Debating a question raised by Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'
I can generate philosophical questions that relate to 'Romeo and Juliet' and I can participate in a class discussion about one of these questions.
Debating a question raised by Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'
I can generate philosophical questions that relate to 'Romeo and Juliet' and I can participate in a class discussion about one of these questions.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- 'Romeo and Juliet' is a tragedy that raises themes around family, social obligations, love and conflict.
- We can use a piece of art like a play as a stimulus for a discussion.
- We can consider factual questions, discussion questions and philosophical questions raised by the play.
- Philosophical questions are questions that are not context-linked - they could be discussed without knowing the play.
- When debating, we build on others' answers and we disagree respectfully.
Keywords
Debate - a formal discussion about a question or subject held in public
Theme - a central idea of a text that the writer intends the audience to engage deeply with
Discussion question - a question about a text that can be discussed
Philosophical question - a question that is raised by a text that can be discussed without referring to it
Common misconception
Pupils may find the distinction between discussion and philosophical questions challenging.
Encourage them to imagine asking the question to their parent or headteacher - if the person could answer without having read 'Romeo and Juliet', then it's a philosophical question. Model this process.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of serious crime
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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