The Epic Romeo and Juliet Project
Mr. Provenzano’s Epic Romeo and Juliet Project has great value to his freshman English students. The project allowed students to collaborate with each other, sharing their ideas and using their problem solving skills. Students were able to use a wide variety of technology tools, which they will continue to utilize in their education and the workplace. Leadership skills were developed, allowing the students to show responsibility in many ways. The Epic Romeo and Juliet Project provides a memorable and educational experience which allows students to display their knowledge of the themes of a great work of literature, while building friendships and memories with fellow classmates.
Preparing for the Romeo and Juliet film required frequent collaboration between students from different freshman English classes. The project allowed students to grow closer to their own classmates, and well as members of other freshman English classes. Students had to work together using email, facebook, and group meetings to plan every aspect of the film. Problems had to be resolved with cameras, which resulted in multiple filming of some scenes. Scenes had to be rewritten due to a cast member’s broken arm part-way through the filming process. Overall, the project allowed many diverse students to work together, sharing their ideas and using their problem solving skills.
The epic Romeo and Juliet Project allowed students to utilize a variety of technological skills. Blogs were used to note progress on individual assignments, and to update others on the status of different groups. The advertising group worked with photo shop software to create ads and posters. The social media group used Facebook to spread the word about the film. The teacher used twitter to update class members about the status of the project. Class members used Skype to talk with the students from Iowa in meetings about the story and costume ideas. Many types of technology were used throughout the project, giving students valuable experience which will benefit their future studies and employment opportunities. The use of technology also helped develop leadership skills.
Students had the opportunity to develop leadership skills in various ways during the project. Individuals had the chance to choose which job they preferred in the project. This allowed students to excel in an area in which they had an interest. The writers and directors oversaw most of the project, telling other groups which props and costumes would be needed. Actors were given direction after the scripts were written and distributed. Each area had to be responsible in meeting their deadlines in order for the project to succeed. The overall project had great educational value, in addition to the leadership skills gained.
In order to complete the Epic Romeo and Juliet Project, students had to carefully read the play, and complete numerous discussion questions. An in depth analysis was done of major themes in Romeo and Juliet, which were carried over into the project. Hours of class discussion were devoted to the play, which helped in developing the Epic Romeo and Juliet Project. Creating the film turned out to be a major undertaking, with students able to contribute in various ways, because of the hours of study they had spent on reading and analyzing the play.
The Epic Romeo and Juliet Project provides a memorable and educational experience which allows students to display their knowledge of the themes of a great work of literature, while building friendships and memories with fellow classmates. The project allowed students to work closely with fellow classmates, sharing their ideas and solving problems together. Students used many valuable technology tools, which they will benefit them in their education and the workplace. Students showed responsibility and leadership skills in many ways. They carefully read and analyzed the play and its many themes. Mr. Provenzano’s Epic Romeo and Juliet Project has great value to his freshman English students, and could never be described as a “waste of time.”
