Allie Lizotte

Video Analysis Project

Purpose for Viewing: These clips demonstrate the two main types of lessons that I have been
doing with this Freshmen English class -- one that is more teacher-driven, and one that requires
students to work in small groups.
What Happened During the Lesson: In both lessons, students are reviewing what they read
from Romeo and Juliet for homework the previous night. Their review and understanding of the
text is driven by homework questions that they are to have answered as they read. In the first
video, I refer to these questions when asking students about key points from the scene. In the
second video, I instruct them to discuss their answers with their groups and decide on at least one
quote they thought was important to explain to the class. The expectation is that students include
relevant quotes and/or line references in their answers to their homework questions. They should
then be adding to their answers so that the question sheets may serve as their notes when
studying for the quiz.
Evidence of Student Learning: In the beginning of the clip, Lindsey is able to recall what we
discussed yesterday, identifying what was discussed in the opening monologue on both a literal
and figurative level. Mckenzie identifies the quote where Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry
him and Juliet. Molly then pulls out the section of text where Friar Lawrence responds to
Romeos request. Although it is not shown in this clip, she goes on to identify the foreshadowing
in Friar Lawrences response, a literary element we had discussed earlier, but not yet with this
scene. When we began reading Romeo and Juliet, students were uncomfortable with the
language and lacked the confidence to be able to paraphrase what certain lines meant. By being
able to identify and explain specific quotes, they are demonstrating their growing familiarity and
comfort with the language.