After wrapping up their dystopian unit, English 1 students are beginning their last unit of the year; Romeo and Juliet. In past years, English 1 classes have been reading the play, but this year, the district changed up how the content is presented.

“Other years, this unit has been literary analysis centered similar to our unit 1 and 2 with a little bit of persuasion at the end to prepare students for English next year,” English teacher Vanessa Melvin said. “However, this year the district wants us to do socratic discussion.” 

For Melvin, this new way of conveying the story can give students a break from what they have been doing. 

“The students kind of get a break from reading and writing,” Melvin said. “Students now get the option to actually speak their responses instead.“

No matter what the unit involves, Melvin believes that it is key to give students a sense of Shakespeare in order to prepare them for their future English classes. 

“Exposing children to Shakespeare is important because they will be exposed to it from now, all the way through college,” Melvin said. “So, if we had to dip their toes into Shakespeare with one story, this would be it.

“I’m excited for this new unit, but also nervous as I’ve heard that it is harder than the others,” freshman Aishah Ibrahm said. 

Although Shakespearean language can be a challenge for some people, most students are understanding most of the basic storyline and details.

“So far, I can comprehend most of the scenes,” freshman Yashitha Deshagani said. “The words are really not that confusing, just the way that they are structured.”

Another benefit of reading Romeo and Juliet is that it can help students get ready to take their STAAR/EOC on Tuesday. 

“The STAAR takes a lot of focus and it’s definitely going to help me prepare for it because the book needs that kind of attention,” Deshagani said. “You can’t just skim through as you would a modern book, you have to understand almost every word to figure out what the story means.”