Romeo & Juliet Backdrop Webquest

Introduction

Hello class! As you know, we are going to be starting our unit on Romeo & Juliet in the next few days. However, it is important that we weave together a backdrop of essential information before we begin reading the play.

Have you ever wondered: What is so special about Romeo & Juliet? Why did Shakespeare decide to write about two silly teenagers in love? Why are we STILL reading it more than 400 years after it was written?

These questions (and many more!) will be answered as we weave our backdrop and read the play. Good luck!

Task

The end product of this webquest will be a visual summary created by each group that includes these four essential components:

1) Marriage during the Elizabethan era

2) Theater during the Elizabethan era

3) Elizabethan language

4) All about Shakespeare

Process

1. First, each of you will be assigned to a group of four (4) students.

2. Each member of the group will choose one of the four essential components to research and summarize.

3. Conduct your research. Utilize all of your resources. Be sure to take notes while researching so that you can provide your group with an accurate summary. Each component summary should have at least ten (10) facts. These facts should be both interesting and informative. Remember that this information will be used to weave our Romeo & Juliet backdrop. Please be thoughtful when choosing facts to use in your summary.

Resources for Marriage during the Elizabethan era:

http://elizabethan.org/compendium/10.html

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-marriages-and-weddings.htm

http://dcc.newberry.org/collections/marriage-family-shakespeare-england

Resources for Theater during the Elizabethan era:

http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/elizabethan-t…

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-theatre.htm

https://www.playshakespeare.com/study/elizabethan-theatres

Resources for Elizabethan language:

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-language.htm

http://elizabethan.org/compendium/20.html

http://www.humanitiesweb.org/spa/lai/ID/1262

Resources for All about Shakespeare:

http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/life.html

http://www.folger.edu/Content/Discover-Shakespeare/Shakespeares-Life/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_shakespeare/

4. Once all group members have completed their research, a visual summary must be created that includes all forty (40) group facts. Posterboard and markers will be provided for you. Your summary must be colorful, neat, and appealing to your audience. Artwork/drawings are not necessary but appreciated. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are required.

Evaluation

Each student will earn two grades for this assignment: one (1) individual grade and one (1) group grade.

The individual grade will be determined by the thoughtfulness and accuracy of the summary given for your specific component, as well as the degree to which you used your resources and worked collaboratively with your group.

	Exemplary (4)	Accomplished (3)	Developing (2)	Beginning (1)
Thoughtfulness of Facts	All (10) facts are interesting and informative.	Most (8-9) facts are interesting and informative.	Some (6-7) facts are interesting and informative.	An inadequate number of facts (0-5) are interesting and informative.
Accuracy of Facts	All (10) facts are accurate.	Most (8-9) facts are accurate.	Some (6-7) facts are accurate.	An inadequate number of facts (0-5) are accurate.
Use of Resources	All (3) resources were utilized in the acquisition of facts.	Most (2) resources were utilized in the aquisition of facts.	Some (1) resources were utilized in the acquisition of facts.	No (0) resources were utilized in the acquisition of facts.
Group Collaboration	Student worked exceptionally well with the rest of their group.	Student consistently worked well with the rest of their group.	Student usually worked well with the rest of their group.	Student did not work well with the rest of their group.

The group grade will be determined by the completion of the visual summary as well as the aesthetics of the summary and the grammar/punctuation/spelling of the summary. This grade will be the same for every member of your group.

	Exemplary (4)	Accomplished (3)	Developing (2)	Beginning (1)
Completion of Summary	All (40) facts were included on the summary.	Most (35-39) facts were included on the summary.	Some (30-34) facts were included on the summary.	An inadequate number (0-29) facts were included on the summary.
Aesthetics of Summary	The summary is exceptionally well done in terms of aesthetics.	The summary is well done in terms of aesthetics.	The summary is adequately well done in terms of aesthetics.	The summary is inadequate in terms of aesthetics.
Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling of Summary	There are no (0) GPS errors.	There are a few (1-2) GPS errors.	There are several (3-4) GPS errors.	There is an unacceptable number (5+) of GPS errors.

Conclusion

I hope you all enjoyed conducting your research for this Romeo & Juliet Backdrop Webquest! You are now more prepared to read William Shakespeare's play Romeo & Juliet. The summaries you create will be hung throughout our classroom so that they may be used as references during our reading of the play. Excellent work!

Credits

Reference List

Alchin, L. (n.d.). Elizabethan era. Retrieved from http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2014). William Shakespeare. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_shakespeare/

British Library. (n.d.). Shakespeare's life. Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/life.html

Folger Shakespeare Library. (n.d.). Shakespeare's life. Retrieved from http://www.folger.edu/Content/Discover-Shakespeare/Shakespeares-Life/

Gifford, K. (2002). The English language during the Elizabethan age. Retrieved from http://www.humanitiesweb.org/spa/lai/ID/1262

Layson, H., & Phillips, S. (2014). Marriage and family in Shakespeare's England. Retrieved from http://dcc.newberry.org/collections/marriage-family-shakespeare-england

National Endowment for the Arts. (n.d.). Elizabethan theater. Retrieved from http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/elizabethan-t…

Popinjay Press. (2009). Renaissance: the Elizabethan world. Retrieved from http://www.elizabethan.org/

Severdia, R. (ed.). (2014). Elizabethan theatres. Retrieved from https://www.playshakespeare.com/study/elizabethan-theatres

*Special thanks to www.webquest.org for the guide on what to include in the webquest, as well as to owl.english.purdue.edu for the guide on how to cite in APA format!

Teacher Page

This webquest on Romeo & Juliet will assist the students in completing CCSS RI.9.1,2,4,7,10:

RI.9.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.9.2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.9.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
RI.9.7: Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums...determining which details are emphasized in each account.
RI.9.10: By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.