During our Romeo and Juliet unit, students were given a pre- and post-test on literary terms in

order gauge their understanding of the intricacies of Shakespeares language. This test
(attached below) was a matching test with 23 literary terms and their definitions. Students were
asked to write the literary term on the line beside its corresponding definition. Throughout the
unit, students had a note sheet (attached below) which students used to take notes and write
examples about each term as we came upon it within the play. Both tests were exactly the
same, but were graded differently. For the pre-test, since they werent expected to know
anything yet, they got full points (20) just for completing the test. I made sure they knew that
they should do their best so that I would know what they know, but that there was no pressure to
perform well if they had never learned the terms before. For the post-test, they were graded for
each correct answer, out of a total of 23 points.

Student Initials (for privacy) Pre-test Score (out of 23) Post-test Score (out of 23)

Period 1

BB 10 15

DC 13 23

LE 9 15

MF 7 17

AJ 12 18

BL 11 18

CM 2 5

JN 7 18

DT 10 17

DS 9 19

DS 12 21

KS 0 1

Period 2

DA 3 10

JD 19 23

CB 4 4

JF 0 0
HF 2 1

BH 8 23

OA 2 2

MI 15 23

JJ 14 23

KL 3 7

TM 0 2

KM 14 23

AN 6 16

AO 0 3

LS 2 0

WS 3 20

AS 0 5

MR 12 21

NV 9 18

LW 1 12

LW 10 23

Period 8

SB 8 23

RC 10 23

MD 4 19

BF 12 21

EF 1 12

GG 2 0

AH 4 19

JH 10 23
CH 4 5

HJ 10 19

WL N/A 5

OP 6 21

JM 1 0

BM 16 20

AM 2 23

JP 1 1

RR 8 21

AS 10 18

ET 1 10

SW 6 16

AW 13 23

RY 6 10

Totals:
85% of students improved (white boxes)
7.5% of students remained the same (highlighted in yellow)
7.5% of students decreased (highlighted in blue)

Since I was intentional about teaching each literary term within the context of the play, I know
that students had the opportunity to learn what each literary term meant, along with how it is
actually used within the literature. I also know that each student had a sheet to take notes on,
and that they were told several times to keep track of that sheet and to use it to study off of.
However, I am also aware that various students are absent frequently and handle missing work
very poorly, and that several students are not the best at keeping track of papers for extended
periods of time. I think those two influences were a large factor in whether or not students did
well or poorly on the final assessment.

Although 85% of students improved their score, I am still not happy with the level of
improvement per student, and the fact that 7.5% decreased between the two assessments. As
far as the students who decreased, I believe that shows that those students did not keep track
of the literary terms as we went, which shows me that those types of students may need a more
structured system for taking and keeping track of their notes. In addition, out of the students
who stayed the same, the majority of them did not get the same questions right each time,
which tells me they are probably in the same position and may need the same modifications in
structuring as the other students who decreased. Also, since I know that my students are poor
at studying, I think the level of learning that took place may have been higher if we would have
done more in-class studying at the end of the unit, before they took the test. However, although I
want to help students learn and improve as much as possible, with this specific assessment I
struggle between giving students support, and babysitting them through the entire assessment
product. Apart from a few students who could have used more modifications and
accommodations, I feel that this unit provided students with the materials and information they
needed to be successful.

Literary Terms Pre-test

Word Bank:
Allusion Dialogue Metaphor
Aside Oxymoron Protagonist
Character Foil Paradox Antagonist
Chorus Personification Tragedy
Foreshadowing Pun Theme
Dramatic Irony Soliloquy Prose
Monologue Sonnet Comic Relief
Couplet Iambic Pentameter
1. _____________ A reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object.

2. _____________ Comic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that offset more serious

sections.

3. _____________ A play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words

with different meanings.

4. _____________ A comparison between two unlike things.

5. _____________ The main idea of a piece of literature.

6. _____________ A story with an unhappy ending.

7. _____________ Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical

structure.

8. _____________ A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short

(unstressed) syllable followed by one long (stressed) syllable.

9. _____________ Attributing human characteristics to something that is nonhuman.

10. _____________ The leading character in a literary work.

11. _____________ Character(s) that represents opposition against the main character.

12. _____________ A dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience

but is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on stage.

13. _____________ A characteristic device in ancient Greek drama in which a group of

actors speaking or chanting in unison - often while dancing - convey information about the play,

particularly an emotion about the action or characters.

14. _____________ Two concepts that do not go together but are used together. (Ex: little

giants)
15. _____________ A poem consisting of 14 lines which typically has a rhyme scheme of

abab cdcd efef gg, and employs iambic pentameter.

16. _____________ A long, uninterrupted speech that a character speaks in front of other

characters.

17. _____________ When the reader knows more about the true state of affairs than the

characters do.

18. _____________ Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme.

19. _____________ A character who sets off or illuminates the major character - usually to

create a contrast that is favorable to the major character.

20. _____________ When the author uses hints and suggestions to foretell the end of the

story.

21. _____________ A statement that contradicts itself.

22. _____________ A speech in which a character, alone on the stage, addresses himself or

herself to let the audience know their inner thoughts or feelings.

23. _____________ Conversation between two or more characters.

Romeo and Juliet Literary Terms

Allusion:

Aside:

Character Foil:

Chorus:
Foreshadowing:

Dramatic Irony:

Monologue:

Couplet:

Dialogue:

Oxymoron:

Paradox:

Personification:

Pun:

Soliloquy:

Sonnet:

Iambic Pentameter:

Metaphor:

Protagonist:

Antagonist:

Tragedy:

Theme:
Prose:

Comic Relief: