a modern interpretation of the play ICT LINK: Celtx

8. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT WEEK 3: Evolution of Language To complete their unit, students will write a personal piece regarding their views on the evolution of the play – this will take the form of one or multiple journal entries. Compare texts including media texts that represent ideas and events in different ways, explaining the effects of the different approaches (ACELY1708) Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714) Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion (ACELA1525) They will showcase/perform their group assignments from week 2. TYPES OF ACTIVITIES: journal writing ∙ class discussion ∙ class debate ∙ further work on assignments ∙ performances ICT LINK: Celtx∙ Video recording ∙ To support performances

9. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT • MAJOR ASSESSMENT: Students will reinterpret a scene, using a contemporary angle. • Celtx: a program that students can use to write novels, screenplays, storyboards, and comic books. • Journals: students will keep reflective journals to map progress of their assignment, homework tasks and understanding of the play; journals will be read by the teacher over the course of the unit; there will be a list of questions that the students can ask regarding anything they don’t understand etc. Wiki or a blog. • Criteria: • Students will be judged on their interpretative skills: the changes they’ve made from original text to modern text, conversion of scenes, settings, characters etc. • Their performance – how they’ve chosen to showcase their scene • Journal pieces: their understanding of language evolution, the move toward ICT

10. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT Structured debate: Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions (ACELY1709) Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience (ACELY1816) Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making appropriate choices for modality and emphasis (ACELY1710)

11. ROMEO & JULIET: AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT DOMAINS / DISCIPLINES: English / The Arts STRANDS Reading and viewing: Language – Texts are influenced by context, purpose and mode of communication Literature – Text structures, language features in context may influence audience Literacy – People, cultures, places, events, objects are represented differently by context Writing: Language – Vocabulary choices to draw particular attention to elements of the story for the audience Drama: Students devise, rehearse an ensemble piece – using props, sets, costumes etc. Reflecting on their experiences and observations, consider what they have learned