Act 5

This is your final blog post. Some great posts and comments so far. Please ensure that you have completed all of the extras (see Act one blog post),

For your final blog post, I want your character to rewrite the ending of the story. Begin right after Romeo and Juliet get married, except the chain of events will be different. What type of ending would your character want  to see happen? Be sure to make your last comments on other people's posts.

The alternative ending can be written in prose or in play form with dialogue, and the character who is speaking must be identified.

Act 4: Interviews

Act 4: Interviews

Today we will be doing something a little different with Act 4 (rather than writing a summary/analysis, you will be conducting an interview).

New of Romeo's banishment, Juliet's "death", Tybalt's death and Mercutio's death has reached all of Verona and beyond. Step outside the role of your character; for this blog post questions you are a journalist working for a paper. Your task will be to pose 5 questions to your character character about anything that has taken place in the play (with slightly more emphasis on Act 4, but you are not confined to Act 4). Then, you will step back into the role of your character and will need to respond to the questions in your blog post (remember to stay in character!)

Remeber to comment on the other character's blogs.

For all the questions that you do please remember to avoid basic recall and reading comprehension questions and, instead, pose higher/deeper-level and critical thinking type of questions.
Have fun! A fantastic job so far!

To begin, your Act one and two blog posts are great: the content, the style, the characterization, etc. Well done! Please remember that you also need to comment on the other character's blog post for a full act-blog-mark. You may also want to be considering some of the "extra" things that need to appear in your blog (see Act one blog post for more information)

So, Act 3 character blog will be similar to your Act 1 and Act 2 character blog (a post of about 250 words that synthesizes and analyzes the content and themes of the Act via your character's perspective, comment on all the other character's blog and comment on your own comments). 

But, the added twist to your blog post with involve identifying, supporting and explaining the significance of 3 different emotions specific to your character, which can have been evident from any point in the play so far). 


Access this list of emotions. 

Therefore your blog post should include:

• A synthesis and analysis of the content and themes of Act 3 via your character's perspective
• Identify three emotions that are evident in your character (things they do/say or things others say about them/do to them).
• Find a quote for each emotion that best suits that emotion and demonstrates that it is specific to your character.
• Explain the significance of each of the three quotes/emotions

The things to include in your blog should be naturally woven into the content of your blog. When you are done, remember to comment on other character's blogs. 

Have fun!

 

For your second blog, I want you to consider what your character would find: AWESOME.

 

Have a look at:  http://1000awesomethings.com/ This will give you some ideas for what you would like to write about and the style on which you could write it; but remember to stay within the perspective of your character.  

As well, remember to comment on the other character’s posts.

Act One blog post

The goal of your blog is to express the thoughts, feelings, and history of your chosen character in a variety of ways. As you design your blog, you should always consider whether you are representing your character accurately, based on the text. It is absolutely fine to add details to your character’s life that are not mentioned in the text, as long as they are both appropriate to our school context and in line with the way the author describes your character.

Each group will create their own blog at blogspot.com for their character. We will be visiting the blog at the end of each act in Romeo and Juliet and there will be class time set aside to do this. I will link all the blogs to our class blog, but please become followers of the other blogs as you will need to visit them to comment on blog posts, try their surveys, and view their content.

Everyone’s blog MUST have ALL of the following (although you can choose at which stage of the play you include these):

• At least five posts written from the perspective of your character at the end of each act. These posts should be at least 250 words each. Each post must reflect content and themes of the act that was just read. Use the “ Act One: Things to Consider” section below to assist with your blog post.

• At least one post must have a related image within it.

• A sidebar that includes at least three links grouped around a theme of interest to your

Character

• A header with a title that matches your character and blog content, with a quotation

related to your character from the novel as a subtitle.

• A photo of your character (as you imagine him or her) on the sidebar with a brief

description of your character (role in life, relationships, goals, location, etc.)

As well, everyone’s blog MUST have ONE of the following:

• A link to a video or an embedded video

• A survey for viewers

• An additional set of links grouped around another theme

• Photo slideshow

• graphic and quotation

Each time we post, you will also be responsible for visiting each of the other character’s blogs and respond, via character, to their post/content of their blog page.

ACT ONE: THINGS TO CONSIDER

Literary Elements

Foreshadowing:  The Prologue states that this is the story of “star-crossed lovers.”  There are four strong foreshadowings of evil in Act 1.  

