For my very first takeover, which started on November 1st, 2021, we began Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. My first obstacle was finding my “why” for this play. Why read an archaic play riddled with sexism, where the characters make almost exclusively bad decisions, and the language is torturously difficult for 14 year olds? One of my goals was to find a way to situate all of the literature we read in students’ real lives, so I formed the unit around their relationships with their parents and mentors.
Essential Questions
- Why are role models important?
- What are the characteristics of a good mentor?
- How do our relationships with parents and mentors affect our decision-making?
Text Set
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare