This will be a three-week unit on Romeo and Juliet, which is in our curriculum guide. It won't be a film festival on Shakespeare, though I'd love that!

I want my students to assume the roles of groundlings at their 21st century virgin viewing of Shakespeare--I'll give the bare bones plot summary and set Zefferelli upon them. The nudity is minimal--and, after reviewing the DVD over Easter, if I think it's over the line, I can always censor. But I don't think it will be necessary. What I love about the Zefferelli is the high-pitched and natural enthusiasm of the lovers. Very believable.

I know you all have seen the list of insults--you put three Shakespearean terms together to form an insult. I thought my kids might like creating an insult and then performing it as part of a class recording. We have a DVD camera, so the kids can see themselves delivering insults. I also read about an opening activity in which words and phrases of the prologue are read in-the-round--we may try this activity.

I hope that the unit will be fun, aural, dramatic and realistic in the sense that the kids will see there is a connection between teens of today and those four hundred years ago.

Thanks, as always, for your comments. Faldage, your suggestion about 'Shakespeare in Love' is terrific! I will follow through on that one!