Unresolved Conflicts in Romeo and Juliet:

How Can our School Improve Poor Communications Skills that Can Lead to Violent Conflicts?

Mrs. Huber Westinghouse High School Ihuber2@schools.nyc.gov

Introduction

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents a horrific account of what happens when conflicts are not resolved. He focuses on the conflicts that existed before the play opens as well as new conflicts that arise as a result of actions of certain characters. Likewise, as students at Westinghouse High School, you no doubt encounter problems with communications and like in Romeo and Juliet, innocent people can get hurt. This becomes a social problem because such poor communications skills can lead to unnecessary violence in at our school. Using the Public Policy Analyst (PPA), you will analyze the social problem of poor communications skills in relation to resolving conflicts, and develop new school policies through which our school could more effectively deal with this social problem.

Task:

Each student will be responsible for completing the following product:

Position Paper: 4 page double-spaced paper stating the problem and offering several solutions and your recommendation for the best solution. Annotated Research embedded into the paper. Bibliography in MLA format on a separate page. (See resources for help with this). Your group will use the Public Policy Analyst as an outline for your products.

Process:

Along with the information from the text and the resources, follow the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) 6 step process. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html Complete the worksheets and allow them to guide you with your policy paper, power point, and public awareness project.

1. Identifying the problem (Worksheet #1)- http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/qeworksheet.doc
2. Gathering Evidence (Worksheet #2)
3. Identifying Causes of the problem (Worksheet #3)
4. Evaluate the Policy (Worksheet #4)
5. Develop a Solution to the problem (Worksheet #5)
6. Selecting the Best Solution (Worksheet #6)

Work as a group to complete the worksheets first and then each student should begin writing their papers at home.

Resources

On Romeo and Juliet

• http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/romeo.html
• http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet

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Evaluation

CCSS Argumentative Writing Rubric – Grades 11-12: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

	Exemplary – 4	Proficient – 3	Developing – 2	Beginning - 1
Text Type & Purposes	Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that expertly establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.	Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.	Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.	Introduce basic claims, and fail to distinguish the claims from alternate or opposing claims, and exhibit a lack of organization that does not establish relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
	Develop sophisticated claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying ample evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.	Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.	Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.	Put for weak claims and may not include counterclaims, supplying very limited evidence for each in a manner that does not anticipate the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
	Use sophisticated words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.	Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.	Unevenly use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, attempt to create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims, and reasons and evidence, and between claims and counterclaims.	Do not use words, phrases, or clauses to link the major sections of the text, lack cohesion, and not clarify the relationships between claims, and reasons and evidence, and between claims and counter claims.
	Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.	Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.	Establish but fail to maintain a formal style and objective tone while unevenly attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline.	Fail to establish a formal style and/or objective tone and neglect to attend to the norms and conventions of the discipline.
	Provide a polished concluding statement or section that follows flawlessly from and supports the argument presented.	Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.	Provide a weak concluding statement or section that may not follow from or support the argument presented.	Fail to provide a concluding statement or section or provide one that is wholly unconnected to the argument presented.
	Produce exceedingly clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are perfect to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce writing in which the development, organization, and style are basically or unevenly appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce writing which lacks development, organization, and style which may be inappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Production & Distribution of Writing	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on skillfully addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.	Unevenly develop and strengthen writing by missing a step in the revision process, focusing on addressing what may not be significant for a specific purpose and audience.	Neglect to develop and strengthen writing by not partaking in the revision process.

CONCLUSION

By the end of this project, you will have an understanding of how our school can develop new policies to address the problem of poor communications skills that could lead to violent conflicts. What do you feel you learned about Romeo and Juliet by doing this project?