The Summer Gear-Up Program included a °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê literacy component taught to Syracuse City School District students by °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê preservice secondary teachers. First, ninth-grade students studied video and script versions of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Next, they read classical youth literature and wrote scripts related to their own lives. Finally, they performed their scripts and were given a DVD of their class performances. The reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing proved to be joyous experiences for all!