English 1

Today in class, students read the Prologue and Act One Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet. In this scene, students were introduced to Shakespeare's humor, complete with puns, oxymorons, and low humor of the lewd jokes that even Elizabethan peasants would have understood as they watched Shakespeare's plays from the floor of the Globe Theater in London. With a little work and a lot of explaining, students were able to understand Shakespeare's language and humor as well. Classes were also acquainted with some of the main characters in Romeo and Juliet, including Benvolio, Tybalt, Capulet, Montague, and Romeo himself. Next class period, students will meet Juliet in Act One Scene 2.

After reading, students began their Verona Persona assignment by creating their personas/characters based on a few characterizing questions. Students will introduce their characters and communicate with other verona personas online on our class wiki. Students are free to visit the site tonight and write their first posts, but next class they will also get a tutorial on how to use the wiki.

Participation Questions (leave your answers as a comment and receive participation points)
1. What is a pun? An oxymoron?
2. Why is Romeo so depressed in Act One Scene 1?

Homework

• Finish your Verona Persona questions if you did not get done in class
• Remind your parents about Open House tonight at 6:30PM