Class Discrimination in Language Lesson Plan

Overview

Schedule: 60 min class

Class: 9th Grade English

Source Material: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (handout with three scenes)

Standards:

1. RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g. how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone)
2. SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively

Objective:

1. To analyze the language of Shakespeare for techniques, vocabulary, structure, and syntax used to represent social class and status
2. To apply this knowledge of language to analyze characters’ social status and how this discrimination may affect the plot and themes of the story

Anticipatory Set:

1. Go over the agenda and write in planner
2. Students will pick up the handout with the three Romeo and Juliet scenes (listed in the Input section), as well as a Social Class Activity Worksheet.
3. Start class with a 3 minute Quickwrite:
   1. What social class do you think the characters of Romeo and Juliet are primarily in? Can you think of any examples where characters were discriminated against or treated differently because of their social status? Be specific.

Objective/Purpose:

• Students will be able to identify ways that Shakespeare manipulates language to demonstrate social class and status
• Students will be able to analyze how discrimination on the basis social status in Romeo and Juliet affects the themes and plot of the story

Input:

1. Agenda
2. Handout with scenes from Romeo and Juliet
   1. Act 1, Scene 5 (exchange between Lord Capulet and Tybalt)
   2. Act 3, Scene 1 (exchange between Benvolio, Mercutio, and Tybalt)
   3. Act 3, Scene 5 (exchange between Lord Capulet, Nurse, and Lady Capulet)
3. Social Class Activity Worksheet
4. Chairs and desks need to be moved to the outskirts of the room to allow for movement

Guided Practice:

Since today will involve quite a bit of movement, we will start with the Stop/Go/Turn/Clap Globe activity as a warmup.

Model:

We will then move into Power Battle Globe activity using Act 1, Scene 5 - the exchange between Lord Capulet and Tybalt. First, I will demonstrate the activity with a volunteer student.

Check for Understanding:

I will ask clarifying questions throughout the model section to ensure comprehension.

Guided Practice:

Students will repeat the activity in pairs around the room. Afterwards, they will be asked to write down their answers to the following questions on their activity worksheet:

1. What are the characters’ objectives?
2. Instinctively, what status would you give each character? What outer and inner status card numbers would you give to them? What lines or words make you say that?
3. What language does Shakespeare use to indicate status in this scene? Does he use any other language techniques, such as rhyme scheme, rhetoric, syntax, grammar, capitalization, etc. to indicate social status?

After each group has had a chance to do this, we will discuss the answers as a class.

Next, they will be asked to try a harder example with Act 3, Scene 1. They will answer all of the same questions on their activity worksheet. Afterwards, we will discuss any potential power imbalances as a class. It is important that students are able to identify:

1. The use of “gentlemen” and “good den” by Benvolio and Tybalt’s use of “you” and “sir” referring to Mercutio
2. How Tybalt responds civilly to Mercutio’s taunts
3. The use of iambic blank verse, which Shakespeare often uses to indicate higher social status

Check for Understanding:

I will walk around the room and monitor students’ progress, discussions, and written work to gauge comprehension and a need for clarification.

Independent Practice:

Students will complete the questions for Act 3, Scene 5 on their own, using what they have learned from the previous two scenes and class discussions as guides to analyze the final scene.

Students will then be asked to rank all of the characters in Romeo and Juliet based on social class by inferring from the language of the play for homework.

Check for Understanding:

I will ask clarifying questions during and after the movie to ensure comprehension.

Closure:

We will close the class with a class discussion on how language can be used as a tool to discriminate on the basis of social class. Are there any examples they could see of this in their own lives? How do they think discrimination based on social class affects the plot of the play? Would the story have turned out differently if this wasn’t the case?

Assessment:

The activity worksheets will be collected and graded to check for comprehension.

Overall Connection of Lesson Plan to the Unit:

This lesson occurs after students have finished reading the play for comprehension and are now diving deeper into its themes and language. They will have already learned rhyme scheme (iambic pentameter), vocabulary, comprehension techniques, etc. necessary for deciphering the language in the activity (although the introduction of iambic blank verse will likely be new). The day before this one, students will have done both the Inner Status and Outer Status Globe activities and discussed their implication as a class, placing them in the mindset for analyzing the text through this lens. We will then spend more time after the lesson talking about language and its implications and usage for discriminatory practices and treatment. This will directly lead into their summative essay assignment, asking them to compare and contrast the way language was used by Shakespeare to indicate status as a basis for discrimination (be it class or gender or other), and how language is used in the modern day to do the same.