West Side Story, the modern retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, won ten Academy Awards for its rousing depiction of the tale of star-crossed lovers. But how closely does the plot align to its source material? Compare and contrast the characters, settings, and plot elements of both plays. 

Concepts

romeo and juliet, west side story, character analysis, literary analysis, william shakespeare, film adaptations

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members choose one literary element to compare in a thorough analysis essay
• Project the worksheet onto the whiteboard for a collaborative discussion after watching the film as a class
• For advanced learners, have them try to align the elements themselves without the help of the worksheet

Classroom Considerations

• Learners may need more space to conduct an in-depth analysis

Pros

• Worksheet aligns with both the stage play of West Side Story and the 1961 film
• Covers an array of details from the plays

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.8.3 RL.8.7 RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.7 RL.9-10.9 RL.11-12.3 RL.11-12.7