Teach students the context of William Shakespeare by setting up a bulletin board that explains the historical and social world of the playwright. Decorate with a picture of the Globe Theater, illustrations of the costumes and facts about the sound effects and rehearsals. Make cut-outs in the shape of a penny (the cost of viewing one of Shakespeare's plays in his time) and write down one cultural fact on each penny. Make the pennies large enough for students to read the fact. For example, "No females acted; young boys played all the women roles!"
Draw or trace and decorate large paper dolls who are representative of the main characters of the play. There are many characters in Romeo and Juliet and it will be difficult for students to keep them straight. Include Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio and Benvolio, (friends of Romeo), Friar Lawrence and Tybalt. (Lady Capulet's nephew.) As an activity, invite students to write adjectives underneath the characters so they can visualize the differences.
Teach the language of the time by posting translations. On long strips of paper, write phrases that are spoken throughout the play. For example, write "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" on one strip. Then, underneath it, write the modern translation. For this example, the translation is "Why must you be called Romeo?" as Juliet references her frustrations that she is not allowed to love Romeo because of his lineage. These translations will make the play easier to read and understand.
Decorate a classroom wall with posters of other books and movies with similar themes, so students will recognize the classic 'star-crossed lovers' idea in more modern stories. Examples include "West Side Story," "The Phantom of the Opera," or even the very recent "Twilight." Invite students to write underneath the posters, explaining how these other stories are similar to the play.