Romeo and Juliet Reading Response Journal

Using Depth & Complexity and Content Imperatives

Complete a Journal entry for three different scenes in each act of Romeo and Juliet ( 5 Acts = 15 entries total). Your journal must be typed.

1)Choose what you think is the most important quote in the scene.

2)Write down the act, scene, and line numbers.

3)Write down the entire quote. What does the quote say?

4)Paraphrase the quote and give the context. What does the quote mean?

5)Write down the significance of the quote. Why does the quote matter or why is it important? The response must be AT LEAST 70 words. This is the minimum requirement. Indicate word count after entry.

6)Indicate either a Couple or an Intersection that your quote relates to. A Couple is one element of Depth & Complexity and one Content Imperative. An Intersection can be one of the following: (1) An intersection of two elements of D&C, (2) An intersection of two Content Imperatives, or (3) An intersection of an element of D&C and a Content Imperative. For example, does your quote show a differing perspective (point of view) and a big idea (Couple)? Or does your quote show paradoxes that have changed overtime (Intersection)?

7)Complete a cover sheet using ideas from your log and the Depth and Complexity and Content Imperatives icons.

8)I will check the logs for each act on Mondays (quiz days). Students who have incomplete logs will receive a homework card. Drafts do not need to be typed, but they must be complete.

9)At the end of the play, you will submit your entire log including the cover for grading. You will turn in a hard copy AND you will submit your journal to turnitin.

10) Make sure you follow the correct format.

EXAMPLE JOURNAL ENTRY

Act I, Scene 1, Lines 86-94

SAY

Prince.

Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word

By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,

Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets

And made Verona’s ancient citizens

Cast by their grave beeseeming ornaments

To wield old partisans, in hands of old,

Cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate.

If ever you disturb our streets again,

Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.

MEAN

Prince Escalus is upset that the Capulets and Montagues, because of their long-standing feud, have again caused a near riot on the streets of Verona. He says the feud was caused by an “airy word,” or something insignificant. He threatens that if they ever cause a disruption again they will pay for it with their lives.

MATTER

This quote reveals that the families have been fighting for a long time. They have already caused at least three disturbances. The Prince refers to their hatred as “cankered” or diseased. Their hatred is a disease which affects not only the fathers but also their children, Romeo and Juliet. Hatred, like a disease, can take something lively and vibrant and slowly poison it until it dies. Also, the Prince’s warning foreshadows the ultimate doom of Romeo and Juliet. They will die because of the trivial feud caused by an “airy word.” (91 words)

COUPLE: PATTERNS AND CONTRIBUTION

The disturbance is a pattern which is pointed out by the Prince. We can predict this pattern will continue and the families will pay the price. The disease motif is also a pattern throughout the play. This quote also represents a contribution since we already know that this ongoing feud between the Capulets and the Montagues will ultimately be a major cause of Romeo and Juliet’s untimely deaths.

Depth & Complexity
Dimensions of Depth
Language of the Discipline:
/ Indicates identification and usage of appropriate language relative to the discipline.
Details
/ Indicates elaboration and description of an idea or event.
Patterns:
/ Indicates recurring elements or repeated factors of an idea or event, as well as the order of events. Identify & predict.
Trends
/ Indicates identification of changes throughout a period as well as the factors, influences & forces. Note causality & predict.
Unanswered Questions
/ : Indicates unclear ideas & information as well as what is unknown, unexplored, unproved. Identify & guess.
Rules:
/ Indicates organizational elements relevant to curriculum. Note order, determine relevance, organize, & identify learnings.
Ethics:
/ Indicates possible rights & wrongs of an event, idea, or issue. Reflection on bias, prejudice, discrimination. Draw conclusions, argue, and prove with evidence.
Big Idea
/ Indicates a generalization, principle, or theory about the curriculum being studied. Identify theory, state principle.
Dimensions of Complexity
Over Time:
/ Indicates a change over time where changes are identified and causality examined. Predict, order, & sequence.
Points of View:
/ Indicates multiple perspectives. Examine ideas and events from different perspectives. Think like a . . .
Interdisciplinary Connections
/ Indicates a connection between the curriculum under study and other. Associate, integrate, & link.
Content Imperatives
Contribution
/ The significant part or result of an event. Cause and effect; impetus/driving force.
Convergence
/ The meeting point of the elements that describe an event or idea. Two or more ideas coming together at the same time to create a new idea. A critical time / juncture.
Origin
/ The beginning, root, birth, or source of an idea or event. Where did this come from?
Paradox
/ The contradictory elements in an event or idea. Irony, conflict, a180 degree change.
Parallel
/ Ideas or events that are similar and can be compared to one another. These ideas or elements may exist at different times or simultaneously. A metaphor is an example of a parallel.