Name:___________________________ Romeo and Juliet Assessment
9(1) English
Essay
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Take a position or formulate an opinion on one topic
Record question here:
____________________________________________________________
Prior to writing, create an outline of your response. Before submitting, have your paper proofread by a trustworthy
peer or adult. (25 points for detailed outline and proofread draft)
Essay should be a minimum of three pages in length (double-spaced, 12 TNR font)
Use and analysis of relevant quotes and text detail in a must.
The essay should be based on your interpretation of the play. No outside sources. See me if you need help 
Grading: 25 points for the pre-writing, 100 points for the essay: depth and quality of analysis/your ideas (40), use
and selection of play details and quotes (40), and style/mechanics—embedding quotes, strong word choice, and
proofreading errors (20).
excellent
good
Pre-writing :
outline and
edited draft
25
22
meets
requirements
19
Depth of
analysis /
writer’s ideas
40
35
31
Use of
specific play
details and
quotes
40
35
31
Style and
mechanics
20
17
15
TOTAL: ____________ / 125
unsatisfactory
Name:___________________________ Romeo and Juliet Assessment
9(1) English
Scene Performance
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Choose an important scene from the play that your group can perform. There can be a “director,” but everyone else
must have a significant acting role (students can take two roles or roles can be reduced to accommodate group).
Photocopy your scene or find it online and print it out (copies for each group member plus one for me). With your
group, decide on where to begin and end the scene, and select the lines from the scene that are essential in acting it
out, crossing out, highlighting, etc. as needed. You should not significantly cut the scene, but selectively choose the
most essential, meaningful lines to include. Most of the lines should remain. Actors should make notes showing
where to pause and what gestures should accompany the lines.
Act out your scene in one of two ways:
a) Readers’ Theater : “Voice act” the scene LIVE in front of the class. Planned seating/arrangement as well as simple gesture and costuming
must be carefully planned to help you portray the scene to the class. You are allowed to have lines on your lap as a backup.
b) Recorded performance: Act out your scene using simple costumes, props, and setting. Lines should be memorized and movement/blocking
should be considered. This option is for those who have and are relatively skilled with video equipment and editing software. NOTE: You must use
Shakespeare’s language, but you can revise the context and perform the scene as you’d like: performing lines in a rap, setting them to music,
recreating the setting…..be creative.
Write a one-page post-performance reflection in which you evaluate your individual and group performance and
discuss the reasoning behind your acting and line selection.
Grading: 30 points: Script creation (scene selection and line cutting), 75 points: quality of the acting (verbal—tone,
expression, pronunciation-- and visual), 20 points: reflection.
Script creation (careful and
excellent
good
30
26
meets
requirements
23
75
65
57
20
17
15
purposeful choice of lines to keep
and cut; scene contains all key parts)
Quality of acting:
tone
expression
pronunciation
gesture
movement
simple costuming,
props,
setting
Reflection :
evaluate your individual and group
performance and discuss the reasoning
behind your acting and line selection
TOTAL: ____________ / 125
unsatisfactory
Name:___________________________ Romeo and Juliet Assessment
9(1) English
Top Ten Quotes Recorded Performance
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Choose a theme, character, or topic from Romeo and Juliet and select 10 quotes from the play that best represent
your choice. (Ideas: Romeo’s tragic flaw, wise advice, teen drama, character contradictions, Juliet’s changing
personality, cheesy love lines, fun puns…)
Introduce the topic explaining what it is and why it is important.
“Perform” each quote. No costumes or props needed (unless you want). You should say the quote with feeling, as
an actor might say it on stage.
After performing each quote, explain what it means, its connection to your theme/character/topic, and why it is
important to the overall play.
End with a conclusion about the quotes: as a whole what do they show?
Each group member should submit a one-page reflection critiquing the overall performance and explaining specifically
how he/she contributed to the work.
Grading: 25 points: Topic selection and choice of lines; 25 points: quality of introduction, explanations, and
conclusions, 55 points: performance of lines-- tone, expression, pronunciation, and 20 points: individual reflection
excellent
good
Topic selection
and choice of
lines
25
22
meets
requirements
19
Quality of
introduction,
explanations, and
conclusions
25
22
19
55
47
42
Reflection: critique 20
overall
performance
17
15
Performance
(tone, expression,
pronunciation)
TOTAL: _______/ 125
unsatisfactory
Name:___________________________ Romeo and Juliet Assessment
9(1) English
Poetry Collection
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Write four poems inspired by the play’s themes, conflicts, or characters.
o Two poems should be about themes in the play (young love, rivalry, love at first sight, acting without
thinking, the destructive nature of violence, teenage moodiness, parental worry, parental interference…).
Each poem should use a minimum of three examples of figurative language and two sound devices.
o One poem should be a sonnet (describing why the feud began; serving as a prologue to act 3, 4, or 5;
serving as an epilogue to the entire play; serving as a soliloquy given by a character in the play or a
citizen of Verona)
o One poem can be in any form that you like and can relate to the play in any way that you’d like. For
instance, you could write a poem describing Juliet’s relationship with the Nurse, or you could write a
poem describing Romeo’s flaw, or you could write a poem about a student’s reaction to reading Romeo
and Juliet…..
Write a paragraph explaining each poem (four total): what message you were trying to convey, what poetic
devices you used, how the poem connects to the play.
Grading: 30 points for sonnet, 20 (60) points for each of the other three poems, 6 points for each paragraph (24),
10 points for mechanics, 1 point for good luck 
Sonnet
excellent
good
30
26
meets
requirements
23
20
17
15
20
17
15
20
17
15
24
21
18
10
8
7
(form and content)
Theme poem 1
(creativity,
connection to
theme, three fig.
lang., two sound
devices)
Theme poem 2
(creativity,
connection to
theme, three fig.
lang., two sound
devices)
Choice poem
(creativity and
connection to play)
Explanatory
paragraphs (4)
message, devices,
connection to play
Mechanics
+1=
TOTAL: ______/ 125
unsatisfactory
Name:___________________________ Romeo and Juliet Assessment
9(1) English
5. Scene Creation
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Imitating Shakespeare’s language, create a new scene for the play. The scene can be a prequel to the play, a sequel
to the play, a representation of scene missing from the play, or an alternate ending to the play. Your scene should be
written as a script with simple stage directions. As does Shakespeare, you should use some poetic devices and
iambic pentameter in your scene should be at least sixty lines long. If working with a partner, the script must be twice
as long.
Along with the actual script, you must include a one-page reflection explaining your scene: what you were trying to
show through the scene, why you had the characters act as they do, what poetic devices you chose to include. If
completed in partners, each partner should complete his/her own reflection that does the above and also explains
his/her individual contributions.
Grading: 50 points: Quality and creativity of scene and character accuracy, 50 points: use of Shakespearean
language (his words, sentence style, and poetic devices), 10 points: mechanics and format (looks like a script), and
15 points: reflection
excellent
good
50
43
meets
requirements
38
Use of
50
Shakespearean
language
43
38
Scene and
character
quality and
accuracy
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words
sentence style
(inversion and
line breaks)
poetic devices
(figurative
language and
some iambic
pentameter)
Mechanics and
format
10
8
7
Refection
15
13
11
what you were
trying to show
through the scene,
why you had the
characters act as
they do, what
poetic devices you
chose to include
Total : ___________/ 125
unsatisfactory