Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

"It is my lady, O, It is my Love!" Provide class members an opportunity to develop their skills reading difficult text with an exercise that focuses on the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet (Act II, scene ii). Using the provided exemplar text, learners first read the scene silently, highlighting confusing passages and recording questions in the space provided. Participants then follow along as the teacher reads the passage aloud. The subsequent discussion encourages close reading of the lines and paraphrasing of the text. Although the focus here is on the ways Romeo and Juliet express their love for one another, the approach could be used with any theme or any text. Step-by-step directions and a completed teacher answer sheet are included.