Exploring Romeo and Juliet

Lesson Objectives

• To introduce students to the central themes and key characters in William Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet".
• To develop skills in roleplay, collaboration, and dramatic expression.
• To encourage creative exploration of Shakespearean language, tailored to Year 5 learners.
• To link learning to the UK National Curriculum for English: spoken language, drama, and language comprehension—particularly developing understanding of classic texts.

Curriculum Links

This lesson addresses the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum for English, focusing on the following areas:

• Spoken Language: Using drama and roleplay to explore characters, situations, and key ideas in a text.
• Reading Comprehension: Discussing texts and drawing inferences about characters' thoughts and feelings.
• Developing fluency with vocabulary, including archaic or unfamiliar language.

Level: Upper KS2 – Year 5

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Lesson Outline

Duration: 45 Minutes
Class Size: 30 students
Resources:

• A simple modern-English summary of “Romeo and Juliet” (teacher-created or prepared notes).
• Printed labels with key character names (Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Mercutio, Nurse, Friar Laurence, etc.).
• Extracts of key lines with plain English translations.
• Open space in the classroom or access to a hall for movement and acting.

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1. Warm-Up (10 minutes): “Emotion Statues” Game

• Objective: To help students embody emotional expression in a fun, non-verbal way, introducing the idea of heightened emotions in the play.
• Instructions:
  1. Gather the students in a circle.
  2. Call out different emotions tied to “Romeo and Juliet” (e.g., joy, love, anger, sadness, confusion) and ask them to create a “frozen statue” showing that feeling.
  3. After a few rounds, introduce character-specific emotions:
     • “How does Romeo feel when he first sees Juliet?”
     • “What might Juliet look like when her family forbids her from seeing Romeo?”
  4. Praise expressive and creative ideas.

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2. Introducing the Story (10 minutes): Dramatic Reading & Discussion

• Objective: To familiarise students with the plot and characters in an age-appropriate way.

Activity:

1. Briefly explain the story of “Romeo and Juliet” in your own engaging narration, summarising the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, Romeo and Juliet’s love, and the consequences of misunderstandings. Focus on vocabulary they’ll understand while adding simplified Shakespearean quotes where appropriate (e.g., “Parting is such sweet sorrow”).
2. Introduce some Shakespearean insults for fun, like:
   • “Thou art as fat as butter!” (ask students to guess its meaning).
3. Ask students:
   • How would it feel to be told you couldn’t be friends or marry someone because of their family?
   • What might Romeo and Juliet have done differently to solve their problems?

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3. Main Activity (20 minutes): Character Explores

• Objective: To dive deeper into character motivations and relationships through roleplay.

Activity I (10 minutes): 'Living Portraits'

1. Split students into small groups of 6. Assign each student a key character (Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Mercutio, Nurse, Friar Laurence). Hand out the character name labels.
2. Each group creates a still “living portrait” of their characters interacting, e.g.:
   • The Capulet Ball (Romeo meets Juliet).
   • The street fight (Tybalt and Mercutio argue).
3. Freeze-frame: Ask each group to “freeze” on an important moment from the scene.
   • While frozen, tap individuals on the shoulder and ask them to speak aloud their character’s feelings (“I am Tybalt, and I’m full of anger!”).

Activity II (10 minutes): Improvised Debate
Building on their knowledge of the characters:

1. Ask groups representing the Montagues (Romeo & Mercutio) and the Capulets (Juliet, Tybalt, Nurse) to come forward.
2. Lead a “peace talk” roleplay where characters must argue for or against ending the feud. (e.g., “Why should Romeo and Juliet be allowed to marry?” vs “Why is loyalty to your family important?”).
3. Allow students to use their own words but encourage expressions of strong emotions like anger, sadness, or hope.

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4. Closing Reflection (5 minutes): Themes and Choices

• Gather the students in a circle. Ask:
  • What choices did Romeo and Juliet make that caused so much trouble?
  • Can you think of a time in your life when solving a problem required you to understand someone else’s point of view, like in the roleplay?
• Highlight key themes in an accessible way, such as love, loyalty, conflict, and forgiveness, linking them to their own experiences.

Homework (Optional)

• Write a few sentences as if you were a character in the play. What are you feeling at this very moment (e.g., “I’m Juliet, and I feel torn because I love Romeo, but my family would never approve!”)?

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observe students during roleplay for engagement and interpretation of character emotions.
• Formatively assess their ability to articulate character motivations during the 'freeze frames' and improvised debates.
• Use the closing discussion to evaluate their understanding of the themes and their ability to connect these ideas to their own lives.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For less confident learners: Provide key phrases or emotions to use during roleplay (e.g., “I am angry because…”).
• For advanced learners: Encourage them to experiment with using Shakespearean-style language.
• Adjust group sizes so all students are engaged in activities.

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Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

• Recount the basic storyline and key characters of “Romeo and Juliet.”
• Demonstrate an understanding of the play’s deeper themes through creative expression and discussion.
• Use roleplay to explore character motivations and relationships effectively.

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Teacher’s Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• Did the students engage with the story and characters?
• Which activities generated the most enthusiasm or creative responses?
• What might you tweak to support reluctant performers or challenge confident students further?