Pun:  A pun is a play on words.  Usually a pun involves words that sound alike, even though they are spelled differently and have different meanings.  In scene 4, Romeo is punning when he tells Mercutio why he cannot dance.  “You have dancing shoes / With nimble soles.  I have a soul of lead / So stakes me to the ground I cannot move” (1.4.14-16). 

Paradox:  A paradox is a statement that appears to contradict itself, but that on closer examination reveals a truth.  For example, when Juliet describes Romeo as “My only love, sprung from my only hate!” (1.5.152) she appears to contradict herself.  On closer examination, however, you understand that she realizes a sad fact: Romeo, her “only love,” belongs to the Montague family, a family she has been taught to despise since birth, hence, her “only hate.”  In scene 1, Romeo describes his love for Rosaline in a series of paradoxes.  See 1.1.181-187. 

Aside:  An aside is a remark whispered by one character to another, which other characters on stage are not supposed to hear.  In Scene 1, for example, when Sampson and Gregory pick a fight with the Montagues, they plan their strategy through whispered asides.

Discussion questions (you do not have to answer the questions in your post, but you may want to take them into consideration when you are writing your blog post and commenting on the other character’s blogs)

1. Discuss the sources of tension in the first scene.  Why are these characters upset?
2. How does Romeo describe the woman he loves in Scene 1?  Refer to things like word choice, connotation, tone, figures of speech, and so on.
3. Describe the Nurse.  Describe her relationship with Juliet.
4. Who are Romeo’s friends and what is their plan?  Discuss the debate they have with Romeo, as well as their motivations for this plan.
5. Describe Romeo’s reaction when he first sees Juliet.
6. Discuss the parallelism between Romeo’s “story” and Paris’ “story so far in Act 1.
7. Refer to Mercutio’s lines in Act 1.  What kind of friend is he to Romeo?  Would you like to have him for a friend?  If so, why?  If not, why ?
8. Discuss the Prologue and what you already know about the play.  If you were Romeo and Juliet, would you follow love or stay loyal to your family and friends?  Explain your reasons.

So . . . for today . . . write 250 words that looks at the content of Act One, through the perspective of your character. this will give us a sense of who they are, as well as chroncicle the events (only those that they would be privy to) that took place and their attitude/opinion of these events.

Further, you will need to comment on each of the other character's posts. I would recommend "following" their blogs, but you will also be able to access each of the blogs through this main blog once the addresses for each character have been uploaded

TKMB quote analysis

For what we have read so far in the book, select one of the following quote. Paraphrase the quote, tie them into various themes in the novel and be sure to use specific examples for support.

• "It is none of my business what other people think of me." -- Anon.
• "Whatever your strengths or weaknesses, you are no better and no worse than anybody else" -- Hososcope
• "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" -- Eleanor Roosevelt
• "If you have nothing nice to say about anyone, come over and sit by me." -- Alice Roosevelt
• "You can never really know a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" -- Hannibal Lecter/Atticus Finch
• "It is never an insult to be called what someone thinks is a bad name." -- Atticus Finch

Remember to also critically comment on two other people's posts (this can be an agreement and an extension of thinking or a disagreement/questioning)

Chapters 1 and 2

Your task will be to write a response for any of the following three tasks. Please note the criteria for what makes a good post .

Secondly, you must critically comment on two other people's posts. Please do not just put "I like this or I agree . . . "; rather, "I agree/disagree with ****'s post because . . . . " or "To elaborate on ******'s point . . . . "

Choose one of the following tasks:

• Pretend you are writing a description of Maycomb for a travel magazine of the 1930s. Describe the town in detail.
• The townspeople of Maycomb have some fears and superstitions about the Radley Place. Describe these fears and superstitions.
• The students in the class show some prejudice against Miss Caroline when she tells the class she is from Winston County, Alabama. Explain this prejudice.

Reminder: What makes a good post•Concise with a specific focus
•Shares thoughts, ideas, or opinions
•Opening grabs the reader's attention while introducing the point of the comment.
•Specific details support information in the comment
•Has a "So What?", theme, lesson, or specific point that attracts the readers' attention
•Demonstrates detailed understanding of the task/topic
•Positive tone engages the reader
•Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization is correct