Romeo and Juliet Hot seating - analysing language and emotions after Tybalt and Mercutio's deaths

This is a hot seating activity for use when studying Romeo and Juliet.

Each group has a different extract from the events in the play after Mercutio and Tybalt have been killed. Students in the group will each be given a different character to focus on, with one member of the group working closely with all members as the 'reporter'. They must then think up the questions and answers for a hot seating performance to be shown to the other groups centered around how language is used to present how each character is reacting to what has happened and why. There are task sheets attached for each group to give them prompts about what they can look for.

There are roles and characters that can suit different abilities and students with particular targets so this lesson can be used well to differentiate. I also found it useful when groups were performing to give the other groups copies of each extract so that they could annotate and make notes based on the others' performances.

This can then easily lead into getting students to individually create essay styled paragraphs on how language is used for a particular character to practice applying the information learned to something they may write in the exam or a subsequent assessment.