Teaching notes and ideas
Name of resource:
Romeo and Juliet Connect 4 games
Age group(s)
Subject(s)
8 to 11, 12 to 14, 15 to 16
English
Topic
Language Level
Romeo and Juliet
Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced
EAL Nexus
Description of resource
 Two Connect 4 game boards:
o Game board 1: information about characters
o Game board 2: quotes
 Learner instructions for each game board
 Answers for each game board
 Blue and pink counters for game board 1
 Green and orange counters for game board 2
 A matching activity (quotes to speakers, quotes to translations into
contemporary English, or speakers to translations into contemporary English)
Preparation needed
You will need:
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a game board for each two players or pairs of players
the appropriate two sets of counters
the accompanying set of instructions
a set of flashcards for the matching activity (extension activity)
answer sheet for matching activity
You will need to:
 print out as many copies of the game boards as required (slides 3 and 8 of the
PowerPoint) as A4 full-page slides and laminate them for reuse
 print out as many copies of the counters as required (slides 4, 5, 9 and 10 of the
PowerPoint) as A4 full-page slides, laminate them for reuse and cut up to form
four sets of counters
 print out a set of instructions and a set of answers for each board (2, 6, 7 and
11) as A4 full-page slides, laminate them for reuse
 make a set of flashcards for the matching activity by printing out the PowerPoint
as 6-to-a-page handouts and cutting them up. These can be laminated for
reuse
 Print out a copy of the answer sheet for the matching activity.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2015
EAL Nexus
Curriculum objectives
 To familiarise learners with basic information about the central characters
 To familiarise learners with some of the key quotes from Romeo and Juliet
Language/Literacy objectives
Functions
Structures
Describing
 He is …; She is …
Third person past tense:
 She helped …; He killed …; He got …; He wrote
…
Justifying
 I think … because …
Vocabulary
Names: Romeo, Juliet, Lord Capulet, Nurse, Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, Tybalt,
Benvolio, Prince Escalus
Family/relationships: daughter, son, father, cousin, friend, servant, nurse, priest,
enemy
Other: fight, party, to persuade, sleeping potion, banished, joking, to marry, holy
man, letter, in secret, love, hate, best friend
Connect 4 game board 2 also has more much advanced vocabulary from the text
itself, as does the matching activity.
This resource could be used:
 whole class
 differentiation within class
 small group
Ideas for using the resource
What to do
 Connect 4 is a collaborative activity intended to provide a genuine opportunity
for communication. It builds on learners’ prior knowledge and extends social
language into curriculum language. It is also a way of providing a motivating
way of going over the same information more than once. The game can be
played by two learners, but having two pairs of learners may be preferable
because it is likely to lead to more discussion.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2015
EAL Nexus
 The two Connect 4 boards are different levels – game board 1 is basic facts
about characters and the language is reasonably accessible; game board 2 is
actual quotes from the play so the language is more demanding.
 Give each pair or group a game board of the appropriate level, the appropriate
two sets of counters and a copy of the instructions. The pink and blue counters
go with game board 1 and the green and yellow counters with game board 2.
The instructions can be displayed on screen if preferred.
 A copy of the answer sheet should be available for learners to check in case of
uncertainty or dispute about an answer.
 A matching activity is also provided which contains three sets of flashcards:
pictures and names of characters, blue cards with quotes (from Connect 4
game board 2) and pink cards with ‘translations’ of the quotes into modern
English. These can be used in a number of different ways, for example learners
could be asked to work as a group to match the character cards to the pink
‘translation’ cards, or to match the corresponding pink and blue cards, or to
match the quote to the character cards.
Other ideas for making the best use of this resource
 Connect 4 could be played in groups of five with two pairs playing the game
and the fifth having a copy of the answer sheet and acting as referee.
 The matching activity could be used to play a pairs game (also known as
Pelmanism) for learners to match quotes and translations, using the blue and
pink cards. Both sets of cards should be placed face down on a desk/table. The
learners take it in turns to turn over two cards and if they match they win the
pair and get another turn. The winner is the learner who has the most pairs.
This would also work with matching the character cards to the pink cards or
matching the character cards to the blue cards. An answer sheet is also
provided.
Possible extension activities
 Learners could work together to produce their own Connect 4 board game
using different information, characters or quotes from the play.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2015